Day: July 16, 2020

Secret Trump order gives CIA more powers to launch cyberattacks with less oversight

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Central Intelligence Agency has conducted a series of covert cyber operations against Iran and other targets since winning a secret victory in 2018 when President Trump signed what amounts to a sweeping authorization for such activities, according to former U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the matter. The secret authorization, known as a presidential Read more about Secret Trump order gives CIA more powers to launch cyberattacks with less oversight[…]

Zoom fixed a vanity URL issue that could have led to phishing attacks

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Zoom says it has fixed a security issue that would have let hackers manipulate organizations’ custom URLs for the service and send legitimate-seeming meeting invitations. If a victim accepted the invitation and attended the meeting, the phony caller may have been able to inject malware into their device or carry out a phishing attack. Hackers Read more about Zoom fixed a vanity URL issue that could have led to phishing attacks[…]

Twitter says hack of key staff led to celebrity, politician, biz account hijack mega-spree

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Twitter has offered its initial analysis of the Wednesday mass hijacking of prominent twits’ accounts – and suggested it all kicked off after its staff fell for social engineering. Judging from leaked screenshots of Twitter’s internal systems circulating online and seen by El Reg, it appears one or more miscreants were able to gain direct Read more about Twitter says hack of key staff led to celebrity, politician, biz account hijack mega-spree[…]

Company that contributes majority of LibreOffice code complains ecosystem is ‘beyond utterly broken’ – no financial model for FOSS

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The companies that do most to develop and evolve the LibreOffice productivity suite, both for desktop and cloud, say the project’s business model is “beyond utterly broken” and that The Document Foundation (TDF), the charity that hosts the project, has to change its approach. The matter is a subject of intense debate within the board Read more about Company that contributes majority of LibreOffice code complains ecosystem is ‘beyond utterly broken’ – no financial model for FOSS[…]

E.U. Court Invalidates Data-Sharing Agreement With U.S.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The European Union’s top court ruled Thursday that an agreement that allows big tech companies to transfer data to the United States is invalid, and that national regulators need to take tougher action to protect the privacy of users’ data. The ruling does not mean an immediate halt to all data transfers outside the EU, Read more about E.U. Court Invalidates Data-Sharing Agreement With U.S.[…]

Big tech’s reckoning starts with an antitrust committee

Posted on by Robin Edgar

On July 27th, the CEOs of Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Google — the “GAFA” companies — will testify in front of the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee. Getting those four people into the same room — even virtually — on the same day is something of a feat and it speaks to how seriously these companies Read more about Big tech’s reckoning starts with an antitrust committee[…]