Linking ideas with the world
A security bug in Systemd can be exploited over the network to, at best, potentially crash a vulnerable Linux machine, or, at worst, execute malicious code on the box. The flaw therefore puts Systemd-powered Linux computers – specifically those using systemd-networkd – at risk of remote hijacking: maliciously crafted DHCPv6 packets can try to exploit Read more about DHCPv6 packet can pwn a vulnerable Linux box with systemd[…]
A vulnerability that is trivial to exploit allows privilege escalation to root level on Linux and BSD distributions using X.Org server, the open source implementation of the X Window System that offers the graphical environment. […] Three hours after the public announcement of the security gap, Daemon Security CEO Michael Shirk replied with one line Read more about Trivial Bug in X.Org Gives Root Permission on Linux and BSD Systems[…]
A database of paper airplane folding designs and instructions Source: Fold N Fly ✈
AI can translate between languages in real time as people speak, according to fresh research from Chinese search giant Baidu and Oregon State University in the US. Human interpreters need superhuman concentration to listen to speech and translate at the same time. There are, apparently, only a few thousand qualified simultaneous interpreters and the job Read more about Linguists, update your resumes because Baidu thinks it has cracked fast AI translation[…]
The Portuguese Courts issued today a decision against Google in relation to the injunction filed by Aptoide. It is applicable on 82 countries including UK, Germany, USA, India, among others. Google will have to stop Google Play Protect from removing the competitor Aptoide‘s app store from users‘ phone without users‘ knowledge which has caused losses Read more about Aptoide, alternative app store: EU National Court Rules Against Google in Anti-Trust Process, it has to be shown in the Play Store and can’t be removed by Google[…]
A startup that claims to sell surveillance and hacking technologies to governments around the world left nearly all its data—including information taken from infected targets and victims—exposed online, according to a security firm who found the data. Wolf Intelligence, a Germany-based spyware company that made headlines for sending a bodyguard to Mauritania and prompting an Read more about Wolf Data, Government Spyware Vendor Left Customer, Victim Data Online for Everyone to See[…]
In a statement on Wednesday, the Italian competition authority, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), said both companies had violated consumer protection laws by “inducing customers to install updates on devices that are not able to adequately support them.” It fined Apple €10m ($11.4m): €5m for slowing down the iPhone 6 with Read more about Apple, Samsung fined in Italy for slowing people’s phones.[…]
It’s no secret that mobile apps harvest user data and share it with other companies, but the true extent of this practice may come as a surprise. In a new study carried out by researchers from Oxford University, it’s revealed that almost 90 percent of free apps on the Google Play store share data with Read more about Oxford study claims data harvesting among Android apps is “out of control”[…]
Last April, Steven Schoen received an email from someone named Natalie Andrea who said she worked for a company called We Purchase Apps. She wanted to buy his Android app, Emoji Switcher. But right away, something seemed off. “I did a little bit of digging because I was a little sketched out because I couldn’t Read more about How A Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Exploited Android Phones To Steal Millions Of Dollars[…]
When President Trump calls old friends on one of his iPhones to gossip, gripe or solicit their latest take on how he is doing, American intelligence reports indicate that Chinese spies are often listening — and putting to use invaluable insights into how to best work the president and affect administration policy, current and former Read more about When Trump Phones Friends, the Chinese and the Russians Listen and Learn[…]
It’s increasingly difficult to expect privacy when you’re browsing online, so a non-profit in the UK is working to build the power of Tor’s anonymity network right into the heart of your smartphone. Brass Horn Communications is experimenting with all sorts of ways to improve Tor’s usability for UK residents. The Tor browser bundle for Read more about SIM Cards That Force Your Mobile Data Through Tor Are Coming[…]
Facebook and Google are being sued in two proposed class-action lawsuits for allegedly deceptively gathering location data on netizens who thought they had opted out of such cyber-stalking. The legal challenges stem from revelations earlier this year that even after users actively turn off “location history” on their smartphones, their location is still gathered, stored, Read more about Facebook, Google sued for ‘secretly’ slurping people’s whereabouts – while Feds lap it up[…]
Yahoo has agreed to pay $50 million in damages and provide two years of free credit-monitoring services to 200 million people whose email addresses and other personal information were stolen as part of the biggest security breach in history. The restitution hinges on federal court approval of a settlement filed late Monday in a 2-year-old Read more about Yahoo to pay $50M, other costs for massive security breach[…]
For those who don’t remember: Winamp was the MP3 player of choice around the turn of the century, but went through a rocky period during Aol ownership (our former parent company) and failed to counter the likes of iTunes and the onslaught of streaming services, and more or less crumbled over the years. The original Read more about Winamp returns in 2019 to whip the llama’s ass harder than ever[…]
Boffins have devised a way to make eavesdropping smartwatches, computers, mobile devices, and speakers with endearing names like Alexa better aware of what’s going on around them. In a paper to be presented today at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) in Berlin, Germany, computer scientists Gierad Laput, Karan Ahuja, Mayank Read more about Alexa heard what you did last summer – and she knows what that was, too: AI recognizes activities from sound[…]
Printer maker Epson is under fire this month from activist groups after a software update prevented customers from using cheaper, third party ink cartridges. It’s just the latest salvo in a decades-long effort by printer manufacturers to block consumer choice, often by disguising printer downgrades as essential product improvements. For several decades now printer manufacturers Read more about Printer Makers Are Crippling Cheap Ink Cartridges Via Bogus ‘Security Updates’ – endangering networks because people stop updating[…]
There have been a few too many stories lately of AirBnB hosts caught spying on their guests with WiFi cameras, using DropCam cameras in particular. Here’s a quick script that will detect two popular brands of WiFi cameras during your stay and disconnect them in turn. It’s based on glasshole.sh. It should do away with Read more about Detect and disconnect WiFi cameras in that AirBnB you’re staying in[…]
Every major carmaker has plans for electric vehicles to cut greenhouse gas emissions, yet their manufacturers are, by and large, making lithium-ion batteries in places with some of the most polluting grids in the world. By 2021, capacity will exist to build batteries for more than 10 million cars running on 60 kilowatt-hour packs, according Read more about The Dirt on Clean Electric Cars[…]
A security researcher from Colombia has found a way of assigning admin rights and gaining boot persistence on Windows PCs that’s simple to execute and hard to stop –all the features that hackers and malware authors are looking for from an exploitation technique. What’s more surprising, is that the technique was first detailed way back Read more about Researcher finds simple way of elevating user privileges on Windows PCs and nobody notices for ten months[…]
The Pando aspen grove, located in central Utah, is the largest organism on the planet by weight. From the surface, it may look like a forest that spans more than 100 U.S. football fields, but each tree shares the exact same DNA and is connected to its clonal brethren through an elaborate underground root system. Read more about Pando, One of the world’s largest organisms is shrinking[…]
n line with our principles of transparency and to improve public understanding of alleged foreign influence campaigns, Twitter is making publicly available archives of Tweets and media that we believe resulted from potentially state-backed information operations on our service. Examples of the content include: While this dataset is of a size that a degree Read more about Twitter releases all foreign election campaign influencing tweets and media for you to study[…]
Astrobiologists are mostly interested in rocky exoplanets that lie in the habitable zone around their parent stars, where liquid water may exist on its surface. NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has spotted a handful of these in the so-called Goldilocks Zone – where it’s not too cold or too hot for life. As such, a second team Read more about NASA and Google using AI to hunt down potentially habitable planets[…]
Microplastics were found in sea salt several years ago. But how extensively plastic bits are spread throughout the most commonly used seasoning remained unclear. Now, new research shows microplastics in 90 percent of the table salt brands sampled worldwide. Of 39 salt brands tested, 36 had microplastics in them, according to a new analysis by Read more about Microplastics found in 90 percent of table salt[…]
Raptors are one of the most important causes of fatalities due to their collisions with aircrafts as well as being the main victims of collisions with constructions. They are difficult to deter because they are not influenced by other airspace users or ground predators. Because vision is the primary sensory mode of many diurnal raptors, Read more about Wide-eyed glare scares raptors: From laboratory evidence to applied management[…]
Bug-hunters have told how they uncovered a significant security flaw that affected the likes of Tinder, Yelp, Shopify, and Western Union – and potentially hundreds of millions of folks using these sites and apps. The software sniffers said they first came across the exploitable programming blunder while digging into webpage code on dating websites. After Read more about Branch.io bug left ‘685 million’ netizens open to website hacks[…]