Author: Robin Edgar

Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft

New Quantum Microscope Can See Tiny Structures in Living Cells

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A team of researchers in Germany and Australia recently used a new microscopy technique to image nano-scale biological structures at a previously unmanageable resolution, without destroying the living cell. The technique, which employs laser light many millions of times brighter than the Sun, has implications for biomedical and navigation technologies. The quantum optical microscope is Read more about New Quantum Microscope Can See Tiny Structures in Living Cells[…]

Risk and reward: Nefilim ransomware gang mainly targets fewer, richer companies and that strategy is paying off, warns Trend Micro

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Nefilim ransomware gang might not be the best known or most prolific online extortion crew but their penchant for attacking small numbers of $1bn+ turnover firms is paying off, according to some latest research. The crew has made comparatively fewer headlines next to better-known criminals such as Darkside, perpetrators of the infamous US Colonial Read more about Risk and reward: Nefilim ransomware gang mainly targets fewer, richer companies and that strategy is paying off, warns Trend Micro[…]

DOJ Vows to Hunt Down Whoever Let the Public Know How Little Billionaires Pay in Taxes

Posted on by Robin Edgar

This week, ProPublica released a massive scoop—a treasure trove of financial records showing how some of the U.S.’s wealthiest billionaires scamper off with virtually no tax burden. And the U.S. government knows exactly what to do in response: find whoever released those embarrassing records and incarcerate the shit out of them. Priorities, people! ProPublica obtained Read more about DOJ Vows to Hunt Down Whoever Let the Public Know How Little Billionaires Pay in Taxes[…]

Crypto Miners Overrun Docker Hub’s Autobuild, so they have to close free version

Posted on by Robin Edgar

This week, Docker announced some changes to Docker Hub Autobuilds — the primary one of interest being that autobuilds would no longer be available to free tier users — and much of the internet let out a collective groan to the tune of “this is why we can’t have nice things!” *sigh* A story as Read more about Crypto Miners Overrun Docker Hub’s Autobuild, so they have to close free version[…]

Apple and Microsoft Say They Had No Idea Trump-Era DOJ Requested Data on Political Rivals

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple didn’t know the Department of Justice was requesting metadata of Democratic lawmakers when it complied with a subpoena during a Trump-era leak investigation, CNBC reports. And it wasn’t the only tech giant tapped in these probes: Microsoft confirmed Friday it received a similar subpoena for a congressional staffer’s personal email account. Both companies were under Read more about Apple and Microsoft Say They Had No Idea Trump-Era DOJ Requested Data on Political Rivals[…]

Facebook AI Can Now Copy Text Style in Images Using Just a Single Word

Posted on by Robin Edgar

We’re introducing TextStyleBrush, an AI research project that can copy the style of text in a photo using just a single word. With this AI model, you can edit and replace text in images. Unlike most AI systems that can do this for well-defined, specialized tasks, TextStyleBrush is the first self-supervised AI model that replaces Read more about Facebook AI Can Now Copy Text Style in Images Using Just a Single Word[…]

The Elephant Ethogram – Google Translate for Animals

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Elephant Ethogram is a uniquely detailed catalogue, or library, of the behavior and communication of African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana). It is based on decades of ElephantVoices behavioral studies, photographs, and audio and video recordings, the referenced research of other elephant biologists, as well as professional and amateur footage made available to ElephantVoices. You can read more Read more about The Elephant Ethogram – Google Translate for Animals[…]

Internal data + games source code from breach CD Projekt Cyberpunk 2077 circulating online

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Internal company data leaked during a February security breach is now being circulated on the internet, Polish video games maker CD Projekt (CDR.WA) said in a statement published on Thursday. The attack, which compromised some of its internal systems including the source code to its much-hyped game Cyberpunk 2077, dealt another blow to the Warsaw-based Read more about Internal data + games source code from breach CD Projekt Cyberpunk 2077 circulating online[…]

Volkswagen says a vendor’s security lapse exposed 3.3 million drivers’ details

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Volkswagen says more than 3.3 million customers had their information exposed after one of its vendors left a cache of customer data unsecured on the internet. The car maker said in a letter that the vendor, used by Volkswagen, its subsidiary Audi and authorized dealers in the U.S. and Canada, left the customer data spanning Read more about Volkswagen says a vendor’s security lapse exposed 3.3 million drivers’ details[…]

McDonald’s Hit by Data Breach – WSJ

Posted on by Robin Edgar

McDonald’s Corp. said hackers stole some data from its systems in markets including the U.S., South Korea and Taiwan, in another example of cybercriminals infiltrating high-profile global companies. The burger chain said Friday that it recently hired external consultants to investigate unauthorized activity on an internal security system, prompted by a specific incident in which Read more about McDonald’s Hit by Data Breach – WSJ[…]

Engineers at MIT Have Created Actual Programmable Fibers – chip clothing

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Featured in Nature Communications, this new research could result in the development of wearable tech that could sense, store, analyze, and infer the activity(s) of its wearers in real-time. The senior author of the study, Yeol Fink, believes that digital fibers like those developed in this study could help expand the possibilities for fabrics to “uncover the Read more about Engineers at MIT Have Created Actual Programmable Fibers – chip clothing[…]

One Fastly customer triggered internet meltdown by changing a setting

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A major internet blackout that hit many high-profile websites on Tuesday has been blamed on a software bug. Fastly, the cloud-computing company responsible for the issues, said the bug had been triggered when one of its customers had changed their settings. The outage has raised questions about relying on a handful of companies to run Read more about One Fastly customer triggered internet meltdown by changing a setting[…]

FBI paid renegade developer $180k for backdoored AN0M chat app that brought down drug underworld

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The FBI has revealed how it managed to hoodwink the criminal underworld with its secretly backdoored AN0M encrypted chat app, leading to hundreds of arrests, the seizure of 32 tons of drugs, 250 firearms, 55 luxury cars, more than $148M, and even cocaine-filled pineapples. About 12,000 smartphones with AN0M installed were sold into organized crime Read more about FBI paid renegade developer $180k for backdoored AN0M chat app that brought down drug underworld[…]

DOJ Recovers Most of Colonial Pipeline Hack Ransom

Posted on by Robin Edgar

(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department has recovered most of a multimillion-dollar ransom payment made to hackers after a cyberattack that caused the operator of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline to halt its operations last month, officials said Monday. The operation to seize cryptocurrency paid to the Russia-based hacker group is the first of its kind Read more about DOJ Recovers Most of Colonial Pipeline Hack Ransom[…]

European Commission Betrays Internet Users By Cravenly Introducing Huge Loophole For Copyright Companies In Upload Filter Guidance

Posted on by Robin Edgar

As a recent Techdirt article noted, the European Commission was obliged to issue “guidance” on how to implement the infamous Article 17 upload filters required by the EU’s Copyright Directive. It delayed doing so, evidently hoping that the adviser to the EU’s top court, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), would release Read more about European Commission Betrays Internet Users By Cravenly Introducing Huge Loophole For Copyright Companies In Upload Filter Guidance[…]

Google to adapt its ad technology after France hands it a $267 million fine

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google has agreed to pay a €220 million ($267 million) fine and change its ad practices after France’s competition authority found it had abused its dominant online ad position. Following a 2019 complaint by News Corp. and French newspaper Le Figaro, France ruled that Google was favoring its own advertising services to the detriment of Read more about Google to adapt its ad technology after France hands it a $267 million fine[…]

Apple’s tightly controlled App Store is teeming with scams

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has long argued it needs to control app distribution on iPhones, otherwise the App Store would turn into “a flea market.” But among the 1.8 million apps on the App Store, scams are hiding in plain sight. Customers for several VPN apps, which allegedly protect users’ data, complained in Apple Read more about Apple’s tightly controlled App Store is teeming with scams[…]

Apple settles with student after authorized repair workers leaked her naked pics to her Facebook page. Apple blocks Right to repair for danger by unauthorised parties. Hmm.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple has paid a multimillion-dollar settlement to an unnamed Oregon college student after one of its outsourced repair facilities posted explicit pictures and videos of her to her Facebook page. According to legal documents obtained by The Telegraph, the incident occurred in 2016 at a Pegatron-owned repair centre in Sacramento, California. The student had mailed Read more about Apple settles with student after authorized repair workers leaked her naked pics to her Facebook page. Apple blocks Right to repair for danger by unauthorised parties. Hmm.[…]

Bing Censors Image Search for ‘Tank Man’ Even in US

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Bing, the search engine owned by Microsoft, is not displaying image results for a search for “Tank man,” even when searching from the United States. The apparent censorship comes on the anniversary of China’s violent crackdown on protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. “There are no results for tank man,” the Bing website reads after Read more about Bing Censors Image Search for ‘Tank Man’ Even in US[…]

Google, Facebook, Chaos Computer Club join forces to oppose German state spyware

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Plans by the German government to allow the police to deploy malware on any target’s devices, and force the tech world to help them, has run into some opposition, funnily enough. In an open letter this month, the Chaos Computer Club – along with Google, Facebook, and others – said they are against proposals to Read more about Google, Facebook, Chaos Computer Club join forces to oppose German state spyware[…]

The Navy’s Tanker Drone Makes History By Refueling A Manned Aircraft For The First Time (Updated)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray test asset, known as T1, has conducted the first successful aerial refueling of a manned receiver aircraft by an unmanned tanker. The landmark is a vital one as the U.S. Navy looks forward to adding the MQ-25 to its carrier air wings, or CVWs, in the future. The Navy’s Naval Air Systems Read more about The Navy’s Tanker Drone Makes History By Refueling A Manned Aircraft For The First Time (Updated)[…]

Mapped: A Detailed Map of the Online World in Incredible Detail

Posted on by Robin Edgar

View the giant full-size (20 MB) version of this map. A Map of the Online World in Incredible Detail The internet is intangible, and because you can’t see it, it can be hard to comprehend its sheer vastness. As well, it’s difficult to gauge the relative size of different web properties. However, this map of Read more about Mapped: A Detailed Map of the Online World in Incredible Detail[…]

Posted in Art

Researchers Trained People to Echolocate in Just 10 Weeks

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Scientists in the UK say the same sort of echolocation practiced by bats may also help people living with blindness better navigate the world. In a new study, they found that blind and sighted participants who took part in a 10-week training program were able to learn how to perform echolocation, and the blind participants Read more about Researchers Trained People to Echolocate in Just 10 Weeks[…]