Month: April 2018

Wylie: It’s possible that the Facebook app is listening to you

Posted on by Robin Edgar

During an appearance before a committee of U.K. lawmakers today, Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie breathed new life into longstanding rumors that the Facebook app listens to its users in order to target advertisements.Damian Collins, a member of parliament who chaired the committee, asked whether the Facebook app might listen to what users are discussing Read more about Wylie: It’s possible that the Facebook app is listening to you[…]

Dutch government pretends to think about referendum result against big brother unlimited surveillance, ignores it completely.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Basically not only will they allow a huge amount of different agencies to tap your internet and phone and store it without any judicary procedures, checks or balances, they will also allow these agencies to share the data with whoever they want, including foreign agencies. Surprisingly the Dutch people voted against these far reaching breaches Read more about Dutch government pretends to think about referendum result against big brother unlimited surveillance, ignores it completely.[…]

Trustwave Global IT Security Report Summarised

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Hackers have moved away from simple point-of-sale (POS) terminal attacks to more refined assaults on corporations’ head offices. An annual report from security firm Trustwave out today highlighted increased sophistication of web app hacking and social engineering tactics on the part of miscreants. Half of the incidents investigated involved corporate and internal networks (up from Read more about Trustwave Global IT Security Report Summarised[…]

Facebook Blames a ‘Bug’ for Not Deleting Your Seemingly Deleted Videos

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Did you ever record a video on Facebook to post directly to your friend’s wall, only to discard the take and film a new version? You may have thought those embarrassing draft versions were deleted, but Facebook kept a copy. The company is blaming it on a “bug” and swears that it’s going to delete Read more about Facebook Blames a ‘Bug’ for Not Deleting Your Seemingly Deleted Videos[…]

T-Mobile Austria stores passwords as plain text

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A customer was questioning if rumors that T-Mobile Austria was storing customer passwords in plain text, leaving the credentials like sitting ducks for hackers. Whoever was manning T-Mobile Austria’s Twitter account confirmed that this was the case, but that there was no need to worry because “our security is amazingly good.” Hello Claudia! The customer Read more about T-Mobile Austria stores passwords as plain text[…]

‘Big Brother’ in India Requires Fingerprint Scans for Food, Phones and Finances

Posted on by Robin Edgar

NEW DELHI — Seeking to build an identification system of unprecedented scope, India is scanning the fingerprints, eyes and faces of its 1.3 billion residents and connecting the data to everything from welfare benefits to mobile phones. Civil libertarians are horrified, viewing the program, called Aadhaar, as Orwell’s Big Brother brought to life. To the Read more about ‘Big Brother’ in India Requires Fingerprint Scans for Food, Phones and Finances[…]

NUC, NUC! Who’s there? Intel, warning you to kill a buggy keyboard app

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Intel has made much of its NUC and Compute Stick mini-PCs as a way to place computers to out-of-the-way places like digital signage. Such locations aren’t the kind of spots where keyboards and pointing devices can be found, so Intel sweetened the deal by giving the world an Android and iOS app called the “Intel Read more about NUC, NUC! Who’s there? Intel, warning you to kill a buggy keyboard app[…]

Center Of The Milky Way Has Thousands Of Black Holes, Study Shows

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The supermassive black hole lurking at the center of our galaxy appears to have a lot of company, according to a new study that suggests the monster is surrounded by about 10,000 other black holes. For decades, scientists have thought that black holes should sink to the center of galaxies and accumulate there, says Chuck Read more about Center Of The Milky Way Has Thousands Of Black Holes, Study Shows[…]

Berkeley Lab Scientists Print All-Liquid 3-D Structures

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Scientists from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a way to print 3-D structures composed entirely of liquids. Using a modified 3-D printer, they injected threads of water into silicone oil — sculpting tubes made of one liquid within another liquid. They envision their all-liquid material could be used Read more about Berkeley Lab Scientists Print All-Liquid 3-D Structures[…]

Jaywalkers under surveillance in Shenzhen soon to be punished via text messages

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Intellifusion, a Shenzhen-based AI firm that provides technology to the city’s police to display the faces of jaywalkers on large LED screens at intersections, is now talking with local mobile phone carriers and social media platforms such as WeChat and Sina Weibo to develop a system where offenders will receive personal text messages as soon Read more about Jaywalkers under surveillance in Shenzhen soon to be punished via text messages[…]

AI Imagines Nude Paintings as Terrifying Pools of Melting Flesh

Posted on by Robin Edgar

When Robbie Barrat trained an AI to study and reproduce classical nude paintings, he expected something at least recognizable. What the AI produced instead was unfamiliar and unsettling, but still intriguing. The “paintings” look like flesh-like ice cream, spilling into pools that only vaguely recall a woman’s body. Barrat told Gizmodo these meaty blobs, disturbing Read more about AI Imagines Nude Paintings as Terrifying Pools of Melting Flesh[…]

Any social media accounts to declare? US wants travelers to tell

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The US Department of State wants to ask visa applicants to provide details on the social media accounts they’ve used in the past five years, as well as telephone numbers, email addresses, and international travel during this period. The plan, if approved by the Office of Management and Budget, will expand the vetting regime applied Read more about Any social media accounts to declare? US wants travelers to tell[…]

AI predicts your lifespan using activity tracking apps

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers can estimate your expected lifespan based on physiological traits like your genes or your circulating blood factor, but that’s not very practical on a grand scale. There may be a shortcut, however: the devices you already have on your body. Russian scientists have crafted an AI-based algorithm that uses the activity tracking from smartphones Read more about AI predicts your lifespan using activity tracking apps[…]

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[…]