The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Emmanuel Macron Q&A: France’s President Discusses Artificial Intelligence Strategy

Posted on by Robin Edgar

On Thursday, Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, gave a speech laying out a new national strategy for artificial intelligence in his country. The French government will spend €1.5 billion ($1.85 billion) over five years to support research in the field, encourage startups, and collect data that can be used, and shared, by engineers. The Read more about Emmanuel Macron Q&A: France’s President Discusses Artificial Intelligence Strategy[…]

Card Data Stolen From 5 Million Saks and Lord & Taylor Customers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Saks has been hacked — adding to the already formidable challenges faced by the luxury retailer. A well-known ring of cybercriminals has obtained more than five million credit and debit card numbers from customers of Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor, according to a cybersecurity research firm that specializes in tracking stolen financial data. Read more about Card Data Stolen From 5 Million Saks and Lord & Taylor Customers[…]

You can now use your Netflix subscription anywhere in the EU

Posted on by Robin Edgar

‘This content is not available in your country’ – a damn annoying message, especially when you’re paying for it. But a new EU regulation means you can now access Netflix, Amazon Prime and other services from any country in Europe, marking an end to boring evenings in hotels watching BBC World News. The European Commission’s Read more about You can now use your Netflix subscription anywhere in the EU[…]

Chrome Is Scanning Files on Your Computer, and People Are Freaking Out

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The browser you likely use to read this article scans practically all files on your Windows computer. And you probably had no idea until you read this. Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Last year, Google announced some upgrades to Chrome, by far the world’s most used browser—and the one security pros often recommend. Read more about Chrome Is Scanning Files on Your Computer, and People Are Freaking Out[…]

Grindr: Yeah, we shared your HIV status info with other companies – but we didn’t charge them! (oh and your GPS coords)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Hookup fixer Grindr is on the defensive after it shared sensitive information, including HIV status and physical location, of its app’s users with outside organizations. The quickie booking facilitator on Monday admitted it passed, via HTTPS, people’s public profiles to third-party analytics companies to process on its behalf. That means, yes, the information was handed Read more about Grindr: Yeah, we shared your HIV status info with other companies – but we didn’t charge them! (oh and your GPS coords)[…]

‘Being cash-free puts us at risk of attack’: Swedes turn against cashlessness

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Most consumers already say they manage without cash altogether, while shops and cafes increasingly refuse to accept notes and coins because of the costs and risk involved. Until recently, however, it has been hard for critics to find a hearing. “The Swedish government is a rather nice one, we have been lucky enough to have Read more about ‘Being cash-free puts us at risk of attack’: Swedes turn against cashlessness[…]

Rise in Ransomware Attacks Actually Led to Fewer Exposed Records, IBM Discovers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

It seems as if last year’s data breaches were characterized by increased regularity, yet somehow, according to the latest research from IBM Security, fewer records were actually exposed. The year saw a 25 percent dip in exposed records—2.5 billion down from 4 billion the previous year—according to IBM’s latest X-Force report. The cause: Cybercriminals have Read more about Rise in Ransomware Attacks Actually Led to Fewer Exposed Records, IBM Discovers[…]

Is there alien life out there? Let’s turn to AI, problem solver du jour

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A team of astroboffins have built artificial neural networks that estimate the probability of exoplanets harboring alien life. The research was presented during a talk on Wednesday at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science in Liverpool, United Kingdom. The neural network works by classifying planets into five different conditions: the present-day Earth, the Read more about Is there alien life out there? Let’s turn to AI, problem solver du jour[…]

EU businesses take 175 days to detect breaches vs global averge of 101 days

Posted on by Robin Edgar

European organisations are taking longer to detect breaches than their counterparts in North America, according to a study by FireEye. Organisations in EMEA are taking almost six months (175 days) to detect an intruder in their networks, which is rather more than the 102 days that the firm found when asking the same questions last Read more about EU businesses take 175 days to detect breaches vs global averge of 101 days[…]

1.5 BEEELLION sensitive files found exposed online dwarf Panama Papers leak

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Security researchers have uncovered 1.5 billion business and consumer files exposed online – just a month before Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation comes into force. During the first three months of 2018, threat intel firm Digital Shadows detected 1,550,447,111 publicly available files across open Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) buckets, rsync, Server Message Block (SMB), Read more about 1.5 BEEELLION sensitive files found exposed online dwarf Panama Papers leak[…]

Most of 2.2 billion Facebook users had their data scraped by externals – because it was easy to do

Posted on by Robin Edgar

At this point, the social media company is just going for broke, telling the public it should just assume that “most” of the 2.2 billion Facebook users have probably had their public data scraped by “malicious actors.” […] Meanwhile, reports have focused on a variety of issues that have popped up in just the last Read more about Most of 2.2 billion Facebook users had their data scraped by externals – because it was easy to do[…]

Hacker Uses Exploit to Generate Verge Cryptocurrency out of Thin Abir

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An unknown attacker has exploited a bug in the Verge cryptocurrency network code to mine Verge coins at a very rapid pace and generate funds almost out of thin air. The Verge development team is preparing a hard-fork of the entire cryptocurrency code to fix the issue and revert the blockchain to a previous state Read more about Hacker Uses Exploit to Generate Verge Cryptocurrency out of Thin Abir[…]

Secret Service Warns of Chip Card Scheme: replacing the chip and then draining after activation

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The U.S. Secret Service is warning financial institutions about a new scam involving the temporary theft of chip-based debit cards issued to large corporations. In this scheme, the fraudsters intercept new debit cards in the mail and replace the chips on the cards with chips from old cards. When the unsuspecting business receives and activates Read more about Secret Service Warns of Chip Card Scheme: replacing the chip and then draining after activation[…]

DronesForLess leaks customer purchasing data

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The DronesForLess.co.uk site was left wide open by its operators, who failed to protect critical parts of its web infrastructure from curious people, as spotted by Alan at secret-bases.co.uk, who told The Register. We discovered more than 10,000 online purchase receipts had been saved to its web servers without any encryption or even password protection Read more about DronesForLess leaks customer purchasing data[…]

Researchers develop device that can ‘hear’ your internal voice

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers have created a wearable device that can read people’s minds when they use an internal voice, allowing them to control devices and ask queries without speaking. The device, called AlterEgo, can transcribe words that wearers verbalise internally but do not say out loud, using electrodes attached to the skin. “Our idea was: could we Read more about Researchers develop device that can ‘hear’ your internal voice[…]

Delta, Best Buy, and Sears Customers May Have Had Personal Info Stolen in Hack of [24]7.ai chat system

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Hundreds of thousands of online shoppers may have had their name, address, and credit information stolen by hackers thanks to a security issue with the online customer service software from [24]7.ai. Customers that shopped online at Delta, Sears, Kmart, and Best Buy could have been affected thanks to malware that was infecting [24]7.ai’s online chat Read more about Delta, Best Buy, and Sears Customers May Have Had Personal Info Stolen in Hack of [24]7.ai chat system[…]

Cambridge Analytica whistleblower: Facebook data could have come from more than 87 million users

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie says the data the firm gathered from Facebook could have come from more than 87 million users and could be stored in Russia. The number of Facebook users whose personal information was accessed by Cambridge Analytica “could be higher, absolutely,” than the 87 million users acknowledged by Facebook, Wylie told Read more about Cambridge Analytica whistleblower: Facebook data could have come from more than 87 million users[…]

Sodexo Filmology attacked, kills service, tells users: good luck!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Sodexo Filmology said it had informed the Information Commissioner’s Office and a specialist forensic investigation team. “We would advise all employees who have used the site between 19th March-3rd April to cancel their payment cards and check their payment card statements,” it said. “These incidents have been caused by a targeted attack on the system Read more about Sodexo Filmology attacked, kills service, tells users: good luck![…]

India: Yeah, we would like to 3D-print igloos on the Moon

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to build igloos on the Moon with a view to creating an Antarctica-like outpost. Dr Jitendra Singh of the Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space gave the response to a question (PDF) asked in the Indian Parliament by Shri Suman Balka last week, a member Read more about India: Yeah, we would like to 3D-print igloos on the Moon[…]

Yes, Cops Are Now Opening iPhones With Dead People’s Fingerprints

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Separate sources close to local and federal police investigations in New York and Ohio, who asked to remain anonymous as they weren’t authorized to speak on record, said it was now relatively common for fingerprints of the deceased to be depressed on the scanner of Apple iPhones, devices which have been wrapped up in increasingly Read more about Yes, Cops Are Now Opening iPhones With Dead People’s Fingerprints[…]

Great, Now Delta airlines Is Normalizing Casual Fingerprinting

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Delta Airlines announced Monday that it’s rolling out biometric entry at its line of airport lounges. With the press of two fingers, Delta members will be able to enter any of Delta’s 50 exclusive lounges for drinks, comfortably unaware of the encroaching dystopian biometric surveillance structure closing around travel. Thanks to a partnership with Clear, Read more about Great, Now Delta airlines Is Normalizing Casual Fingerprinting[…]

IOS QR ‘bug’ isn’t a bug: trend in pointing out things working as intended as a security advisory continues

Posted on by Robin Edgar

So: Oddly enough, if you make a QR code that tells you to go somewhere, the camera will take you to where the QR code tells you to go, even if you tell someone that the QR code goes someplace else. This trend of ‘reporting’ security problems that are not security problems at all is Read more about IOS QR ‘bug’ isn’t a bug: trend in pointing out things working as intended as a security advisory continues[…]

Here’s What Protects Shipwrecks From Looters and Hacks

Posted on by Robin Edgar

On May 25, 1798, the HMS DeBraak was entering Delaware Bay when a squall struck without warning. The British ship that originally belonged to the Dutch capsized and sank, taking 34 sailors and a dozen Spanish prisoners down with it. Rumored to contain a hoard of gold and jewelry, the DeBraak became a popular target Read more about Here’s What Protects Shipwrecks From Looters and Hacks[…]

Facebook Acknowledges It Has Been Keeping Records of Android Users’ Calls, Texts

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Last week, a user found that Facebook had a record of the date, time, duration, and recipient of calls he had made from the past few years. A couple days later, Ars Technica published an account of several others — all Android users — who found similar records. Now, Slate Magazine is reporting that Facebook Read more about Facebook Acknowledges It Has Been Keeping Records of Android Users’ Calls, Texts[…]

New Slack Tool Lets Your Boss Potentially Access Far More of Your Data Than Before, without notification

Posted on by Robin Edgar

According to Slack’s new guidelines, however, Compliance Exports will be replaced by “a self-service export tool” on April 20th. Previously, an employer had to request a data dump of all communications to get access to private channels and direct messages. This new tool should streamline things so they can archive all your shit-talk and time-wasting Read more about New Slack Tool Lets Your Boss Potentially Access Far More of Your Data Than Before, without notification[…]