Scammers used a new type of phishing campaign, which doesn't use emails, to steal around $500,000 worth of cryptocurrency from wallets this past weekend alone. According to Check Point Research, those bad actors purchased Google Ads placements for their fraudulent websites that imitate popular wallets, such as Phantom App and MetaMask. The malicious websites have URLs close to the original's, such as "phantonn.app" — the real service's URL is "phantom.app" — with designs also copied from the real deal. 

Check Point Research

The scammers will then steal the victim's passphrase if they visit the fake website and type it in. If the victim uses the fake website to create a new wallet, they will be given the attacker's secret recovery phrase. In the event that they use the recovery phrase to log in, they'll actually be logging into the bad actor's account, and any fund transferred to it will go to the scammer. For MetaMask, in particular, the fake website has the option to import an existing wallet. Since doing so requires a seed phrase, the scammers will also get access to it. 

As Check Point Research explains, the Phantom App and MetaMask are some of the most popular wallets for Solana and Ethereum. It cross-referenced Reddit forums to come to the conclusion that around half a million dollars were stolen last weekend alone, and it found 11 compromised wallet accounts containing crypto worth between $1,000 and $10,000. The scammers had already withdrawn funds from those wallets before CPR found them. 

CPR says scamming groups are now bidding on keywords on Google Ads, which is a testament to how effective the method is. It's now advising users to examine the wallet's URL closely and to skip Google Ads results altogether so as not to unknowingly fall for the scam.

Yes, you read that correctly: Microsoft has officially released a web browser for Linux. Ars Technicareports the software behemoth has finally released its first stable version of Edge for Linux. The Chromium-based browser is available either through Microsoft's website (in .deb and .rpm formats) or through the command line using a Linux package manager.

The Linux version has been a long time in coming. Microsoft was testing the Edge variant in its Dev and Beta channels for about a year, and it's arriving more than two years after the Mac and Windows versions. It's not clear what prompted the wait, although Linux has historically had little consumer PC market share.

The feature parity is largely intact, at least. You unsurprisingly won't find an Internet Explorer compatibility mode (only Windows has that), but you can sync tabs, bookmarks, passwords and extensions. This may be your browser of choice if you use Linux on a personal system but want the browser setup from your Windows PC at work.

The release is symbolic of how Microsoft's relationship with Linux has changed over the years. The company was notoriously antagonistic in the early 2000s, when CEO Steve Ballmer called Linux "a cancer" on intellectual property and otherwise treated it as a threat to Windows. Internet Explorer effectively served as a deterrent to would-be Linux switchers as many IE-optimized sites wouldn't run properly on Linux browsers without significant effort, if they ran at all.

Flash forward two decades and it's a different story. The company is now much more focused on services than Windows, and that means making offerings like Microsoft 365 and Windows 365 as accessible as possible. Microsoft needs to be friendly to Linux users to keep them from using rivals like Google Workspace — Edge for Linux could be worthwhile if it leads to years of subscription fees, even if users have no plans to switch to Windows.

Microsoft's metaverse ambitions extend well beyond a handful of Teams features. The Vergereports chief executive Satya Nadella told Bloomberg the company is "absolutely" planning on creating a gaming metaverse with "full 3D" worlds. The claim was about as vague as can be, and didn't include a timeline or software, but it's (eventually) in the works.

The question, of course, is just what those metaverse experiences will look like. Nadella wasn't exactly clear on the definition of a metaverse and believed that games like Halo, Minecraft and even Flight Simulator were simpler "2D" metaverses. Sorry, Nadella, but they're not — merely having a multiplayer space doesn't create a metaverse, especially not with match-oriented games like Halo.

The potential is there, though. Microsoft has dabbled in metaverse-like projects such as Minecraft on HoloLens and the defunct Minecraft Earth. The software creator could easily translate lessons learned from that software to a shared virtual environment, even it looks nothing like any of the company's best-known franchises.

Microsoft Loop, a new Office collaboration app announced today, takes the company's Fluid Framework vision one step further. You might remember that technology from Microsoft's recent developer events: It's a way to collaborate on specific chunks of content, say a table or chart, synchronized across multiple Office apps. A table you create in Outlook, for example, would instantly update if someone plugs it into a Word document and adds new information. Up until now, we've only seen that implemented in Office online as a sort of test. Microsoft Loop is a far bigger bet on the future of document collaboration.

Microsoft

Like Fluid Framework, one of the core parts of the new app are Loop Components, which Microsoft calls "atomic units of productivity." They can include anything from as a list to a complex Dynamics 365 project, all of which will stay in sync when they're deployed in Office apps. You can organize your Components in Loop Pages, a new type of document that can also include files and links. Think of them like unstructured Word documents (or perhaps more like how people typically use Google Docs).

Finally, there are Loop Workspaces, a way to view components and pages related to specific projects. According to Microsoft, "Workspaces make it easy for you to catch up on what everyone is working on, react to others’ ideas, or track progress toward shared goals."

If you're getting serious Google Wave vibes from all of this, you're not alone. But Microsoft Loop sounds a bit more focused than that failed attempt at team collaboration. For one, the core idea of Fluid Framework makes sense. Now that we're all working across multiple documents online, it makes sense to have a way to synchronize elements within those files. Wave felt like a solution in search of a problem, whereas Microsoft Loop, despite its seeming complexity, addresses a growing problem many office workers face today.

Microsoft says it'll share more about Loop in the upcoming months. Until then, though, you can expect to see Loop components coming to Teams, Outlook, OneNote and other Microsoft 365 apps later this month.

Microsoft is boosting Office with some (arguably overdue) media creation tools. As part of a sweeping set of updates, the company is adding Clipchamp video editing to the Office suite. The recently acquired web-based tool helps you make "professional-looking" clips regardless of your skills. You can produce videos for your other Office projects, of course, but Microsoft also sees Clipchamp as a straightforward editing tool for personal footage.

It will also be much easier to add that professional sheen to your PowerPoint presentations. Microsoft is adding a "recording studio" to PowerPoint that lets you capture audio for those moments when you can't (or just don't want to) present live. You can annotate slides, customize the background and pick the view that will best help you record. When you're done, you can preview the presentation and re-record as much as necessary. Be patient for this feature, though, as Microsoft only expects it to become "generally available" in early 2022.

Other updates are subtler, but could be just as helpful in the right circumstances. Microsoft is trotting out Context IQ, a set of AI "experiences" for Microsoft 365 that will initially make situationally-aware recommendations in Editor. It will suggest relevant contacts when you want to tag people, for instance, or recommend meeting times when everyone is available.

Developers will also have a better reason to try Excel. Microsoft is introducing a JavaScript framework in the spreadsheet app that lets you create custom data types and functions using the web-based language. JavaScript will be available later in November in preview form. Many (if not most) Excel users won't have much need for this, but it could be valuable if your job revolves around data.

Zoom users on the free Basic plan may start seeing ads starting today. At the outset, ads will only appear on the browser page after a call ends, and you'll only see them following meetings hosted by other Basic users. The test is limited to certain countries too.

The company has updated its privacy policy to reflect the change. Zoom says it won't use content (in other words, video, audio, messages and files) from meetings, webinars or messaging "for any marketing, promotions, or third-party advertising purposes." The company's advertising partners might use cookies to track your activity on Zoom's website. You can block them from doing so via Zoom's cookie management tool.

Zoom expects the ad program "will enable us to support investment and continue providing free Basic users with access to our robust platform," chief marketing officer Janine Pelosi wrote in a blog post.

Basic users can take part in as many meetings as they like, but there are time limits of 30 minutes on one-on-one calls and 40 minutes on group meetings. They don't have any cloud storage for meeting recordings or access to features like transcripts, either, though the company just rolled out a live transcription/closed captioning option on the free tier.

Zoom became an essential tool for millions amid a widespread shift to remote working as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold last year, and many opted for the free plan, given its solid capabilities. It shouldn't be too surprising that Zoom is moving into advertising, but it seems that, at least for now, the ads will be fairly unobtrusive while respecting users' privacy preferences.

Fender is buying PreSonus, a company that’s best known for its studio recording gear and software. The guitar maker announced the acquisition, which still needs regulatory approval, on Monday. Fender didn’t disclose the financial terms of the deal, but it did hint at its future plans for the company.

“While most guitar and bass players still plug into amplifiers, many also plug their instruments into interfaces, using virtual amps and effects to create their sounds. Players of all levels are spending more time online than ever before and using a variety of products and technologies to learn, practice, jam and perform, record and share,” the company said. “Fender envisions an ecosystem that seamlessly integrates hardware and software to create an effortless end-to-end experience for customers at all levels in their creative journey, and joining forces with PreSonus makes that possible.”

Integrating software and hardware together is something Fender has been doing for a while with its apps and amps. We’ll have to see what the company does with PreSonus, but it’s easy to envision a future where it could offer digital versions of its iconic amps in its pursuit of its “all levels” vision.

As part of its broad vision of becoming a metaverse-focused company, Facebook announced Polar, a free iOS app that makes it easy for just about anyone to create AR filters, effects and 3D objects. Think of it like an easy-to-use implementation of the company's Spark AR platform for developers. The goal is to give creators a simple tool to design custom AR effects — perhaps glowing demonic eyes, or 3D text of your personal hashtag or slogan — that they can deploy across the web, or share with their followers.   

The company plans to launch a closed beta program later this year, so it'll likely be a while before it's open to everyone. But if Facebook wants the metaverse to thrive, it'll need to loop in creators to help make some meme-worthy content. Let's just hope there's also a way to pay people for this free labor. 

Since the start of the year, Oculus Quest and Quest 2 owners have had the ability to use Messenger to chat with their Facebook friends. When using the app today, you can type out a message, send pre-written phrases or use voice-to-text to communicate. Soon, you’ll also be able to call your friends. 

At its Connect conference, Facebook announced it plans to bring audio calling to the platform. Later this year, the app will allow you to call contacts on any other Messenger-enabled platform. In the future, it will also allow you to invite your friends to hang out in VR destinations together.

Developing...

The Apple TV app has reached its final frontier: your cable provider's set-top box. According to Variety, Comcast used its latest earnings call to reveal that the Apple TV app will be available on Comcast's platforms in the "coming months." Viewers with Xfinity X1 set-tops, Flex streaming hubs, XClass TVs and (in the UK and Europe) Sky Glass sets will have access to Apple TV+, in-app channels (like AMC+ and Showtime) and Apple's usual video purchases and rentals.

In exchange, Comcast is bringing its Xfinity Stream app to Apple TV hardware. The move will let you use the Apple TV device either as a set-top stand in or to watch broadcasts on someone else's TV when you're away.

This may be a more significant expansion than it seems. Apple's streaming video app is available on many smart TVs, dedicated media players and game consoles in addition to the company's own products, but there are many people whose cable box is the smartest device in the living room. This brings Apple TV+ to many people who wouldn't even consider a service if it required a new TV or any device beyond the ones included with their cable subscriptions.