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The Destiny 2: The Final Shape expansion allows us to reminisce on our Guardians journey throughout the story, with returning areas and even our very first weapon: Khvostov. However, the journey to unlock it is not an easy one, whether you are going for the legendary or exotic variant. If you want both, then you better strap in for one of the grindiest weapon hunts in Destiny 2 for a while.

Here we'll run through how to get both variants of the gun, including how to find the Lost Encryption Bits you need to open the chest in The Divide, and the Motes of Light to open the exotic Khvostov chest in the Old Tower. It's worth noting that while you can get legendary Khvostov right now, since an overthrow boss in The Bloom has been a bit bugged, it might not be possible to get the final Mote of Light you need from it until that's fixed.

To unlock legendary Khvostov you need to do the following:

Before you can even work towards getting the legendary Khvostov, your first step is to finish The Final Shapes campaign and then the Queens I mission, which is a part of the Destined Heroes exotic quest unlocked at the end of the campaign. You then need to progress Micah-10s questline in the Old Tower through the Convalescence quests to access the Cyst activities and the Alone in the Dark quest. You'll need take this quest multiple times to access all of the Cysts and grab the Lost Encryption Bit located in each.

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Now that you are able to take on the Alone In The Dark quest, you need to find 15 Lost Encryption Bits. While nine of these are located in region chests marked by crosses on the mapthree in The Landing, The Bloom, and The Impassethe other six are located within the Cyst activities that unlock each time you take the Alone in the Dark quest from Micah.

Within each Cyst, you'll need to search for a hidden pile of junk from which you can get each Lost Encryption Bit.

At the end of this mission, you can head out through the path under the cliff in the boss room. Follow the lava until you jump up to a small rock before another pool of lava. Just to your right, before you cross the lava, you can find a small crevice you can get through. In here, is the junk pile.

Early on in the mission, after unlocking the door with the Hive runes, you will fight an ogre. Jump down beneath where it was standing and head inside one of the caves to find the Encryption Bit in the junk pile.

At the end of the mission, after defeating the boss, you will see a cave with a purple light in the boss room. The Encryption Bit is in here, in the small drop down area beneath the rocks you can platform across.

At the end of the mission, you will fight an ogre. Once it is defeated, look for the cave with the tree trunk in front of it in the boss room. The Encryption Bit, and a Vision of the Traveler, which you need for a step to get the exotic variant, can be found here.

At the end of the mission, after you fight the boss, you can look across the cave from where it was to find a purple-lit cave. In here is the pile of junk with the Encryption Bit.

The final Encryption Bit is located about midway through this mission. After you fight the ogre on the staircase (its the second ogre in the mission), you can follow the path ahead through the gap high up in the wall. Instead, of going through the upper path, head through the gap lower down. Destroy the wall with the sword to find the final pile of junk behind it.

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Now you have all the Lost Encryption Bits, you'll want to travel to The Impasse in The Pale Heart. Head through into The Divide Cosmodrome wall until you reach the golden chest; it's just to the right after the first corridor where the ground starts to turn icy. This is where you first picked up the Khvostov in Destiny. This legendary version has multiple perk choices including Strategist, Pugilist, and Demolitionist in column one, and then Multikill Clip and Attrition Orbs in column two.

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The exotic variant of Khvostov is a suped up version of the gun with set perks, unlike its legendary counterpart. Its unique trait is that every seventh bullet from this weapon deals additional damage and ricochets to nearby targets.

Here are the steps to get it:

The most challenging part of doing this is defeating the Overthrow bosses, since it's random which one you'll get when you reach the final tier of an Overthrow, and that can make this process a bit grindy. You'll also have to gather the Visions of the Traveler this video from Esoterickk is a handy resource for getting them all quick. At least one of these is located within a Cyst activity, so that means you'll need to progress Micah-10's questline to gain access as well.

As mentioned above, the 'meatball boss' in The Blooming was disabled for a while due a bug where it was eating players' Motes of Light instead of dropping 17th one. While the boss is back now, it's currently unclear whether it's entirely fixed and will drop the mote you need.

Go here to read the rest:
Destiny 2: How to unlock legendary and exotic Khvostov - PC Gamer

Key Takeaways

Tired of losing files with Windows Backup? Discover how KopiaUI can bring peace of mind to your backup process with incremental snapshots, encryption, and cloud storage options. Let's dive in.

A few years ago, I experienced a nightmare with Windows Backup. I had been regularly backing up my files using the built-in Windows backup tool, thinking my data was safe. However, my hard drive failed, and all of my backups were corrupted and unusable. I lost photos, important documents, and years of work. It was a horrible experience that made me realize the importance of a reliable backup solution.

After my issues with Windows Backup, I searched for a more reliable and secure backup tool for Windows. That's when I discovered KopiaUI. KopiaUI allows me to create snapshot backups and send them to multiple locations, so I never have to worry about a hard drive failure again.

KopiaUI is a fast, secure, open-source backup and restore tool. It creates file-system snapshots in a remote location with built-in client-side encryption, ensuring your files are safe.

KopiaUI doesn't limit you to local backups. You can use a cloud storage provider like Backblaze or Google Cloud Storage, local directories, network shares (Windows Shares or Linux Server Shares), and even Rclone Remote (allowing you to use services like Dropbox, OneDrive, etc). You can also host your own Kopia repository on a Linux or Windows Server for a more streamlined LAN backup solution.

Why should you care about KopiaUI? It allows you to create incremental snapshots of your files on Windows, which you can roll back to at any time. This makes backups efficient, as only changes since the last backup are saved. Best of all, everything is encrypted and can be stored off-site for safekeeping. It's an incredible tool that will help you keep your files safe on Windows.

When it comes to backing up your files on Windows, choosing between KopiaUI and Windows Backup depends on your needs and priorities. KopiaUI excels with incremental snapshots, and only saves changes since the last backup. This efficiency significantly reduces storage space compared to Windows Backup, which offers both full and incremental backups but lacks customization.

KopiaUI's versatility shines with a wide range of backup destinations including local directories, network shares, and various cloud providers like Backblaze and Google Cloud Storage. This contrasts with Windows Backup's limited options, primarily focusing on local and network backups. Moreover, KopiaUI's cross-platform compatibility ensures access to your backups on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Reliability is crucial for backups, and KopiaUI boasts snapshot-based backups, reducing the risk of corruption compared to Windows Backup, which has a history of occasional failures. While Windows Backup remains a popular choice due to its integration and ease of use, it lacks the advanced features that power users might seek.

Security is critical, and KopiaUI prioritizes this with client-side encryption of all backup data before it leaves your device. It also offers a variety of encryption algorithms for enhanced flexibility.

In terms of user interface, KopiaUI's interface is functional and well-documented but might require some getting used to. On the other hand, Windows Backup seamlessly integrates into system settings, and it will be very intuitive for anyone that uses Windows regularly.

KopiaUI is a compelling alternative to Windows Backup, especially for users prioritizing incremental backups, diverse storage options, robust security, and advanced features. While its interface might not be as intuitive as Windows Backup's, its reliability and comprehensive features make it a strong contender for safeguarding your valuable data.

To use KopiaUI, you'll need to download it and install it on Windows. Head over to the KopiaUI GitHub releases page, and grab the latest version for Windows.

After downloading the EXE to your computer, open up Windows Explorer, and launch the setup EXE. Once launched, follow the installation instructions to install the software on your computer.

After KopiaUI finishes installing, launch it. When you launch the software, you will need to select where you'd like your backups to be saved. Choose the storage solution for your backup that works best for you.

With your storage solution chosen, you'll be asked to finish creating your KopiaUI repository by entering a password. Do so, and then click "Create Repository" to finish.

KopiaUI supports a wide variety of cloud storage options, like Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc. However, it requires a tiny bit of setup to make it work. Thankfully, it isn't difficult to set up (relatively speaking).

To start, open up PowerShell, and run the following command. This command will set up Chocolatey, an easy-to-use installation tool for Windows.

You can then install Rclone with:

From here, connect to your favorite Cloud service:

Configuring Google Drive

Type n for a new remote. Enter a name (e.g., GoogleDrive). Choose "17" for Google Drive. Leave Client ID and Secret blank. Choose the desired access level. Follow the instructions to authenticate.

In Kopia, enter "C:programdatachocolateybinrclone.exe" as the path to Rclone.

Configuring Dropbox

Type n for a new remote. Enter a name (e.g., Dropbox). Choose 12 for Dropbox. Leave Client ID and Secret blank. Type n for default authentication. Follow the instructions to authenticate.

Be sure to enter "c:programdatachocolateybinrclone.exe" as the path to Rclone in Kopia.

Configuring OneDrive

Type n for a new remote. Enter a name (e.g., OneDrive). Choose 33 for OneDrive. Follow the instructions to authenticate.

Make sure you enter "c:programdatachocolateybinrclone.exe" as the path to Rclone in Kopia.

Verify the Setup

Before you go any further, you need to confirm that your remote works. To verify the setup, run the command below, with the remote name you chose. If everything is up and running, the command will correctly show your Rclone remote, as well as the files and folders it has access to.

Open KopiaUI, then go to repository setup. Choose "Rclone Remote" as the storage type. Enter the remote name and folder path, and you'll be ready to back up to your favorite cloud service.

After connecting to a cloud service, you'll be asked to finish creating your KopiaUI repository by entering a password. Do so, and then click "Create Repository" to finish.

When you've connected KopiaUI to your storage solution of choice, your new KopiaUI repository will be ready to use. To create your first backup, find the Snapshots section of KopiaUI, and select the "New Snapshot" button. After selecting the "New Snapshot" button, you'll be asked to "enter path to snapshot." Browse for the folder you wish to back up to KopiaUI. When you've selected it, find the "Snapshot Now" button and select it.

After selecting the "Snapshot Now" button, you can customize the settings for your backup in KopiaUI. However, this is not required. You can just as easily leave everything at default. When you've finished looking over the settings, click "Snapshot Now" again to start the backup process.

When the snapshot is completed, KopiaUI will list this backup in the UI. Select the backup to view the contents. If you want to restore a backup with KopiaUI, select the snapshot, and then select "Restore Files & Directories" to restore it to their original locations, or a location of your choosing. You can also mount your backups directly as a filesystem by selecting the "Mount as Local Filesystem" option.

Although KopiaUI might look a bit complicated at first, it's worth learning for the peace of mind it offers. With KopiaUI, you can make sure your files are always backed up and safe on your Windows computer. Keep using KopiaUI, and you'll never have to worry about losing your important files again.

Read more from the original source:
Forget Windows' Built-in Backup: I Use This Free and Encrypted Software - How-To Geek

The recently published recommendations of an high level expert group on the topic of going dark were also discussed in the Standing Committee on Internal Security (COSI). On May 29, several EU member states spoke out in favor of access to encrypted data and communications, as well as Europe-wide data retention. We are publishing the secret minutes of the meeting in full (in German).

The Going Dark expert group (High-Level Group on access to data for effective law enforcement), dominated by security authorities, called for backdoors to encrypted data and many other surveillance options in 42 recommendations at the end of May this year. We published the full text of the categorized document (PDF) last week, and the expert groups demands can also be derived from a freedom of information request.

The groups topic was how investigating authorities deal with encryption. The authorities fear a scenario in which large parts of communication are encrypted and they are therefore no longer able to investigate. Police forces and intelligence services call this phenomenon going dark. However, studies doubt the negative effects, partly because digital technologies provide the security authorities with a wealth of data that they did not have in the past.

According to the protocol drawn up by the German Permanent Representation in Brussels, EU member states have already called for a concrete roadmap to implement the recommendations. The document also shows that the recommendations have been endorsed by various bodies within the European Union. The CATS Committee, which coordinates police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, has supported the panels recommendations and the EU Commission has also welcomed the results, stating that they have great potential.

A range of countries, including Estonia, the Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Ireland, see an urgent need for action on encryption and data retention. Hungary called access to data a key element for effective law enforcement and found the results of the expert group to be impressive and forward-looking. According to the minutes, the police authority Europol emphasized the danger of end-to-end encryption being misused by criminals, a view shared by Greece.

Only Luxembourg spoke out against weakening encryption. Germany, on the other hand, did not welcome the weakening of encryption, but spoke out in favor of improved cooperation with industry and standardization bodies. The expert group had described the latter as important because technical standards could be set here that could make the work of investigating authorities easier.

Germany also emphasized that as part of the national implementation of the European Electronic Communication Code (EECC), over-the-top services (OTTs) [] must be made mandatory as interpersonal communication services without any doubt and without exception. This should impose obligations to cooperate in monitoring on messengers such as WhatsApp & Co. In this context, Germany argued that the major market players in particular should be called upon to apply the standards implemented for data transfers to law enforcement authorities.

At the same time, it seemed clear to the members of the committee that, in view of the numerous new surveillance powers and encroachments on fundamental rights contained in the expert catalogue, the EU member states are facing political headwinds and thus difficult communication. According to the minutes, the chair of the committee said that it was important to set the right narrative, and Sweden, with the support of several countries, advised a communication strategy that emphasizes that the recommendations are intended to protect fundamental rights.

It will be interesting to see what such a communication strategy will look like in view of the plans for all kinds of additional surveillance and backdoors into encrypted communications.

The group of high-level experts had been meeting since last year to tackle the so-called going dark problem. The High-Level Group set up by the EU was characterized by a bias right from the start: The committee is primarily made up of representatives of security authorities and therefore represents their perspective on the issue.

This imbalance was criticized by data protection activists, who were then involved in the process, albeit at a late stage and only unofficially. They apparently had little influence on the committees recommendations. Outgoing Pirate MEP Patrick Breyer called the panels recommendations the secret wish list of EU governments and warned that these proposals would be implemented after the European elections. The approval in the COSI committee shows that Breyers fears are justified.

Original Article in German, Translation by Daniel Leisegang

View post:
Going Dark: EU States Push for Access to Encrypted Data and Increased Surveillance - netzpolitik.org

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New York lawmakers failed to pass the Keep Police Radio Public Act to prevent the NYPD and other police departments from shutting the press out of police radio access amid encryption efforts.

Only one of the two houses in Albany passed the bill before the 2024 legislative session ended on Saturday morning. As a result, it will have to be reintroduced in the next session that starts in January 2025.

The act would have provided credentialed media access to encrypted police radio channels, and compelled the NYPD to allow access to New York City media that have listened to police radio channels as a source of news for more than 90 years.

The state Senate approved its version of the bill, sponsored by Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris of Queens, by a vote of 60-40. It was then sent to the Assembly, where it was sponsored by Assemblywoman Karines Reyes of the Bronx. However, a spokesperson for Reyes said the bill came in late and failed to get enough support to be discharged to a vote.

It took forever to get a bill number and so it was hard to circulate for support, the spokesperson said. The expectation is the assemblywoman will continue to seek support over the weeks and months, [and get] the opportunity to come back with new legislation [in which] more people will be on it.

Press advocates hope that the bill can be reintroduced in a special session should Gov. Kathy Hochul convene one later this year for unrelated issues such as finding an alternative funding solution for the MTA after Hochul indefinitely delayed congestion pricing.

Gianaris said he was proud to have sponsored and passed the legislation in the Senate.

I am proud the Senate passed my legislation preserving access to encrypted police radio, which is critical for the accountability a free press provides, said Gianaris. As encrypted radio usage grows, this legislation would strike the proper balance between legitimate law enforcement needs and the rights and interests of New Yorkers.

The City Council has been critical of the NYPD for failing to have a plan for including the press in communications. Speaker Adrienne Adams castigated police officials at a budget hearing in March, but has not yet offered any local solutions to the issue.

The City Council issued a brief statement regarding the failure of the state police radio encryption bill: We continue to explore solutions to preserve transparency of NYPD radio communications and avoid negatively impacting volunteer first responders, accountability, and public safety.

Other leaders have remained silent even though most of the state legislative contingent supports the bill.

All four of the co-sponsors of Reyes version of the act are from Brooklyn. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso had no comment despite having four days to reply to questions.

The New York Media Consortium, comprised of eight press organizations, are leading the effort to maintain press access to police radio transmissions. Leaders of those groups sounded off after the failed attempt to pass the bill.

Diane Kennedy, president of the New York News Publishers Association said that the legislation still has a chance in the next session because it was passed in the Senate.

In passing Sen. Gianariss bill, the New York State Senate recognized the importance of maintaining journalists access to police radio communications, Kennedy said. We look forward to working with Assemblywoman Karines Reyes as she continues her efforts to get the bill passed by the New York State Assembly. We urge the City of New York to preserve journalists access to police radio communications in a safe and secure manner that will benefit both law enforcement and the public.

Most impacted are those working on the streets of New York City, especially press photographers who are normally first on the scene of most incidents. Bruce Cotler, president of the New York Press Photographers Association, noted that the fight is not over.

We are of course disappointed that the legislation did not yet pass to allow the press to continue to have access to police communications, but the struggle is far from over, said Cotler. The bill did pass the senate and only needs an assembly vote. We believe assembly leaders will realize that it is possible to maintain the safety of officers while providing access to communications to the press to preserve transparency that is paramount to the publics right to know.

David Cruz, president of the New York Press Club, echoed his sentiments.

This bill is a no-brainer, said Cruz. Continued access to police frequencies speeds up the release of critical information to make sure the public is quickly informed. We hope the legislature takes up this consequential bill in the next session. The future of news coverage depends on it.

NYPD officials have opposed the bill; in the past, they have questioned the vetting of journalists credentialed by the Mayors Office of Media and Entertainment, and police officials were seeking a delay in radio transmissions.

They also echo Mayor Eric Adams, saying bad guys use radio transmissions against them and it risks the safety of responding officers.

The NYPD has yet to provide a plan for keeping the media in the loop to maintain transparency, despite their billion-dollar radio upgrade being in its sixth year. NYPD officials said they planned to have a plan after the encryption program is completed, by late 2025.

Mickey Osterreicher, general counsel of the National Press Photographers Association called on news organizations to push for the legislation in the future.

It is very unfortunate that despite our efforts, we were not able to get this crucial bill passed this session, said Osterreicher. Hopefully, news organizations throughout the state will realize the detrimental effects that encryption will have on their news-gathering abilities and loudly voice support for this legislation the next time it comes up for a vote.

Lloyd Mitchell, a freelance photographer who contributes to amNewYork Metro and a member of the Press Photographers Government Relations Committee, said failure to gain radio access will damage his efforts at informing the public of the news.

I am disappointed in the Assembly essentially giving power to the NYPD and making our jobs even more difficult, Mitchell said. The assembly should have been an ally, and my compliments go to Brooklyn and Bronx delegations for attempting to spearhead the legislation. We are optimistic that those who mightve opposed the bill will realize the importance of it in the next session. If they dont, they will have no one else to blame but themselves when critical incidents go unreported in a timely manner, with police controlling the narrative, he added.

Oliya Scootercaster, owner of the Freedom News Service, says her ability to provide news overnight and daily to the public will be compromised without radio access.

We have crossed over to the darkness, quite literally, Brooklyn is gone from accountability as its now fully encrypted, she said. Nobody, besides police, know whats happening on the streets. The NYPD appears to be rapidly developing a larger media team, which might be what they expect to replace journalists with. Journalism works because its multiple independent witnesses documenting one event. If its only the NYPD documenting the event, you only get the NYPDs story.

See the rest here:
Over and out? Police radio encryption bill left in limbo after failing to pass both houses in Albany | amNewYork - amNY

The report gives an overview of the use of encrypted communication tools such as EncroChat and SkyECC by criminal networks and analyses the topic of encryption from a legal, technical, policy and research point of view. The publication also touches on specific judicial processes and court rulings.

Furthermore, the new report includes an elaborate analysis of the recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union of 30 April this year on encrypted communications. This ruling clarifies the conditions for EU Member States to request and transmit intercepted data from encrypted communication channels for use as evidence in criminal proceedings, in order to safeguard fundamental rights and enable continued investigations into criminal activities.

The publication also provides technical information on new developments and tools such as quantum computing, cryptocurrencies, biometric data, telecommunications and artificial intelligence. It also presents an overview of the challenges and opportunities they represent for judicial and law enforcement authorities.

The main ideas in the conclusions and recommendations are:

The report is the result of the pooling of expertise of all partners collaborating in the EU Innovation Hub for Internal Security, hosted at Europol, including the EU Agencies CEPOL, EIGE, EUAA, Eurojust, Europol, Frontex, FRA and the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union (including the EU Counterterrorism Coordinators Office), as well as the European Commission (Directorate Generals JRC and Home).

Link:
New report on encryption in criminal matters stresses balance between security and privacy - Eurojust