if what you are looking for a free and easy to use tool for scaling images and videos, you have come to the right place. And it is that the app that we are going to talk about next is open source and it makes use of your computer’s hardware to increase the resolution of any image or video, very useful for those occasions in which we have photos or videos of better quality.

Video2X makes use of the capabilities of our graphics card to scale images and videos in poor quality. Besides, supports multiple formats, so it will be very useful to also scale GIFs or videos in MP4, MKV and more formats. Under these lines we show you how it works.

A free tool to scale images and videos

To use this tool, all you have to do is go to its official Github page and download its latest version. Once the ZIP file is obtained, we unzip and we will have a folder with two executable files and other dependencies. In our case we will choose the file ‘video2x_gui.exe‘, since it has a graphical interface to proceed with the scaling.

If you look closely, you will find a lot of options. However, the tool works without applying any initial configuration. Just select the file from your computer via the ‘Select File’ option and then select the output path of the file from the ‘Output’ section. You can also modify the output name in the bottom text box.

After having configured the previous steps, we select ‘Start’ and the process will start automatically. You should know that the scaling process will be long, especially for videos, since it makes use of our graphics card for it. Even if you have a decent graphics card (in our case we used an RTX 3080), depending on the size of the video it could take several hours.

To testify to the qualities of this tool, its creators have uploaded several videos on YouTube that show the quality of the scaling, like this trailer for ‘Spirited Away’, which goes from 360p to 4K.

To scale the files, Video2X makes use of various techniques and algorithms. Through its documentation we can obtain information about which technique to use when scaling a file. For example, if we use ‘Anime4K’, the process will be faster than if we select ‘Waifu2x’, although the quality will be lower. However, if we use ‘realsr-ncnn-vulkan’, the process will be extremely slow, but the quality will be much better.

The techniques described above rely on frame interpolation processes, machine learning and artificial intelligence, which is why good hardware is required to complete the scaling efficiently. However, in case we do not have a decent graphics card, we can always make use of Google Colab and use a powerful graphics through the cloud to carry out the process.

Although we have mentioned before that the tool works without the need to enter the configuration section at any time, it is worth taking a look at all the options, since we will find sections to modify the level of noise applied, the size, quality and cropping of the file and much more. These options can be modified for each driver used.

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Bert Hubert —developer, creator of PowerDNS and online privacy activist— has presented an application with which he intends to show how much data our computer sends to Google throughout a browsing session. And, so that we keep it in mind at all times, and we can relate what kind of actions trigger said shipments, alerts us by beeping every time this happens.

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The Central Information Security Brigade of the National Police has issued an alert about a recent wave of cyberattacks directed against Spanish architecture companies (but which “may expand to other sectors in the future”) through a ransomware campaign that they describe as “of high sophistication”.

This attack, which resorts to spoofing, is using Scam emails posing as Fotoprix companya well-known photographic company.

Cyber ​​criminals send messages from a fake domain, “fotoprix.eu”, requesting budgets for reforms in their facilities. The sophistication of this strategy lies in the fact that the messages are extremely consistent and appear to be legitimate, which reduces the suspicions of the victims.

After several email exchanges, the attackers propose to set up a meeting to finalize the budget. However, before the meeting, they send the victims an attachment containing details about the alleged reform.

By downloading and running this file In their systems, company terminals are automatically encrypted, leaving victims without access to their files and data.

Once the files are encrypted, cybercriminals demand a rescue to unlock the data. Instructions for making the ransom payment are included in a text file that is copied to affected systems.

This extortion tactic is characteristic of other ransomware attacks, where attackers seek financial gain in exchange for restoring access to victims’ files.

Tips to consider

The Central Cybercrime Unit of the National Police continues to work to track and contain this threat, but it is essential that companies remain vigilant and take proactive measures to protect themselves against these types of increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

Faced with this situation, the Police have developed the following basic recommendations to avoid being a victim of these attacks:

1. Beware of unknown emails: Do not open e-mails from unknown senders or those that have not been previously requested.
2. Avoid suspicious downloads: Do not download email attachments from unknown senders.
3. Keep systems up to date: Always keep the operating system and antivirus software updated to mitigate possible vulnerabilities.
4. Make backups: Make backup copies periodically and in independent systems, so that in the event of an attack the data can be recovered without the need to accept the payment of any ransom.

Via | Ministry of the Interior

Image | Marcos Merino through AI

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