Author: Robin Edgar

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

Australia: Unprecedented surveillance bill rushed through parliament in 24 hours.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Australian government has been moving towards a surveillance state for some years already. Now they are putting the nail in the coffin with an unprecedented surveillance bill that allows the police to hack your device, collect or delete your data, and take over your social media accounts; without sufficient safeguards to prevent abuse of Read more about Australia: Unprecedented surveillance bill rushed through parliament in 24 hours.[…]

T-Mobile hacker explains how he breached carrier’s security

Posted on by Robin Edgar

John Binns, a 21-year-old American who now lives in Turkey, told the Wall Street Journal that he was behind the T-Mobile security breach that affected more than 50 million people earlier this month. The intrigue: Binns said he broke through the T-Mobile defenses after discovering an unprotected router exposed on the internet, after scanning the Read more about T-Mobile hacker explains how he breached carrier’s security[…]

Your sense of smell may be the key to a balanced diet

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] according to a new study, the food you ate just before your walk past the bakery may impact your likelihood of stopping in for a sweet treat—and not just because you’re full. Scientists at Northwestern University found that people became less sensitive to food odors based on the meal they had eaten just before. Read more about Your sense of smell may be the key to a balanced diet[…]

Samsung Is the Latest SSD Manufacturer (Crucial, Western Digital) Caught Cheating Its Customers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In the past 11 days, both Crucial and Western Digital have been caught swapping the TLC NAND used for certain products with inferior QLC NAND without updating product SKUs or informing reviewers that this change was happening. Shipping one product to reviewers and a different product to consumers is unacceptable and we recently recommended that Read more about Samsung Is the Latest SSD Manufacturer (Crucial, Western Digital) Caught Cheating Its Customers[…]

After 18 Years, SCO’s IBM Litigation May Be Settled for $14.5 Million (is this the last SCO court case though? it won’t DIE!!!!)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Slashdot has confirmed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware that after 18 years of legal maneuvering, SCO’s bankruptcy case (first filed in 2007) is now “awaiting discharge.” Long-time Slashdot reader rkhalloran says they know the reason: Papers filed 26 Aug by IBM & SCOXQ in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware for Read more about After 18 Years, SCO’s IBM Litigation May Be Settled for $14.5 Million (is this the last SCO court case though? it won’t DIE!!!!)[…]

LED streetlights contribute to insect population declines

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Streetlights—particularly those that use white light-emitting diodes (LEDs)—not only disrupt insect behavior but are also a culprit behind their declining numbers, a new study carried out in southern England showed Wednesday. Artificial lights at night had been identified as a possible factor behind falling insect populations around the world, but the topic had been under-researched. Read more about LED streetlights contribute to insect population declines[…]

Glowworm Attack Captures Audio From Power LED Light Flickers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University have come up with a way to listen in on a speaker from afar by just monitoring the subtle changes in brightness of its power status LED. The Glowworm Attack, as the discovery is called, follows similar research from the university published in 2020 that found an electro-optical sensor paired with Read more about Glowworm Attack Captures Audio From Power LED Light Flickers[…]

Mirai-style IoT botnet is now scanning for router-pwning critical vuln in Realtek kit

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The remote code execution flaw, CVE-2021-35395, was seen in Mirai malware binaries by threat intel firm Radware, which “found that new malware binaries were published on both loaders leveraged in the campaign.” Warning that the vuln had been included in Dark.IoT’s botnet “less than a week” after it was publicly disclosed, Radware said: “This vulnerability Read more about Mirai-style IoT botnet is now scanning for router-pwning critical vuln in Realtek kit[…]

Another Neuro Study Proves Changing DOOH content Boosts Long Term Memory

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Leading Australian digital outdoor media company QMS, has unveiled its latest neuroscience study that demonstrates the relative impact of different Out of Home creative approaches and their overall effectiveness for brands. In partnership with Neuro-Insight, this research study captured real-life, continuous digital and static OOH panels over consecutive days, to accurately measure how the human Read more about Another Neuro Study Proves Changing DOOH content Boosts Long Term Memory[…]

Samsung Smart TVs Can Be Remotely Disabled

Posted on by Robin Edgar

QLED-loving thieves, beware: Samsung revealed on Tuesday that its TVs can be remotely disabled if the company finds out they’ve been stolen, so long as the sets in question are connected to the internet. Known as “Samsung TV Block,” the feature was first announced in a press release earlier this month after the company deployed Read more about Samsung Smart TVs Can Be Remotely Disabled[…]

Facebook used facial recognition without consent 200,000 times, says South Korea’s data watchdog. Netflix fined too and Google scolded.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Facebook, Netflix and Google have all received reprimands or fines, and an order to make corrective action, from South Korea’s government data protection watchdog, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC). The PIPC announced a privacy audit last year and has revealed that three companies – Facebook, Netflix and Google – were in violations of laws Read more about Facebook used facial recognition without consent 200,000 times, says South Korea’s data watchdog. Netflix fined too and Google scolded.[…]

OnlyFans Drops Planned Porn Ban, Will Allow Sexually Explicit Content after banks back down after shaming

Posted on by Robin Edgar

OnlyFans dropped plans to ban pornography from its service, less than a week after the U.K. content-creator subscription site had announced the change citing the need to comply with policies of banking partners. On Wednesday, the company said it “secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community,” suggesting that it has new agreements with Read more about OnlyFans Drops Planned Porn Ban, Will Allow Sexually Explicit Content after banks back down after shaming[…]

European Commission airs out new IoT device security draft law – interested parties have a week to weigh in

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Infosec pros and other technically minded folk have just under a week left to comment on EU plans to introduce new regulations obligating consumer IoT device makers to address online security issues, data protection, privacy and fraud prevention. Draft regulations applying to “internet-connected radio equipment and wearable radio equipment” are open for public comment until Read more about European Commission airs out new IoT device security draft law – interested parties have a week to weigh in[…]

A Misused Microsoft Tool Leaked Data from 47 Organizations

Posted on by Robin Edgar

New research shows that misconfigurations of a widely used web tool have led to the leaking of tens of millions of data records. Microsoft’s Power Apps, a popular development platform, allows organizations to quickly create web apps, replete with public facing websites and related backend data management. A lot of governments have used Power Apps Read more about A Misused Microsoft Tool Leaked Data from 47 Organizations[…]

OnlyFans CEO on why site is banning porn: ‘The short answer is banks’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

After facing criticism over the app’s recent decision to prohibit sexually explicit content starting in October, OnlyFans CEO Tim Stokely pointed the finger at banks for the policy change. In an interview with the Financial Times published Tuesday, Stokely singled out a handful of banks for “unfair” treatment, saying they made it “difficult to pay our creators.” Source: OnlyFans Read more about OnlyFans CEO on why site is banning porn: ‘The short answer is banks’[…]

Belarus Hackers Seek to Overthrow Government, release huge trove of sensitive data

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[…] The Belarusian Cyber Partisans, as the hackers call themselves, have in recent weeks released portions of a huge data trove they say includes some of the country’s most secret police and government databases. The information contains lists of alleged police informants, personal information about top government officials and spies, video footage gathered from police drones and detention centers Read more about Belarus Hackers Seek to Overthrow Government, release huge trove of sensitive data[…]

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3’s camera breaks after unlocking the bootloader

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Samsung already makes it extremely difficult to have root access without tripping the security flags, and now the Korean OEM has introduced yet another roadblock for aftermarket development. In its latest move, Samsung disables the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 after you unlock the bootloader. Knox is the security suite on Samsung Read more about Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3’s camera breaks after unlocking the bootloader[…]

Dust-sized supercapacitor packs the same voltage as a AAA battery

Posted on by Robin Edgar

By combining miniaturized electronics with some origami-inspired fabrication, scientists in Germany have developed what they say is the smallest microsupercapacitor in existence. Smaller than a speck of a dust but with a similar voltage to a AAA battery, the groundbreaking energy storage device is not only safe for use in the human body, but actually Read more about Dust-sized supercapacitor packs the same voltage as a AAA battery[…]

China puts continuous consent at the center of data protection law

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] The new “Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China” comes into effect on November 1st, 2021, and comprises eight chapters and 74 articles […] The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said, as translated from Mandarin using automated tools: On the basis of relevant laws, the law further refines and perfects the Read more about China puts continuous consent at the center of data protection law[…]

You Can Gain Admin Privileges to Any Windows Machine by Plugging in a Razer Mouse

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] When you plug in one of these Razer peripherals, Windows will automatically download Razer Synapse, the software that controls certain settings for your mouse or keyboard. Said Razer software has SYSTEM privileges, since it launches from a Windows process with SYSTEM privileges. But that’s not where the vulnerability comes into play. Once you install Read more about You Can Gain Admin Privileges to Any Windows Machine by Plugging in a Razer Mouse[…]

Exclusive: Hacker Selling Private Data Allegedly from 70 Million AT&T Customers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A well-known threat actor with a long list of previous breaches is selling private data that was allegedly collected from 70 million AT&T customers. We analyzed the data and found it to include social security numbers, date of birth, and other private information. The hacker is asking $1 million for the entire database (direct sell) Read more about Exclusive: Hacker Selling Private Data Allegedly from 70 Million AT&T Customers[…]

Sensitive Data On Afghan Allies Collected By The US Military Is Now In The Hands Of The Taliban

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The problem with harvesting reams of sensitive data is that it presents a very tempting target for malicious hackers, enemy governments, and other wrongdoers. That hasn’t prevented anyone from collecting and storing all of this data, secure only in the knowledge this security will ultimately be breached. […] The Taliban is getting everything we left Read more about Sensitive Data On Afghan Allies Collected By The US Military Is Now In The Hands Of The Taliban[…]

Epic lawsuit’s latest claims: Google slipped tons of cash to game devs, Android makers to cement Play store dominance

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Epic Games’ objections to Google’s business practices became clearer on Thursday with the release of previously redacted accusations in the gaming giant’s lawsuit against the internet goliath. Those accusations included details of a Google-run operation dubbed Project Hug that aimed to sling hundreds of millions of dollars at developers to get them to remain within Read more about Epic lawsuit’s latest claims: Google slipped tons of cash to game devs, Android makers to cement Play store dominance[…]

Distributed Denial of Secrets – the new wikileaks

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Distributed Denial of Secrets is a journalist 501(c)(3) non-profit devoted to enabling the free transmission of data in the public interest. We aim to avoid political, corporate or personal leanings, to act as a beacon of available information. As a transparency collective, we don’t support any cause, idea or message beyond ensuring that information is Read more about Distributed Denial of Secrets – the new wikileaks[…]

Online product displays can shape your buying behavior

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] display items that come from the same category as the target product, such as a board game matched with other board games, enhance the chances of a target product’s purchase. In contrast, consumers are less likely to buy the target product if it is mismatched with products from different categories, for example, a board Read more about Online product displays can shape your buying behavior[…]