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PayPal will let you pool money for group gifts and shared expenses

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PayPal will let you pool money for group gifts and shared expenses

PayPal is introducing a new money-pooling feature that aims to make it easier to collect and pay for things as a group. The feature is free and allows PayPal users to create a pool online or via the platform’s app, invite friends and family to contribute, track contributed funds, and transfer that cash to their own PayPal balance.

Provided you trust the pool organizer who will hold the power to spend or withdraw those funds, the pooling feature should provide a simple way to gather cash for things like gifts and group traveling collectively. Pool organizers can share pool joining links via “text, email, WhatsApp, and more” to people regardless of whether they have a PayPal account or not. Contributions can be made using a PayPal balance or bank account, and organizers can also set a pool name, description, target date, and funding goal amount.

Here’s what the setup process looks like in the PayPal app.
Image: PayPal

The money pooling feature is rolling out today across the US, UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Users in those regions can access it by selecting “Pool Money” from either the PayPal app menu, or in the “More Options” menu within the “Send/Request” tab. 

Other apps like Settle Up are already available that directly focus on tracking and pooling group expenses. Venmo also introduced a similar feature last year called “Groups” with a notable distinction — the responsibility is entirely shared, which may be a better solution if you don’t want a single individual in charge of the group.

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Your email didn’t expire; it’s just another sneaky scam

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Your email didn’t expire; it’s just another sneaky scam

It’s hard to ignore the rise of phishing scams these days. They seem to pop up in our inboxes with alarming frequency. As we become more aware of these deceptive tactics, scammers are also upping their game, using increasingly sophisticated methods to lure in unsuspecting victims.

One particularly sneaky tactic involves impersonating a help desk or support team. You might receive an email claiming that your Microsoft 365 account is set to expire today. 

The goal? To create a sense of panic and urgency, prompting you to act quickly without thinking. So, how do you recognize these scams and protect yourself from falling victim to them? Let’s go down that road to keep you safe.

I’M GIVING AWAY A $500 GIFT CARD FOR THE HOLIDAYS

A woman opening email on laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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How can you tell if it is a scam email?

It’s easy to see why people fall prey to these sorts of tactics, because scammers do a relatively good job of making these scam emails appear professional and legitimate. They go as far as to change the contact information of the email sender to something legitimate like an actual helpdesk or IT department or business.

Upon further examination of the email sender’s contact information, you can see that the domain address of the actual email address is different and random. For example, the name in the “From” field of the email may read from helpdesk, but if you click on the contact information to view the email address, it will have a domain from @magicpin.in, @gmail.com or @hotmail.com, etc. If it’s an email supposedly from Microsoft, you’d expect the domain to be microsoft.com.

email scam 2

Microsoft scam email (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

DON’T CLICK THAT LINK! HOW TO SPOT AND PREVENT PHISHING ATTACKS IN YOUR INBOX

How are victims exploited by these types of scams?

Getting a “fake” email may seem relatively benign, but it can be a slippery slope to identity theft and fraud. Below are ways in which scammers take advantage of their victims with these phishing email scams:

1. Email validation: By opening the email or engaging with the email (clicking a link or responding to it), you can validate that the email account they messaged is active. Oftentimes, scammers randomly email people whose email address they’ve gotten from data breaches, the dark web or data harvesting.

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2. Information gathering: If you reply to the email or use any other contact information they provide to “reinstate” your account, it will validate that the email address they reached out to is active, and they will likely hard-sell you for financial and personal information. If you call any phone number they provide you, they will also connect your phone number with your email address so they can continue to update their information on you.

3. Malware distribution: They will often have buttons, links or attachments included in the email. If you click the attachment, it can download malware or a virus to your device. If you click on a link that’s provided in the email, it might take you to a website that will collect your personal and financial information or download malware or viruses to your device.

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scammer

Illustration of scammer at work

SNEAKY SCAMMERS DRAIN BANK ACCOUNT IN SINISTER PHONE PHISHING SCHEME

What should you do if you receive these types of phishing emails?

There are a few easy steps you can take if you receive an email you suspect is a phishing scam.

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1. Do not click on any links or buttons and do not download or open any attachments: This helps prevent malware installation and protects your personal information. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.

2. Do not reply or reach out to these scammers by email or phone: Engaging with them can confirm your email address is active, leading to more scams.

3. If your email client allows it, you can block the sender and report it as a phishing email: This action helps protect yourself and others by alerting your email provider to malicious activity.

4. Verify the email’s legitimacy by checking the official website of the organization: Directly accessing your account ensures you receive accurate information without falling for fake notifications.

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5. If two-factor authentication is offered for your account, enable it: 2FA adds an extra layer of security, making it harder for scammers to gain access even if they have your password.

6. Invest in personal data removal services: Reducing your digital footprint minimizes the risk of identity theft and scams based on harvested data. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.

HOW TO STOP PROMOTIONAL EMAILS WHERE YOU CAN’T UNSUBSCRIBE

Kurt’s key takeaways

Phishing scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, but staying informed and vigilant can significantly reduce your risk. By adopting good digital habits and following the tips we’ve shared, you can navigate the online world with confidence. Remember, awareness is your best defense, so keep sharing this knowledge with friends and family to help protect everyone from these deceptive tactics.

What’s the most unusual or clever phishing attempt you’ve encountered, and how did you recognize it as a scam? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.

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Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.

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Apple updates Final Cut Pro for Mac, iPad and Final Cut Camera

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Apple updates Final Cut Pro for Mac, iPad and Final Cut Camera

More than a decade after the launch of Final Cut Pro X, Apple’s video editing software is taking a step forward. The app is now being updated to Final Cut Pro 11, after dropping the number in its name for the past few years. The update includes new AI masking tools, the ability to generate captions directly in your timeline, spatial video editing features, and a set of workflow improvements. The new version is free for existing users and a $299 one-time purchase for new users. Final Cut Pro for iPad and Final Cut Camera are also getting some updates today, too.

I’ve spent the last week testing out these new features, and many of them are great improvements. I’ve been particularly impressed by the speed and accuracy of one new feature coming to the desktop: Magnetic Mask. With one click, you can easily isolate a subject, like a person, from the background and apply different color adjustments to that part of the footage. 

I tested Magnetic Mask in various scenarios, like static talking head videos and fast-moving snowboarding footage. In each scenario, Final Cut Pro did a very good job of isolating the subjects. But don’t expect a pixel-perfect mask each time. I still had to jump in and do a few smaller adjustments to help it out. You can either manually fine-tune your mask with a brush or add or remove tracking points and let Final Cut Pro analyze the footage.

One thing that was impressive is that it automatically detected my flapping backpack straps.

I was impressed by the speed of the whole process. Granted, these were fairly short clips (about 45 seconds each), but each mask took less than a minute on my four-year-old 10-core M1 Pro MacBook Pro — a lot less time than the tedious and exhausting process of manually rotoscoping in After Effects.

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I did notice that analysis slowed down significantly once I started screen recording my process. This feature will work on Intel-based Macs as well.

I am an avid user of Adobe’s Premiere Pro, but features like these always make me want to give Final Cut Pro another shot. I may not be left behind for long, though: Adobe announced a similar feature for Premiere earlier this year. DaVinci Resolve also already has a similar feature called Magic Mask.

The next new highlight is the ability to autogenerate captions in your timeline. Final Cut Pro does this using an Apple-trained language mode, and the whole process takes place locally on-device without sending information to the cloud. The process is fast but not always accurate and often misspells common words. It fumbled at proper nouns like “The Verge” and even more common nouns like “machine,” where it would just write “macine” instead. Those are just a few of many examples. There’s also no way to stylize your captions if you were hoping to add them to your TikToks. For that, you’ll need to look into some third-party plug-ins.

1/4

Final Cut Pro would frequently make spelling errors in the generated captions.
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It is a good update, but I wish Apple went a step further and added text-based editing, which lets you edit videos solely by using text instead of on the timeline itself. Text-based editing in Premiere has helped me immensely when working on longer documentaries or sit-down interviews, and I wish it were possible in Final Cut Pro 11.

Other changes include the ability to edit spatial videos for the Vision Pro and some new keyboard shortcuts. My favorite is Option + Arrow Up / Arrow Down to move clips between layers. It’s the little things! 

Final Cut Pro for iPad is also getting a few new updates. The AI-enabled “enhance light and color” tool that was initially released in Final Cut Pro 10.8 for the Mac is making its way to the iPad app. It is the fastest way to quickly improve the color, contrast, and overall tonality of your footage.

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The AI-enhanced light and color tool originally came out for Final Cut Pro for Mac but has made its way to the iPad version in this update.

In a few tests that I ran, the tool did a really good job of getting me started on my coloring process. It cleans up the overall exposure nicely and adds very subtle stylistic color choices. For far less subtle color grades, Apple is expanding the number of presets available in the app. In addition to those presets, Apple is also adding new modular transitions and new songs to its soundtrack library. 

If you’re using the Apple Pencil Pro to edit, you’ll finally be able to unlock all those new brushes that were released alongside the M4 iPad Pro and features like tilt recognition and take advantage of the haptic feedback. Haptic feedback works particularly well on the iPad, and I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would. It really makes the editing process feel a lot more tactile. In fact, I wish more gestures had some haptic feedback. 

Lastly, there are some minor but significant workflow improvements. You can now resize the height of your clips in your timeline by using the pinch gesture, you can edit in 120fps timelines, and the picture-in-picture mode is dynamic. Apple also mentioned there are new keyboard shortcuts, but I’ve only found one: Render Entire Timeline.

I’m glad to see more frequent updates coming to the iPad version of Final Cut Pro, but there are still features that are desperately needed to really make this app worth the $4.99 a month subscription plan. At the top of my wish list are things like custom LUTs, better file management, and some of the other AI-powered features that have already made their way to the desktop version. Since my initial review, I’ve mostly started using DaVinci Resolve on the iPad, which continues to impress me with how similar it is to its desktop equivalent. 

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The trifecta of updates ends with the Final Cut Camera, which can now film HEVC files in Apple Log — no need to stick with storage-hungry ProRes files anymore. HEVC Log capture will work for both standalone capture or as part of the Live Multicam session. Final Cut Camera will also include LUT previews during recording, meaning you can monitor your exposure and color while filming in Apple Log. 

Final Cut Camera can shoot in 120fps in Apple Log and has a new leveler to help you frame up your shots.

And in order to make sure your framing is correct and aligned, Apple is adding a new level indicator to the app. The new leveler includes tilt and roll indicators and crosshairs for your top-down and bottom-up shots, too.

The introduction of new AI features and workflow improvements mark significant steps forward for content creators, but they don’t address some of the community’s requests to fully compete with the likes of DaVinci and Adobe. I’d still like to see text-based editing, more robust coloring options, and custom captions. It will be interesting to see if these new updates convert any new users. Magnetic Mask alone could be enough of a reason to switch.

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FBI, CISA say Chinese hackers breached multiple US telecom providers in targeted attack

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FBI, CISA say Chinese hackers breached multiple US telecom providers in targeted attack

The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said that People’s Republic of China (PRC) hackers breached commercial telecommunication service providers in the U.S.

The breached entities have been warned, and the agencies are proactively alerting other potential targets of elevated cyber activity.

“The U.S. government’s continued investigation into the People’s Republic of China (PRC) targeting of commercial telecommunications infrastructure has revealed a broad and significant cyber espionage campaign,” the agencies said Wednesday in a joint release.

CHINESE HACKERS ATTEMPTED TO BREACH TRUMP AND HARRIS CAMPAIGNS’ CELLPHONE DATA

The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) say Chinese hackers breached commercial telecommunication service providers in the U.S. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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The agencies said that PRC-affiliated actors have compromised networks at multiple telecommunications companies to enable the theft of customer call record data, as well as private communications of a “limited number of individuals who are primarily involved in government or political activity.”

The joint statement said that the PRC actors also copied “certain information that was subject to U.S. law enforcement requests pursuant to court orders.”

“We expect our understanding of these compromises to grow as the investigation continues,” the agencies noted.

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The U.S. government is investigating China for targeting commercial telecommunications infrastructure in America.  (CISA)

The agencies said that they are working to “strengthen cyber defenses,” and encouraged organizations that believe they were impacted to contact their local FBI field office or CISA.

WE WANT THE FBI TO TELL US ABOUT THE HACK OF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN: REP. JIM JORDAN

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“The FBI and the CISA continue to render technical assistance, rapidly share information to assist other potential victims, and work to strengthen cyber defenses across the commercial communications sector,” the agencies said. “We encourage any organization that believes it might be a victim to engage its local FBI Field Office or CISA.”

Chinese flag

The reports of continued Chinese interference in the U.S. come after hackers targeted the Trump and Harris presidential campaigns. (Paul Yeung/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The reports of continued Chinese interference in the U.S. come after hackers targeted President-elect Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaigns during the thick of the race for the White House.

“After the FBI identified specific malicious activity targeting the sector, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notified affected companies, rendered technical assistance, and rapidly shared information to assist other potential victims,” the FBI and CISA previously told Fox News Digital in a joint statement.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI for comment.

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