Author: Robin Edgar

Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft

Chinese scammers, criminals and businesses are exploiting its surveillance state

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Chinese tech company employees and government workers are siphoning off user data and selling it online – and even high-ranking Chinese Communist Party officials and FBI-wanted hackers’ sensitive information is being peddled by the Middle Kingdom’s thriving illegal data ecosystem. “While Western cybercrime research focuses heavily on criminals in the English- and Russian-speaking worlds, there Read more about Chinese scammers, criminals and businesses are exploiting its surveillance state[…]

Why Italy’s Piracy Shield destroys huge internet companies and small businesses with no recourse (unless you are rich) and can lay out the entire internet in Italy to… protect against football streaming?!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Walled Culture has been following the sorry saga of Italy’s automated blocking system Piracy Shield for a year now. Blocklists are drawn up by copyright companies, without any review, or the possibility of any objections, and those blocks must be enforced within 30 minutes. Needless to say, such a ham-fisted and biased approach to copyright Read more about Why Italy’s Piracy Shield destroys huge internet companies and small businesses with no recourse (unless you are rich) and can lay out the entire internet in Italy to… protect against football streaming?![…]

In massive U-turn, FBI Warns Americans to Start Using Encrypted Messaging Apps, after discovering the problem with backdoors

Posted on by Robin Edgar

America’s top cybersecurity and law enforcement officials made a coordinated push Tuesday to raise awareness about cyber threats from foreign actors in the wake of an intrusion of U.S. telecom equipment dubbed Salt Typhoon. The hackers are linked to the Chinese government and they still have a presence in U.S. systems, spying on American communications, Read more about In massive U-turn, FBI Warns Americans to Start Using Encrypted Messaging Apps, after discovering the problem with backdoors[…]

Training AI through human interactions instead of datasets

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[…] AI learns primarily through massive datasets and extensive simulations, regardless of the application. Now, researchers from Duke University and the Army Research Laboratory have developed a platform to help AI learn to perform complex tasks more like humans. Nicknamed GUIDE for short […] “It remains a challenge for AI to handle tasks that require Read more about Training AI through human interactions instead of datasets[…]

Drones can avoid GPS jammers by navigating with the stars

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[…] Remote sensing engineers at the University of South Australia have built a new, low cost prototype system that merges celestial triangulation with vision-based algorithmic computing for UAVs flying at night. But unlike existing GPS, the novel design doesn’t emit any signals, making it impervious to current jamming methods. […] To make it work, engineers Read more about Drones can avoid GPS jammers by navigating with the stars[…]

Snowfall in the Alps is a third less than a hundred years ago, meteorologists find

Posted on by Robin Edgar

From 23% less in the northern Alps to a decrease of almost 50% on the southwestern slopes: Between 1920 and 2020, snowfall across the entirety of the Alps has decreased on average by a significant 34%. The results come from a study coordinated by Eurac Research and were published in the International Journal of Climatology. Read more about Snowfall in the Alps is a third less than a hundred years ago, meteorologists find[…]

‘What many of us feel’: why ‘enshittification’ is Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year | Oxford names ‘Brain rot’ (out of a very poor list)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] In 2022, Doctorow coined the word “enshittification”, which has just been crowned Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year. The dictionary defined the word as follows. “The gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of Read more about ‘What many of us feel’: why ‘enshittification’ is Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year | Oxford names ‘Brain rot’ (out of a very poor list)[…]

Mass education was designed to quash critical thinking, argues researcher

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Education should promote deep inquiry and individual autonomy, but often, it has been used as a vehicle for indoctrination. That’s what Agustina S. Paglayan, a UC San Diego assistant professor of political science in the School of Social Sciences and the School of Global Policy and Strategy, argues in her new book, “Raised to Obey: Read more about Mass education was designed to quash critical thinking, argues researcher[…]

Data broker SL leaves 600K+ sensitive files exposed online, doesn’t fix it despite warnings

Posted on by Robin Edgar

More than 600,000 sensitive files containing thousands of people’s criminal histories, background checks, vehicle and property records were exposed to the internet in a non-password protected database belonging to data brokerage SL Data Services, according to a security researcher. We don’t know how long the personal information was openly accessible. Infosec specialist Jeremiah Fowler says Read more about Data broker SL leaves 600K+ sensitive files exposed online, doesn’t fix it despite warnings[…]

There’s a Surprisingly Easy Way to Remove Microplastics From Drinking Water – boil it (preferably in hard water)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Tiny fragments of microplastics are making their way deep inside our bodies in concerning quantities, significantly through our food and drink. Scientists have recently found a simple and effective means of removing them from water. […] In some cases, up to 90 percent of the NMPs were removed by the boiling and filtering process, though Read more about There’s a Surprisingly Easy Way to Remove Microplastics From Drinking Water – boil it (preferably in hard water)[…]

Diamond optical discs could store data for millions of years

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[…] According to a study published on November 27th in the journal Nature Photonics, researchers at China’s University of Science and Technology in Hefei have achieved a record-breaking diamond storage density of 1.85 terabytes per cubic centimeter. […] The artificial intelligence industry as well as quantum and supercomputers often need petabytes, not gigabytes or even Read more about Diamond optical discs could store data for millions of years[…]

Police bust pirate streaming service making €250 million per month: doesn’t this show the TV market is hugely broken?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An international law enforcement operation has dismantled a pirate streaming service that served over 22 million users worldwide and made €250 million ($263M) per month. Italy’s Postal and Cybersecurity Police Service announced the action, codenamed “Taken Down,” stating they worked with Eurojust, Europol, and many other European countries, making this the largest takedown of its kind in Read more about Police bust pirate streaming service making €250 million per month: doesn’t this show the TV market is hugely broken?[…]

Is ‘bypassing’ a better way to battle misinformation? Researchers say new approach has advantages over the standard

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Misinformation can lead to socially detrimental behavior, which makes finding ways to combat its effects a matter of crucial public concern. A new paper by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General explores an innovative approach to countering the impact of factually incorrect information called “bypassing,” and Read more about Is ‘bypassing’ a better way to battle misinformation? Researchers say new approach has advantages over the standard[…]

China complete pwn of US all telco means a physical rebuild is necessary

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Biden administration on Friday hosted telco execs to chat about China’s recent attacks on the sector, amid revelations that US networks may need mass rebuilds to recover. Details of the extent of China’s attacks came from senator Mark R Warner, who on Thursday gave both The Washington Post and The New York Times insights Read more about China complete pwn of US all telco means a physical rebuild is necessary[…]

QNAP NAS users locked out after firmware update snafu, can’t reset

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Owners of QNAP network-attached storage (NAS) boxes are finding that a firmware update has left them unable to log into their device, and a reset doesn’t seem to fix the issue. The Taiwan-based storage biz specializes in NAS kit and offers a whole portfolio of models to address various needs. However, users are complaining of Read more about QNAP NAS users locked out after firmware update snafu, can’t reset[…]

US and UK Armed Forces Dating & Social Networking Service Exposed Over 1 Million Records Online through coding error

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Cybersecurity Researcher, Jeremiah Fowler, discovered and reported to vpnMentor about a non-password-protected database that contained more than 1.1 million records belonging to Conduitor Limited (trading as Forces Penpals) — a service that offers dating services, and social networking for military members and their supporters. The publicly exposed database was not password-protected or encrypted. It contained Read more about US and UK Armed Forces Dating & Social Networking Service Exposed Over 1 Million Records Online through coding error[…]

Oh Look, It Was Trivial To Buy Troop And Intelligence Officer Location Data From Dodgy, Unregulated Data Brokers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

There are two major reasons that the U.S. doesn’t pass an internet-era privacy law or regulate data brokers despite a parade of dangerous scandals. One, lobbied by a vast web of interconnected industries with unlimited budgets, Congress is too corrupt to do its job. Two, the U.S. government is disincentivized to do anything because it exploits this Read more about Oh Look, It Was Trivial To Buy Troop And Intelligence Officer Location Data From Dodgy, Unregulated Data Brokers[…]

BBC Sound Effects website top

BBC Gives Away huge Sound Effects Library, with readable and sensible terms of use

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Terms for using our content A few rules to stop you (and us) getting in trouble. a) Don’t mess with our content What do we mean by that? This sort of thing: Removing or altering BBC logos, and copyright notices from the content (if there are any) Not removing content from your device or systems Read more about BBC Gives Away huge Sound Effects Library, with readable and sensible terms of use[…]

Researchers discover new cognitive blueprint for making and breaking habits

Posted on by Robin Edgar

“Habits play a central role in our daily lives, from making that first cup of coffee in the morning, to the route we take to work, and the routine we follow to prepare for bed. Our research reveals why these automatic behaviours are so powerful — and how we can harness our brain’s mechanisms to Read more about Researchers discover new cognitive blueprint for making and breaking habits[…]

Hacking Back the AI-Hacker: Prompt Injection by your LLM as a Defense Against LLM-driven Cyberattacks

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly being harnessed to automate cyberattacks, making sophisticated exploits more accessible and scalable. In response, we propose a new defense strategy tailored to counter LLM-driven cyberattacks. We introduce Mantis, a defensive framework that exploits LLMs’ susceptibility to adversarial inputs to undermine malicious operations. Upon detecting an automated cyberattack, Mantis plants Read more about Hacking Back the AI-Hacker: Prompt Injection by your LLM as a Defense Against LLM-driven Cyberattacks[…]

Epic Allows Internet Archive To Distribute For Free ‘Unreal’ & ‘Unreal Tournament’ Forever

Posted on by Robin Edgar

One of the most frustrating aspects in the ongoing conversation around the preservation of older video games, also known as cultural output, is the collision of IP rights and some publishers’ unwillingness to both continue to support and make available these older games and their refusal to release those same games into the public domain Read more about Epic Allows Internet Archive To Distribute For Free ‘Unreal’ & ‘Unreal Tournament’ Forever[…]

Mystery Palo Alto Networks 0-day RCE now actively exploited – shut off access to Management Interface NOW

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A critical zero-day vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks’ firewall management interface that can allow an unauthenticated attacker to remotely execute code is now officially under active exploitation. According to the equipment maker, the vulnerability requires no user interaction or privileges to exploit, and its attack complexity is deemed “low.” There’s no CVE number assigned to Read more about Mystery Palo Alto Networks 0-day RCE now actively exploited – shut off access to Management Interface NOW[…]

Automotive Grade Linux Launches New Expert Group to Help Automakers Manage Open Source Activities. Lots of Automakers are already onboard.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

 Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), a collaborative cross-industry effort developing an open source platform for Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), has created a new Open Source Program Office (OSPO) Expert Group (EG). Led by Toyota, the OSPO EG will promote the establishment of OSPOs within the automotive industry and encourage the sharing of information and best practices between them. Read more about Automotive Grade Linux Launches New Expert Group to Help Automakers Manage Open Source Activities. Lots of Automakers are already onboard.[…]

HarperCollins Confirms It Has a Deal to Bleed Authors to allow their Work to be used as training for AI Company

Posted on by Robin Edgar

HarperCollins, one of the biggest publishers in the world, made a deal with an “artificial intelligence technology company” and is giving authors the option to opt in to the agreement or pass, 404 Media can confirm. […] On Friday, author Daniel Kibblesmith, who wrote the children’s book Santa’s Husband and published it with HarperCollins, posted Read more about HarperCollins Confirms It Has a Deal to Bleed Authors to allow their Work to be used as training for AI Company[…]