Trap’s premise sounded tailor-made to play into M. Night Shyamalan’s twisty strengths and maybe even say something about the modern era of superstars turning their concerts into cinematic events. But for all of its promise, the thriller almost immediately runs out of steam. Shyamalan’s latest is a convoluted misfire whose handful of interesting ideas isn’t nearly enough to keep it from feeling like a notable low point in the director’s filmography.
Technology
Which products should you buy if you want a Matter smart home?
Matter, the approaching sensible dwelling customary that goals to be the reply to a lot of at this time’s sensible dwelling complications, is supported by a protracted record of firms. From platform homeowners like Apple, Google, and Amazon to main producers equivalent to Samsung and LG and smaller, accessory-focused gamers like Nanoleaf, Eve, and Wyze, there’s an unprecedented {industry} coalition behind Matter.
A typical language for sensible dwelling gadgets to speak, Matter goals to simplify all the pieces concerning the sensible dwelling, from buy, to arrange, to on a regular basis use. Its greatest promise is that it’ll allow sensible gadgets to work with one another, throughout platforms and ecosystems, no matter who made them.
However Matter hasn’t but arrived — following one other setback, it’s now anticipated to launch within the fall of 2022. This makes it exhausting to find out the way it will work in your house and what it would can help you try this isn’t straightforward and even doable at this time.
To reply a few of these questions we’ve gathered info from revealed paperwork and talked to the businesses that plan to assist it and the Connectivity Requirements Alliance (CSA) that oversees Matter.
Contemplate this text a dwelling FAQ on all issues associated to Matter; how this new sensible dwelling customary will work and which merchandise it would work with. As new info comes out, we’ll hold this text up to date.
In case you’ve acquired this far and are questioning what this Matter deal is all about, take a look at Matter’s plan to save lots of the sensible dwelling for a deep dive into this new expertise and what it guarantees.
Desk of contents:
Which platforms will work with Matter?
Which merchandise will work with Matter, and when can I purchase them?
Which merchandise gained’t work with Matter?
Is Matter going to maintain my sensible dwelling non-public and safe?
Will I want to switch my current sensible gadgets to make use of Matter?
Ought to I look ahead to Matter to purchase new sensible dwelling merchandise?
The 4 huge sensible dwelling platforms, Amazon Alexa, Google House, Apple HomeKit, and Samsung SmartThings, have all dedicated to supporting Matter, which implies it is possible for you to to make use of their apps, sensible audio system / shows, and sensible voice assistants as Matter controllers to handle your linked gadgets.
Keep in mind, although, these gained’t be the one gamers that may run your sensible dwelling with Matter, and as extra info emerges round how different ecosystems will assist Matter we’ll add that right here.
With Matter, you should utilize a number of platforms on the similar time due to a characteristic known as Multi-Admin management. So long as gadgets and platforms are Matter-enabled, you may join them to as many platforms as you need. So, sure, it is possible for you to to manage the brand new Nest Thermostat with Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa voice assistants, even each on the similar time in case you like.
However you’ll nonetheless want to make use of a sensible dwelling platform; Matter is just not an automation instrument, it’s a connectivity customary. Whereas Matter can have some primary controls built-in, it isn’t able to creating automations, equivalent to setting your thermostat to show down, your lights to show off, and the door to lock if you go away dwelling — you’ll nonetheless want an app for that kind of automation setup. Nonetheless, with Matter, these automations will run throughout gadgets from completely different firms.
Here’s a rundown of what every of the sensible dwelling platforms has dedicated to by way of Matter assist in its services:
Amazon Alexa
Amazon has dedicated to upgrading its fourth-generation Echo sensible speaker to Thread and act as a border router. Thread is a major protocol utilized by Matter and a border router is a bridge between a Thread community and a Wi-Fi community, the opposite protocol utilized by Matter. Amazon’s mesh Wi-Fi community firm Eero has dedicated to supporting Matter, too. Most of its current routers have already got Thread radios inside, to allow them to be upgraded to assist Matter.
The Echos with Zigbee on board — the Echo Studio, Echo Present 10, and Echo Plus — have the identical radio because the Echo fourth-gen, so they’re probably upgradable to be Thread border routers, says Chris DeCenzo, principal software program improvement engineer at Amazon Lab126. It’s because Thread is constructed on a Zigbee radio.
DeCenzo confirmed that the remainder of the present Echo speaker line up might be upgraded to assist Matter over Wi-Fi. “The entire Echo gadgets will be capable of management the entire Matter gadgets which might be on your private home community, no matter what networking expertise they occur to make use of,” he says. The corporate has additionally stated it would work with builders to assist them develop merchandise and expertise for the Alexa sensible dwelling that can combine simply with Matter.
Google Nest
Google has dedicated to updating all its Nest sensible audio system and shows to Matter, and stated that newer merchandise with Thread inbuilt — such because the Nest Wi-Fi, Nest Hub Max, and second-gen Nest Hub — will even function border routers.
Curiously, the Nest x Yale Lock (a sensible door lock) has a Thread radio inside, as do all of the wired Nest Shield smoke alarms, the Nest Studying Thermostat (all three generations), and the unique wired Nest cameras. Nonetheless, Google instructed me that simply because a tool has Thread doesn’t essentially imply it will likely be Matter appropriate. “Our objective is to make as a lot of our merchandise Matter appropriate as doable,” says Kevin Po, senior product supervisor at Google. “However a lot of that might be depending on the expertise wanted by the protocol.”
Equally, Google has stated it would assist builders who make merchandise for its platform to combine these with Matter by way of a Google House System SDK for Matter. It additionally plans to replace its cell gadgets with Matter assist to manage Matter gadgets and permit for Matter’s streamlined gadget set-up course of.
Apple HomeKit
Apple’s HomePod Mini and Apple TV 4K (second-gen) each have Thread radios inside, can work as Thread border routers, and can get Matter assist. Apple has dedicated to supporting Matter on the House app and thru Siri on Apple gadgets. The corporate has additionally stated that each one current HomeKit APIs will mechanically work with Matter-enabled equipment.
“We consider all sensible dwelling equipment ought to work collectively to supply essentially the most alternative and interoperability for patrons with out compromising safety and privateness,” Apple spokesperson Jacqueline Roy instructed me. “For this reason we helped create and contribute to the brand new Matter customary so that each one sensible dwelling equipment can have the identical stage of safety, privateness, and ease of use that Apple prospects take pleasure in at this time with HomeKit equipment.”
Samsung SmartThings
Samsung has stated it would improve all current SmartThings hubs to assist Matter and allow Matter as a controller for its smartphones, sensible TVs, and sensible home equipment (equivalent to its Household Hub fridges). It has but to substantiate if this might be over Thread or Wi-Fi.
“We’re very excited concerning the future and using Matter as a central thought for us round what the long run sensible dwelling appears like,” says Samantha Fein, Vice President of Enterprise Improvement and Advertising at SmartThings.
Whereas you should purchase Thread merchandise at this time from Eve, Nanoleaf, Eero, Wemo, and Nest — and there are many Wi-Fi-enabled sensible dwelling gadgets on the market — Matter merchandise don’t exist but. They gained’t till the usual is finalized later this 12 months. The earliest we are going to see Matter-capable merchandise is the autumn of 2022. For extra particulars on the brand new timeline learn this text on the CSA’s plans for the launch of Matter.
Virtually 250 firms are members of the CSA’s Matter working group, and lots of of these have already dedicated to supporting Matter in current and forthcoming merchandise. Once they do, you’ll know if a product you’re contemplating shopping for is Matter appropriate if it has the Matter brand (which appears a bit like a stick-person sporting bikini bottoms)
Matter 1.0, the primary Matter specification, contains these linked gadget classes:
- Lightbulbs, gentle switches, lighting controllers
- Plugs and shops
- Door locks
- Thermostats and different HVAC controllers (mini-splits and so forth.)
- Blinds and shades
- House safety sensors (movement, contact, CO / smoke detectors)
- Storage door controllers
- Wi-fi Entry Level and bridges
- Televisions and streaming video gamers
Work has already begun on the subsequent Matter specs. Robotic vacuums, dwelling home equipment, EV charging, and sensible power administration are all more likely to be a part of Matter sooner or later, says Chris LaPré, chief expertise officer of the CSA.
Here’s a record of firms with merchandise accessible or in improvement that they’ve stated will work with Matter when it is launched:
- Arlo: Good dwelling safety digicam firm Arlo introduced its assist of Matter together with its new dwelling safety system (however it hasn’t introduced the system will work with Matter).
- August / Yale: The sensible lock producers owned by Assa Abloy plan to convey Matter appropriate locks to market. For Yale door locks it will initially be by means of a Matter module that may be inserted into its current Yale Guarantee locks
- Aqara: Makers of cheap Zigbee sensors, Aqara has stated it would replace its M2 and the M1S hubs to Matter and is growing Thread variations of its movement and phone sensors.
- Belkin Wemo: Thread variations of the Wemo Good Plug, Wemo Good Mild Change, and Wemo Good Dimmer are coming this 12 months, and can work over Matter. The Wemo Stage Scene Controller with Thread is out there now.
- Comcast: The ISP says its upgraded xFi Superior Gateway can have assist for Matter built-in.
- Cync / GE Lighting: The A19 sensible bulb and light-weight strip might be upgraded to Matter over Wi-Fi and Cync has stated it would assist Matter.
- Eero: All Eero’s present mesh Wi-Fi routers — the Eero 6, Eero Beacon, Eero Professional 6, Eero Professional 5 — are Thread-enabled and can assist Matter.
- Eve Methods: The corporate is totally dedicated to Matter and has rolled out 9 new Thread-enabled merchandise up to now, together with the Eve Climate, Eve Water Guard, Eve Room, Eve Movement Blinds, Eve Power sensible plug, and the Eve Aqua. Matter is anticipated to permit Eve’s merchandise to work with platforms outdoors of Apple’s HomeKit, which they’re presently restricted to.
- Nanoleaf: The lighting firm can also be all in on Matter and says it will likely be bringing new merchandise to market that assist the protocol. Its modular lighting panels —Shapes, Parts, and Strains — are Thread border routers, and its Necessities line of lighting presently works over Thread.
- Philips Hue: The entire Philips Hue sensible lighting vary might be appropriate with Matter by means of the Hue bridge.
- Sengled: The sensible lighting firm’s Wi-Fi A19 bulb will work with Matter and it is taking a look at including Thread bulbs later in 2022.
- Schlage: Schlage’s new Encode Plus door lock is the corporate’s first Thread-enabled product and is slated for launch this spring. The corporate has stated that it has the {hardware} on board to assist Matter.
- Tuya Good: An IoT improvement platform service supplier that helps over 446,000 builders with over 1,100 sensible dwelling merchandise from robotic vacuums to sensible lights, says it would assist Matter.
Whereas the record of gadgets Matter will assist initially is spectacular, the large query is what about sensible safety cameras? Simply one of the crucial widespread gadgets within the sensible dwelling, a sensible dwelling customary with out safety cameras feels incomplete. “Cameras are in all probability 2.0,” says LaPré. “We all know we are going to do cameras — all the businesses have stated they wish to do cameras. However we want a quorum of individuals which might be prepared to begin engaged on it at this time, and those that might be are presently centered on 1.0.”
In the identical vein, whereas dwelling safety sensors are a part of Matter, dwelling safety methods should not — but. Many sensible houses run with an alarm system as the primary hub, so the dearth of integration right here may very well be a deal-breaker for some.
Mitch Klein, government director of the Z-Wave Alliance — a expertise used broadly in dwelling alarm methods for door / window sensors, movement sensors, and different gadgets — explains that there might be vital challenges to porting that expertise to Matter. “Securing UL approval for safety gadgets is exceptionally tough, and Matter has quite a few challenges right here,” he says. “UL is a benchmark and sometimes an insurance coverage requirement. All professionally-installed safety methods insist on UL approval.” UL (previously known as Underwriters Laboratories) is a part of the CSA, nonetheless, and we will assume it’s working towards integration.
Talking of cameras and alarm methods, one of many greatest sensible dwelling firms in each these areas — Ring — hasn’t supplied any indication it would assist Matter. Once I requested how / if Ring Alarm would possibly combine into Matter, a spokesperson offered the next assertion: “Ring Alarm Professional doesn’t assist Matter over Thread.”
Good dwelling adoption has been critically hampered by considerations about privateness and safety, and maintaining gadgets safe is a core tenant of Matter. “We’re safe by design, we take a zero-trust method, we use particular industry-standard encryption expertise, and each gadget will get authenticated earlier than it joins the community,” says Michelle Mindala-Freeman, head of promoting at CSA. “Each message is secured on the community, and Matter helps safe over-the-air updates.”
When it comes to your private home’s information, that relationship stays between you and the person producers, says Mindala-Freeman. Nonetheless, Matter’s Privateness Ideas define information privateness protections, together with minimizing how a lot information is shared in any Matter interplay and defining the aim of knowledge sharing when requested. As a bonus, as a result of Matter has belief constructed into the system, you gained’t have to repeatedly enter your passwords to attach ecosystems, explains the CSA’s LaPré.
The numerous benefit of Matter gadgets, direct IP management that lets them communicate straight to the web, is on the similar time a doable safety concern. “This exposes them to hacking, malware, and so forth.,” says Mitch Klein of Z-Wave Alliance. With Z-Wave and Zigbee methods, you have got a single level of management to safe: the hub. Whereas a single level of securing the house is the other of what Matter is doing, Klein factors out.
The CSA says Matter’s safety method is extra fashionable, delivering safety that’s “sturdy, agile (to deal with the evolution of issues like encryption varieties over time), and proactive, with a neighborhood of members who do menace modeling and mitigation,” says Tobin Richardson, president and CEO of the CSA. The method is considered one of resilient safety whereas nonetheless getting the advantages of an IP-connected world, “quite than safety by obscurity.” Till gadgets are out within the wild, it’s exhausting to substantiate this method’s proficiency, however the intent checks all the suitable packing containers.
From the start, Matter has been designed to incorporate these linked gadgets already in our houses. “We are able to’t go away gadgets behind, or this entire program gained’t work,” says Klein. “The concept everybody has to throw all the pieces out and begin once more is simply not going to work.”
Newer Wi-Fi or Thread gadgets and people who work over Z-Wave and Zigbee needs to be upgradable to Matter. This will occur in two methods: upgrading the gadget immediately over the air or by means of an improve to a product’s current bridge — Philips Hue has already dedicated to this for its sensible lighting line.
Bluetooth gadgets that don’t depend on bridges, equivalent to Eve’s line of safety and sensor merchandise, will want {hardware} upgrades, which means older gadgets gained’t be appropriate. Eve has already rolled out upgraded {hardware} for its Bluetooth merchandise and has dedicated to having all the pieces Thread-enabled when Matter launches.
Current Zigbee and Z-Wave gadgets are unlikely to be upgraded individually — as a result of they will’t talk on to the web. Regardless of Thread being based mostly on Zigbee, only a few gadgets with Zigbee radios might be upgradable immediately. “IPv6 carries a heavy software program burden and the vast majority of Zigbee gadgets on the market couldn’t assist [that],” says Klein. However the hubs these gadgets talk by means of might be upgraded or bridged to Matter.
However going ahead, the Matter sensible dwelling needs to be bridge-free. “Matter goes to be cheaper for gadget makers, it’s going to be cheaper for Philips, for instance, to make an IP-based bulb [than continue to build bridges],” says LaPré. “So, in the long term, Matter will take over, and finally, you’ll simply eliminate all of the bridges.”
This promise of future upgradability means you don’t want to attend for Matter to purchase new gadgets, says Mindala-Freeman. “It is best to, with confidence, proceed to develop your individual sensible dwelling and sensible surroundings,” they declare. However, as anybody who has purchased a sensible gadget is aware of, the promise of future software program updates is just not one to guess your home in opposition to.
Nonetheless, the message from the {industry} is don’t cease shopping for gadgets altogether. Our recommendation is to think about merchandise with Thread radios in them first, then Wi-Fi, as each of those have a transparent improve path. If that doesn’t fit your rapid wants, search for merchandise with hubs or bridges that include both protocol. Past that, analysis the corporate you’re contemplating shopping for from to see if it has made any dedication to Matter — however proceed with warning.
If you’re itching to get began together with your Matter sensible dwelling, the most effective gadget to purchase now could be a Thread border router. Merchandise are presently accessible from Apple, Nanoleaf, and Eero, with assist coming to Amazon Alexa and Google House sensible audio system and shows later.
Whereas Matter will work over Thread and Wi-Fi — which means you don’t must have a border router to make use of the usual — including one (or extra) will assist guarantee you have got a stable basis on which to construct a Matter-supported dwelling. As a result of Thread is a mesh community the extra gadgets you have got on it the higher the vary and reliability might be. A border router will bridge your Thread and Wi-Fi gadgets, guaranteeing all the pieces in your house can discuss to one another.
Happily, a border router is just not a bridge within the conventional plug-a-white-box-into-your-router sense. They don’t want an ethernet connection, they only want steady energy and Wi-Fi connectivity. This implies a border router can actually be something from a sensible plug or sensible speaker to a fridge, tv or thermostat. Lastly, the sensible house is beginning to make sense.
Replace March 18th, 11:40 AM ET: Added a listing of firms who’ve merchandise accessible now or in improvement that they’ve stated will work with Matter. Up to date the timeline for the discharge of Matter and Matter-capable merchandise.
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/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25556753/rev_1_TRP_T2_0023r_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg "Trap backs itself into every corner")
In its first act, Trap introduces mild-mannered father Cooper Adams (Josh Hartnett) and his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) as the pair make their way downtown to see superstar Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) perform in concert. Though Cooper himself doesn’t quite get the singer’s appeal, she’s everything to his daughter. And with Riley dealing with some friend drama at school, Cooper’s all too happy to take her mind off things with a few hours of live music.
Almost everyone who meets the Adamses sees them as just another father-daughter duo hyped up to see the show. Cooper has a secret, though — he’s a serial killer who has his next victim trapped in a dungeon. You can feel the influence of series killer dramas like You and Dexter in the way Trap juxtaposes moments of familial banality with shots of Cooper sneaking furtive, twitchy glances at his phone to watch a livestream of the man he plans to murder next. But the Shyamalan twist of it all comes early on as Trap establishes how the Lady Raven concert is actually an elaborate ploy to smoke Cooper out.
Trap takes inspiration from Operation Flagship, the 1985 sting operation in which US marshals and DC police lured wanted criminals to the Washington Convention Center with the promise of free football tickets. Shyamalan riffs on that real history to imagine how a Taylor Swift-like concert filled with thousands of screaming teens could be weaponized against a monster. But as Trap works through that thought exercise, the movie is quickly boxed in by its core conceit.
Part of the problem is how Trap stretches credulity even for a Shyamalan movie as Cooper uses his constant “trips to the merch table” to learn more about how the police plan to catch him. The cops are pulling men out of the audience, and they aren’t letting people leave without being interviewed. But none of those dangers ever feel especially pressing for Cooper because of how effortlessly he’s able to skirt by them thanks to the plot armor Shyamalan piles onto him out of necessity.
You’re meant to read the strangeness of Cooper’s behavior as a part of his sociopathy, repeatedly slipping away from his daughter on the concert floor. Cooper has to slip away in order for the movie to really move. Otherwise, things would come to an end rather abruptly. But Trap becomes harder and harder to take seriously as Cooper’s situation pushes him to take a series of increasingly absurd — but not exactly exciting — chances on ploys to evade capture.
There’s an absurdity to the way Cooper is able to navigate Trap’s game of cat and mouse that almost feels like Shyamalan is trying to say something about what kind of people are seen as threats to society. As Cooper, Hartnett’s utterly devoid of charisma, and there’s an awkwardness to his interactions with Riley that doesn’t entirely feel intentional. But he’s a handsome white guy, and that seems to be enough to keep people from clocking his overt weirdness.
If fewer of Cooper’s tricks to escape — which serve as the film’s set pieces — came by way of convenient happenstance, Trap might work a bit better as a straight thriller about a predator becoming prey. But the movie goes to such absurd lengths to keep its story going that it definitely feels like Shyamalan ran out of solid ideas early on.
Everything about Trap, from its story to the way it also works as a vehicle for his daughter’s career as a musician, makes it feel like exactly the kind of project you might expect from Shyamalan, who has often self-financed his films since 2015. The director himself cameos as Lady Raven’s uncle and becomes part of the story in a way that connects him to Cooper’s search for an exit. But Shyamalan’s presence in the film is somewhat distracting and has a way of drawing attention to how many of Trap’s characters speak to the camera with a cloyingness the director tends to be very fond of.
Conceptually, this is one of Shyamalan’s most intriguing films, but its foundation is so limiting that it winds up feeling like the director set a trap for himself. It’s a testament to his ability to come up with novel ideas — but that alone isn’t always enough to make for a good time at the movies.
Health savings account (HSA) provider HealthEquity experienced a massive data breach that has put over 4.3 million Americans’ information at risk.
The company, which specializes in providing HSAs, flexible spending accounts (FSAs), health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and 401(k) retirement plans, confirmed threat actors stole sensitive health data using a partner’s compromised credentials.
This includes full names, home addresses, telephone numbers, employer and employee IDs, Social Security numbers and more.
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Illustration of a hacker at work. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What you need to know about the HealthEquity data breach
HealthEquity has confirmed that it suffered a data breach in which the personal information of millions of Americans was compromised. In a Form 8-K filing submitted on July 2, the company disclosed that hackers gained access to this sensitive health data after using a partner’s compromised credentials.
HealthEquity became aware of the systems anomaly on March 25, and the investigation continued until June 10. The company’s data breach notice reads in part:
“We discovered some unauthorized access to and potential disclosure of protected health information and/or personally identifiable information stored in an unstructured data repository outside our core systems. On June 26, 2024, after validating the data, we unfortunately determined that some of your personal information was involved.”
As for notifications, the company tells us that the process for notifying customers — both businesses and individuals — is ongoing. Affected individuals will receive a notification by mail or email based on their account communications preferences.
The company says that the affected data was sign-up information for accounts and benefits that it administers. The data may include information in one or more of the following categories: first name, last name, address, telephone number, employee ID, employer, Social Security number, health card number, health plan member number, dependent information (for general contact information only), HealthEquity benefit type, diagnoses, prescription details, payment card information (but not payment card number) and/or HealthEquity account type. Not all data categories were affected for every member.
HealthEquity says it is not aware of any actual or attempted misuse of the information due to this incident to date. We reached out to HealthEquity, and a representative from the company provided CyberGuy with this statement:
“The entire Purple Team is committed to educating, assisting and supporting our partners, clients and members through this incident. We have taken immediate, proactive and prudent action since we first discovered an anomaly with our third-party vendor. This included quickly resolving the issue, bringing together a team of outside and internal experts to investigate, and preparing for response.
“Additionally, we formally filed notification with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which wasn’t required, but represents our concern and commitment to transparent communication. We regret the inconvenience caused by the incident and are working to minimize disruption while also taking steps to help prevent this from happening in the future. Partner and client notifications are underway, and we are thankful for the professionalism and understanding we’re experiencing thus far.”
HOW TO REMOVE YOUR PRIVATE DATA FROM THE INTERNET
Illustration of hackers at work. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
HERE’S WHAT RUTHLESS HACKERS STOLE FROM 110 MILLION AT&T CUSTOMERS
What is HealthEquity doing about the data breach?
HealthEquity says it has secured the affected data repository. The vendor’s user accounts, which had access to an online data storage location, were compromised, allowing hackers to access data stored in that location. HealthEquity has disabled all potentially compromised vendor accounts, terminated all active sessions and blocked all IP addresses linked to the threat actor’s activity. The company has also implemented a global password reset for the impacted vendor.
The HSA provider has also arranged credit identity monitoring, insurance and restoration services for those impacted. These services will be available for two years, free of charge, through Equifax.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE U.S. NEWS
Illustration of a hacker. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
WORLD’S LARGEST STOLEN PASSWORD DATABASE UPLOADED TO CRIMINAL FORUM
8 measures to take to protect yourself from a data breach
If you suspect you’ve been impacted by this data breach, follow these steps to protect your personal data and privacy.
1. Invest in identity theft protection: If you have been affected by a data breach, scammers may try to impersonate you to gain access to your private information. The best thing you can do to protect yourself from this type of fraud is to subscribe to an identity theft service.
Identity theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security number (SSN), phone number and email address and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft.
2. Invest in removal services: Investing in removal services is beneficial, particularly in the wake of data breaches like the recent one experienced by HealthEquity. 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.
3. Place a fraud alert: Contact one of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion) and request a fraud alert to be placed on your credit file. This will make it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name without verification.
4. Be cautious of phishing attempts: Be vigilant about emails, phone calls or messages from unknown sources asking for personal information. Avoid clicking on suspicious links or providing sensitive details unless you can verify the legitimacy of the request.
The best way to protect yourself from clicking malicious links that install malware that may get access to your private information is to have 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.
5. Check Social Security benefits: It is crucial to periodically check your Social Security benefits to ensure they have not been tampered with or altered in any way, safeguarding your financial security and preventing potential fraud.
6. Change your password: You can render a stolen password useless to thieves simply by changing it. Opt for a strong password — one you don’t use elsewhere. Even better, consider letting a password manager generate one for you.
7. Be wary of mailbox communications: Bad actors may also try to scam you through snail mail. The data leak gives them access to your address. They may impersonate people or brands you know and use themes that require urgent attention, such as missed deliveries, account suspensions and security alerts.
8. Contact the U.S. Federal Trade Commission: If you detect any unauthorized transactions in any of your financial accounts, you should immediately notify the appropriate payment card company or financial institution. If you detect any incidents of identity theft or fraud, promptly report it to your local law enforcement authorities, state attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission.
PHARMA GIANT’S DATA BREACH EXPOSES PATIENTS’ SENSITIVE INFORMATION
Kurt’s key takeaway
The HealthEquity data breach highlights the need for strong cybersecurity practices, especially when it comes to protecting personal and health information. If you’re affected by this breach, it’s important to take action. Monitor your accounts and personal information for any unusual activity. Staying vigilant can help protect you from identity theft and financial fraud.
Do you feel confident in the measures HealthEquity is taking to protect your data going forward? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact
For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter
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/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25556630/IMG_8670.jpeg "The HoverAir X1 is the first drone I want to use all the time")
I’ve played around with a few DJI drones over the years but always found them to be too cumbersome to master and use spontaneously. The $349 HoverAir X1 from Zero Zero Robotics is different. This so-called “selfie drone” is so easy to use that it’s already an indispensable tool for my work and play, right out of the box.
For example, the HoverAir X1 is responsible for this review photo, this 360-degree GIF, and this overhead shot, as well as all of the follow, orbit, and zoom in / out shots used in this e-bikepacking video and this ID Buzz e-camper review. Each shot was made with just a touch of a button on the top of the drone — no controller required.
The best drone is the one you have with you and the ultra-lightweight HoverAir X1 can easily fit inside a pocket to be taken everywhere. It launches so quickly that I can impulsively grab a more interesting drone shot instead of just defaulting to my iPhone. It returns automatically to land in your hand.
The HoverAir X1 is not without limitations, and I did manage to break one review unit after falling on it. But I have to admit I love this little guy precisely because of its shortcomings, not in spite of them.
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The HoverAir X1’s flying weight is about half that of DJI’s sub-250g Mini drones, so it, too, is exempt from registration and licensing requirements in most countries. It folds up into a 5 x 3.4 x 1.2-inch (127 x 86 x 31mm) package that’s so small and lightweight that I could comfortably carry it in a thigh pocket on long bike rides or trail runs.
The primary user interface for the X1 is two buttons on the drone itself. One turns the unit on, and the other cycles through five presets that lock the camera onto the user as the drone completes a predetermined flight path, shooting video or taking photos along the way:
- Hover — floats in fixed space and tracks your movement
- Follow — flies behind or in front of you at different heights and distances
- Orbit — makes a wide circle overhead around a fixed center spot
- Zoom out — flies away and up and then back in
- Bird’s eye — for top-down shots directly over a fixed spot
There’s also a sixth mode that lets you assign a lightly customized flight pattern. The hover and follow modes can record videos or take photos for several minutes at a time, while the other flight modes begin and end at the point of launch and last for about 30 seconds.
The HoverAir app lets you tweak each of its automatic flight modes, including the altitude, distance, swapping between photo or video captures, portrait or landscape, and image quality. After some early experimentation to see what I liked, I rarely had to adjust these again.
In a metric I like to call “time to drone,” I can pull the X1 out of a pocket, unfold it, turn it on, select a predefined flight path, and set it aloft from an outstretched palm in less than 20 seconds. No DJI drone can come anywhere close.
That’s not to say that the HoverAir can compete with DJI’s consumer drones on features or capabilities. The X1’s diminutive size means compromises were made, starting with a max video resolution of 2.7K/30fps.
Shots also start looking a little shaky in light winds around 10 knots (5.1m/s), and the X1 can’t even fly once winds exceed a moderate 15 knots (7.7m/s). It’s also relatively slow. The X1 can track me fine on a trail run, but it’ll start losing its object lock when I’m road biking at a not-very-fast pace of just 12mph (20km/h). Even when it can keep up, it’ll lose me when the elevation changes rapidly on a steep climb or descent.
Otherwise, the X1’s computer vision tracking is very good — it’s the main reason you’d buy this drone. But when it does lose track of me for whatever reason, it’ll just stop, hover in place, and then eventually land, even over water or a busy street. There is no return-to-home feature to ensure a safe landing and recovery. It can, however, be configured to play a sound to help find it.
The X1 also lacks any obstacle avoidance. Instead, the drone’s four rotors are encased in a flexible plastic cage to protect the device from collisions. In most flight modes, the lack of avoidance tech isn’t really a problem so long as you give the immediate area a quick survey. It becomes an issue when the drone is in follow-me mode through narrow tree-lined trails, for example, or when walking around a sharp corner inside my home. Usually, it’ll just stop and hover in place if it runs into something, meaning I’ll have to double back to re-engage the tracking lock on my person or to collect it. But if it hits something when going faster — like chasing me on a bike — it’ll crash. My review X1 has already survived a few dozen crashes that sent it plummeting to the ground. It’s fine, other than a few scuff marks.
I did destroy another X1 when my full weight landed on it while testing some new clipless bike pedals (don’t judge!). The X1 is not indestructible, but it’s surprisingly robust for such a lightweight drone.
1/10
The HoverAir X1 also lacks any kind of advanced GPS positioning. Instead, it opts for a VIO (Visual Inertial Odometry) system to estimate its position in 3D space, indoors or out, so that its preset flight modes can return the drone to its original starting point. It worked very well in my testing, often living up to the HoverAir’s claim of “centimeter-level precision,” even when flying orbits around me with a 20-foot (six-meter) radius.
The drone also responds to a variety of hand gestures when the user is standing still. For example, you can send the X1 left or right with a wave of an arm or tell it to land with your arms crossed overhead. You can also just grab the drone out of the air and flip it upside down to turn those protected rotors off.
The HoverAir X1 does offer a manual Wi-Fi-connected flight mode whereby your phone becomes the controller. It’s fun, but I found it unresponsive at times, making it difficult to control flight with any real precision. I consider it a bonus feature you might want to use in a pinch.
The X1 is limited to 32GB of built-in storage without any option for microSD expansion. I’m currently using just 8.8GB to store the 113 videos and 60 images I’ve shot at max resolution over the last few months of testing. The footage transfers quickly to a phone over a direct Wi-Fi connection using the HoverAir app or over USB-C to a laptop. That USB-C connection will also charge the X1’s battery in about 55 minutes.
On paper, the X1 is dumb and unremarkable. But the HoverAir is so good at doing what many people actually need from a drone that its shortcomings rarely matter at all.
DJI is still the king of sweeping panoramas, but the HoverAir X1 makes a strong case for being the drone you choose to capture yourself doing things — indoors and out — especially for social media.
I do wish it was more capable so I could trust it to capture action over water when kitesurfing on windy days, keep up with me when road cycling at pace, or maintain its object lock when I’m bombing down a steep hill on a mountain bike. A 4K/60fps shooting mode would also be nice so long as none of these wishes increase the price too much.
The X1 does 90 percent of what I want a drone to do
Still, the X1 does 90 percent of what I want a drone to do without adding GPS, obstacle avoidance sensors, and a physical controller that’ll just make everything more expensive, more complicated, more cumbersome to carry, and slower to launch. Maybe DJI’s rumored Neo will fill in that last 10 percent because it certainly looks like a response to the HoverAir hype.
The HoverAir X1 lists for $429, but it’s nearly always on sale somewhere, often at or below $350. But I’d recommend opting for the $400-ish bundle that adds a dual-battery quick charger and two extra batteries that each only last about 10 to 12 minutes before needing a 35-minute recharge. Like the X1 itself, they’re so small and lightweight that you can easily bring them along to help document your next activity.
All photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge
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