Author: Robin Edgar

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

Teen hacker finds bug that lets him control 25+ Teslas remotely. Also 1000s of auth tokens expired silmutaneously

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A young hacker and IT security researcher found a way to remotely interact with more than 25 Tesla electric vehicles in 13 countries, according to a Twitter thread he posted yesterday. David Colombo explained in the thread that the flaw was “not a vulnerability in Tesla’s infrastructure. It’s the owner’s faults.” He claimed to be Read more about Teen hacker finds bug that lets him control 25+ Teslas remotely. Also 1000s of auth tokens expired silmutaneously[…]

Ransomware puts New Mexico prison in lockdown, closes doors, security cameras to personnel

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Commissioners told the court that all of Bernalillo County, which covers the US state of New Mexico’s largest city Albuquerque, had been affected by a January 5, 2022, ransomware attack, including the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) that houses some of the state’s incarcerated. […] Over the phone, a spokesperson for the facility told The Read more about Ransomware puts New Mexico prison in lockdown, closes doors, security cameras to personnel[…]

Open source maintainer PLC4X hits out at corporate freeloaders, stops offering free support

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Yet another developer of open source software has tired of companies utilizing the code he helps maintain without giving anything back to support the project. On Tuesday, Christofer Dutz, creator of Apache PLC4X, said he will stop providing community support for the software if corporate users fail to step up and open their wallets. “The Read more about Open source maintainer PLC4X hits out at corporate freeloaders, stops offering free support[…]

FTC’s latest monopoly lawsuit against Meta Facebook gets go-ahead

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust complaint that Facebook, er, Meta operates as a monopoly will be heard by the courts after the US watchdog’s initial lawsuit was dismissed. In December 2020, the FTC accused Meta of “illegally maintaining its personal social networking (PSN) monopoly through a years-long course of anticompetitive conduct.” It threatened to break Read more about FTC’s latest monopoly lawsuit against Meta Facebook gets go-ahead[…]

UltraRAM Breakthrough Brings Combined Memory and Storage to a single wafer

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Scientists from the Physics and Engineering Department of the UK’s Lancaster University have published a paper detailing a breakthrough in the mass production of UltraRAM. Researchers have pondered over this novel memory type for several years due to its highly attractive qualities, and the latest breakthrough means that mass production on silicon wafers could be Read more about UltraRAM Breakthrough Brings Combined Memory and Storage to a single wafer[…]

Undersea Cable Connecting Norway With Arctic Satellite Station Has Been Mysteriously Severed

Posted on by Robin Edgar

n undersea fiberoptic cable located between mainland Norway and the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean has been put out of action in a still-mysterious incident. The outage on the subsea communications cable — the furthest north of its kind anywhere in the world — follows an incident last year in which different cables linking Read more about Undersea Cable Connecting Norway With Arctic Satellite Station Has Been Mysteriously Severed[…]

FAA’s Statement On Mysterious US wide Air Traffic Halt after Korean missile launch Leaves More Questions Than Answers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Federal Aviation Administration has finally put out an official statement regarding a still very mysterious ground stop order that it issued to all aircraft in the western U.S. and Hawaii yesterday around 2:30 PM PST. While the incident is now confirmed, there are still a significant number of unanswered questions, including the most important Read more about FAA’s Statement On Mysterious US wide Air Traffic Halt after Korean missile launch Leaves More Questions Than Answers[…]

White House invites tech firms to discuss open-source software security in January

Posted on by Robin Edgar

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has invited major tech firms to discuss ways that the cybersecurity of open-source software can be improved, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. According to Bloomberg, the tech firms include “major software companies and developers.” Cloud providers are also reportedly among the invited companies. Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for Read more about White House invites tech firms to discuss open-source software security in January[…]

Google and Facebook Fined Big in Russia for Failing to Remove Banned Content – imprisonment threats follow forcing local data storage

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A Russian court fined Alphabet Inc.’s Google 7.2 billion rubles ($98 million) and Meta Platforms Inc. 2 billion rubles Friday for failing to remove banned content, the largest such penalties yet, as the authorities escalate a crackdown on foreign technology companies. The fines were due to the companies’ repeated failure to comply with orders to Read more about Google and Facebook Fined Big in Russia for Failing to Remove Banned Content – imprisonment threats follow forcing local data storage[…]

EXCLUSIVE Dutch watchdog finds Apple app store payment rules anti-competitive – sources

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Dutch antitrust authority has found that Apple’s rules requiring software developers to use its in-app payment system are anti-competitive and ordered it to make changes, four people familiar with the matter said, in the latest regulatory setback for the iPhone maker. Apple’s app-store payment policies, in particular its requirement that app developers exclusively use Read more about EXCLUSIVE Dutch watchdog finds Apple app store payment rules anti-competitive – sources[…]

LG’s Next-Gen OLED EX Tech Promises Major Improvements

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] OLED EX (the EX stands for Evolution and eXperience, unfortunately) promises to boost maximum brightness, enhance picture quality, and allow for smaller display bezels. The underlying technology—millions of individual self-lit pixels—hasn’t changed, but the use of an isotope called deuterium combined with algorithmic image processing can increase brightness by up to 30% over conventional Read more about LG’s Next-Gen OLED EX Tech Promises Major Improvements[…]

T-Mobile Has Suffered Yet Another Data Breach

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The news comes via internal documents shared with The T-Mo Report, embedded below. They state that there was “unauthorized activity” on some customer accounts. That activity was either the viewing of customer proprietary network information (CPNI), an active SIM swap by a malicious actor, or both. This comes just on the heels of a previous Read more about T-Mobile Has Suffered Yet Another Data Breach[…]

Airbnb Hides Guest First Names in Oregon to Stop Discrimination

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Beginning on Jan. 31, hosts will only see the initials of guests’ first names until they confirm a booking request, Airbnb announced in a December news announcement spotted by the Verge. After a host confirms the booking, the guest’s full name will appear. The change to how names are displaced will be in place Read more about Airbnb Hides Guest First Names in Oregon to Stop Discrimination[…]

Roblox and many other huge tech businesses Save Millions Taking Advantage Of A Massive Tax Dodge

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Game-making platform and fledgling metaverse Roblox made the news yesterday as the focus of a New York Times report about a ‘90s era tax cut that’s spun out of control. Originally created to foster investment in small businesses, the Qualified Small Business Stock, or Q.S.B.S., exemption has transformed into a way for ultra-wealthy businesses to Read more about Roblox and many other huge tech businesses Save Millions Taking Advantage Of A Massive Tax Dodge[…]

UK National Crime Agency finds 225 million previously unexposed passwords

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency and National Cyber Crime Unit have uncovered a colossal trove of stolen passwords. We know this because Troy Hunt, of Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) fame, yesterday announced the agency has handed them over to his service, which lets anyone conduct a secure search of stolen passwords to check Read more about UK National Crime Agency finds 225 million previously unexposed passwords[…]

Yes, Norton 360 has a built in cryptominer. Deletion is not easy.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Norton antivirus’s inbuilt cryptominer has re-entered the public consciousness after a random Twitter bod expressed annoyance at how difficult it is to uninstall. The addition of Ncrypt.exe, Norton 360’s signed cryptocurrency-mining binary, to installations of Norton antivirus isn’t new – but it seems to have taken the non-techie world a few months to realise what’s Read more about Yes, Norton 360 has a built in cryptominer. Deletion is not easy.[…]

CyberPowerPC case uses Kinetic Architecture to adjust airflow in real-time

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Kinetic Architecture is a concept on which buildings are designed to allow parts of the structure to move. CyberPowerPC took this idea and created a KINETIC chassis with 18 individually controlled articulating vents that open and close automatically, all based on the computer’s current internal ambient temperatures. “We are entering 2022 with some of Read more about CyberPowerPC case uses Kinetic Architecture to adjust airflow in real-time[…]

France fines Meta, Google: Cookies must be as easy to reject as to accept

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google and Facebook have come a little unstuck in the cookie department as French watchdog Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) slapped the pair with a €150m and €60m fine respectively. The CNIL kicked off its investigations after receiving complaints regarding the way cookies can be refused on facebook.com, youtube.com and google.fr. The Read more about France fines Meta, Google: Cookies must be as easy to reject as to accept[…]

Scientists Figured Out Which Animals Were in a Zoo Just by Taking DNA From the Air

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers were able to identify 74 species of animals by looking for DNA in air samples collected at two zoos. The experiment shows that free-floating DNA could be used to track wild animals, including endangered or invasive species, without needing to observe them directly. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has shaken up how animal populations can be Read more about Scientists Figured Out Which Animals Were in a Zoo Just by Taking DNA From the Air[…]

Snap suing to trademark the word “spectacles” for its smart glasses that no one has ever used or knows much about

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Snap is suing the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for rejecting its application to trademark the word “spectacles” for its digital eyewear camera device. But the USPTO has maintained that “spectacles” is a generic term for smart glasses and that Snap’s version “has not acquired distinctiveness,” as required for a trademark. In its complaint Read more about Snap suing to trademark the word “spectacles” for its smart glasses that no one has ever used or knows much about[…]

EV startup Nikola (who showed video of car rolling down hill as being powered) settles with U.S. for $125 million

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Electric- and hydrogen-powered truck startup Nikola has agreed to a $125 million settlement over charges that it defrauded investors after misleading them about its products, technical advances and financial prospects. Nikola violated the antifraud and disclosure control provisions of the federal securities laws, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday. In July the founder and Read more about EV startup Nikola (who showed video of car rolling down hill as being powered) settles with U.S. for $125 million[…]

Amazon’s AWS logs third outage this month, affecting Slack, Epic Games Store, Asana and more

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Amazon’s crucial web services business AWS has experienced problems today due to a power outage, affecting services like Slack, Imgur, and the Epic Games store for some users. It’s not looking good if you’re working from home, with some Slack users unable to view or upload images and work management tool Asana also hit by Read more about Amazon’s AWS logs third outage this month, affecting Slack, Epic Games Store, Asana and more[…]

US returns $154 Million in bitcoins stolen by Sony employee

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] According to court documents, Ishii switched the transfer address for a Sony Life transaction to use a Silvergate Bank account under his control.. Ishii later converted the stolen funds into more than 3879 bitcoins via A Coinbase set up to automatically transfer all added funds to an offline cryptocurrency cold wallet with a Bitcoin Read more about US returns $154 Million in bitcoins stolen by Sony employee[…]

How NSO Group’s zero-click iPhone-Hacking Exploit Works

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] researchers managed to technically deconstruct just how one of the company’s notorious “zero-click” attacks work. Indeed, researchers with Google’s Project Zero published a detailed break-down that shows how an NSO exploit, dubbed “FORCEDENTRY,” can swiftly and silently take over a phone. […] Initial details about it were captured by Citizen Lab, a research unit Read more about How NSO Group’s zero-click iPhone-Hacking Exploit Works[…]

Tesla Is Selling 2021 Model 3s With Degraded Batteries From 2017

Posted on by Robin Edgar

When someone buys a new car, they generally expect to be getting a vehicle that’s fully up-to-date, not one built with leftover parts. Tesla customers who don’t read the fine print, though, could accidentally end up paying the price for a “new” Model 3 with a years-old battery, one which Tesla acknowledges may have already Read more about Tesla Is Selling 2021 Model 3s With Degraded Batteries From 2017[…]