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HBO Maxis set to become Max on May 23 with a new logo and fuller catalog. In addition to streaming everything on HBO Max, subscribers will have access to Discovery Plus programming and a slate of new TV shows and movies under the Warner Bros. banner. You may be wondering, though, whether this means plans and pricing are also changing.

There are no major price hikes set to go in effect, but there will be some changes to subscriptions. Here, we outline what you can expect on each subscription plan once Max rolls out.

Read more: Best Streaming Services of 2023

HBO Max currently has two subscription tiers: With Ads for $10 a month ($100 per year) and Ad-Free at $16 monthly ($150 annually). Both plans stream in HD with some 4K content, and you can stream on up to three devices simultaneously. The ad-free version comes with 30 downloads and the ability to watch if you're traveling to a country where HBO Max is available.

When Max arrives this month, you will be able to choose from three options or keep your current subscription. Dubbed Ad-Lite, Ad-Free and Ultimate, the new Max plans will have some slight changes in how they're packaged and what's offered. Ad-Lite includes ads, two streams and HD resolution, while the ad-free plan is essentially the same, but you get offline downloads and no ads. Like the current HBO Max, there are no restrictions on what content you can watch based on which Max subscription you have. All plans will grant access to the full Max library.

The chart below outlines Max's price tiers and how users will get two concurrent streams on the lower-priced plans. Though the monthly price is the same (for now), it's a switch from the current offerings.

Since its initial launch in May 2020, HBO Max has had a limited amount of 4K content on the platform. A select number of films and originals are available to stream in 4K on its ad-free plan only, and the service provides an updated list of those titles on its help page. Currently, you're able to stream roughly 35 titles, including House of the Dragon, Dune, Elvis, Game of Thrones, The Suicide Squad and a handful of others.

When Max launches, you will have to pay $20 per month to watch anything in 4K. For some, that means a $4 increase to upgrade to the Ultimate plan, which is packaged similarly to Netflix's $20 Premium subscription. It's unclear how many titles will be available in 4K on Max, but it will be more than what's on the platform now. Additionally, Warner Bros. Discovery has said some features -- like 4K -- will still be available on current subscription plans for six months as the app transitions to Max.

If you already have HBO Max, you don't have to do anything if you want Max when it launches. The platform will automatically upgrade with the new logo, features and catalog and customers will see the changes when opening the app on May 23. Some may be prompted to download the updated version of Max. If you want to change your subscription plan, you can do so through your billing provider. HBO Max/Warner-billed subscribers can switch plans in the settings section on your profile.

If you're not currently a subscriber, you can either sign up for HBO Max now and wait for the update, or register for a new Max plan when the service arrives next month.

Discovery Plus will remain a standalone streaming service that houses Discovery-branded content from networks like TLC, HGTV and Food Network. The service costs $5 per month for the ad-supported subscription and $7 a month without ads. There will not be any movies and TV shows from HBO, Warner, DC or HBO Max on the platform. However, Max will not have the entire catalog from Discovery Plus, but rather select titles.

At the time of this writing, Warner Bros. Discovery has not announced any bundles for customers who would like subscriptions to both Max and Discovery Plus.

Check out our other coverage on what the HBO Max rebrand means for you and what type of content you'll find on the new Max service.

View post:
HBO Max vs. Max Subscriptions: The Differences Explained - CNET

As the Defense Department focuses on increasingthe number of small contractors in the defense industrial base, its Office of Small Business Programs is working on a series of software tools it plans to provide to industry to make it easier to do business with the federal government.

Speaking at an enterprise information technology event hosted by AFCEA's northern Virginia chapter Thursday, Farooq Mitha, director of the Pentagons Office of Small Business Programs, said the office would be releasing a series of software tools later this year to assist on everything from better market intelligence for the acquisition workforce to operation security for small businesses.

Mitha said the latter will become increasingly important as the DOD continues to develop its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification regulation, which would require contractors to possess certain levels of cybersecurity to compete for defense contracts.

When I first came into this job, a company said to me, Hey, DOD is rolling out CMMC, and Im not going to be able to comply with this. Its costly, there are a lot of different levels and its a barrier to entry, he said. I wanted to make sure we were helping companies, at the earliest stage possible, get the resources they need to comply with not just CMMC, but the current [National Institute of Standards and Technology] 800-171 requirements.

Mitha said the rulemaking process for the anticipated regulation is still being developed following its revision in 2021, but that his office, through its Project Spectrum education and training initiative, would be deploying free downloadable tools "in the coming months" for small contractors handling the controlled unclassified information that CMMC is intended to protect.

I think that small business operational security is critical, he said. When you [have] cyber and other types of intrusions, you lose [intellectual property], you have financial losses, we lose government data and nobody wins. So its on us to protect you.

He added that the Office of Small Business Programs is still working out the details of a possible cost-sharing model with industry to determine what features the DOD would fund and what companies would pick up, but the goal would be to small businesses secure their systems and offset some of the cost compliance burden they would entail under CMMC.

Those forthcoming tools complement resources the Pentagon is already providing through Project Spectrums website, such as cyber readiness training, tool reviews, free access to cyber advisors and other resources.

Outside of the CMMC compliance efforts, Mitha also said the Office of Small Business Programs was also working on new software tools to provide better market intelligence to the Pentagons acquisition workforce.

If we want to go out and find not companies that are just in the DOD marketplace, not just in the federal government marketplace, but new entrants, companies that have only been commercial business, we need to do better market research, he said.

The new tools, expected to debut later this year, will support small business professionals, contracting officers, program managers and others to provide a wider view of the federal government and commercial landscape to identify more potential companies to do business with.

Small business participation has declined precipitously in the past decade, with the number of small companies receiving a federal contract in fiscal 2022 representing roughly half of the 121,270 received in fiscal 2010.

A DOD memo earlier this year instructed officials to prioritize small business goals and contracting opportunities over best in class contract goals.

Read more from the original source:
DOD plans free software tools to support cyber compliance by small ... - FCW.com

Baltimore City is suing Hyundai and Kia in federal court for actions the city says are fueling a "vehicular crime wave."The lawsuit, filed Thursday, claims the business decision by the automakers to not equip vehicles with anti-theft technology is behind the city's massive spike in car thefts."Well, they should have provided it. Everyone else seems to provide it," said Hyundai owner John Simms.Thefts of those vehicles continue to trend in Maryland. Baltimore City police said car thefts are up 95% compared to this time last year, with Kias and Hyundais making up more than 40% of those stolen vehicles."It does make neighborhoods less safe, and that's everywhere, not just in the Medfield area or the city itself," Simms said.The suit argues that the crime has put residents' property and lives at risk, and drained city coffers in an attempt to stem the rising crime trend."It's everywhere, and they should take responsibility for that," Simms said.Baltimore City joins a growing number of cities nationwide, including St. Louis, San Diego, Milwaukee and Seattle, who are suing the two car manufacturers.Kia America sent 11 News a statement in response to the legal action, reading in part, "Lawsuits against Kia by municipalities are without merit. Kia has been and continues to be willing to work cooperatively with law enforcement agencies in the greater Baltimore area to combat car theft and the role social media has played in encouraging it."Hyundai's response pointed out they have followed all federal requirements. Instead, it blamed thieves for spreading the "how to" on social media, and made no mention of the lawsuits.Both Hyundai and Kia have rolled out a free software patch that they said will make the cars harder to steal. Statement: Kia calls lawsuits by municipalities 'without merit'Kia sent a statement to 11 News, saying: "Kia remains deeply concerned that car theft targeting certain models -- encouraged by social media content promoting criminal conduct -- is an issue. To address these crimes, we continue to roll out a free, enhanced security software upgrade to restrict the unauthorized operation of vehicle ignition systems and we are also providing steering wheel locks for impacted owners at no cost to them."To date, Kia has contacted close to 3 million owners and lessees of Kia vehicles -- covering over 90% of affected vehicles -- to let them know of the availability of the software upgrade, and more than 230,000 eligible customers have already had the upgrade installed. "Furthermore, in addition to supplying more than 44,000 free steering wheel locks to over 330 law enforcement agencies across the country for distribution to impacted Kia owners -- including over 1450 locks to police departments in the Baltimore area -- we have shipped over 16,000 locks directly to impacted owners as well. We will continue to provide additional free locks as they are needed."All Kia vehicles are subject to and comply fully with the requirements outlined in applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including FMVSS 114 that governs theft protection measures."Lawsuits against Kia by municipalities are without merit. Kia has been and continues to be willing to work cooperatively with law enforcement agencies in the greater Baltimore area to combat car theft and the role social media has played in encouraging it."Customers should visit https://ksupport.kiausa.com/ConsumerAffairs/SWLD for more information on their eligibility for the upgrade or to learn more about directly obtaining a steering wheel lock."

Baltimore City is suing Hyundai and Kia in federal court for actions the city says are fueling a "vehicular crime wave."

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, claims the business decision by the automakers to not equip vehicles with anti-theft technology is behind the city's massive spike in car thefts.

"Well, they should have provided it. Everyone else seems to provide it," said Hyundai owner John Simms.

Thefts of those vehicles continue to trend in Maryland. Baltimore City police said car thefts are up 95% compared to this time last year, with Kias and Hyundais making up more than 40% of those stolen vehicles.

"It does make neighborhoods less safe, and that's everywhere, not just in the Medfield area or the city itself," Simms said.

The suit argues that the crime has put residents' property and lives at risk, and drained city coffers in an attempt to stem the rising crime trend.

"It's everywhere, and they should take responsibility for that," Simms said.

Baltimore City joins a growing number of cities nationwide, including St. Louis, San Diego, Milwaukee and Seattle, who are suing the two car manufacturers.

Kia America sent 11 News a statement in response to the legal action, reading in part, "Lawsuits against Kia by municipalities are without merit. Kia has been and continues to be willing to work cooperatively with law enforcement agencies in the greater Baltimore area to combat car theft and the role social media has played in encouraging it."

Hyundai's response pointed out they have followed all federal requirements. Instead, it blamed thieves for spreading the "how to" on social media, and made no mention of the lawsuits.

Both Hyundai and Kia have rolled out a free software patch that they said will make the cars harder to steal.

Kia sent a statement to 11 News, saying: "Kia remains deeply concerned that car theft targeting certain models -- encouraged by social media content promoting criminal conduct -- is an issue. To address these crimes, we continue to roll out a free, enhanced security software upgrade to restrict the unauthorized operation of vehicle ignition systems and we are also providing steering wheel locks for impacted owners at no cost to them.

"To date, Kia has contacted close to 3 million owners and lessees of Kia vehicles -- covering over 90% of affected vehicles -- to let them know of the availability of the software upgrade, and more than 230,000 eligible customers have already had the upgrade installed.

"Furthermore, in addition to supplying more than 44,000 free steering wheel locks to over 330 law enforcement agencies across the country for distribution to impacted Kia owners -- including over 1450 locks to police departments in the Baltimore area -- we have shipped over 16,000 locks directly to impacted owners as well. We will continue to provide additional free locks as they are needed.

"All Kia vehicles are subject to and comply fully with the requirements outlined in applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including FMVSS 114 that governs theft protection measures.

"Lawsuits against Kia by municipalities are without merit. Kia has been and continues to be willing to work cooperatively with law enforcement agencies in the greater Baltimore area to combat car theft and the role social media has played in encouraging it.

"Customers should visit https://ksupport.kiausa.com/ConsumerAffairs/SWLD for more information on their eligibility for the upgrade or to learn more about directly obtaining a steering wheel lock."

See the original post:
'Vehicular crime wave': Baltimore suing Kia and Hyundai over lack of anti-theft tech - WBAL TV Baltimore

General Motors is serious about not ceding control of the dashboard to Apple or anyone else. On Tuesday, the Detroit automaker announced it had hired former Apple executive Mike Abbott to be its new Executive VP of Software, effective May 22. Abbott will report to GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra.

General Motors is serious about not ceding control of the dashboard to Apple or anyone else.

On Tuesday, the Detroit automaker announced it had hired former Apple executive Mike Abbott to be its new Executive VP of Software effective May 22. Abbott will report to GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra.

Mikes experience as a founder and entrepreneur coupled with his proven track record creating and delivering some of the markets most compelling software-defined solutions for consumers and companies make him an excellent fit at GM, Barra said.

At Apple, Abbott was VP of the Cloud Services division and led a team responsible for the development of infrastructure for all of Apples cloud-based services, including iCloud, iMessage, Private Relay, Mail and account security.

GMs effort to move away from Apple and Android began in March, when it told business website Ars Technica it would no longer support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in new EVs.

The manufacturer of Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac said vehicles already on the market, as well as gasoline- and diesel-powered GM vehicles to be released over the next few years, will not be affected.

Abbott will lead a new integrated end-to-end software organization focused on the... delivery of digital services and features to retail and commercial customers, GM said in a written statement.

Abbotts newly created team will bring together three distinct software functions within GM: Software Defined Vehicle and Operating System; Information and Digital Technology; and Digital Business.

GM is moving away from phone projection to offer customers a more integrated solution that will have Google Maps, Google Assistant, Audible, Spotify and other applications run natively on its vehicles infotainment systems.

According to Automotive News, 98% of new vehicles now come with CarPlay and 79% of buyers only consider CarPlay-capable vehicles when shopping for new cars.

Ars Technica reported the first new GM electric vehicle to launch without phone projection will be the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV, which is expected to hit showrooms later this year, and the Chevrolet Equinox EV.

Abbott also served as a Visiting Scholar at Stanfords Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL), focused on computer vision. Previously, he served as general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, focused on investments in mobile and cloud-computing sectors. Abbott has also led teams at Twitter, Palm and Microsoft.

Link:
Former Apple Executive Named GM's Head of Software. - Inside Radio

Securing the software supply chain has become increasingly important over the last few years in response to numerous high-profile attacks targeting it, such as Sunburst, Log4j and Heartbleed.

One method growing in popularity is to use a software bill of materials (SBOM). Like a manufacturing-based bill of materials, an SBOM lists all the software components used to create a specific application. SBOMs include the following:

By understanding what is used within deployed software, organizations can quickly find and patch any vulnerabilities in it before malicious actors can take advantage of them.

Many companies offer products to help organizations build their SBOM. The following are five SBOM vendors worth considering.

Anchore offers proprietary software and open source options for SBOM generation. Smaller organizations can use its two open source tools to help with SBOM generation: Syft, a command-line tool, and Grype, a vulnerability scanning tool. Syft creates an SBOM using container images and file systems, while Grype searches for vulnerabilities within the images and file systems. The tools can be used together within the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and be kept in the same centralized repository. Anchore products support multiple SBOM formats, including CycloneDX and Software Package Data Exchange.

The company also offers Anchore Enterprise for large and enterprise organizations. With this tool, companies can generate SBOMs at each stage in the development process that list every software component, including direct and transitive dependencies.

Anchore Enterprise is available in Team, Business, Ultimate and Ultimate+ tiers. Contact the company for pricing.

Vulnerability management vendor Fossa offers an open source SBOM tool that can work alongside its vulnerability management product. It enables software developers to get an accurate view of interdependencies among the various code modules and third-party licenses used in the development of a project. Fossa's vulnerability management tool can then be used to detect security vulnerabilities that could be introduced into the SBOM. For example, it limits false positives and detects fake licensing entries. The tool also alerts teams when a breach is detected. The Fossa API connects to a database of open source projects and metadata to offer teams detailed statistics and updates.

One of Fossa's biggest strengths is it is compatible with popular version controls, including GitHub and GitLab.

Fossa is available in three tiers: Free, Business for $52 per month or Enterprise. Contact Fossa for a customized Enterprise quote.

Mend.io, formerly WhiteSource, offers SBOM generation capabilities as part of its software composition analysis tool, Mend SCA. The tool helps identify open source libraries in use and documents each component and its dependencies.

The tool's key strengths include an undivided focus on vulnerability remediation, scalability, false positive detection and automatic SBOM updates.

Users can request a free trial. Pricing for Mend SCA Advanced starts at $16,000 per year for 20 software developers; Mend Static Application Security Testing Advanced starts at $16,000 per year for 20 developers; Mend SCA and SAST Advanced start at $24,000 per year for 20 developers; and Mend Premium Package is designed for companies with more than 500 developers. Contact the company for pricing.

Rezilion, which caters to DevSecOps teams, offers an SBOM generation tool called Dynamic SBOM. This tool gives software development teams complete visibility into all the software components used in the creation of a project. Teams can ascertain and remediate any vulnerabilities that may occur in the course of the SDLC. Dynamic SBOM also provides the ability for real-time monitoring and updating.

Rezilion offers a free Basic tier, which provides unlimited SBOM generation and limited vulnerability scans and analysis. Premium and Enterprise tiers are also available. Contact the company for pricing.

Vigilant Ops' InSight Platform is a SaaS-based SBOM tool designed for healthcare, energy, manufacturing and similar industries. It offers SBOM compliance certification for auditing and keeping SBOMs up to date with component updates, as well as component validation, SBOM management and distribution, and automated vulnerability discovery. With the SBOM tool, teams can also create a component listing for legacy tools.

Vigilant Ops offers a free trial for SBOM generation. Contact the company for InSight Platform pricing.

Excerpt from:
5 SBOM tools to start securing the software supply chain - TechTarget