Month: May 2025

FBI Director Kash Patel Abruptly Closes Internal Watchdog Office Overseeing Surveillance Compliance

Posted on by Robin Edgar

If there’s one thing the Federal Bureau of Investigation does well, it’s mass surveillance. Several years ago, then attorney general William Barr established an internal office to curb the FBI’s abuse of one controversial surveillance law. But recently, the FBI’s long-time hater (and, ironically, current director) Kash Patel shut down the watchdog group with no Read more about FBI Director Kash Patel Abruptly Closes Internal Watchdog Office Overseeing Surveillance Compliance[…]

M&S warns of £300M dent in profits from cyberattack

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Marks & Spencer says the disruption related to its ongoing cyberattack is likely to knock around £300 million ($402 million) off its operating profits for the next financial year (2025/26). The beleaguered high street retailer made the admission in its fiscal 2025 profit and loss accounts for the year ended March 29, published on Wednesday, Read more about M&S warns of £300M dent in profits from cyberattack[…]

VMware price hikes 800-1,500%, claim Euro customers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Broadcom has upped VMware licensing costs by between eight to 15 times since it took over the organization, and a lack of alternatives in the tech industry means trade and end customers have no choice but to play ball. This is the according to the European Cloud Competition Observatory (ECCO), an independent body formed by Read more about VMware price hikes 800-1,500%, claim Euro customers[…]

The Enhanced Games—the Olympics on Literal Steroids—Will Take Place in Vegas Next Year

Posted on by Robin Edgar

© Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Enhanced Games, a bizarre, steroid-fueled Olympics knock-off that is being funded by wealthy MAGA types, is officially happening. The unconventional sports festival—which, as its name proudly suggests, will allow contestants to use performance-enhancing drugs—will take place in 2026 in Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend, organizers announced on Read more about The Enhanced Games—the Olympics on Literal Steroids—Will Take Place in Vegas Next Year[…]

Russia to enforce location tracking app on all foreigners in Moscow

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Russian government has introduced a new law that makes installing a tracking app mandatory for all foreign nationals in the Moscow region. The new proposal was announced by the chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, who presented it as a measure to tackle migrant crimes. “The adopted mechanism will allow, using modern technologies, Read more about Russia to enforce location tracking app on all foreigners in Moscow[…]

Oops: DanaBot Malware Devs Infected Their Own PCs

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Initially spotted in May 2018 by researchers at the email security firm Proofpoint, DanaBot is a malware-as-a-service platform that specializes in credential theft and banking fraud. Today, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed a criminal complaint and indictment from 2022, which said the FBI identified at least 40 affiliates who were paying between $3,000 and Read more about Oops: DanaBot Malware Devs Infected Their Own PCs[…]

Infrared contact lenses allow people to see in the dark, even with their eyes closed

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Neuroscientists and materials scientists have created contact lenses that enable infrared vision in both humans and mice by converting infrared light into visible light. Unlike infrared night vision goggles, the contact lenses, described in the journal Cell, do not require a power source—and they enable the wearer to perceive multiple infrared wavelengths. Because they’re transparent, Read more about Infrared contact lenses allow people to see in the dark, even with their eyes closed[…]

Microsoft’s Partners With Holocaust Denying, White Genocide Peddling Grok AI

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] On Monday, Microsoft announced that it will begin offering access to Grok AI, specifically Grok 3 and Grok 3 Mini, through its Azure AI Foundry. For the uninitiated, Grok AI is a product of xAI, which is owned by the same guy whose social media site, X, is reportedly taking money from terrorist groups—Elon Read more about Microsoft’s Partners With Holocaust Denying, White Genocide Peddling Grok AI[…]

Google found not compliant with AVG when registering new accounts – sends the data to 70 services without user knowledge

Posted on by Robin Edgar

According to a ruling by the Berlin Regional Court, Google must disclose to its users which of its more than 70 services process their data when they register for an account. The civil chamber thus upheld a lawsuit filed by the German Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv). The consumer advocates had complained that neither the Read more about Google found not compliant with AVG when registering new accounts – sends the data to 70 services without user knowledge[…]

Upgrade now: OpenPGP.js bug enables encrypted message spoofing

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Security researchers are sounding the alarm over a fresh flaw in the JavaScript implementation of OpenPGP (OpenPGP.js) that allows both signed and encrypted messages to be spoofed. Discovered by Codean Labs’ Edoardo Geraci and Thomas Rinsma, the vulnerability essentially undermines the core purpose of using public key cryptography to secure communications. Tracked as CVE-2025-47934 (8.7 Read more about Upgrade now: OpenPGP.js bug enables encrypted message spoofing[…]

Trump’s Golden Dome Missile Shield: What We Just Learned And Its Implications

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Golden Dome missile defense system will cost about $175 billion and be operational “in less than three years” with “a success rate close to 100%,” President Donald Trump declared Tuesday afternoon as he shared new details about his ambitious, very expensive, and controversial missile defense shield for the U.S. homeland. It follows one of Read more about Trump’s Golden Dome Missile Shield: What We Just Learned And Its Implications[…]

Respond to the EU on allowing corporations to shut down sections of the internet with no recourse before 28th May

Posted on by Robin Edgar

After LaLiga accidentally shut down Cloudflare and Vercel in Spain (LaLiga Piracy Blocks Randomly Take Down huge innocent segments of internet with no recourse or warning, slammed as “Unaccountable Internet Censorship”) and the Italian Privacy Shield shut down Google Drive in Italy (Massive expansion of Italy’s Piracy Shield underway despite growing criticism of its flaws Read more about Respond to the EU on allowing corporations to shut down sections of the internet with no recourse before 28th May[…]

Three Steps Coinbase Users Should Take After a Hack (bribe of support agents) Compromised One Million Accounts

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Data breaches are most often the work of external bad actors, but sometimes the call comes from inside the house. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has disclosed that hackers paid off support agents—both employees and contractors located outside the U.S.—who had access to company systems to provide customer data and then demanded a $20 million ransom not Read more about Three Steps Coinbase Users Should Take After a Hack (bribe of support agents) Compromised One Million Accounts[…]

Google backs down after locking out Nextcloud Files app

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Andy Schertzinger, Director of Engineering at Nextcloud, told The Register: “Google has decided to restore the permissions to our Android app so we can bring back the full file syncing functionality.” Nextcloud expects to release an update to the app shortly, and Schertzinger paid tribute to the broader community for its support. Nextcloud’s problem Read more about Google backs down after locking out Nextcloud Files app[…]

Researchers Finally Link Long Covid ‘Brain Fog’ to Inflammation

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An anonymous reader shared this report from The Hill: A new study indicates the debilitating “brain fog” suffered by millions of long COVID patients is linked to changes in the brain, including inflammation and an impaired ability to rewire itself following COVID-19 infection. United Press International reported this week that the small-scale study, conducted by Read more about Researchers Finally Link Long Covid ‘Brain Fog’ to Inflammation[…]

First successful demonstration of quantum error correction of qudits for quantum computers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In the world of quantum computing, the Hilbert space dimension—the measure of the number of quantum states that a quantum computer can access—is a prized possession. Having a larger Hilbert space allows for more complex quantum operations and plays a crucial role in enabling quantum error correction (QEC), essential for protecting quantum information from noise Read more about First successful demonstration of quantum error correction of qudits for quantum computers[…]

House of Lords shows they are in pocket of big copyright and pushes back against government’s AI plans

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The government has suffered another setback in the House of Lords over its plans to let artificial intelligence firms use copyright-protected work without permission. An amendment to the data bill requiring AI companies to reveal which copyrighted material is used in their models was backed by peers, despite government opposition. It is the second time Read more about House of Lords shows they are in pocket of big copyright and pushes back against government’s AI plans[…]

CISA changes vulnerabilities updates, shifts to defunct website X(twitter) as do NTSB, SSA

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The US government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced Monday that going forward, only urgent alerts tied to emerging threats or major cyber activity will appear on its website. Routine updates, guidance, and other notifications will instead be shared via email, RSS, and X. Up until now, its Cybersecurity Alerts and Advisories website has Read more about CISA changes vulnerabilities updates, shifts to defunct website X(twitter) as do NTSB, SSA[…]

Scientists find lead really can be turned into gold (with help from the Large Hadron Collider)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

One of the ultimate goals of medieval alchemy has been realized, but only for a fraction of a second. Scientists with the European Organization for Nuclear Research, better known as CERN, were able to convert lead into gold using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. Unlike the examples of transmutation Read more about Scientists find lead really can be turned into gold (with help from the Large Hadron Collider)[…]

Garmin CEO Hints More Paywalls And Enshittification Are Coming, Falsely Claims Users Love It after paywalling existing features and pissing off actual users

Posted on by Robin Edgar

We recently noted how device maker Garmin had decided to follow in the footsteps of Google’s Fitbit, and begin putting basic features behind an annoying subscription paywall to goose revenues. Garmin’s new “premium” Garmin+ tier takes several features users already enjoyed for free, put them behind a $7 per month paywall, and called it innovation. Users Read more about Garmin CEO Hints More Paywalls And Enshittification Are Coming, Falsely Claims Users Love It after paywalling existing features and pissing off actual users[…]

Moderna’s Vaccine for both Flu and Covid Works—Now Politics Could Sink It

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Moderna’s mRNA-based flu and covid-19 vaccine could provide the best of both worlds—if it’s actually ever approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This week, scientists at Moderna published data from a Phase III trial testing the company’s combination vaccine, codenamed mRNA-1083. Individuals given mRNA-1083 appeared to generate the same or even greater immune response Read more about Moderna’s Vaccine for both Flu and Covid Works—Now Politics Could Sink It[…]

Charter airline helping Trump’s deportation campaign pwned

Posted on by Robin Edgar

GlobalX, a charter airline used for deportations by the US government, has admitted someone broke into its network infrastructure. “On May 5, 2025, Global Crossing Airlines Group learned of unauthorized activity within its computer networks and systems supporting portions of its business applications, which the company determined to be the result of a cybersecurity incident,” Read more about Charter airline helping Trump’s deportation campaign pwned[…]

Volvo EX90’s Lidar Sensor Will Fry Your Phone’s Camera

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] That pod on the roof of Volvo’s new electric SUV is essentially just shooting out a bunch of high-powered infrared beams, determining the distance of the vehicle’s surroundings by measuring the time taken for reflected light to return to the sensor. If you point your phone’s camera directly at those beams, you’ll observe some Read more about Volvo EX90’s Lidar Sensor Will Fry Your Phone’s Camera[…]

Google will pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims the company collected users’ data without permission

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] “For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won.” The agreement settles several claims Texas made against the search giant in 2022 related to geolocation, incognito searches and biometric data. The state argued Google was “unlawfully tracking Read more about Google will pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims the company collected users’ data without permission[…]

Study Uncovers the One Thing That Cuts Through Climate Apathy: Loss – use clear binary data

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]“People definitely noticed that they were able to get out onto the lake less,” said Liu, who’s now a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University. “However, they didn’t necessarily connect this trend to climate change.” When the university’s alumni magazine featured her research in the winter of 2021, the comment section was filled with wistful Read more about Study Uncovers the One Thing That Cuts Through Climate Apathy: Loss – use clear binary data[…]