Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is proposing new cybersecurity requirements for healthcare organizations aimed at protecting patients’ private data in the event of cyberattacks, reports Reuters. The rules come after major cyberattacks like one that leaked the private information of more than 100 million UnitedHealth patients earlier this year.The OCR’s proposal includes requiring that healthcare organizations make multifactor authentication mandatory in most situations, that they segment their networks to reduce risks of intrusions spreading from one system to another, and that they encrypt patient data so that even if it’s stolen, it can’t be accessed. It would also direct regulated groups to undertake certain risk analysis practices, keep compliance documentation, and more. The rule is part of the cybersecurity strategy that the Biden administration announced last year. Once finalized, it would update the Security Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which regulates doctors, nursing homes, health insurance companies, and more, and was last updated in 2013.US deputy national security advisor Anne Neuberger put the cost of implementing the requirements at “an estimated $9 billion in the first year, and $6 billion in years two through five,” writes Reuters. The proposal is due to be published in the Federal Register on January 6th, which will kick off the 60-day public comment period before the final rule is set.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images We’re all impatiently awaiting Nintendo’s next console, but in the meantime, it’s been quite the sendoff year for the Switch. Read the full story at The Verge.

The convenience of Wi-Fi can't be understated, but even the best routers sometimes struggle to cover our homes with signal. When that happens, we get what's known as a dead zone, where wireless devices have low signals or can't even connect to the network. Imagine how annoying it would be if you lost signal partway through a video call or couldn't connect to your video doorbell to see who's at the door.

Lightning’s days have come to an end in the EU. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple is no longer selling its iPhone SE and iPhone 14 series in Europe — the last phone models with Apple’s proprietary Lightning charging port — as the EU shifts to a common charging solution built around USB-C. EU Directive 2022/2380 goes into force today in an effort to reduce e-waste and solve market fragmentation.A spot check by The Verge shows the iPhone SE, iPhone 14 and 14 Plus, and the Lightning-based Magic Keyboard have been pulled from Apple’s online stores in The Netherlands, France, Norway, and Germany. Those same devices are still for sale in the US and other countries outside the EEA’s 30 member states. A new iPhone SE with USB-C and other upgrades like an OLED display is rumored for 2025.In addition to requiring a USB-C port on a wide range of devices sold in the EU from December 28th, 2024, the Directive also requires devices that support fast charging to support the USB PD standard, allows for the unbundling of charging bricks from retail devices, and helps consumers to better understand the power requirements of the devices they’re buying through improved labeling.

Windows 11 may be the "latest and greatest" operating system from Microsoft, and truth be told, it is a great OS. However, as Windows evolves many of its included tools change, and in many people's eyes, they don't always change for the better.

The SwitchBot S10 offers a nearly hands-free cleaning experience for $699.99. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge If you’re somebody who likes to clean and declutter in preparation for a new year, one way to speed it up is by investing in a good robot vacuum. The SwitchBot S10 is one of our favorite vacuums that also happens to be a terrific mop, too, and is currently down to its all-time low price of $699.99 ($500 off) when you clip the on-page coupon at Amazon. It’s also available for the same price directly from SwitchBot when you apply the promo code BFCM500A. Of all the robot vacuums we’ve ever tested, the SwitchBot S10 offers the most hands-free experience, so you really can set it and forget it. The self-cleaning roller mop does an excellent job of polishing up your floors, and is even capable of lifting itself up to keep carpets dry. What’s more, the Switch S10 comes with an auto-empty dock as well as a separate battery-powered dock water station, which means the bot can empty and refill its own water tank. Just bear in mind you’ll have to hook it into your water supply.Aside from offering a fantastic mopping and hands-free experience, the SwitchBot S10 is also a good vacuum with 6,500Pa suction power and decent AI-powered obstacle avoidance, although it admittedly can’t rival specs from competitors like Roborock, Dreame, and Ecovacs. That said, the SwitchBot S10 costs about $1,000 less, and for the price it does a great job of leaving the floor mostly spotless.Read our SwitchBot S10 review.Some more deals to kickstart your weekendThe Mobvoi Home Walking Treadmill is on sale for $79.99 ($160 off) at Amazon, which is an all-time low price. The under-desk walking treadmill supports Bluetooth and can connect to Android smartwatches, allowing you to keep tabs on your steps and other metrics from your wrist. That said, it works best if you own a Mobvoi smartwatch, given you’ll need the Mobvoi Health app if you want to save your data on your phone. Read our review.Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 Wireless headphones are on sale for $199.99 ($200 off) at Amazon, which is their best price to date. The over-ears headphones deliver impressive battery life and can last a whopping 60 hours on a single charge, which is why they’re amongst our favorites. They also offer other impressive capabilities, including excellent noise cancellation, comfort, and sound. Read our review.The Twelve South AirFly Pro is on sale for $39.99 ($15 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is its second best price to date. The Bluetooth transmitter features an integrated 3.5mm cable, allowing you to pair two sets of wireless Bluetooth-equipped wireless headphones or earbuds to in-flight entertainment systems. It works with other tech as well, like treadmills and the Nintendo Switch, while offering an an aux input for older devices.

Ryzen Master is a helpful utility for those with AMD Ryzen CPUs, allowing users various overclocking, undervolting, and other performance optimization tools within the Windows environment. You can essentially leverage one-click CPU performance boosts, enable EXPO without entering the BIOS/UEFI, and monitor CPU and RAM parameters like temperature, power, voltage, frequency, and timings.

I switched to a MacBook Pro from one of the best Windows laptops a couple of years ago and haven't looked back since. The overall user experience, thanks to the synergy of both the hardware and software working together, convinced me to switch to the other side. I was using an iPhone at that time, so the seamless ecosystem also worked in my favor. However, my work involves using and reviewing multiple smartphones. So, I can't always keep using an iPhone all the time. When I recently switched to the Vivo X200 Pro, which is one of the best phones out there currently, I figured out that a lot of the things I love about macOS are linked to the ecosystem.

Overclocking can help you get more performance out of your current hardware, usually without spending anything. Although overclocking might be losing its sheen with owners of the latest CPUs and GPUs, it can still be worth the effort for those with relatively older hardware. If you primarily use your PC for gaming, overclocking your GPU can benefit you in more ways than one.

Amazon’s finally added a key feature to the Scribe, but it has a long way to go before it’s actually useful. Read the full story at The Verge.

Illustration by Carlo Cadenas / The Verge A cyberattack campaign inserted malicious code into multiple Chrome browser extensions as far back as mid-December, Reuters reported yesterday. The code appeared designed to steal browser cookies and authentication sessions, targeting “specific social media advertising and AI platforms,” according to a blog post from Cyberhaven, one of the companies that was targeted.Cyberhaven blames a phishing email for the attack, writing in a separate technical analysis post that the code appeared to specifically target Facebook Ads accounts. According to Reuters, security researcher Jaime Blasco believes the attack was “just random” and not targeting Cyberhaven specifically. He posted on X that he’d found VPN and AI extensions that contained the same malicious code that was inserted into Cyberhaven. Other extensions possibly affected include Internxt VPN, VPNCity, Uvoice, and ParrotTalks, as Bleeping Computer writes. Our team has confirmed a malicious cyberattack that occurred on Christmas Eve, affecting Cyberhaven's Chrome extension. Here's our post about the incident and the steps we're taking: https://t.co/VTBC73eWdaOur security team is available 24/7 to assist affected customers and…— Cyberhaven (@CyberhavenInc) December 27, 2024Cyberhaven says hackers pushed an update (version 24.10.4) of its Cyberhaven data loss prevention extension containing the malicious code on Christmas Eve at 8:32PM ET. Cyberhaven says it discovered the code on December 25th at 6:54PM ET and removed it within an hour, but that the code was active until December 25th at 9:50PM ET. The company says it released a clean version in its 24.10.5 update.Cyberhaven’s recommendations for companies that may be affected include that they check their logs for suspicious activity and revoke or rotate any passwords not using the FIDO2 multifactor authentication standard. Prior to publishing its posts, the company notified customers via an email that TechCrunch reported Friday morning.

As the proliferation of AI continues, major tech companies are racing to commoditize the technology and package it into a consumer-friendly product or service to sell to the masses. One of the most prominent at bat is Apple, with new AI-driven features dubbed 'Apple Intelligence.'