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China may have conducted digital espionage against the US’ Pacific interests. Microsoft and the National Security Agency (NSA) have revealed that an alleged state-sponsored Chinese hacking group, Volt Typhoon, installed surveillance malware in “critical” systems on the island of Guam and elsewhere in the US. The group has been operating since mid-2021 and reportedly compromised government organizations as well as communications, manufacturing, education and other sectors.

Volt Typhoon prioritizes stealth, according to the investigators. It uses “living off the land” techniques that rely on resources already present in the operating system, as well as direct “hands-on-keyboard” action. They use the command line to scrape credentials and other data, archive the info and use it to stay in targeted systems. They also try to mask their activity by sending data traffic through small and home office network hardware they control, such as routers. Custom tools help them set up a command and control channel through a proxy that keeps their info secret.

The malware hasn’t been used for attacks, but the web shell-based approach could be used to damage infrastructure. Microsoft and the NSA are publishing info that could help potential victims detect and remove Volt Typhoon’s work, but they warn that fending off intrusions could be “challenging” as it requires either closing or changing affected accounts.

US officials speaking to The New York Times believe the Guam infiltration is part of a larger Chinese intelligence collection system that includes the reported spy balloon that floated across American nuclear sites early this year. The focus Guam is concerning as it’s home to Andersen Air Force Base, a major station that would likely be used for any US answer to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. It’s also a key hub for ships in the Pacific.

The Biden administration has stepped up efforts to protect critical infrastructure, including plans for common security requirements. The US fell prey to multiple attacks on vital systems in recent years, including gas pipelines and meat suppliers. The Volt Typhoon discovery underscores the importance of tougher defenses — malware like this could compromise the US military at a crucial moment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-says-china-installed-malware-in-us-systems-in-guam-195805235.html?src=rss 

The first project out of Haven Studios is Fairgame$, and it looks like it packs plenty of neon-tinged, anarchist multiplayer action. Fairgame$ is an online, competitive heist game about classism and rebelling against billionaires, and it’s heading to PlayStation 5 and PC. There’s no release date at the moment. 

Haven is the new studio headed up by veteran producer Jade Raymond, who’s best known for her work on the Assassin’s Creed franchise in the early aughts.

The reveal video for Fairgame$ shows a trio of young adults in stylish accessories blasting, sliding and shooting their way past high-tech security systems and corporate agents. On the PlayStation Blog, creative director Mathieu Leduc describes the game as “a thrilling competitive heist game where you join an underground movement to rob the ultra-rich and rebalance the scales…. Trespass inside forbidden locations around the world, fill your pockets like a kid in a candy store and unravel the nefarious plans of untouchable billionaires.”

Fairgame$ is a PvP experience with emergent sandbox gameplay, according to Leduc.

Raymond spent nearly a decade at Ubisoft as an executive producer and managing director on the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Watch Dogs franchises. She joined Google in early 2019 as the head of game development for Stadia, the company’s new cloud gaming platform. Stadia was a short-lived experiment for Google, and Raymond left in February 2021 amid a broader shutdown of the service. She opened Haven just a month later and announced her team was building a PlayStation-exclusive original IP, and Sony purchased the studio outright in 2022.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fairgame-looks-like-payday-and-the-division-with-a-gen-z-twist-202407857.html?src=rss 

The PlayStation 5’s 2023 release slate is taking shape, and one of the upcoming titles is a sequel to 2015’s Helldivers. It emerged during today’s PlayStation Showcase that Arrowhead Game Studios is working on Helldivers 2. The follow up is slated to arrive on PS5 and PC later this year.

A reveal trailer evoked both the irreverent tone of Starship Troopers and the desolate landscapes of Death Stranding while tossing in a whole bunch of aliens. Arrowhead has switched from the original game’s top-down perspective to third-person, over-the-shoulder gameplay. You’ll have access to overpowered weapons to help you take down hordes of enemies, according to the PlayStation Blog. You’ll need to be careful around your squad, though, as friendly fire will be active.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/helldivers-2-is-coming-to-ps5-and-pc-later-this-year-202722294.html?src=rss 

It’s almost time for Sony’s PlayStation Showcase, in which the company will provide a look at a bunch of games that are coming to PlayStation 5 and PS VR2. It’s likely to be a meatier affair than the State of Play streams Sony occasionally runs. The showcase will last for just over an hour and you’ll be able to watch it below at 4PM ET.

This is just the second PlayStation Showcase to date. The previous edition, which took place in 2021, was a spicy stream packed with big reveals, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Insomniac’s upcoming title will star both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as playable characters, and it’s slated to hit PS5 this fall. It’s a safe bet that we’ll learn more about the game during today’s showcase.

As for what else to expect, Square Enix has confirmed that a demo for Final Fantasy XVI is on the way before the timed PS5 exclusive arrives in June. We may find out the release date for the demo as well as more details about the game. In the meantime, be sure to check out our Final Fantasy XVI preview.

We could learn more about Naughty Dog’s multiplayer game that’s set in the universe of The Last of Us. With Sony placing a bigger onus on live service games (titles that are continually updated for years to keep players hooked), starting that push in earnest now with one of its highest-profile franchises makes sense. 

Elsewhere, rumors have been swirling that a Metal Gear Solid 3 remake is in the works, and Sony may opt to announce that today. We might get a peek at Bloober Team’s remake of Silent Hill 2 as well, since that’s a PS5 exclusive.

Sony just announced that PS VR2 is selling at a faster pace than its first virtual reality headset, so expect the company to try and keep up that momentum with reveals of a major title or two (confirmation of Half-Life Alyx for PS VR2 would go over well). On top of that, Sony is promising news on the indie front, so perhaps the long-delayed Little Devil Inside will pop up.

The showcase will stream on both YouTube and Twitch. You can watch a version with English subtitles if you prefer.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-the-playstation-showcase-here-at-4pm-et-190006173.html?src=rss 

The world’s governments have taken note of generative AI’s potential for massive disruption and are acting accordingly. European Commission (EC) industry chief Thierry Breton said Wednesday that it would work with Alphabet on a voluntary pact to establish artificial intelligence ground rules, according toReuters. Breton met with Google CEO Sundar Pichai in Brussels to discuss the arrangement, which will include input from companies based in Europe and other regions. The EU has a history of enacting strict technology rules, and the alliance gives Google a chance to provide input while steering clear of trouble down the road.

The compact aims to set up guidelines ahead of official legislation like the EU’s proposed AI Act, which will take much longer to develop and enact. “Sundar and I agreed that we cannot afford to wait until AI regulation actually becomes applicable, and to work together with all AI developers to already develop an AI pact on a voluntary basis ahead of the legal deadline,” Breton said in a statement. He encouraged EU nations and lawmakers to settle on specifics by the end of the year.

In a similar move, EU tech chief Margrethe Vestager said Tuesday that the federation would work with the United States on establishing minimum standards for AI. She hopes EU governments and lawmakers will “agree to a common text” for regulation by the end of 2023. “That would still leave one if not two years then to come into effect, which means that we need something to bridge that period of time,” she said. Topics of concern for the EU include copyright, disinformation, transparency and governance.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the service most associated with AI fears, exploded in popularity after its November launch, on its way to becoming the fastest-growing application ever (despite not having an official mobile app until this month). Unfortunately, its viral popularity is paired with legitimate fears about its capacity to upend society. In addition, image generators can produce AI-generated “photos” that are increasingly difficult to discern from reality, and speech cloners can mimic the voices of famous artists and public figures. Soon, video generators will evolve, making deepfakes even more of a concern.

Despite its undeniable potential for creativity and productivity, generative AI can threaten the livelihoods of countless content creators while posing new security and privacy risks and proliferating misinformation / disinformation. Left unregulated, corporations tend to maximize profits no matter the human cost, and generative AI is a tool that, paired with bad actors, could wreak immeasurable global havoc. “There is a shared sense of urgency. In order to make the most of this technology, guard rails are needed,” Vestager said. “Can we discuss what we can expect companies to do as a minimum before legislation kicks in?”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-and-the-european-commission-will-collaborate-on-ai-ground-rules-192035744.html?src=rss