OpenOffice is a great free alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. It is a fully featured productivity suite of programs complete with a word processor, spreadsheet app, database program and more. Furthermore, you can download the apps, so you don’t even need access to the internet to work them. The OpenDocument format is kind of like OpenOffice’s file format, but as you’d imagine from the name it has been built to work across a variety of different programs. This broad compatibility, however, has attracted scammers as today we are here today to warn you about a new malware scam found in infected OpenDocuments.
HP’s in-house threat research team, HP Wolf Security has announced that they have been tracking a phishing scam involving OpenDocument text files since June.
The scammers have been distributing these infected files, disguised guest registration documents, to a series of hotels in Latin America. According to HP Wolf Security, when the victims open these files, they are prompted with a message to update fields from other files and clicking to confirm this cryptic message opens up an Excel file.
From there, the user is asked to activate macros, and when they do that, the trouble really starts. Macros have long been a security vulnerability in Excel, so much so that Microsoft has moved to disable them recently in a bid to close it off. Antivirus programs usually catch infected Macros, but this isn’t the case inside of OpenDocuments. HP Wolf Security says:
“Unlike many malicious documents, analyzing the OpenDocument file reveals no hidden macros. However, the document references Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) objects hosted remotely, as shown in the styles.xml file. The document references 20 documents hosted on the same domain, webnar[.]info.”
It is unusual for hackers to use OpenDocuments in this way, but it does seemingly offer clear advantages to their cause. Once the victim as activated the Macros, they get infected with AsyncRAT, a remote access trojan malware. The analysts go to say:
“Documents that arrive from outside an organization should always be treated with suspicion, especially if they try to load external content from the web – but in practice this isn’t always straightforward advice to follow, especially in industries that rely on exchanging electronic documents between suppliers and clients.”
This may be difficult in practice for hoteliers or other public-facing companies to follow, but if you are running a hotel reservations department, you could do worse than printing off a copy of our anti-phishing infographic and putting it up in your office.
This is going to come as a major disappointment to everyone anxiously awaiting the release of Star Wars: Hunters. Zynga has decided to delay the full release of its new battle royale title to sometime in 2023 to ensure that it ‘meets the high expectations we are setting.’
Unfortunately, as has been the case with numerous games and publishers, delays seem to be becoming a theme in the development of Star Wars: Hunters. The highly-anticipated new title was first announced for Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch in February 2021.
While players expected the game to be completed and released later that year, Zynga announced a delay that would push the full release of the game to 2022. 2022 has come around, and now, again, Zynga has decided to push the game’s release ahead another year.
In the interim, Zynga has rolled out limited soft launches in selected territories, so, at the very least, there are some players who have been able to experience the new Star Wars battle royale arena. In these territories, Zynga will continue to furnish new updates and content for Star Wars: Hunters. The next such update is due in a few weeks.
Zynga recently took to Twitter to announce the second delay. ‘We are working tirelessly to achieve our vision for Star Wars: Hunters. Our ambition is to create a competitive battle arena game that will entertain for years to come. To ensure we meet the high epgetation we are setting for fans globally and ourselves as developers we have made the decision to delay the worldwide launch of Star Wars: Hunters [to 2023].’
The developer added to the tweet, saying that ‘We understand game delays are frustrating, however, our top priority is ensuring players will have the best possible experience in the Arena.’
Tensions are high over at Roblox HQ as a recent data heist robbed the platform of over 4 gigabytes of sensitive documentation. The hackers subsequently added insult to the injury by posting their loot on a forum. The motive behind the massive theft of digital information is suspected to be an attempt at extortion.
Roblox is an incredibly popular cash grab with an estimated value of over $65 billion. According to internal analyses, over 50% of minors in the United States are active Roblox players. Roblox has a unique, somewhat lazy, and definitely controversial business model whereby players – primarily minors – create their own games.
Players can then also implement various microtransactions into their games in an attempt to monetize them. This way, players do the actual work, and the company simply exists to cash in on the creativity of its player base.
This hack is particularly problematic due to the information that hackers were able to obtain. The documentation in question is primarily comprised of critical information about some of Roblox’s most successful games, including the identification particulars and email addresses of the creators behind the platform’s biggest games. Games that are, in many cases, created by minors.
The news first dropped on Vice, where Roblox stated that ‘Roblox has been actively investigating a phishing incident which involved a Roblox employee being targeted by cybercriminals. These stolen documents were illegally obtained as part of an extortion scheme that we refused to cooperate with.’
Roblox was reportedly quick to respond to the attack. ‘We acted quickly upon learning of the incident, engaged independent experts to complement our information security team, and have tuned our systems to seek to detect and prevent similar attempts.’
In the aftermath of the attack, many users faced significant outages while trying to play Roblox. Although, this isn’t a new issue. After all, outages and the subsequent Google search queries as to the nature, duration, and solution thereof are the main reason Roblox is the most searched game in the world at the moment.
We can only hope that Roblox is more successful in safeguarding the private information of its remaining creators.
Business cards are just as important for branding and marketing yourself as they are for giving information. To stand out from the crowd, use Canva to create a custom design like the over 85 million monthly users in 190 countries. There are a variety of Canva business card templates and customization options, so you can design the perfect business card for your needs. If you haven’t tried Canva yet, subscribe to Canva to get started!
Once you have your Canva account ready to go, explore these awesome ideas for appealing, interesting business cards.
Maximalist card designs
Lately, there’s been a growing trend for maximalist designs. This style is based on more-is-more boldness. Canva’s premade borders and graphics make it easy to add fun prints, colors, and shapes to your card. Canva business card designs with busy styles tend to work best in more creative, free-spirited industries.
Business cards with a logo
A logo on your business card will highlight your professionalism — whether you manage a team of employees or are building up a side gig. Since Canva has a lot of graphics you can add to a card, this is a great spot to get creative. You can pick a logo that references your business or make a fun monogram with your initials.
Cards with creative typography
The font you choose has a big impact on your card. Consider upgrading to an option that adds interesting shapes to your lines of text. We love the look of a single letter that’s turned into a similarly-shaped object. Another interesting option is using Canva’s layers to add an underlying pattern behind an initial.
3D business cards
Make your business card pop with a 3D shape. Canva has quite a few ways to incorporate 3D design into a business card. You can create templates that work with textured cardstock or fabricate a design that folds up into a 3D shape. This is a great way to literally stand out to clients.
Peel and stick cards
Your business card doesn’t have to be a stiff square of cardstock. Try using Canva’s sticker designs to make a peel-and-stick version of your business card. This is ideal for industries that are youthful and playful. Just make sure that the card still contains your essential contact information after the sticker image is removed.
Simple card designs
While maximalism is great, there’s also something to be said for less is more. A Canva business card with a simple background and a few clean lines of text can be very impactful. To add some visual interest, print on high-quality paper or use Canva’s printing services to add metallic foil to your text. These styles work especially well if you work in a more conservative or formal environment.
Business cards with photos
Canva allows you to upload your own photographs, which is a great way to accent your business card. Including a small portrait can help potential contacts put a face to your name. You can also use photos that display your products or projects.
Themed business cards
Consider ways you can turn your Canva business card into an item that references your passion. For example, a hairdresser could have a card that holds bobby pins or a contractor may have a card that doubles as a ruler. Think of a small way your card could add actual value to a customer’s life.
Business cards with fun slogans
A creative business card can be about more than just the card’s look. Try playing around with words and finding an interesting slogan or motto to add to your card. This design feature really makes your card pop. For best results, pick something short and catchy that looks great along the top or side of your Canva business card template
Card designs with unique shapes
A business card with a unique oval or oblong shape can add a touch of individuality to the design. You can also add some fun with shapes that refer to your career such as a round record if you’re a DJ or a band-aid if you work in healthcare. Cutting these cards by hand can be tricky though, so you might want to try Canva’s printing services.
Whether you want your business card to be fun, formal, smart, or artsy, Canva can help. This versatile design program makes it easy to get professional, stylish results. Ready to try out our awesome business card ideas? Subscribe to Canva now to explore all their great business card designs.
LGBTQIA+ activists and allies are celebrating Electronic Arts, Maxis, and The Sims 4 today, thanks to the recent steps that the developers have taken toward gender inclusivity. The latest of these steps is an update to the base game that introduces sexuality, a concept that historically hasn’t been featured in The Sims franchise.
I’m all for new gameplay options in a life simulation game but are all these inclusivity-focused updates enough to distract from the failings of the recent packs?
The way relationships and attraction worked prior to the recent update was based on how strong one Sim’s relationship was with another. For instance, if two Sims reached the level of best friends, it would usually be easier for them to initiate romantic interactions. Subsequent to the recent update, the romance and attraction mechanics are based on both relationship strength and the sexual orientation of the Sim in question.
The new feature rolls out alongside the new over-hyped High School Years expansion pack and will be accessible through the Create-A-Sim interface. From here, players can fiddle with three key aspects of their Sims. sexual orientations:
Their Sim’s primary gender of attraction
Whether their Sim is open to exploring interactions with other genders
What genders their Sim is interested in exploring attraction with
Currently, the feature only supports biological binary genders, the natural male and female gender expressions that have been in the Sims franchise since its inception. However, in an effort to further endorse the belief that gender is a human construct and that countless other genders exist outside of the natural male and female designations, EA has vowed to ‘expand this to include additional gender identities that we don’t have at this time.’
For players who don’t want to use this new feature, though, the feature is toggleable, and the options associated therewith can be ignored. However, EA made their stance on the matter unequivocally clear: ‘While we try to give players the option to toggle certain gameplay features, LGBTQIA+ identities are a fact of life and not a toggle to be switched on and off.’
At what point do we decide that The Sims is no longer focused on what players expect from the game after so many years? Why is EA prioritizing inclusivity over gameplay functionality and releasing packs that actually work? The Sims is a game that I, for one, play to get away from reality, not to be bombarded with it.
In other Sims news, we are really close to the release of The Sims 4 High School Years, the first expansion pack for the game in over a year. We’ve already seen the features of the pack, though, and to no one’s surprise, it’s as empty as the other recent packs. I cannot wait for Paralives to enter the life simulation market.
TennoCon 2022 was jam-packed with everything you never knew you needed to know about the future of Warframe and Digital Extremes. But there were two announcements that were far more important than the rest; Warframe is getting two massive updates, and Digital Extremes is partnering with Airship Syndicate to release a brand-new game; Soulframe.
Our first exposure to the name Soulframe was a few months ago in a European trademark application. At the time, we expected Soulframe to be a Soulslike minigame for Warframe. Now though, we know that Soulframe will be so much more than initially expected.
The new game, in partnership with Airship Syndicate – the name behind Battle Chasers – will be a free-to-play MMORPG, just like Warframe. Unlike Warframe, however, the new game will switch out the dystopian future setting for a brand-new high-fantasy world.
Soulframe’s Creative Director, Geoff Crookes, substantiated the new direction in a recent statement. ‘With Soulframe’s worldbuilding and thematic elements, we are really looking to go back to our childhood favorites and pull inspiration from the elaborate fantasy worlds that we fell in love with growing up.
Our team is really interested in this idea of nature and humanity colliding and we’ll be exploring a lot of those themes through our own lens while playing with ideas of restoration and exploration.’
If you’re looking to stay up-to-date on all things Soulframe, you can either head to the official website and register for updates, or simply follow the game on social media like Instagram and Youtube.
Cut back to the beginning of the year; we were all so excited for the Angels of the Zariman update in Warframe, which dropped in April. Now, we’re even more excited about the updates coming to Warframe. If Soulframe is anything like our favorite game from the Digital Extremes stable, it’s going to be one to watch very closely.
If you are a big fan of Instagram and like it just the way it is, you might be bemused by this report, which covers some rather unusual updates Instagram has been testing. The first of these strange updates has had some of the Instagram users that have been involved in the tests pointedly asking if Instagram is Twitter now and the second just seems like it is a nightmare waiting to happen. Let’s take a deeper look.
The first feature was spotted in the wild by Twitter user Owen Williams. Williams shared screenshots of a new feature called Notes to his Twitter feed and his replies were not very positive at all.
The screenshots show a horizontally scrollable Notes ribbon that sits up above your direct message inbox. Notes allow Instagram users to post short 60-character long updates that are then left for connections to see. Yep, they sound just like a much shorter tweet that won’t really serve any purpose on the app. It also isn’t very clear how this feature would work with Instagram’s new feed UI, which shows full-screen images and videos in a similar style to TikTok.
If Williams’s replies are anything to go by, which are filled with words like “confused” and even “hate” then maybe this isn’t something that will be rolling out to all Instagram users just yet.
The second feature in testing that has been spotted in the wild is the ability for users to allow ads to show on their profiles. Interestingly, the screenshot shared by Alessandro Paluzzi also has an option for selecting a Payout account, which would seem to indicate that users will be able to earn a percentage of the revenue these ads will raise.
These are two ‘interesting’ updates to say the least. At the moment they are both still in the very early stages of testing, meaning we likely won’t see them get a general rollout for quite some time. If you like the sound of these features though and would like to know when they will be released for all Instagram users, you should bookmark our Instagram news page and subscribe to push notifications.
When Microsoft released Windows 10 it was supposed to be a forever browser that would receive constant updates. However, here we are almost a year into Windows 11’s tenure as Microsoft’s flagship operating system and there is news that it might not even be that long before we end up moving on to Windows 12. Let’s have a look at what is going on.
We are not far off from the rollout of the first major Windows 11 update called Sun Valley 2. Last year, Microsoft announced that it would be releasing major updates like this on a 1-year release cycle, meaning that next year the company was planning on releasing Sun Valley 3. Now, however, it seems that the company has decided to pull back from that 12-month major update release cycle, instead opting for a more conservative three-year release cycle. This change has led some to speculate that when that next major update comes, it might actually be a new version of Windows altogether.
So, what does all this mean? Well, it doesn’t mean that Windows 11 is going to remain a static piece of software for the next three years. Rather, Microsoft is committing to rolling out new Windows features at different points throughout the year. The company is shifting to a more fluid update schedule rather than bunching feature updates into major updates, which may actually mean that we get more Windows 11 updates rather than less.
In fairness though, this switch only adds to speculation that the new major update coming in 2024 will be a brand-new version of Windows altogether. Some media outlets are even running polls on what the name of this new operating system should be.
For now, however, as a Windows 11 user, you do not have to worry. The Sun Valley 2 update is still on the horizon, and we will continue to keep you updated on any other major updates or Windows 11 news.
We like to think that the internet is open and free but in many places that is simply not true. Internet censorship is a real issue for many internet users with many sites sitting behind state-sanctioned firewalls. There are ways around these blocks though, and the most famous, Tor Browser, has a new update that will make it even easier for users to bypass censorship. Let’s check it out.
Tor Browser stands for The Onion Router and allows users to connect to the Onion Network. The Onion Network encrypts web traffic at every node and transfer step, which allows it to evade censorship blocks. Tor Browser is updating the Tor connection experience so that it will automatically detect and circumvent internet censorship.
Tor has been working on this censorship circumvention tech for about a year now and it has been working pretty well. Up until now, however, the process has been manual, which means users have had to go into the browser’s settings and then figure out how to apply for a bridge to unlock the censored content. Making it even more confusing for the user, however, is the fact that censorship isn’t the same everywhere meaning different countries may require different bridges.
This new update, Tor Browser 11.5, works through this process automatically with Tor announcing in the blog post they released with the update:
“In collaboration with the Anti-Censorship team at the Tor Project, we’ve sought to reduce this burden with the introduction of Connection Assist: a new feature that when required will offer to automatically apply the bridge configuration we think will work best in your location for you.”
The feature works by downloading an up-to-date list of country-specific options to try out, without the user having to do anything other than giving consent.
Today we’re going to teach you the shots you need to master to win a match in Matchpoint Tennis Championships. This game is a fun alternative to real-life tennis. But somehow, it isn’t terribly realistic regarding difficulty and opponent skill – no matter what your opponent’s stats say.
Before we get into the best shots to win a match in Matchpoint Tennis Championships, we need to address the types of shots you can fire and when to use them. Tennis, even in virtual form, is very much a game of looking where your opponent is and aiming somewhere else. This counts for the front and back of the court as well as the left and right sides.
Essential shot modifiers for Matchpoint Tennis Championships
If you want to win a match in virtual tennis, play Matchpoint Tennis Championships. If you want to experience the sensation of abject failure at the hands of a skilled tennis player, play tennis against Amanda de Santa in GTA V. For now, we’ll address the former and show you the top shots in Matchpoint.
Volley shot
Volley shots depend on not only your opponent’s position on the court but also your own. This shot is most effective if you’re closer to the net or at the service line. A volley shot – like in volleyball – is when you hit the ball in such a way that it moves over the net and toward your opponent without touching the ground. Basically, this is the opposite of a groundstroke.
You can also use a volley shot if your opponent is close to the net and you’d prefer the ball to reach the end of their side of the court before they do. Who said there’s no racing in digital tennis?
Drop shot
A drop shot is where you hit the ball in such a way that the ball softly moves through the air and over the net, but at a velocity that decreases the ball’s trajectory so that it hits the ground just beyond the net on the opponent’s side. This is especially useful if you like watching your opponent run and they’re at the back of the court.
The best shots in Matchpoint Tennis Championships
Topspin
If you’ve ever played a match on a real court, you’ll know the explosive power of topspin. This is likely the shot to end all shots and the most important skill in your arsenal. Even though Matchpoint Tennis Championships isn’t the epitome of virtual tennis in terms of difficulty, you can still harness the power of topspin to win a match. The reason topspin is so important is that it lets you put more power behind your ball and maintain better quality repetitions.
Topspin is the exact opposite of the slice, which we’ll cover lower down. In real tennis, you have something called the Magnus effect coming into play when you employ topspin. The Magnus effect happens when the air around your ball acts as though it has the physical properties of viscous or sticky material, the forces of which it enacts on the ball.
You also have the rotation of the ball – the actual ‘spin’ – which, coupled with enough velocity and the viscous air, creates a stream in the ball’s wake that ejects and propels the ball upward. The great thing about topspin in Matchpoint Tennis Championships is that you don’t need any real-life skill to execute it like a pro. All you need to do is mash the right buttons.
With a little practice and decent controller… um… control, you’ll make the virtual effects of topspin work in your favor and fire absolute rockets at your opponent. You can fire topspin as either a ground stroke or volley with the volley modifier.
Flat shot
This is by far one of the easiest shots to serve in Matchpoint Tennis Championships All that flat shot means is that you’re sending the ball back at your opponent at a neutral level.
This means when you hit the ball in Matchpoint Tennis Championships, you hit it in such a manner that it moves through the air at a horizontal angle. A flat shot is the best choice if you want your opponent to have as little time to react as possible. This is not an observe-and-respond type of shot.
This is a brutal cannon fire shot for a near-certain win, depending on where you fire and how quick your opponent’s reflexes are. In the game, you’ll be playing primarily against NPCs unless you enjoy the critically under-featured multiplayer game component. NPCs should be fairly easy to knock out with a flat shot.
There isn’t really any intricate physics behind a flat shot. Essentially, the ball comes toward you, and you smash it back at your opponent with the far superior speed that a flat shot provides.
Slice shot
This is a fairly simple shot to grasp and, as we surmised earlier, the opposite of topspin. With this shot, your goal is to send the ball careening toward your opponent with a tricky-to-respond-to dose of sidespin. That’s right, instead of the viscous air created by your angle of delivery resulting in a ball that spins upward, your ball will spin sideways.
The way this works in real-life tennis is that your racket brushes the side of the ball instead of hitting it head-on. This causes the ball’s spin direction to shift, as well as changes the way the ball will bounce unless skillfully delivered as a volley shot.
The Matchpoint Lob
Remember that move we discussed in the beginning where you try and get your ball to beat your opponent to the far end of the court? This is that. Essentially, your goal with a lob shot is for the ball to literally go over your opponent’s head. Ironic terminology, given how easy this shot is to perform.
The lob shot can be a little problematic, though; if you hit the ball with too little velocity and it doesn’t ‘lob’ like it’s supposed to, you’ll boost your opponent’s confidence and give them a really easy hit.
Confidence obviously isn’t a problem when faced with an NPC. I believe they’re dead inside. Fun fact: being creeped out or made to feel uncomfortable by NPCs that don’t respond like humans do is called the Uncanny Valley Effect.
