Tag: protect

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Improved maps thanks to artificial intelligence that help protect the environment

Chesapeake Conservancy is an environmental group that fights for the conservation of the entire basin of the bay with the same name. Two years ago, featured one of the highest resolution maps ever made in the US, of a territory that covered 259,000 square kilometers, with 207 cities and rural counties.

This map was based on updated satellite images and had a resolution of one meter, compared to the previous one it was from 2011 and its resolution was 30 meters: this meant that a single pixel of this map no longer represented an entire farm, but allowed to identify individual crops.

The map consisted of 80,000 cells, each equivalent to about 33.7 square kilometers, which after being analyzed by a computer, were reviewed one by one by humans to classify ground cover (vegetation, water, concrete, etc.), a task that required a team of 30 people working for 10 months.

Algorithms to identify crops, lakes and roads

The computerized analysis of the map was carried out using the open source tool Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit 2.0 and the Azure cloud, thanks to the collaboration between environmentalists and the AI ​​for Earth program launched by Microsoft.

This has enabled the Chesapeake Conservancy to use software capable of analyzing and identify each element of the map thanks to machine learning: “Your brain contains an algorithm that has been trained to identify images: ‘That’s a tree, that’s a car, that’s a boat,” explains Microsoft’s environmental manager Lucas Joppa.

In the Microsoft Environment blog, they summarize the challenges they face when trying to make these kinds of maps:

“High-resolution, real-time land cover maps can guide conservation efforts, but creating these maps using available imagery and tracking changes over time requires complex algorithms and computing resources.[…] able to keep pace with the increasing speed of data collection. “

Thanks to what they learned working with the map of the bay, Microsoft was able to use its Brainwave Project to process 200 million satellite images in just 10 minutes (and for a cost of less than € 40) and immediately generate a draft of the land cover map of the entire United States.

These high-resolution maps will now allow environmental groups to assess changes in the environment at a much higher frequency, and focus where changes are fastest and most aggressive. That’s why the Chesapeake Conservancy is now collaborating with groups in other regions of the US (Iowa, Arizona, the Great Lakes) to generate new maps, thanks to the processing power that Microsoft technology gives them.

However, not everything learned in the Chesapeake is exportable to other areas: for example, the machine learning algorithm, trained in analyzing the blue and green tones of the Chesapeake basin, did not show good performance when facing beige and sandstone colors that dominate the arid landscape of Arizona.

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[HOT] : PS5: anti-lightning plugs are not enough to protect the console


The cases of PS5 burnt out after a thunderstorm are increasing. Indeed, many players tell their misadventures on Reddit or on Sony forums. Despite the use of an anti-lightning plug, several of them assure that their console died at the first lightning strike near their home.

The PS5 is still just as complicated to find and unfortunately these difficulties are likely to continue until 2022 as recently admitted by Sony. Despite everything, the console is already a success with more than 10 million PS5 sold. And precisely, Reddit user Dogen_Lives_in_glass is one of his lucky ones. Or rather, being part of it.

As he says on the social network, his PS5 died when lightning struck his house. “I was gone for a week and lightning hit my house, the PS5 stuck. Don’t take your console for granted… ”he says. Faced with the inability to restart the console, the user was forced to remove the shell in order to access the Blu-Ray drive to remove a game stuck inside. Before that, he had nevertheless tried to change the power cable and the socket, without success.

LIGHTNING DESTROYES MANY PS5

Unfortunately and as he explains on Reddit, he is running out of solution. The console is still under warranty, the owner will try his luck with Sony, hoping to succeed and get a repair or replacement machine. After the publication of its story, many other owners of PS5 told similar facts, where their console passed the weapon on the left after a thunderstorm.

“My house was struck by lightning too. She destroyed the PS5 and my surge protector. An iMac and its battery were also destroyed. Insurance paid for everything ”, explains another user. This case recalls the recent story of a player electrified by lightning through his controller. Fortunately for him, no serious after-effects were deplored. Anyway, the testimony of these users is a reminder of how it is better to unplug your console before leaving for the weekend or on vacation, to avoid unpleasant surprises in the event of a storm. And you, do you already have a console damaged by lightning? Tell us in the comments.

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Best Ways to Protect Your iPhone in 2021


While iPhone and other Apple devices are generally considered high-end and high-security, the truth is these devices are also juicy targets for cybercriminals. This is because iPhones and iPads carry a lot of personal data, including messages, contacts, photos, and all the sensitive information in all the email accounts linked to the device. In short, these devices contain everything the hacker needs to accomplish their hacking mission. To top it up, hackers keep finding vulnerabilities that act as entry points into iPads and iPhones. While Apple tries to stay on top of these threats by offering frequent updates to its OS, users of these devices need to perform some tweaks to increase their level of protection.

Security Threats Facing iPhone Users

Different mobile operating systems come with different strengths and weaknesses. And while it’s undeniably true that iPhones are better protected than Androids, they have their vulnerabilities too. Here are some of the risks facing iPhone users.

Trustjacking

This is a fairly new risk for iPhone users. Trustjacking happens when you use the USB port of a compromised computer. The iOS asks if you want to trust the device since it will access your data, thus the name “trustjacking.” Once you accept, this threat can abuse an iOS feature known as iTunes Wi-Fi sync, which is meant to enable iPhone users to manage their device without having to connect it to their computer physically.

Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

Some attacks, such as man-in-the-middle, are not tied to a particular operating system, so that means they are dangerous to iPhone users as they are to android users. And, since anyone, including iPhone users, can connect to public Wi-Fi, it means anyone can fall victim to this attack despite the operating system or device that one is using.

Man-in-the-middle attacks are often found on unsecured Wi-Fi and can capture your information as it passes from your mobile phone to another device or website. Most often, this happens without the victim’s knowledge.

Mobile Phishing

Just like man-in-the-middle, mobile phishing is also not operating system specific, and anyone can fall victim to it. Phishing scams come in various forms. These threats employ different online techniques like pop-up ads and fake emails and come in the form of text messages and phone calls. Scammers often use fear tricks to lure victims into taking action.

How iPhone Users can Protect their Devices

As discussed above, iPhones also come with their own vulnerabilities that users have to deal with. The good news is that these threats are easy to protect from. Here are some of the things you can do to ensure your iPhone remains secure.

Enable Find My iPhone Feature

This is Apple’s built-in tracking software that uses GPS to track a stolen or lost phone. Besides helping you find your phone, this software has other built-in security features like Activation Lock that makes it impossible for anyone else to use your iPhone. To use the iPhone, one is required to enter their Apple user ID and password. Not having this information means you cannot use or reactivate your device, erase your device, or disable the Find My iPhone setting.

Use a VPN on Unsecured Networks

A VPN app for iPhone will make your connection private and secure whenever you’re connecting to unsecured public Wi-Fi. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) acts as a tunnel, encrypting the data you send and receive while on unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

2FA such as phone number SMS or fingerprint reader methods adds an extra layer of protection to your accounts. That means when someone signs into your account from a different device or even browser, even if they have your password, they’ll be taken to a different screen, asking them for a code. This is such a simple tip, and since an increasing number of apps and sites have it available, ensure you activate it to secure your accounts and the information within.

Turn On Automatic iOS Updates

Ensuring your apps and operating systems are up to date is crucial if you want your iPhone to remain secure. They add new features and address the issue of software vulnerability—which is a weakness or security hole in a software program or operating system.

Hackers can exploit these vulnerabilities by writing code that targets a particular weakness. The worst part is that these exploits infect your device with no action on your end except maybe, playing infected media, opening a corrupted message, or viewing a website.

Indeed, the iPhone isn’t exposed to as much malware and other security risks as android devices, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore good practice as far as iPhone security is concerned. Just so you know, some iPhone apps track and send user data to third parties. So, it’s up to you to keep your iPhone, and all the sensitive information in it protected and secured.

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How to password protect a folder on OneDrive

We are going to explain to you how to password protect a folder in OneDrive, so that you make sure you have it well protected. Microsoft does not offer an option in OneDrive that is to put a password to a folder, since to access the folders you need to log in with your account, and for this you have to type the password that you already have in it.

However, there is a method with which you can add a password. You can make the folder shared even if you don’t specify with whom, and so you can put a password as an extra layer of security. A link will also have been generated to share this folder, but the decision of whether to share it or not will be yours.

Password a OneDrive folder

The first thing you have to do is right click on the folder you want to protect with a password to display the context menu. It does not matter if you do it in the OneDrive folder of your operating system or in the web version of the cloud storage service.

When the context menu appears, either in the operating system where you have OneDrive installed, in its mobile application, or in the web version, choose the Share option even if you don’t plan to share the folder with anyone.

You will enter the Send link menu, and the folder will be marked as shared. Once this window opens where you can manage the link to access the folder, click on the button Anyone with the link can edit or the message that appears in the button that is placed there, since it may vary in the folders that you already have shared with a certain configuration.

You will go to the options where you determine how the folder is shared. In these options click on the Set password section which is where you can put a different one. In this window, if you want to limit access to the folder, you should also deactivate the Allow editing option. Once you have entered the password, click on Apply.