Websites have a new way to spy on visitors: Analyzing their SSD activity

Websites have a new way to spy on visitors: Analyzing their SSD activity

fivenewscrypto    mai 29, 2026   

Over the decades, there has been no shortage of sites using clever techniques to covertly track visitors’ browsing histories, device fingerprints, and keystrokes and mouse movements in real time. Even Meta and Yandex were recently caught joining in the privacy-invasive free-for-all.

Now sites have a new way to spy on their visitors: measuring subtle interactions with their solid-state drives. The technique, named FROST (fingerprinting remotely using OPFS-based SSD timing), allows sites to monitor other sites a visitor is viewing and what apps are open on their devices.

A side channel based on contention

The technique, laid out in a research paper, exploits a side channel, a form of leak resulting from physical manifestations such as electromagnetic emanations, data caches, or the time required to complete a task. By measuring the manifestations, attackers can decrypt encrypted traffic and infer other confidential data.

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Mystery GPS jammer in Iran becomes test for NASA satellites’ capabilities

Mystery GPS jammer in Iran becomes test for NASA satellites’ capabilities

fivenewscrypto    mai 29, 2026   

NASA satellites designed to observe cyclone wind speeds and collapsing ice sheets have also proven capable of identifying the approximate locations of GPS jammers. That could help monitor high-risk areas for aircraft and ships navigating the growing prevalence of GPS interference worldwide.

Two different NASA satellite systems showed how they could locate a known but mysterious GPS jammer within several kilometers of its position in Iran, according to an experiment by Sean Gorman, CEO and cofounder of the location-based technology company Zephr.xyz that was detailed in the magazine GPS World. Such jammers use strong signals to overpower the weaker radio signals coming from US-operated GPS satellites and other global navigation satellite systems.

Such NASA satellites cannot perform “near-real time monitoring” or pinpoint the exact location of GPS jammers, said Clara Chew, principal scientist and lead of the GNSS systems and data team at the California-based satellite manufacturer Muon Space, who was not involved in the study. But Chew told Ars that identifying the approximate locations of GPS jammers “could potentially be helpful for flight planning” or for “indicating high risk areas for maritime shipping.”

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Mina the Hollower is the best old-school action adventure I've played in a while

Mina the Hollower is the best old-school action adventure I've played in a while

fivenewscrypto    mai 29, 2026   

Modern Legend of Zelda games like Breath of the Wild are built around Link's ability to run, climb, and jump with the best of them. In old-school, top-down Zelda titles, though, the ability to increase Link's sad starting mobility was a banner event. Finding items like the speed-enhancing Pegasus Boots in Link to the Past or the jump-granting Roc's Feather in Link's Awakening made the methodical exploration in these games feel that much more kinetic and akin to a top-down platform game.

This kind of kinetic feeling is built into Mina the Hollower from the start. As the titular, mouse-like Hollower, you're armed with the ability to jump up and burrow into soft soil, zipping under obstacles and past enemies with satisfying pep as you do. After a short sojourn underground, you pop out with an extended jump that quickly becomes second nature.

The sense of energy and verve built in to this simple movement system makes Mina a joy to control. You feel that joy when you burrow away from an enemy attack only to quickly circle back to pop out for a quick counter. You feel it burrowing underneath the scenery through a small hole to uncover a labyrinthine secret corridor. You feel it hopping and bouncing across a series of gaps on inflatable, balloon-like pads.

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Nvidia bets $150B on Taiwan as Trump's plan to make US an AI hub backfires

Nvidia bets $150B on Taiwan as Trump's plan to make US an AI hub backfires

fivenewscrypto    mai 28, 2026   

In a splashy move that signals that Taiwan remains irreplaceable to the AI industry's short-term and long-term goals, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced Wednesday that his chip company will invest $150 billion a year to make sure Taiwan remains at the "epicenter" of the "AI revolution."

"This is where the chips come, packaging comes, this is where the systems are made, this is where AI supercomputers were created," Huang said. "The number of partners we work with here in Taiwan, incredible."

As Reuters reported, the substantial investments will be used to create a new Taiwan headquarters for Nvidia, which Huang expects will drive so much AI innovation that the partnership will cement Taiwan as "the world's tech manufacturing hub for a long time." That ambitious project will be operational by 2030, Nvidia anticipates, after breaking ground this year.

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Roku OS’s home screen now features a large, permanent ad

Roku OS’s home screen now features a large, permanent ad

fivenewscrypto    mai 28, 2026   

Roku just unveiled the biggest overhaul to its smart TV operating system (OS) in 10 years. One of the most noticeable differences is that ad space now takes up a large chunk of the screen’s landing page.

Before the update, loading up a Roku OS-powered smart TV or streaming device would yield a menu on the left side with sections including “What to Watch,” “Live,” and “Search.” The right side had a row of tiles for “Recommended” content above several rows of tiles representing downloaded apps. Once a user started started navigating the home screen, the menu would collapse, and they'd see a large ad on the right side of the screen.

The old Roku OS landing page before the ad is visible.  Credit: Roku

 

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US Space Force confirms SpaceX will build sensor-to-shooter targeting network

US Space Force confirms SpaceX will build sensor-to-shooter targeting network

fivenewscrypto    mai 28, 2026   

SpaceX has won a lucrative contract to provide the US military with a means of distributing space-based sensing and targeting data, forming the "backbone" of a rearchitected network after separate Pentagon initiatives stalled, officials announced Tuesday.

Space Systems Command, the Space Force's primary procurement and acquisition center, announced the $2.29 billion firm-fixed-price agreement, confirming long-simmering reports that the Pentagon was likely to tap SpaceX for a new communications network in low-Earth orbit. SpaceX's selection for the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone contract "accelerates the delivery of a resilient, high-speed communications network in space," Space Systems Command said in a statement.

The network will be based on technology originally developed for SpaceX's Starlink global Internet constellation. SpaceX already builds and launches specially designed satellites, called Starshield, for military applications. The SDN Backbone network in low-Earth orbit (LEO) will presumably use the Starshield platform.

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Motorola's 2026 Razrs are almost worth buying just for their stunning looks… almost

Motorola's 2026 Razrs are almost worth buying just for their stunning looks… almost

fivenewscrypto    mai 28, 2026   

For the last several years, Motorola's smartphone headliners were the Razr flip phones, but 2026 is different. This time around, Moto's first tablet-style foldable, the Razr Fold, somewhat overshadows the flip phones, but a bulky $2,000 folding phone that isn't made by Samsung occupies the smallest niche in the smartphone market. A Razr flip phone is much more practical, both financially and logistically. But are these phones actually worth buying over a flat phone?

Smartphones are no longer something you need to convince people to buy. Unless you're going out of your way to exclude technology from your daily life, a smartphone is just a necessary convenience. The way some companies market their phones—making relatively boring phones look like a lifestyle choice—doesn't really take this into account. However, Motorola knows what a Razr is.

All the Razrs are big phones when you open them up (Razr Ultra seen here). Credit: Ryan Whitwam

These phones are first and foremost about vibes. They're fun and colorful; there are desk clock displays, mini apps for the outer display, and a quirky camcorder camera mode. Foldables are universally gadgety and visually interesting, but the Razrs take this to the extreme with unique textures and Pantone-certified colorways. That gives the Razrs a selling point before you even get to the specs or hardware. And they need that because the speeds and feeds are nothing special.

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