Xbox March update adds toggles for old games, kills the live TV guide

Xbox consoles — from Day One Xbox Ones all the way up to Series X — are getting a new software update that adds some features and removes others. The Xbox Accessories app for PC as well as consoles both new and old will get a patch that adds compatibility with Microsoft's new Xbox Wireless Headset, so gamers can access all of the available audio controls and even the brightness of its lights.

One feature that's going away is the live TV listings in OneGuide that has been a part of the Xbox One since it launched. Microsoft's aspirations for controlling TV via the HDMI passthrough of the Xbox One didn't work out, and live TV viewing isn't nearly as important as it once was, so that feature will join Windows Media Center and WebTV in the great beyond. The OneGuide itself will stay for watching TV through the HDMI input or add-on tuner, but without the schedules of what is airing where.

However, the big addition that's relevant to current gamers is a new set of toggles for backwards compatible titles. They'll let gamers enable or disable Auto HDR and FPS Boost on a per-game basis in order to only have them when there's actually a benefit and they don't negatively affect the experience. Auto HDR is pretty easy to figure out, but can be more hassle than its worth, while FPS boost can up the framerate to 30, 60 or even 120 fps on certain games.

Smaller tweaks include the return of Achievements to the mobile Xbox app and improvements to "My games & apps" that more clearly explains what parts you need to install if you don't want to install every possible item for a particular title.

Hacked surveillance startup Verkada leaked live feeds for Tesla, others

A report from Bloomberg says that hackers breached the security of Verkada, an enterprise surveillance video company, and were able to access live feeds from over 150,000 cameras. The reporter were in contact with the hackers, who said they had access to hundreds of cameras in Tesla facilities, as well as other companies like Cloudflare.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Verkada said "We have disabled all internal administrator accounts to prevent any unauthorized access. Our internal security team and external security firm are investigating the scale and scope of this issue, and we have notified law enforcement."

The hackers said they lost access after Bloomberg contacted the company, but that they initially got in via a "Super Admin" login that was exposed on the internet, then used built-in camera features to obtain root access and remote control. Motherboardhad previously reported on Verkada employees who used surveillance cameras in their own office to harass others and take pictures of women they worked with, and now obtained a spreadsheet from the hackers identifying 24,000 organizations that may be using its cameras.

Verkada
Verkada advertises video analytics that can track a person or vehicle as they move through a surveilled location.
Verkada

On its website, Verkada touts its ability to provide secure remote access to camera feeds "providing real-time visibility into events across sites." It also advertises "video analytics" which can rely on facial recognition, identification and vehicle tracking using technology built directly into the cameras. One of the people in the group behind the breach told Bloomberg that this incident "exposes just how broadly we’re being surveilled, and how little care is put into at least securing the platforms used to do so, pursuing nothing but profit."

LastPass is the first password manager extension on Edge

Microsoft is getting closer to releasing its big Windows 10 update this summer, but Windows Insider beta testers with the latest build have a new element to try out today. That's because LastPass has officially released its first browser extension fo...