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27 Nov 2024

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‘Hacker’ breaks into gym to get hired, gets arrested instead
“I hacked your company,” says a message on the CEO’s monitor. “You should hire me to protect you.” It seems like something out of a 90s Hollywood movie (or a self-aware 2010s YouTube short). But a Missouri man allegedly tried to make it a reality by “hacking” multiple businesses and selling his security services to them. He got arrested instead. According to the US Attorney’s Office in Kansas City, Missouri, Nicholas Michael Kloster has been formally charged with accessing a protected computer and related offenses. The press release (spotted by BleepingComputer) compiles investigation from the FBI and the Kansas City Police Department. It alleges that Kloster “entered the premises” of a health club, accessed its computers, then emailed the owner and asked to be hired for his “security service.” A few weeks later, Kloster posted on social media (the exact one isn’t mentioned) with a screenshot of himself remotely controlling the club’s security cameras. “How to get a company to use your computer service” read the post, according to the US Attorney’s Office. He also allegedly reduced his own membership fee to $1 per month, erased his photo from the club’s database, and stole a staff nametag. Kloster’s other alleged crimes are a little less Hollywood. The District Attorney accuses him of also breaking into a “nonprofit corporation,” again by physically going to the building, entering an area that isn’t accessible to the public, then loading up a boot disk. He allegedly reset user passwords and installed a VPN, causing the corporation more than $5,000 in damages. He also (again, allegedly!) used his employer’s company credit card to shop for himself. His purchases, which would have been easily tracked by both his bosses and investigators, included “a thumb drive that was advertised as a means to hack into vulnerable computers.” I am not a hacker. But if I were, physically breaking into a gym where I apparently went on a regular basis wouldn’t be my first dastardly deed. Or my second, following fraudulent purchases of something advertised as a hacking tool paid for with my boss’s credit card.

iContact Camera Pro review: This line-of-sight webcam is nearly there
At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Good, detailed 4K image in good lighting “Eye contact” arm is a key selling point Well Constructed, save for the camera arm Cons No privacy shutter Poor noise cancellation Arm is a little flimsy A little awkward when used on a laptop Our Verdict iContact’s Camera Pro is one of a tiny number of cameras that places the camera in your sightline to enable “eye contact.” It’s a good 4K camera in good lighting, but poor noise cancellation and the lack of a privacy shutter holds it back. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: iContact Camera Pro Retailer Price iContact $179 View Deal $189 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The iContact Camera Pro performs decently as an off-the-shelf 4K camera, especially when you factor in its nearly unique ability to put the camera in your line of sight. But there are a couple of shortcomings holding me back from a full-throated endorsement. iContact didn’t necessarily take its cue from the $129.99, 1440p CA Essential Webcam Flex, but the two webcams share a common element in their design: Both have an arm of sorts that places the small camera in the middle of your screen. As the company’s name suggests, that allows you to place the camera where your subject’s eyes are — engaging them with eye contact. It’s a subtle change, but an important one, in my mind. People are distracted enough by phones, passersby, and screens, and modern conversations aren’t always with an engaged listener. Eye contact demonstrates interest, and someone you’re speaking to using a webcam like the iContact may respond more positively. It’s worth noting that Microsoft now dedicates one feature of its Windows Studio Effects, Eye Contact, to doing just this. Eye Contact uses AI and a small tweak to the video to make it seem like you’re maintaining eye contact, even if you look away. iContact’s webcam will do it much more realistically. (This review contributes to and informs our recommendations for the best webcams.) iContact Camera Pro: Build quality The iContact Camera Pro is a bit chunky; it measures 5 inches across, with a depth of 3.25 inches. It sticks up about an inch off your display. The top has a small notch for an optional $59 Light Panel, a rectangular lamp (not tested) that replaces a traditional ring light. iContact sells a bundled Camera Pro and Light Panel for $238. The key metric is the length of the camera arm: 4.25 inches. The arm swings down, bringing the camera into the sight line. The arm is plastic and feels a bit flimsy. The arm’s length is also fixed, which differs from CA’s competing model. Does that matter? It depends on the display. The arm brought the camera a little low on a laptop and a bit on the high side on my desktop monitor, but it really depends on where you place the video window. It probably won’t be perfect, but the effect will be more lifelike than a typical top-mounted webcam. (When the arm is lifted up in line with the camera’s body, it’s a little off center.) The iContact Pro is designed to allow you to “look” right at your subject, making eye contact.Mark Hachman / IDG Physically, the webcam isn’t that different from others in the market. A small “tooth” juts over the front of the display, preventing it from sliding backwards. Otherwise, the camera attaches with a flexible “jaw” that opens or closes, like a “>” symbol. iContact uses a rubbery material in the jaw’s construction that cushions it slightly and prevents it from sliding about. That’s less important on a desktop monitor, but makes more sense while propped onto a laptop. The iContact Camera Pro uses a dedicated 79-inch cord (about 6.5 feet) that comes out of the back of the camera, with a USB-C connector underneath an optional, removable USB-A port adapter. That’s a nice way of adjusting for both ports. One issue that you may have is that, while mounted on a laptop, the angle of a laptop makes it harder to align the iContact Camera Pro. It works best when the laptop or monitor is at your eye height or higher, which means that you’ll have to elevate it quite a bit.Mark Hachman / IDG Note that there is no privacy shutter of any kind, which is an important omission. The webcam doesn’t rotate, either. When not in use, the webcam remains pointed at your face, without an LED indicator that shows that it’s on. That’s certainly a black mark. Even worse is that iContact does have a webcam shutter — which it will sell you for an additional $8. That’s just ridiculous. iContact Camera Pro: Image quality and performance In practice, I don’t think that the fixed length of the webcam’s arm detracts from its benefits; my eyes couldn’t detect any real difference from placing the webcam directly in the center of my subject’s face upon my screen and having it off a few inches. This is a true 4K webcam, with autofocus capabilities…though those autofocus capabilities are somewhat poor. iContact’s camera seemed to focus quite well on my hand when I held it close to the camera, but did a poorer job when I simply sat back in my chair and let it work. Weirdly, there doesn’t seem to be any support for Windows Studio Effects at all, even on an Intel Core Ultra 200 (Lunar Lake) laptop in which other webcams provide those capabilities. (I didn’t expect pan and zoom, but I was a little surprised by the lack of blurring effects.) In fact, there is no utility software at all. iContact provides a special utility (with basic lighting and tint controls) for Mac users, but Windows users will have to use the built-in settings. I’m not totally disappointed in this, as I always wonder about the possibility for malware to ride along inside a utility from unknown webcam makers. But the lack of software does give it a somewhat bare-bones feel. I have a ruddy complexion, which is over-exaggerated a bit. My sweatshirt is blue, however, which isn’t picked up.Mark Hachman / IDG From my basement office, which is often lit primarily by artificial light and light from my display, the iContact webcam does quite well. The 4K webcam captured good detail, and the color balance was good. I usually use a screen as a backdrop in my test shots, but I don’t use that screen in day-to-day use. Behind me is a window, which forces the camera to make a choice: adjust the lighting for my face, or the background? In this case, the iContact camera made the right choice and lit my face properly. Upstairs, I use my living room with more natural lighting. Again, I want to discover how the webcam fares in good, but not ideal lighting. It looks acceptable to me. The lack of software does give it a somewhat bare-bones feel. In bright light, the image that the iCamera Pro produces isn’t too shabby.Mark Hachman / IDG Finally, I tested the noise cancellation on the mics. The mics captured my voice accurately and clearly, but the noise cancellation is lousy. I use the camera’s mic to record my voice, as if I was talking on a voice call. I then play back music, followed by white noise, on my phone, and move it around to test how well those background noises are filtered out. I could be heard clearly over both tracks, but both the music and the sounds of rainfall were very apparent. Should you buy the iContact Camera Pro? Eye contact does make a difference in a conversation, and it’s one reason I liked CA’s webcam as well as this one. As a 4K camera in good lighting, the iContact Camera Pro does the job. However, the lack of a privacy shutter — and the audacity to upsell you to buy one! — and the poor noise cancellation gives me pause. For $179? It feels overpriced. For some, the camera’s unique features might make its shortcomings palatable. Personally, though, I’m not sold. I think this needs another iteration and perhaps a price cut, and then I’ll reconsider.

Buying a desktop PC on Black Friday? You’ll need these accessories too
With some desktop PCs marked down by as much as $1,000, the Black Friday sales can be the perfect time to save on a new rig. The best thing about buying a desktop PC at a bargain price is that you can accessorize it with the cash you would otherwise have spent on a full-price PC — plus, you will save even more if those items are on sale too. What will you need? For starters you’ll want a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. To expand your PC’s port options, you’ll also want a USB hub. A surge protector will help protect your PC hardware from electrical surges. To transfer files to and from your device, an external hard drive or an external SSD is what you’re looking for. Don’t forget to invest in security measures like an antivirus subscription and/or a VPN. That’s enough chit-chat! Dive in and browse our list of must-have desktop PC accessories below. Must-have desktop PC accessories Surge protector: This will protect your PC’s hardware from sudden power surges that can damage its internal components. This Trond surge protector has 13 widely spaced AC outlets to fit your plugs, plus it also comes with 3x USB-A ports and a USB-C port for charging your devices. It’s just $30 on Amazon. USB hub: Most desktop PCs come with just a few ports, but you can expand the number and type of ports you have available with a USB hub. Hieracool’s 7-in-1 USB-C hub gives you a great mix of port options including USB-A and USB-C ports as well as an HDMI port and microSD card slot. See the different options on Amazon. Webcam: Even if your monitor has a built-in webcam, you might want to invest in an external one for a better-quality picture and extra features like motion tracking. The Creative Live! Cam Sync 4K is a simple-to-use plug-and-play webcam that’s both affordable and feature-packed; it can capture 4K UHD video as well as 1080p and features 360-degree rotation and 95-degree field of view. It’s just $50 at Creative. Speakers: A good-quality pair of speakers that outdoes a laptop for sound quality is a treat worth taking advantage of with a desktop PC. For quality audio without spending a fortune, it’s hard to surpass the Creative Pebble V3 with USB-C connectivity and Bluetooth. Pick it up for $35 on Amazon. Monitor: After buying your PC this is arguably the most important thing you’ll need since you’ll be spending so much time looking at it. This LG UltraGear 27-inch monitor features a high resolution QHD and quick 144Hz refresh rate, so it’s suitable for work, personal use, and gaming. Get it for $190 (37% off) on Amazon. Keyboard: Since your desktop PC is staying put in one location, you should go all-out and buy a large keyboard with a generous key configuration. The Razer Huntsman V2 is just such a keyboard, with a full-sized layout and extremely comfortable keys with linear optical switches. It’s just $160 (down 20%) at Amazon. Mouse: A mouse that fits your hand and whose sensor tracks accurately makes using your PC effortless. The Turtle Beach Kone II is a capable all-rounder mouse with a comfortable right-handed fit, powerful 26K DPI sensor, 23 commands, and wired connectivity. Get it for $70 on Amazon. External SSD storage: If you need extra storage for your files and want only the quickest and safest format available, then get one of these. This Samsung 1TB external SSD has read / write speeds twice as fast as Samsung’s previous-generation SSD. It’s $99 (38% off) on Amazon. External hard drive: If you’ve filled up your internal storage and don’t have a big budget to spend on an external storage device, an external hard drive is the best value option. Seagate’s 5TB external hard drive with USB 3.0 works with PC, Mac, PS4, and Xbox. It costs just $129 on Amazon. Headset: Buy one if any sound you make on your PC is going to disturb others or if you need to make yourself more audible for teleconferencing or gaming chats. Logitech’s G Pro X 2 Lightspeed Wireless headset is comfortable and has 50mm graphene drivers that produce a very clear and refined sound. It’s on sale this Black Friday for $287 (9%) at Amazon. Antivirus software: A comprehensive antivirus program will protect you from viruses, malware, and dangerous websites. As well as virus protection, Norton 360 Deluxe offers comprehensive protection against threats including antivirus scans, malicious link and attachment screening, dark web monitoring, a VPN, and parental controls. It’s available for just $20 on the PCWorld Software store. VPN subscription: A VPN will mask your identity and web activity providing you extra privacy and security. ExpressVPN is fast, has a comprehensive selection of countries, and extra security features like ad- and tracker-blocking and a password manager. See the ExpressVPN Black Friday offer. Cable management kit: Desktop PCs tend to have a lot of cables, but with a cable management kit you can keep them confined where you want them and keep your desk clutter free. A Norocme cable management kit has everything you need to keep cables at bay including cable sleeves, wires, cord holders, adhesive cable tie rolls, and cable clips. Get it for $15 on Amazon. If you’re making the Black Friday sales your once-a-year technology shopping blitz or just want to finally pick up a few items you’ve been pining for, then be sure to check out our other helpful accessory guides for laptops, TVs, monitors, smartphones, and tablets. Happy shopping!