It only takes a few minutes before Futurama’s new season starts explaining non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, a concept most people probably haven’t thought about for more than a year.

Despite being set in the far future, Futurama has always been comfortable commenting on modern life. There have been episodes about smartphones and 3D printers that use sci-fi nonsense to complicate the concepts in a way that makes them funny. That has largely continued to be true over many years (and cancellations). But in its Hulu revival last year, the show really started to mess up the balance, and its topical jokes began to overshadow the sci-fi gags. The upcoming 12th season struggles even more to find a Futurama-style twist on absurd ripped-from-the-headlines storylines about NFTs and AI. It makes for an uneven season that often feels like it’s missing what originally made the show so special.

The NFTs are the most egregious example, and they also happen to be featured heavily in the debut episode, which makes for a terrible first impression. The convoluted plot involves Bender selling a CryptoPunks-style collection to make a quick buck, which somehow leads him on a quest to discover his origins in Mexico. Meanwhile, the rest of the Planet Express crew attempts a heist to liberate Bender’s NFT collection from an art museum, only to be thwarted by the complexities of the blockchain and digital ledgers.

The problem is that these aren’t some sort of quirky Futurama take on NFTs — they’re just regular NFTs as we know them now, terrible art connected to a digital receipt. The episode spends an annoyingly large part of its runtime explaining the concept — which, to be fair, is hard to do succinctly — without offering much by the way of jokes or commentary. It just assumes NFTs in and of themselves are enough to make people laugh.

More than a decade ago, when we all thought Futurama was really over for good, executive producer and head writer David X. Cohen explained to me how the show was able to successfully translate modern problems into its retrofuturistic world. “We always like it when the real world gives us ideas for episodes,” he said. “Setting the show 1,000 years in the future does not mean you’re not going to comment on society today, it just makes it one step removed.” As the NFT episode proves, it’s that “one step removed” part that’s so important. Without it, the episode is a bunch of dull jokes that are also painfully dated.

I’ve seen the first six episodes of the season (there will be 10 in total), and things fare slightly better later on. There’s a Squid Game spoof that explores Fry’s childhood through some kind of bizarre time travel and a fast-fashion episode that turns Cara Delevingne into Frankenstein’s monster and the professor into a style icon. I wouldn’t say these are examples of Futurama at its best — the jokes are hit or miss, and most are lacking the heart that keeps the show grounded. But they at least understand Futurama’s original premise: using this weirdo future as a lens to exaggerate modern issues.

This is less true in the most unoriginal episode of the bunch, when the show turns an AI chatbot into Leela’s jealous friend. It’s just about every AI movie trope rolled into 20 minutes of animation. It’s also pretty weird to tackle AI as a new thing at all given Futurama is swarming with sentient robots.

Maybe there’s more heart and wit in the later episodes, as Hulu does promise the season will explore “the next chapter in Fry and Leela’s fateful, time-twisted romance.” But from what I’ve seen, the balance is too far askew. There’s too much focus on being topical and not enough on the oddball humor, long-running characters, and warmth that has made it all work so well before. Like the rest of the world, Futurama should’ve left NFTs in the past.

Futurama season 12 starts streaming on Hulu on July 29th.

Google Ads are mostly harmless, but if you see one promoting a particular web browser, avoid clicking.

Security researchers have discovered new malware for Mac devices that steals passwords, cryptocurrency wallets and other sensitive data. 

It masquerades as Arc, a new browser that recently gained popularity due to its unconventional user experience.

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How the Mac malware infects your device

The Mac malware lurks behind sponsored search results. Clicking the ad redirects you to arc-download[.]com, a phony website that pretends to offer a Mac version of Arc. The downloaded file looks like a typical Mac app installer.

However, there’s one catch — you’re asked to run the file by right-clicking and choosing open, rather than the more straightforward method of simply double-clicking on the file. This is to bypass a security measure Macs have in place. By forcing you to skip this step, the malware tricks you into installing it.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

An analysis of the malware code shows that once installed, the stealer sends stolen information, such as your passwords, to the IP address 79.137.192.4, which turns out to be the home base for this malware’s control panel. This sneaky panel lets cybercriminals access stolen data from infected accounts.

“There is an active scene for Mac malware development focused on stealers,” Jérôme Segura, lead malware intelligence analyst at Malwarebytes, wrote. “As we can see in this post, there are many contributing factors to such a criminal enterprise. The vendor needs to convince potential customers that their product is feature-rich and has low detection from antivirus software.”

Fake Arc browser ad. (Malwarebytes)

ANDROID BANKING TROJAN MASQUERADES AS GOOGLE PLAY TO STEAL YOUR DATA

The Mac malware is ‘verified by Google’

The Mac malware posing as a Google ad is called Poseidon, according to researchers at Malwarebytes. When clicking the “more information” option next to the ad, it shows it was purchased by an entity called Coles & Co, an advertiser identity Google claims to have verified.

Google verifies every entity that wants to advertise on its platform. In Google’s own words, this process aims “to provide a safe and trustworthy ad ecosystem for users and to comply with emerging regulations.” However, there seems to be some lapse in the verification process if advertisers can openly distribute malware to users. Though it is Google’s job to do everything it can to block bad ads, sometimes bad actors can temporarily evade their detection.

This isn’t even the first instance of cybercriminals exploiting Google ads. I reported in May that ads are being used to position bogus websites atop your search results. These websites pose as trustworthy sites, and they pilfer your money and personal information.

In this latest instance, Google identified this issue and suspended the advertiser account for violating its policies, removing all its ads from its platforms, even before the Malwarebytes report.

We reached out to Google, and a spokesperson offered this statement:

“We prohibit ads that attempt to circumvent our enforcement by disguising the advertiser’s identity to deceive users. When we identify ads that violate our policies we move quickly to remove the ads and suspend the associated advertiser account when applicable, as we did in this case.”

Fake entity called Coles & Co behind bogus ad. (Malwarebytes)

ANDROID USERS AT RISK AS BANKING TROJAN TARGETS MORE APPS

5 ways to protect yourself from Google ads malware

It’s hard to detect which Google ad is malicious. Follow these five tips to protect yourself from these Google search scams.

1. Bookmark or save URL: If you frequently visit certain sites, particularly social media and financial platforms, bookmark or save their URLs. This will ensure that you end up on the right page and avoid counterfeit pages.

2. Avoid clicking on unknown links: Always type the website address directly into your browser’s address bar. Avoid clicking on links, especially those sent via email or found on unfamiliar websites, as they might lead to counterfeit or malicious pages. By manually entering the URL, you ensure that you’re navigating to the correct and intended site, reducing the risk of phishing attacks and other online threats.

The best way to protect yourself from clicking malicious links that install malware that may get access to your private information is to have strong antivirus protection installed on all your devices. This can also alert you of any phishing emails or ransomware scams. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices.

3. Download apps from trusted platforms: When downloading apps on your Mac or any other Apple device, use the App Store. Apple has strict security guidelines that only allow secure and legitimate apps to be hosted on its platform.

4. Keep your browser updated for maximum security: Regularly updating your browser is crucial, as updates often include security patches that protect against newly discovered vulnerabilities.

5. Recognize urgent requests as potential scams: Always be wary if someone is urgently requesting you to do something like send money, provide personal information or click on a link — chances are it’s a scam.

HOW TO REMOVE YOUR PRIVATE DATA FROM THE INTERNET

Kurt’s key takeaway

The Poseidon malware case is a wake-up call for everyone to be super careful with online ads, especially those for popular software. Don’t just click on the first sponsored search result that pops up. Also, ensure you only download apps from trusted sources, like official app stores. To add another layer of security, consider using strong antivirus protection.

Do you feel confident in recognizing legitimate download sites versus fake ones? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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The Doctor Who franchise is about to get even bigger with a new spinoff series that, interestingly, doesn’t seem like it’s going to focus on everyone’s favorite Time Lord.

During the Doctor Who panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Disney and the BBC announced that The War Between The Land And The Sea — a new series written by Russell T. Davies and Pete McTighe — is on the way. Rather than the Doctor, the new show will revolve around a group of humans as they work together to face the Sea Devils, a race of ancient, ocean-dwelling creatures who first appeared in Doctor Who back in 1972.

Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient are set to reprise their roles as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Colonel Ibrahim, respectively, but they will also be joined by Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as characters not yet revealed. Previously, Tovey and Mbatha-Raw both starred in Doctor Who —he as Titanic midshipman Alonso Frame, and she as Tish Jones — but it’s not clear whether that’s who they’ll be playing here.

In a press release about the new show, Davies called it “a huge, muscular, thrilling drama which will shake The Whoniverse to its foundations,” and while we don’t know when to expect its debut, it’s scheduled to begin shooting in August.