Month: April 2021

Man sues Apple for terminating Apple ID with $24K worth of content and no reason

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple has been hit with a lawsuit alleging that its media services terms and conditions, which permit the company to terminate an Apple ID, are “unlawful” and “unconscionable.” The complaint, filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, goes after an Apple services clause that states a user with Read more about Man sues Apple for terminating Apple ID with $24K worth of content and no reason[…]

Deere John: Researcher Warns Ag Giant’s Site Provides a Map to Customers, Equipment

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Web sites for customers of agricultural equipment maker John Deere contained vulnerabilities that could have allowed a remote attacker to harvest sensitive information on the company’s customers including their names, physical addresses and information on the Deere equipment they own and operate. The researcher known as “Sick Codes” (@sickcodes) published two advisories on Thursday warning Read more about Deere John: Researcher Warns Ag Giant’s Site Provides a Map to Customers, Equipment[…]

CEO of Turkish Crypto Platform Thodex Flees Country as Users Say They’re Locked Out

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Federal police in Turkey are investigating Thodex, a cryptocurrency trading platform that handles hundred of millions of dollars in trades every day, after users complained they’d been locked out of their accounts, according to new reports from Reuters and Turkey’s TRT World news service. CEO Faruk Fatih Ozer reportedly fled Turkey on Tuesday and 62 Read more about CEO of Turkish Crypto Platform Thodex Flees Country as Users Say They’re Locked Out[…]

Apple AirDrop Security Flaw Exposes iPhone Numbers, Emails: Researchers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple’s AirDrop feature is a convenient way to share files between the company’s devices, but security researchers from Technische Universitat Darmstadt in Germany are warning that you might be sharing way more than just a file. According to the researchers, it’s possible for strangers to discover the phone number and email of any nearby AirDrop Read more about Apple AirDrop Security Flaw Exposes iPhone Numbers, Emails: Researchers[…]

Jaguar Land Rover to suspend output due to chip shortage

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is shutting its two main car factories temporarily due to a shortage of computer chips. The difficulties at Britain’s biggest carmaker echo similar problems at other manufacturers, including Ford, who have been hit by a global shortage of chips. JLR said there would be a “limited period” of closure at its Read more about Jaguar Land Rover to suspend output due to chip shortage[…]

Passwordstate password manager Hacked, Exposing Users’ Passwords for 28 Hours with automatic update

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Passwordstate, the enterprise password manager offered by Australian software developer Click Studios, was hacked earlier this week, exposing the passwords of an undisclosed number of its clients for approximately 28 hours. The hack was carried out through an upgrade feature for the password manager and potentially harvested the passwords of those who carried out upgrades. Read more about Passwordstate password manager Hacked, Exposing Users’ Passwords for 28 Hours with automatic update[…]

These Are Ingenuity’s First Color In-Flight Photos of Mars

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In recent days, NASA published three aerial photos taken by Ingenuity. These aren’t the first photos taken by the rover. It has previously sent back images of its shadows taken with its downward-facing navigation camera. And let’s not forget its watchful and proud surrogate parent, the Perseverance rover, which snaps magnificent photos of the helicopter Read more about These Are Ingenuity’s First Color In-Flight Photos of Mars[…]

A Hacker Got All My Texts for $16 – SMS forwarding is a real problem for 2fa

Posted on by Robin Edgar

I didn’t expect it to be that quick. While I was on a Google Hangouts call with a colleague, the hacker sent me screenshots of my Bumble and Postmates accounts, which he had broken into. Then he showed he had received texts that were meant for me that he had intercepted. Later he took over Read more about A Hacker Got All My Texts for $16 – SMS forwarding is a real problem for 2fa[…]

Internet Privacy in the Age of Surveillance – China, Russia, Nork vs USA + GB

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Pew Research Center reports that “91% of adults agree or strongly agree that consumers have lost control of how personal information is collected.” That incredibly-high statistic must describe victims under authoritarian governments like China, Russia, or North Korea, right? Wrong. That study was about US citizens. You know, the land of the free. 91% That’s Read more about Internet Privacy in the Age of Surveillance – China, Russia, Nork vs USA + GB[…]

EU draft AI regulation is leaked. Deostn’ define what AI is, but what risk is and how to handle it.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

the draft “Regulation On A European Approach For Artificial Intelligence” leaked earlier this week, it made quite the splash – and not just because it’s the size of a novella. It goes to town on AI just as fiercely as GDPR did on data, proposing chains of responsibility, defining “high risk AI” that gets the Read more about EU draft AI regulation is leaked. Deostn’ define what AI is, but what risk is and how to handle it.[…]

Nasa successfully flies small helicopter on Mars – first powered flight on another planet

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The drone, called Ingenuity, was airborne for less than a minute, but Nasa is celebrating what represents the first powered, controlled flight by an aircraft on another world. Confirmation came via a satellite at Mars which relayed the chopper’s data back to Earth. The space agency is promising more adventurous flights in the days ahead. Read more about Nasa successfully flies small helicopter on Mars – first powered flight on another planet[…]

US investigates code testing hack that could affect thousands of companies

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] A recent breach has prompted fears of another SolarWinds-style hack that could have ramifications for numerous large companies. Reuters reports that federal officials are investigating a hack at Codecov, a code testing firm with 29,000 customers that include Proctor & Gamble, the Washington Post and tech companies like Atlassian and GoDaddy. The intrusion appears Read more about US investigates code testing hack that could affect thousands of companies[…]

OneWeb, SpaceX satellites dodged a potential collision in orbit

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Two satellites from the fast-growing constellations of OneWeb and SpaceX’s Starlink dodged a dangerously close approach with one another in orbit last weekend, representatives from the US Space Force and OneWeb said. It’s the first known collision avoidance event for the two rival companies as they race to expand their new broadband-beaming networks in space. Read more about OneWeb, SpaceX satellites dodged a potential collision in orbit[…]

Debian Votes to Issue No Statement on Stallman’s Return to the FSF Board

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Debian Project Secretary Kurt Roeckx has announced the results of a closely-watched vote on what statement would be made about Richard Stallman’s readmission to the Free Software Foundation’s board. Seven options were considered, with the Debian project’s 420 voting developers also asked to rank their preferred outcomes: Option 1: “Call for the FSF board removal, Read more about Debian Votes to Issue No Statement on Stallman’s Return to the FSF Board[…]

Project FoX Brings Avionics + Sensor Data to Commercial Computer Tablets In F-35 Stealth Fighter Cockpits

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The U.S. Air Force has, for the first time, live-streamed data directly from the F-35A stealth fighter and onto a commercial computer tablet in the cockpit, during ground tests at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The March 31 trial, part of the Fighter Optimization eXperiment, or FoX, demonstrated that data from the jet could Read more about Project FoX Brings Avionics + Sensor Data to Commercial Computer Tablets In F-35 Stealth Fighter Cockpits[…]

NASA decides to blow up first woman going to the moon by choosing Elon Musk’s SpaceX to try to bring her there on basis of supercheap contract

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] NASA has chosen Elon Musk‘s SpaceX to build the spacecraft that take the first woman and next man to the moon. The American space agency made the official announcement Friday, which includes SpaceX’s  $2.9 billion contract to build the lunar lander that is reportedly much lower than what competitors bid. The Washington Post shared the news Read more about NASA decides to blow up first woman going to the moon by choosing Elon Musk’s SpaceX to try to bring her there on basis of supercheap contract[…]

Google AI Blog: Monster Mash: A Sketch-Based Tool for Casual 3D Modeling and Animation

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Monster Mash, an open source tool presented at SIGGRAPH Asia 2020 that allows experts and amateurs alike to create rich, expressive, deformable 3D models from scratch — and to animate them — all in a casual mode, without ever having to leave the 2D plane. With Monster Mash, the user sketches out a character, and Read more about Google AI Blog: Monster Mash: A Sketch-Based Tool for Casual 3D Modeling and Animation[…]

Microsoft removes 47% of right to be forgotten requests – some countries are trolling the requests heavily

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Country / Region Requests received and processed URLs requested URLs accepted URLs rejected Percentage of URLs accepted Austria 45 103 67 36 65% Belgium 49 421 105 316 25% Bulgaria 4 10 8 2 80% Croatia 3 8 4 4 50% Cyprus 2 2 0 2 0% Czech Republic 12 20 13 7 65% Denmark Read more about Microsoft removes 47% of right to be forgotten requests – some countries are trolling the requests heavily[…]

Microsoft honored 99.57% of 17m copyright removal requests last Q 2020

Posted on by Robin Edgar

As an intellectual property company itself, Microsoft encourages respect for intellectual property, including copyrights. We also are committed to freedom of expression and the rights of users to engage in uses that may be permissible under applicable copyright laws. Links to webpages containing material that infringes on the rights of copyright owners may be removed Read more about Microsoft honored 99.57% of 17m copyright removal requests last Q 2020[…]

A keyboard? How quaint: Logitech and Baidu link arms to make an AI-enabled, voice-transcribing mouse

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Logitech Voice M380 wireless mouse looks and acts like a regular mouse but with a special button to initiate voice dictation. Baidu claimed recognition facilitates content creation at two to three times the speed of what one can type. The device supports dictation in Chinese, English, and Japanese, and can translate content to English, Read more about A keyboard? How quaint: Logitech and Baidu link arms to make an AI-enabled, voice-transcribing mouse[…]

Aussie biz Azimuth cracked San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, ending Apple-FBI privacy standoff in 2015

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Australian security firm Azimuth has been identified as the experts who managed to crack a mass shooter’s iPhone that was at the center of an encryption standoff between the FBI and Apple. Until this week it had largely been assumed that Israeli outfit Cellebrite was hired to forcibly unlock an encrypted iPhone 5C used by Read more about Aussie biz Azimuth cracked San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, ending Apple-FBI privacy standoff in 2015[…]

Amazon Strong-arms Small Businesses to Share User Data

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Amazon reportedly pressured smart-thermostat maker Ecobee to fork over data from its voice-enabled devices even when customers weren’t actively using them. When Ecobee pushed back, the e-commerce giant threatened to box the company out of high-profile selling events like Prime Day or refuse Alexa certification for future devices, according to a Wall Street Journal report Read more about Amazon Strong-arms Small Businesses to Share User Data[…]