News written by James Delahunty (June, 2020)

Two decades after the PlayStation 2 console was released, a working exploit targeting the DVD player functionality is demonstrated.

In its life on the market, the PS2 has been hacked in many ways. The most obvious and complete method of hacking a PS2 is through the use of a modchip, most of which have to be soldered to the mainboard of the unit. Outside of modifying the board, there were disc swapping tricks that required a console to be opened to interfere with disc sensors. There were also some softmod methods that either involved using a modified memory card, or tricks that required the HDD expansion bay (not present on slim consoles).

The holy grail for booting unsigned / unauthorized code on a PS2 would be a method that required no modification at the hardware level, just insert the disc and watch it boot.

Twenty years after the console was introduced, software engineer CTurt has developed such a method. In a blog post, CTurt goes into detail on how he has managed to develop FreeDVDBoot - an entry-point software exploit for the console. The exploit targets the PS2's DVD-Video functionality (all PS2's can play DVDs).

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Google has removed 38 popular applications from the Play Store due to alleged fraudulent activity after a combined 20 million+ downloads.

A White Ops report details how thirty-eight apps - most of which are selfie apps that add filters to users' pictures - engaged in fraudulent ad activity and made it difficult for most users to uninstall the app from their devices.
The activity, which falls afoul of Google's policies, included:

• Out-of-Context (OOC) Ads: Rendering OOC ads including native and interstitial, from major ad-networks.
• Out-of-Context Navigation: Launching out-of-context navigation intents to URLs received from the command and control server (C2).
• Removal of App Icon: Remove the app icon from the device's home and apps folder, to make it difficult for the user to uninstall the app.

Google has already removed apps from its Play Store, but what's worrying is that apps were downloaded a whopping 20 million times before removal.

In addition to showing ads on Android even when not in use and hijacking ad screens from other apps, the apps also hid in the operating system so that they could not be easily removed by less experienced users who can't navigate through Android settings easily.

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Sony showed off the upcoming PlayStation 5 (PS5) console in an online launch event on Thursday.

It provided the first glimpse of the PS5 console itself after it had previously shown off the DualSense controller (which features haptic feedback). The reveal was online rather than a live event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resembling the controller, the PS5 console contains a black core and features two curved white sides sitting atop a black base (upright). It also features a blue glow. Some have likened its appearance to a large Wi-Fi router - you be the judge!

There will be two PS5 consoles available at launch, with the key difference being a basic console will feature a Blu-ray drive while an all-digital version will not.

During the roughly hour-long event, Sony showed off a variety of games that will catch the eye, among them the likes of Grand Turismo 7, Hitman 3, Horizon: Forbidden West, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

You can watch the hardware reveal at:

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Amazon will stream a few Premier League matches for free when the English top division of football returns later this month.

The Premier League has been on hold for several months as a protective measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier League matches are attended by tens of thousands every weekend and broadcast around the world to millions of football fans. Of course, games are also streamed by broadcasters and services around the world.

In the UK, Amazon first started to stream Premier League matches on its Prime service last year. Sky Sports and BT Sport typically dominate the rights to broadcast the Premier League in its home country, but services like Amazon are looking to break into the business in gradual steps over the coming seasons.

Amazon has announced that when the Premier League returns from June 17, it will be streaming an additional four matches. Those additional four matches will be available to view for free, and the viewer will not require an Amazon Prime membership to watch.

Amazon is not alone in showing games for free either, with 33 being free to view across a variety of services from the 92 remaining matches of the season. BBC Sport will also be showing some matches for free, making it the first time the national broadcaster in the UK will air games from the Premier League live.

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A lawsuit is targeting Google over the collection of data while users are browsing in 'private' mode.

Google's Chrome browser has provided Incognito Mode for users for several years now. When browsing in Incognito Mode, a user's visited websites and other information is not saved to the web browser itself, or to the device that the software is installed on.

Surfing in 'Incognito Mode' does not prevent third-party websites from tracking users' activities however, including running Google Analytics code.

The lawsuit alleges that Google engages in the "covert and unauthorized data collection from virtually every American with a computer or phone." However, Google has denied the charge and says that it is very clear about the implications of browsing in Incognito Mode.

"As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity," said Google spokesman Jose Castaneda, reports the BBC.

Indeed, a look at a new Incognito Tab does spell out the limits of Incognito Mode browsing.

Now you can browse privately, and other people who use this device won't see your activity. However, downloads and bookmarks will be saved. Read more...

Google has targeted an application that would check a device for installed software from China and aid in its removal.

Developed by One Touch AppLabs, which is based in India, the app specifically targeted "Chinese software" on mobile devices. It was available on the Play Store for ten days in which time it clocked up more than a million downloads. Its popularity was strongest in India, which is currently in an ongoing period of tension over Himalayan borders with China.

According to the developers, Google has removed the app from the Play Store, but did not elaborate on the exact reason why. It thanked its users for all their support while the app was online.

The app did cast quite a wide net in software it flagged as Chinese. For example, it highlighted the Zoom video conferencing software, which is actually developed in the United States. The fact that its founder was born in China seemed enough to lump it in with other Chinese apps.

Another popular app targeted was TikTok, which is owned by Bytedance, based in Beijing.

'Remove China Apps' gained popularity amid calls for boycotts against China following the movement of Chinese military personnel into a territory India claims as its own in the Kashmir region.