Month: November 2019

Fresh efforts at Google to understand why an AI system says yes or no launches Explainable AI product

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google has announced a new Explainable AI feature for its cloud platform, which provides more information about the features that cause an AI prediction to come up with its results. Artificial neural networks, which are used by many of today’s machine learning and AI systems, are modelled to some extent on biological brains. One of Read more about Fresh efforts at Google to understand why an AI system says yes or no launches Explainable AI product[…]

Internet Society CEO: Most people don’t care about the .org sell-off. Grabbing money at the expense of non-profits is fine by everyone we didn’t consult or listen to their opinion.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

El Reg has quizzed Andrew Sullivan, the president and CEO of the Internet Society (ISOC), about his organistion’s decision to sell the non-profit .org registry to private equity outfit Ethos Capital. We have previously covered the controversy over the proposed sale, the continued failure of ISOC and DNS overseer ICANN to answer detailed questions, and Read more about Internet Society CEO: Most people don’t care about the .org sell-off. Grabbing money at the expense of non-profits is fine by everyone we didn’t consult or listen to their opinion.[…]

MarioNETte: with only a few pictures a human behind a webcam can “drive” the picture to copy facial expressions realistically

Posted on by Robin Edgar

When there is a mismatch between the target identity and the driver identity, face reenactment suffers severe degradation in the quality of the result, especially in a few-shot setting. The identity preservation problem, where the model loses the detailed information of the target leading to a defective output, is the most common failure mode. The Read more about MarioNETte: with only a few pictures a human behind a webcam can “drive” the picture to copy facial expressions realistically[…]

Bose customers beg for firmware ceasefire after headphones fall victim to another crap update which kills noise cancelling

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Owners of Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones are still trying to get the company to either fix or roll back a firmware update that removed noise-cancelling functions from their over-ear gear. The problems date back to July and some owners seem to have managed to get Bose to exchange their cans for the company’s shiny new Read more about Bose customers beg for firmware ceasefire after headphones fall victim to another crap update which kills noise cancelling[…]

Princesses make terrible passwords – quite possible Disney+ hacks related to this being your password.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

If you used the same password for an account that was previously breached as you did for your Disney+ password, a bad actor could gain access. Furthermore, hackers with stolen datasets at their fingertips could easily filter on key terms to find the Disney fans. Just look how many times the 12 Disney princesses showed Read more about Princesses make terrible passwords – quite possible Disney+ hacks related to this being your password.[…]

Job loss predictions over rising minimum wages haven’t come true – Axios

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Eighteen states rang in 2019 with minimum wage increases — some that will ultimately rise as high as $15 an hour — and so far, opponents’ dire predictions of job losses have not come true. What it means: The data paint a clear picture: Higher minimum wage requirements haven’t reduced hiring in low-wage industries or overall. Read more about Job loss predictions over rising minimum wages haven’t come true – Axios[…]

We are absolutely, definitively, completely and utterly out of IPv4 addresses, warns RIPE

Posted on by Robin Edgar

It happened four years ago. And again two years ago. And last year. But this time, on November 25, 2019, we have finally, finally, finally run out of IPv4 addresses. That’s according to RIPE, Europe’s regional internet registry, which announced on Monday “we made our final /22 IPv4 allocation from the last remaining addresses in Read more about We are absolutely, definitively, completely and utterly out of IPv4 addresses, warns RIPE[…]

Elon Musk Explains Why Tesla’s Cybertruck Windows Smashed During Presentation

Posted on by Robin Edgar

When Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Cybertruck last week, things didn’t go according to plan when lead designer Franz von Holzhausen tested the durability of the Cybertruck’s “armor glass.” He managed to smash two of the vehicle’s windows onstage with a metal ball, soon after smacking the door with a sledgehammer (unlike the glass, it Read more about Elon Musk Explains Why Tesla’s Cybertruck Windows Smashed During Presentation[…]

.org being sold off to richest people in world and ex-ceo in massive moneygrab, harming non-profits in the process.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

This past weekend, the board of the organization that is selling the rights to .org, and which will likely make $1bn or more from the sale, the Internet Society, met. On both the Saturday and Sunday, the proposed sale was a key topic of conversation. It has just to provide any details on what was Read more about .org being sold off to richest people in world and ex-ceo in massive moneygrab, harming non-profits in the process.[…]

NextCry Ransomware Targets NextCloud Linux Servers and Remains Undetected Features

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The ransom note that NextCry victims receive reads ““READ_FOR_DECRYPT”, and demands 0.025 BTC for a victim’s files to be unlocked. One NextCloud user, xact64, shared his experience with the malware on a Bleeping Computer forum in an effort to find a way to decrypt personal files which had been instantaneously locked in a NextCry attack: Read more about NextCry Ransomware Targets NextCloud Linux Servers and Remains Undetected Features[…]

Bad news: ‘Unblockable’ web trackers emerge. Good news: Firefox with uBlock Origin can stop it. Chrome, not so much

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Developers working on open-source ad-blocker uBlock Origin have uncovered a mechanism for tracking web browsers around the internet that defies today’s blocking techniques. A method to block this so-called unblockable tracker has been developed by the team, though it only works in Firefox, leaving Chrome and possibly other browsers susceptible. This fix is now available Read more about Bad news: ‘Unblockable’ web trackers emerge. Good news: Firefox with uBlock Origin can stop it. Chrome, not so much[…]

Extraterrestrial ribose and other sugars found in primitive meteorites

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Ribose is an essential sugar for present life as a building block of RNA, which could have both stored information and catalyzed reactions in primitive life on Earth. Meteorites contain a number of organic compounds including components of proteins and nucleic acids. Among the constituent molecular classes of proteins and nucleic acids (i.e., amino acids, Read more about Extraterrestrial ribose and other sugars found in primitive meteorites[…]

1.2 Billion Records Found Exposed Online in a Single Server, contain social media profiles

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In October, dark web researcher Vinny Troia found one such trove sitting exposed and easily accessible on an unsecured server, comprising 4 terabytes of personal information—about 1.2 billion records in all. While the collection is impressive for its sheer volume, the data doesn’t include sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, or Social Security numbers. Read more about 1.2 Billion Records Found Exposed Online in a Single Server, contain social media profiles[…]

Sacha Baron Cohen gave the greatest speech on why social networks need to be kept in check, biggest propaganda machines in history

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Cohen gave the speech yesterday, at an awards gala for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), where he was the recipient of ADL’s International Leadership Award. While accepting his award, Cohen touched on the role companies like Facebook, Google, and Twitter have played in spreading lies and hate speech online, calling the sites “the greatest propaganda machine Read more about Sacha Baron Cohen gave the greatest speech on why social networks need to be kept in check, biggest propaganda machines in history[…]

Monero Wallet downloads compromised for 35 minutes

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Some users noticed the hash of the binaries they downloaded did not match the expected one: https://github.com/monero-project/monero/issues/6151 It appears the box has been indeed compromised and different CLI binaries served for 35 minutes. Downloads are now served from a safe fallback source. Always check the integrity of the binaries you download! If you downloaded binaries Read more about Monero Wallet downloads compromised for 35 minutes[…]

Police can keep Amazon Ring camera video forever, and share with whomever they’d like, company tells senator

Posted on by Robin Edgar

More than 600 police forces across the country have entered into partnerships with the camera giant allowing them to quickly request and download video captured by Ring’s motion-detecting, internet-connected cameras inside and around Americans’ homes. The company says the videos can be a critical tool in helping law enforcement investigate crimes such as trespassing, burglary Read more about Police can keep Amazon Ring camera video forever, and share with whomever they’d like, company tells senator[…]

Why tech companies need to hire philosophers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

I have spent the better half of the last two years trying to convince companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, DeepMind, and OpenAI that they need to hire philosophers. My colleagues and I—a small collective of academics that make up a program called Transformations of the Human at the Los Angeles-based think tank called the Berggruen Read more about Why tech companies need to hire philosophers[…]

Android Users: Check Now to See If a Rogue App Can Control Your Phone’s Camera

Posted on by Robin Edgar

According to an investigation by Checkmarx security researchers, some Android devices may have an unpatched security flaw that an app could use to record you without your knowledge using your device’s camera and mic. No attacks that exploit the bug have been reported so far, thankfully. Still, the Checkmarx researchers were able to successfully create Read more about Android Users: Check Now to See If a Rogue App Can Control Your Phone’s Camera[…]

Shopped online at Macy’s last month? Might want to toss, or at least check, that card

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A notice (PDF) posted by the long-operating department store chain said that, between October 7 and October 15 of this year, a Magecart script was running on the checkout page of its retail website. The script was able to capture payment card details in two different ways: as it was being entered through the checkout Read more about Shopped online at Macy’s last month? Might want to toss, or at least check, that card[…]

Half of Oracle E-Business customers open to months-old bank fraud flaw

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Security company Onapsis estimates that roughly half of all companies using the Oracle EBS software have not yet patched CVE-2019-2648 and CVE-2019-2633, despite Big Red having pushed out fixes for both bugs back in April. The two vulnerabilities are found in the Thin Client Framework API and are described as reflected SQL injections. An attacker Read more about Half of Oracle E-Business customers open to months-old bank fraud flaw[…]

Elon Musk’s Starlink Satellites Are Already Causing a Headache for Astronomers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Astronomers at a Chilean observatory were rudely interrupted earlier this week when a SpaceX satellite train consisting of 60 Starlink satellites drifted overhead, in what scientists are apparently going to have to accept as the new normal. Launched into orbit on November 11, the Starlink smallsat train took five minutes to pass over the Cerro Read more about Elon Musk’s Starlink Satellites Are Already Causing a Headache for Astronomers[…]

SpaceX Starship Mk1 explodes during cryogenic loading test

Posted on by Robin Edgar

SpaceX’s first full-scale Starship prototype – Mk1 – has experienced a failure at its Boca Chica test site in southern Texas. The failure occurred late in the afternoon on Wednesday, midway through a test of the vehicle’s propellant tanks. As of a few weeks ago, the Mk1 Starship – which was shown off to the Read more about SpaceX Starship Mk1 explodes during cryogenic loading test[…]

Windows will go DNS over HTTPS – Take over your DNS queries, grab more of your browsing behaviour

Posted on by Robin Edgar

we are making plans to adopt DNS over HTTPS (or DoH) in the Windows DNS client. As a platform, Windows Core Networking seeks to enable users to use whatever protocols they need, so we’re open to having other options such as DNS over TLS (DoT) in the future. For now, we’re prioritizing DoH support as Read more about Windows will go DNS over HTTPS – Take over your DNS queries, grab more of your browsing behaviour[…]

Cayman Bank Targeted By Phineas Fisher Confirms it Was Hacked – 2 TB of data can be searched through now, find the money launderers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

On Sunday, Motherboard reported that the hacker or hackers known as Phineas Fisher targeted a bank, stole money and documents, and is offering other hackers $100,000 to carry out politically motivated hacks. Now, the bank Phineas Fisher targeted, Cayman National Bank from the Isle of Man, confirmed it has suffered a data breach. “It is Read more about Cayman Bank Targeted By Phineas Fisher Confirms it Was Hacked – 2 TB of data can be searched through now, find the money launderers[…]

‘Royalty-Free’ Music Supplied By YouTube Audio Library Results in Mass Copyright claims to all YouTube income by Sony – for using a sample from a 1956(!!!!) song

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A YouTuber who used a royalty-free track supplied by YouTube itself has had all of his videos copyright claimed by companies including SonyATV and Warner Chappell. According to the music outfits, Matt Lownes’ use the use of the track ‘Dreams’ by Joakim Karud means that they are now entitled to all of his revenue. […] Read more about ‘Royalty-Free’ Music Supplied By YouTube Audio Library Results in Mass Copyright claims to all YouTube income by Sony – for using a sample from a 1956(!!!!) song[…]