Technology

Microsoft’s more secure Windows Recall feature can also be uninstalled by users

Published

8 hours ago

September 27, 2024

Microsoft’s more secure Windows Recall feature can also be uninstalled by users

In response to security concerns, Microsoft is detailing how it has overhauled its controversial AI-powered Recall feature that creates screenshots of mostly everything you see or do on a computer. Recall was originally supposed to debut with Copilot Plus PCs in June, but Microsoft has spent the past few months reworking the security behind it to make it an opt-in experience that you can now fully remove from Windows if you want.

“I’m actually really excited about how nerdy we got on the security architecture,” says David Weston, vice president of enterprise and OS security at Microsoft, in an interview with The Verge. “I’m excited because I think the security community is going to get how much we’ve pushed [into Recall].”

One of Microsoft’s first big changes is that the company isn’t forcing people to use Recall if they don’t want to. “There is no more on by default experience at all — you have to opt into this,” says Weston. “That’s obviously super important for people who just don’t want this, and we totally get that.”

The new opt-in experience for Recall.

Image: Microsoft

A Recall uninstall option initially appeared on Copilot Plus PCs earlier this month, and Microsoft said at the time that it was a bug. It turns out that you will indeed be able to fully uninstall Recall. “If you choose to uninstall this, we remove the bits from your machine,” says Weston. That includes the AI models that Microsoft is using to power Recall.

Security researchers initially found that the Recall database — that stores snapshots taken every few seconds of your computer — wasn’t encrypted, and malware could have potentially accessed the Recall feature. Everything that’s sensitive to Recall, including its database of screenshots, is now fully encrypted. Microsoft is also leaning on Windows Hello to protect against malware tampering.

The encryption in Recall is now bound to the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) that Microsoft requires for Windows 11, so the keys are stored in the TPM and the only way to get access is to authenticate through Windows Hello. The only time Recall data is even passed to the UI is when the user wants to use the feature and authenticates via their face, fingerprint, or PIN.

“To turn it on to begin with, you actually have to be present as a user,” says Weston. That means you have to use a fingerprint or your face to set up Recall before being able to use the PIN support. This is all designed to prevent malware from accessing Recall data in the background, as Microsoft requires a proof of presence through Windows Hello.

The new Recall security architecture.

Image: Microsoft

“We’ve moved all of the screenshot processing, all of the sensitive processes into a virtualization-based security enclave, so we actually put it all in a virtual machine,” explains Weston. That means there’s a UI app layer that has no access to raw screenshots or the Recall database, but when a Windows user wants to interact with Recall and search, it will generate the Windows Hello prompt, query the virtual machine, and return the data into the app’s memory. Once the user closes the Recall app, what’s in memory is destroyed.

“The app outside the virtualization-based enclave is running in an anti-malware protected process, which would basically require a malicious kernel driver to even access,” says Weston. Microsoft is detailing its Recall security model and exactly how its VBS enclave works in a blog post today. It all looks a lot more secure than what Microsoft had planned to ship and even hints at how the company might secure Windows apps in the future.

So, how did Microsoft nearly ship Recall in June without a high amount of security in the first place? I’m still not super clear on that, and Microsoft isn’t giving much away. Weston confirms that Recall was reviewed as part of the company’s Secure Future Initiative that was introduced last year, but being a preview product, it apparently had some different restrictions. “The plan was always to follow Microsoft basics, like encryption. But we also heard from people who were like ‘we’re really concerned about this,’” so the company decided to fast-track some of the additional security work it was planning for Recall so that security concerns weren’t a factor in whether someone wanted to use the feature.

“It’s not just about Recall, in my opinion we now have one of the strongest platforms for doing sensitive data processing on the edge and you can imagine there are lots of other things we can do with that,” hints Weston. “I think it made a lot of sense to pull forward some of the investments we were going to make and then make Recall the premier platform for that.”

Some changes to the Recall settings include the ability to block apps from snapshots.

Image: Microsoft

Recall will also now only operate on a Copilot Plus PC, stopping people from sideloading it onto Windows machines like we saw ahead of its planned debut in June. Recall will verify that a Copilot Plus PC has BitLocker, virtualization-based security enabled, measure boot and system guard secure launch protections, and kernel DMA protection.

Microsoft has also conducted a number of reviews on the upgraded Recall security. The Microsoft Offensive Research Security Engineering (MORSE) team has “conducted months of design reviews and penetration testing on Recall,” and a third-party security vendor “was engaged to perform an independent security design review” and testing, too.

Now that Microsoft has had more time to work on Recall, there are some additional changes to the settings to provide even more control over how the AI-powered tool works. You’ll now be able to filter out specific apps from Recall alongside the ability to block a custom list of websites from appearing in the database. Sensitive content filtering, which allows Recall to filter out things like passwords and credit cards, will also block health and financial websites from being stored. Microsoft is also adding the ability to delete a time range, all content from an app or website, or everything stored in Recall’s database.

Microsoft says it remains on track to preview Recall with Windows Insiders on Copilot Plus PCs in October, meaning Recall won’t be shipping on these new laptops and PCs until it has been further tested by the Windows community.

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Technology

The best shows on Amazon Prime Video right now (October 2024)

Published

1 min ago

September 28, 2024

NewsAdmin

The best shows on Amazon Prime Video right now (October 2024)

Amazon Prime Video has its share of good and bad originals. The streaming service also offers access to plenty of legacy network shows with a base Amazon Prime subscription (or standalone Amazon Prime Video subscription). Shows removed from the service aren’t necessarily lackluster. Amazon recently canceled well-reviewed shows The Horrors of Dolores Roach and With Love, presumably because of low viewership numbers, though no specific reason was given. Amazon also axed My Lady Jane, a quirky alternate-history story that critics and audiences loved.

If you’re looking for the best shows on Amazon Prime Video right now, whether they’re ones with multiple seasons or shows that were cut short after just one or two, we have you covered. While there’s so much coming out right now for the fall, these shows are worth adding to your watch list if you haven’t seen them.

Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best new shows to stream, the best shows on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, and the best movies on Disney+.

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Technology

Meta is selling a $40 ‘open facial interface’ accessory for Quest 3

Published

21 mins ago

September 28, 2024

NewsAdmin

Meta Quest 3S will be affordable, reveals price leak

Meta is offering a $40 accessory for the Meta Quest 3 headset. The “open facial interface” for the Meta Quest 3 opens up the peripheral vision of the wearer.

Meta Quest 3 “open facial interface” is now available for just $40

The Meta Connect 2024 conference was a feature-packed event. Meta’s CEO not only announced the Orion Augmented Reality (AR) holographic display but also the aggressively priced Quest 3S.

One of the products that made its way to the launchpad was the “open facial interface” for the Quest 3 Virtual Reality (VR) headset. According to Android Central, this $40 accessory is trying to fill the gap left by the Meta Quest Pro, which is set to be discontinued.

Meta has announced it has begun selling the new accessory. It is up for pre-order on Meta’s e-store. The earliest estimated shipping date for early adopters is mid-October.

The new accessory is lighter and adds another way to wear the VR headset

The social media giant assures the open facial interface offers an open-periphery experience similar to that of the Meta Quest Pro. Interestingly, when the Quest Pro is no longer officially available, the Quest 3 (with the open facial interface) will be the only official way to use a Meta VR headset with open sides.

The open facial interface is only compatible with the Quest 3, not the new Quest 3S. The Quest 3S has a “breathable facial interface”. But it is certainly no match for the open facial interface. Some reports suggest this accessory could create an illusion of a wider field of view.

Finally it’s available for pre-order.
The Pro feeling is coming to Meta Quest 3!
”Meta Quest 3 open facial interface”
Now just wait for pre order shipment… #VR #Meta #Quest #Open #Facial #Interface #Pro pic.twitter.com/jlHhXt61b8
Advertisement

— R347ITY (@R347ITY) September 25, 2024

The open facial interface would surely help with the lens fogging issue. By creating a gap between the user’s head and the headset, this accessory also opens access to the wearer’s surroundings.

With this accessory, Meta is now offering a new way to use the Quest 3 VR headset. The default interface that comes in the box is meant for everyday use. The silicone facial interface, sold separately for $40, is intended to be worn during workout sessions and games involving a lot of movement.

Meta claims the open facial interface is “best for spatial experiences”. Interestingly, weighing just 60 grams, this accessory is lighter than the other two. This means using this accessory could subtly lighten the load of the VR headset.

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Servers computers

67 9 2 Overview of UCS C Series Rack Servers

Published

27 mins ago

September 28, 2024

NewsAdmin

67 9 2 Overview of UCS C Series Rack Servers

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Technology

OpenAI reportedly plans to increase ChatGPT’s price to $44 within five years

Published

43 mins ago

September 28, 2024

NewsAdmin

OpenAI reportedly plans to increase ChatGPT's price to $44 within five years

OpenAI is reportedly telling investors that it plans on charging $22 a month to use ChatGPT by the end of the year. The company also plans to aggressively increase the monthly price over the next five years up to $44.

The documents obtained by shows that OpenAI took in $300 million in revenue this August, and expects to make $3.7 billion in sales by the end of the year. Various expenses such as salaries, rent and operational costs will cause the company to lose $5 billion this year.

OpenAI is reportedly circulating the documents the NYT reported on as part of a drive to find new investors to prevent or lessen its financial shortfall. Fortunately, OpenAI is raising money on a $150 billion valuation, and a new round of investments could bring in as much as $7 billion.

OpenAI is also reportedly in the midst of switching from . The business model allows for the removal of any caps on investor returns so they’ll have more room to negotiate for new investors at possibly higher rates.

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Servers computers

Dell PowerEdge 1950 Rack Server – Overview, Specifications, Benefits & Uses

Published

60 mins ago

September 28, 2024

NewsAdmin

Dell PowerEdge 1950 Rack Server - Overview, Specifications, Benefits & Uses

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Technology

AI dominated both YC Demo Day and startup news

Published

1 hour ago

September 28, 2024

NewsAdmin

AI dominated both YC Demo Day and startup news

Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here.

This week was a busy one for the startup and VC world, with its fair share of funding news and, of course, the latest edition of YC’s Demo Day.

Most interesting startup stories from the week

OpenAI CTO Mira Murati unveiling ChatGPT's advanced voice mode — **Image Credits:** OpenAI

Yes, AI, AI, AI. But it’s more eventful than it sounds.

Departures: Several key people are leaving OpenAI — CTO Mira Murati, as well as the company’s chief research officer and a research VP. There’s more context than we can sum up here, so go have a read if you are so inclined.

Ive mind: It is now confirmed that former Apple designer Jony Ive is working on an AI device startup with OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman. The unnamed venture could be seeking to raise up to $1 billion by the end of the year.

AltGPT: Letta, an AI startup founded by the researchers behind MemGPT and positioning itself as “the open alternative to OpenAI,” has come out of stealth to much anticipation.

Pipelines: Data startup Airbyte launched Airbyte 1.0 with a focus on AI use cases. It also made its self-managed enterprise service generally available.

Most interesting fundraises this week

Two people converse amid Egym equipment (Image Credits: EGYM) — **Image Credits:** EGYM

COVID-19 almost killed some companies and boosted others. Now companies from both groups are finding their footing, and other trends are getting confirmed.

Working out: German connected fitness startup EGYM closed a $200 million Series G round of funding that confirms investor interest in the broader trend of preventative healthcare.

Digital transformation: Whatfix, a San Jose-based company whose platform demonstrates how to use third-party software, raised a $125 million Series E round led by Warburg Pincus.

AI power: Open source developer platform Supabase raised an $80 million Series C round. The company now positions itself as Postgres-centric and has been enjoying AI tailwinds; 10% of active databases on the service power AI use cases.

Beaming: Marvel Fusion raised €62.8 million in a Series B round to work on making commercial fusion power a reality thanks to lasers.

In the spotlight: British startup Raycast raised $30 million to bring its Mac productivity app to Windows and iOS, with a focus on “prosumer” users.

Most interesting VC and fund news this week

Acurio Ventures team — **Image Credits:** Acurio Ventures

Exit time: Peak XV Partners, the largest India and Southeast Asia-focused VC fund, realized about $1.2 billion in exits since its split from Sequoia last year, TechCrunch learned from sources.

Skyrocketing: European defense tech will attract $1 billion in VC funding this year, according to a new Dealroom report. This significant increase compared to previous years also goes along rising interest for dual-use technologies.

Sailing: Spanish VC firm All Iron Ventures rebranded as Acurio Ventures and closed a third fund of $166 million that will exclusively make “follow-on” investments.

Last but not least

Lisbon , Portugal - 2 November 2022; Garry Tan, Initialized Capital, on Venture stage during day one of Web Summit 2022 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo By Harry Murphy/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images) — **Image Credits:** Harry Murphy/Sportsfile for Web Summit / Getty Images

Taking place on September 25 and 26, Y Combinator’s online Demo Day for its Summer 2024 batch was once again dominated by AI use cases, some particularly exciting. The format itself is changing: Going forward, there will be four Demo Days a year, and YC CEO Garry Tan said that the next one on December 4 will include an in-person element.

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