More clues appear to link Supernova web shell activity to China
Researchers from the Counter Threat Unit (CTU) at Secureworks have discovered a possible link to China while examining how SolarWinds servers were used to deploy malware.
During the end of last year, a compromised internet-facing SolarWinds server was used as a springboard by hackers to deploy the .NET web shell Supernova. Based on similar intrusions which occurred on the same network, it appears that the Chinese-based Spiral threat group is responsible for both cases.
According to Secureworks' new report, the authentication bypass vulnerability in SolarWinds Orion API, tracked as CVE-2020-10148, that can lead to remote execution of API commands, has been actively exploited by Spiral. When vulnerable servers are detected and exploited, a script capable of writing the Supernova web shell to disk is deployed using a PowerShell command.
Supernova, which is written in .NET, is an advanced web shell that can maintain persistence on a compromised machine as well as compile “method, arguments and code data” in-memory according to a post from Palo Alto Network's Unit 42.
Supernova
During an incident observed by Secureworks that occurred last August, Supernova was used by Spiral to perform reconnaissance, domain mapping and to steal both credentials and information from a ManageEngine ServiceDesk server. This incident shares similarities to the one that occurred in November and was analyzed by the firm's Counter Threat Unit.
While these two cases are believed to be the work of the Spiral threat group, there is no link to the SolarWinds hack that occurred in December of last year.
To prevent falling victim to future attacks by Spiral, Secureworks recommends that organizations use available controls to restrict access to several IP addresses (which can be found here) that point to the threat group's C&C servers.
These Google Pixelbook Go Black Friday deals are the best we've seen yet
The Google Pixelbook Go is easily the best Chromebook money can buy right now and it's a brilliant showcase for what a powerful Chromebook is capable of doing. But all that excellent hardware also makes it one of the most pricey Chromebooks you can buy, so these early Black Friday Chromebook deals on the Pixelbook Go definitely caught our attention.
With early Black Friday deals rolling out ahead of next week's big event, we've been keeping our eyes peeled for some great Chromebook offers, and Amazon is coming through, offering an Intel Core i5-powered Pixelbook Go for just $719, a $129 savings.
There is also a better-specced Pixelbook Go model for $947, a $51 discount, if you want a Pixelbook Go with more RAM.
(Not in the US? Scroll down for deals in your region).
Today's best Google Pixelbook Go Black Friday deals
Google Pixelbook Go (Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) | $849$719 at Amazon
Save $129 - This Intel Core i5-powered Google Pixelbook Go features 8GB RAM and an 128GB SSD, making it one of the better configurations of the best Chromebook available, now 15% off retail with this early Black Friday Chromebook deal from Amazon.
Google Pixelbook Go (Core i5, 16GB RAM, 128GB SSD) | $999$947 at Amazon
Save $51 - This Google Pixelbook Go is easily one of the most powerful Chromebooks on the market, thanks to its Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB RAM, 128GB SSD, and 13.3-inch 1080p display. This configuration doesn't go on sale very often, so 5% off its MSRP is definitely better than the full retail price we're used to seeing.
The two Google Pixelbook Go configurations on sale right now both have an 8th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, a 13.3-inch 1080p display, and a 128GB SSD, with the only difference being the amount of RAM.
The 8GB RAM model has the deepest discount (15%), and while it "only" has 8GB RAM, this is still a Chromebook, so 8GB is a lot of RAM for a laptop like this. The lightweight Chrome OS will have plenty room to multitask and run several native apps without any trouble with this configuration.
If you really want to go all in with the 16GB model, you still get to save some money, but not quite as much. At 5% off the retail price of $999, you're saving about $50, which isn't nothing, but given that this is a Chromebook, 16GB RAM is really a bit overkill.
If you want a Chromebook with full-fledged laptop specs, definitely go in for the 16GB RAM model and save yourself some money, but we definitely think the 8GB model is the better Black Friday Chromebook deal of the two.
More Google Pixelbook Go deals
No matter where you live, you'll find all the lowest prices for the Google Pixelbook Go from around the web right here, with offers available in your region.
Google says it has made a major breakthrough on carbon-free energy
Google has been working to develop better tools to track energy consumption and production in order to achieve its 24/7 carbon-free energy goal by 2030.
As part of these efforts, the search giant announced a new tool called Time-based Energy Attribute Certificates (T-EACs) last year to advance a more granular approach to energy tracking.
Once T-EACs are fully developed and widely deployed, they will not only help Google achieve its 24/7 carbon-free energy goal but will also provide society with valuable new insights concerning the availability of carbon-free energy on electricity grids during every hour of every day. At the same time, this information will help energy consumers better understand their energy use while also creating price signals that stimulate new investments into green technologies and projects that deliver carbon-free energy when it's most needed.
Google has spent the past year engaging partners around the world to advance the development and adoption of T-EACs. The company has also expanded the use of hourly certificates, accelerated the development of tools and systems to unlock energy data and hourly matching and created technical standards to drive the widespread adoption of T-EACs.
Tracking and reporting carbon-free energy
The registries that create, track and manage the energy attribute certifications (EACs) associated with clean energy generation are some of the most important stakeholders in advancing T-EACs according to a new blog post from Google Cloud.
In the past, these registries have not issued or tracked certificates on an hour-by-hour basis but this has changed as demand grows for 24/7 carbon-free energy. For its part, Google has been working with global registries to accelerate this shift while creating new products and services for tracking energy attributes on a more granular basis.
In the US, the company partnered with the non-profit M-RETS which tracks and validates energy attribute certificates in order to expand the hourly transaction capabilities of its platform and enable the tracking and retirement of hourly certificates by all of its users. Google has also worked with APX to support the retirement of hourly Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) within the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and as a result of this work, electricity generators across the Central and Midwest US will soon be able to retire certificates on an hourly basis whenever hourly data is available.
In Europe, Google has collaborated with the Danish Grid operator Energinet as it builds the technical foundation to support granular certification and develop innovative applications such as the Project Energy Origin Platform. Meanwhile, in Latin America, the search giant has launched a pilot led by The International REC Standard Foundation in close collaboration with Evident Services and its suppliers ACCIONA Energia and AES Andes.
Going forward, Google plans to continue to advance the adoption of hourly certificates as it works to ensure it is able to meet its goal of running its global operations on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030.
Black Friday monitor deals 2021: early sales and what to expect
With Black Friday 2021 just around the corner, it's nearly the time opportunity to make some pretty big savings on a new monitor.
Regardless of what kind of display you use, from 4K monitors for photo and video editing, to crisp high-refresh gaming monitors, this year's fall sales should bring some of the best Black Friday monitor deals for us to enjoy.
Standard office monitors will also be available of course, but if you're confused by all the specialized displays, this the perfect time to swot up and do your homework.
You can be sure that hundreds of monitors will go on sale throughout Black Friday 2021, which this year falls on November 26. That means the next few weeks will be a great time to upgrade your existing monitor or finally upgrade to the multi-monitor setup of your dreams.
But that means we've got a decent amount of time to get ready for the oncoming onslaught of sales. And if you want to grab one of the best monitor deals possible on the day, preparation is key.
With that in mind, we've pulled together everything you need to know to bag a brilliant Black Friday monitor deal this year. Below you'll find our advice on when and where we expect to see the lowest prices, to what specs you'll want to look out for to get the best value for money.
What if you're ready to buy today? That's fine! We've also rounded up a few of the best deals you can get today if you're after an early bargain.
And if you're after a specific style of display, we also have a guide to the best 4K monitors and the best business monitors that are perfect for both work and play
Today's best monitor sales
While the official Black Friday sales may still a few weeks away, there are still a few bargains to be found.
If you really can't hold off then we've compiled a few of the best deals available to buy right now across the US and UK, though it's worth remembering that we expect more prices to fall in the run up to Black Friday itself.
That doesn't mean you're guaranteed to see a specific monitor at a discounted price though, so if you find what you're looking for early don't hesitate to buy it before it flies off the shelf.
When will the best Black Friday monitor deals start in 2021?
Black Friday officially lands on November 26, but we expect the discounts will begin before then. However, the best discounts usually land on the day itself, so if you're after a real Black Friday monitor bargain you might want to set a reminder in your calendar.
If you can't wait that long, plenty of early discounts have already started. Those that hold out will be rewarded though, as the biggest discounts will likely drop the week of Black Friday. (If you need a hand searching for the best Black Friday monitor deals, be sure to bookmark this page and keep checking back as this is where we'll be rounding them up.)
If last year is anything to go by, we might also see the best deals land slightly earlier than usual. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic we found that deals began dropping in late October and mid-November, before plummeting at the start of Thanksgiving week. Monitor prices then stayed low into the first week of December.
With many brick-and-mortar stores closed thanks to the local pandemic restrictions, and more people than ever shopping online - plus with Covid-19 causing logistical challenges such as shipping delays - it made sense for retailers to spread the deals out.
Our money's on retailers looking to space their best offers out once again. As always, we recommend having your eyes peeled from late October / early November just to be safe.
Where will the best Black Friday monitor deals be?
You'll find all the best Black Friday monitor deals here as soon as they drop. However, some retailers are better than others for monitor discounts, and it can be helpful to know which online stores are good for what. We've listed the retailers we most recommend shopping at for monitor deals over Black Friday - they're worth browsing in the run-up, to get a feel for current, pre-deal pricing on any devices you're interested in.
Which monitors will be discounted for Black Friday?
By November, we expect to see a wide range of discounts across HD and 4K monitors that will be perfect for both work and gaming. This will include many of the best monitors from last year but will likely include monitors that were released in early 2021 as well.
Be on the lookout for monitors from a range of brands too like Dell, Asus, Samsung, and BenQ (many of which have devices that feature in our best PC monitors list). We might not see their most powerful monitors get much of a discount, but if you're after a premium experience on a budget, Black Friday is the time to look.
What should I look for when buying a monitor on Black Friday?
When you're browsing through the Black Friday monitor deals, it can be difficult to tell what device is actually a good buy and what monitors aren't even worth the discounted price. We're here to help you decipher the deals but telling you what specs to look out for.
Firstly you're going to want to understand HD (sometimes called FHD or Full HD) vs 4K (also called UHD or Ultra HD). 4K monitors will be filled with more pixels, and therefore put out a better image, than HD monitors in general. However, they can cost quite a bit more and are only really worth it for gamers or those who need high-quality monitors for their job.
If you're after a great viewing experience you'll also want to look out for key terms like HDR (high dynamic range), brightness, and color support. These features will mean that your monitor will be able to output a wide spectrum of colors, making bright moments pop and helping you decipher what is going on during dark scenes.
Next up are refresh rates. You might have heard of people playing games at 120FPS, but to do that you'll not only need a PC that's powerful enough to run a game that well but also a 120Hz monitor that can produce the image. If you aren't a gamer though, high refresh rates aren't going to be too important so if you can save even more by going with a lower option we'd generally recommend that.
Finally, you might want to compare flat monitors with curved screens. Curved monitors offer you a wider field of view, a more immersive experience, and many people find them more comfortable though they're also larger and generally take up more space. If you're short on desk space, are looking for a multi-monitor setup, or are on a budget, flat monitors will be your best choice.
The 3 best monitors to watch out for on Black Friday
The ultra-wide LG UltraGear 38GN950 is the ultimate gaming monitor. (Image credit: LG)
It’s hard not to be impressed by the LG UltraGear 38GN950. If you’re looking for the ultimate gaming monitor, this is certainly the one to beat, with a 144Hz refresh rate that can be easily overclocked to 160Hz, 1ms response time, spectacular image quality, and many other gaming features like G-Sync, an ultra-wide aspect ratio and DisplayHDR 600. If you’re serious about gaming and want lots of screen real estate, then this is the best gaming monitor to get – if you can afford it, that is.
‘Paper Color Sync’ needs refining to be truly useful
Pro-level displays are no longer the premium priced, inaccessible purchase they started out to be. At least as far as the BenQ SW321C PhotoVue is concerned. This 32-inch 4K photo monitor is up a step or two in terms of both performance and usability, featuring an incredibly wide color gamut of 99% of the Adobe RGB color space and 95% of DCI-P3.
If you’re in the cinematography or photography sphere, that’s exactly what you need. And, that’s on top of all the other features this monitor boasts. This is among the best monitors for photo editing you’ll find, and the best part is you’re getting it for cheaper than all others.
Has both G-Sync and FreeSync for a smoother experience
Needs some calibration before use
The best gaming monitors typically fall into two camps: fast refresh rate or high resolution. But, they almost never do both. With the Samsung Odyssey, that’s not the case. It manages to pack 1440p resolution in the same display as a 240Hz refresh rate as well as excellent HDR, making this an ideal choice for any gamer that likes to play Esports one day and jump into an immersive open-world game the next. It’s not perfect as it does take some work getting it up and running, but the Samsung Odyssey G7 is an ideal choice for gamers who have some variety in their gaming libraries.
If you want to get a feel for the best deals coming this year, check out what monitor deals were available last year. These were the biggest savings we could find on great monitors last year.
We found a wide range of options available for every budget – with everything from the cheapest displays to premium business screens – so keep that in mind when you're digging around for deals. Just because the best monitor isn't discounted very much doesn't mean that other deals won't be available on monitors that are almost as good.
HP V21 20.7" LED 1080p Monitor (HDMI, VGA) Black $99.99 $59.99 at Best Buy
Save $40 on this basic but good quality monitor from HP. Rated at 4.4 out of 5 on Best Buy, this FHD/1080p monitor has VGA and HDMI inputs, an adjustable viewing (tilts between 5 degrees forward to 20 degrees backwards), and a Low Blue Light mode, which makes it easier on the eyes. Perfect for a second screen.
Acer 27-inch IPS LED 1080p Monitor (HDMI, VGA) $199.99 $119 from Best Buy Save $80 on this FHD 1080p monitor from Acer. This is a great price for a monitor that's great to use as your main screen. At 27-inches, you'll get plenty screen real estate to view docs side-by-side and its 75Hz IPS panel with means it'll be easy on the eyes with smooth motion and accurate colors.
Asus TUF Gaming 23.8-inch IPS 1080p 1ms FreeSync Gaming Monitor (DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI) - Black $199.99 $119 from Best Buy Save $80 on this high refresh-rate Asus monitor. Don't let the 'gaming' part put you off: this is an excellent monitor for business use. The near 24-inch screen provides a serious upgrade from your laptop's screen, and that IPS panel running at 144Hz gives you a superb image quality, especially at this price. And if you do fancy a bit of gaming after-hours, then it's great for that too.
Samsung SR650 Series 27-inch 1080p Monitor for Business $229.36 $179.99 from Amazon Save $49.37 on this excellent business monitor from Samsung. This monitor's 1080p 27-inch screen is perfect to use as your main monitor either for a desktop or laptop PC. It has an IPS panel, which means that colours will look bright and vibrant and it has plenty of connectivity, with a built in USB hub. It can even rotate 90 degrees so you can view documents in portrait view. Oh, and its Eye Saver and Flicker Free modes reduce eye-strain. An excellent choice for the business user.
Samsung T85F Series 27-inch 1440p 75Hz Monitor for Business$349.99 $249.99 from Amazon Save $100 on another great business monitor from Samsung. With a 1440p panel, this 27-inch screen has a higher resolution than your typical 1080p business monitor, so you can view more documents at the same time, increasing productivity. Connectivity is excellent, with HDMI, DisplayPort, and a built-in USB Hub. Comes with a 3-year warrantee.
Acer CB282K 28-inch UHD 4K IPS Home Office Monitor $349.99 $279.99 from Amazon Save $70 on this multi-purpose monitor from Acer. If you're looking for a monitor which is great for business and for entertainment as well, then this is a great choice. Its 4K resolution is perfect for work and for movies, and it supports the DCI-P3 Wide Color Gamut, which is perfect for viewing and editing photos. It also comes with FreeSync tech, so works great with a gaming PC too.
Samsung Business 34-inch 3440x1440 Ultrawide Curved Monitor for Business $593.21 $479.99 from Amazon Save $113.22 on this superb ultrawide curved monitor from Samsung. As long as you have the desk real estate, ultrawide monitors look fantastic and basically do away with the need for a second monitor. This one's fantastic for the business user with the laptop or desktop PC to power it. It has HDMI, USB-C and DisplayPort connectivity, a 100Hz refresh rate, a 3000:1 contrast ratio, and a highly adjustable stand. It also comes with a 3-year warrantee, so you know it's a quality product.
Samsung 49-inch CRG9 3440x1440Curved Gaming Monitor, Black $1499.99 $999.99 at Amazon Save $500 on this superb ultrawide curved monitor from Samsung. This is the monitor we'd go for if you like to do a bit of PC gaming on the side. This QLED monitor boasts all the latest monitor tech including 120Hz refresh rate and FreeSync 2 (for ultra-smooth gaming), HDR color with a peak brightness of 1,000 nits (it's very bright), and connectivity options that will let you connect another device to it and view it picture-by-picture.
