Author: Robin Edgar

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

Boeing Reaches $2.5 Billion Settlement of U.S. Probe Into 737 MAX Crashes, has to admit a lot of wrongdoing

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Boeing Co. will pay $2.5 billion to resolve a Justice Department criminal investigation and admit employees deceived aviation regulators about safety issues that led to two deadly crashes of the 737 MAX, authorities said. The settlement, which was filed Thursday in Dallas federal court, would lift a legal cloud that has hung over the aerospace Read more about Boeing Reaches $2.5 Billion Settlement of U.S. Probe Into 737 MAX Crashes, has to admit a lot of wrongdoing[…]

DARPA Announces Subterranean Challenge Finals: mapping out underground tunnels, caves, evil lairs by robot

Posted on by Robin Edgar

After three years of development, DARPA Subterranean (SubT) Challenge teams will get the chance to compete in the Final Event being held at the Louisville Mega Cavern in Louisville, Kentucky on September 21-23, 2021. The DARPA SubT Challenge aims to develop innovative technologies that can rapidly map, navigate, and search complex underground environments such as Read more about DARPA Announces Subterranean Challenge Finals: mapping out underground tunnels, caves, evil lairs by robot[…]

‘DALL-E’ AI generates an image out of anything you describe

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with DALL-E (a portmanteau of “Wall-E” and “Dali”), an AI app that can create an image out of nearly any description. For example, if you ask for “a cat made of sushi” or a “high quality illustration of a giraffe turtle chimera,” it will deliver those things, often with startlingly good quality (and sometimes not).DALL-E Read more about ‘DALL-E’ AI generates an image out of anything you describe[…]

If you’re a WhatsApp user, you’ll have to share your personal data with Facebook from next month – and no, you can’t opt out this time

Posted on by Robin Edgar

WhatsApp users must agree to share their personal information with Facebook if they want to continue using the messaging service from next month, according to new terms and conditions. “As part of the Facebook Companies, WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information with, the other Facebook Companies,” its privacy policy, updated this week, stated. “We Read more about If you’re a WhatsApp user, you’ll have to share your personal data with Facebook from next month – and no, you can’t opt out this time[…]

These Repair Bulletins for Tesla’s Quality Problems Are Downright Embarrassing—and Serious

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t’s no secret that Tesla tends to ship cars to customers with questionable fit and finish. Sometimes components don’t fit the way they should, so fake wood from Home Depot is used to ensure they do. Other times, glass roofs simply detach while driving down the highway. This time, however, it’s not a random Facebook Read more about These Repair Bulletins for Tesla’s Quality Problems Are Downright Embarrassing—and Serious[…]

Compromised Amazon Ring Devices Combined With Swatting

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Late last year, it was discovered that yet another set of IoT devices were being turned against their owners by malicious people. It would be a stretch to call these losers “hackers,” considering all they did was utilize credentials harvested from multiple security breaches to take control of poorly secured cameras made by Ring. Password Read more about Compromised Amazon Ring Devices Combined With Swatting[…]

Singapore police can access now data from the country’s contract tracing app

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With a nearly 80 percent uptake among the country’s population, Singapore’s TraceTogether app is one of the best examples of what a successful centralized contact tracing effort can look like as countries across the world struggle to contain the coronavirus pandemic. To date, more than 4.2 million people in Singapore have download the app or Read more about Singapore police can access now data from the country’s contract tracing app[…]

Uber wasted $100 million on useless digital ad campaigns

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[…] the estimated $100 million Uber apparently straight-up squandered on incredibly obvious, third-party digital advertising scams… something that is garnering mainstream coverage in the first days of 2021, despite coming to light back in February of last damn year. Twitter / @nandoodles You Google Played yourself — Former Sleeping Giants alum and co-founder of Check Read more about Uber wasted $100 million on useless digital ad campaigns[…]

Scientists turn CO2 into jet fuel

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Researchers may have found a way to reduce the environmental impact of air travel in situations when electric aircraft and alternative fuels aren’t practical. Wired reports that Oxford University scientists have successfully turned CO2 into jet fuel, raising the possibility of conventionally-powered aircraft with net zero emissions. The technique effectively reverses the process of burning Read more about Scientists turn CO2 into jet fuel[…]

Zyxel products have a hardcoded root user you can access from internet

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TL;DR: If you have a Zyxel USG, ATP, VPN, ZyWALL or USG FLEX you should update to the latest firmware version today. You can find the full list of affected devices here and the Zyxel advisory here. Zyxel is a popular brand for firewalls that are marketed towards small and medium businesses. Their Unified Security Read more about Zyxel products have a hardcoded root user you can access from internet[…]

Julian Assange will NOT be extradited to the US over WikiLeaks hacking and spy charges, rules British judge

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Accused hacker and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the US to stand trial, Westminster Magistrates’ Court has ruled. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser told Assange this morning that there was no legal obstacle to his being sent to the US, where he faces multiple criminal charges under America’s Espionage Act and Computer Read more about Julian Assange will NOT be extradited to the US over WikiLeaks hacking and spy charges, rules British judge[…]

Microsoft says SolarWinds hackers viewed source code

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The hackers who carried out a sophisticated cyberattack on US government agencies and on private companies were able to access Microsoft’s source code, the company said Thursday. A Microsoft investigation turned up “unusual activity with a small number of internal accounts” and also revealed that “one account had been used to view source code in Read more about Microsoft says SolarWinds hackers viewed source code[…]

T-Mobile data breach exposed phone numbers, call records for 200k customers

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T-Mobile has announced a data breach exposing customers’ proprietary network information (CPNI), including phone numbers and call records. Starting yesterday, T-Mobile began texting customers that a “security incident” exposed their account’s information. According to T-Mobile, its security team recently discovered “malicious, unauthorized access” to their systems. After bringing in a cybersecurity firm to perform an Read more about T-Mobile data breach exposed phone numbers, call records for 200k customers[…]

Access To Big Data Turns Farm Machine Makers Into Tech Firms

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The combine harvester, a staple of farmers’ fields since the late 1800s, does much more these days than just vacuum up corn, soybeans and other crops. It also beams back reams of data to its manufacturer. GPS records the combine’s precise path through the field. Sensors tally the number of crops gathered per acre and Read more about Access To Big Data Turns Farm Machine Makers Into Tech Firms[…]

Apple Told This Developer That His App ‘Promoted’ Drugs – after 6 years in the store

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In Apple’s world, an app can be inappropriate one day, but acceptable the next. That’s what the developer of Amphetamine—an app designed to keep Macs from going to sleep, which is useful in situations such as when a file is downloading or when a specific app is running—learned recently when Apple got in touch with Read more about Apple Told This Developer That His App ‘Promoted’ Drugs – after 6 years in the store[…]

Pentagon Puts F-35 Full-Rate Production Decision On Hold

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In a setback for the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter program, the U.S. Department of Defense has formally decreed that a decision on full-rate production of the jet is on indefinite hold. The Milestone C decision on whether or not to ramp up the manufacture of Joint Strike Fighters had been due in or before Read more about Pentagon Puts F-35 Full-Rate Production Decision On Hold[…]

Japanese Researchers Are Working to Create Wooden Satellites

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You might think metal satellites burn up on re-entry, but as it turns out, it’s not that simple. “We are very concerned with the fact that all the satellites which re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere burn and create tiny alumina particles which will float in the upper atmosphere for many years,” Takao Doi, an astronaut and Read more about Japanese Researchers Are Working to Create Wooden Satellites[…]

Ticketmaster To Pay $10 million After Illegally Hacking Rival’s System

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Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, have agreed to pay out $10 million dollars to a competitor after admitting to hiring a former employee to hack into the rival company’s computer network. According to a statement issued by the Justice Department on Wednesday, the five criminal counts facing Ticketmaster stemmed from a plot to Read more about Ticketmaster To Pay $10 million After Illegally Hacking Rival’s System[…]

China pushes Alibaba founder Jack Ma to downsize his finance business Ant Group

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China’s crackdown on Jack Ma’s empire is far from over: The country’s regulators have ordered the Ma-founded Alibaba affiliate Ant Group to scale down its business. In particular, they’ve ordered the company to “return to its origins” as a payment provider. Ant Group started out as Alipay, which became China’s largest digital payment platform, though Read more about China pushes Alibaba founder Jack Ma to downsize his finance business Ant Group[…]

Korean artificial sun sets the new world record of 20-sec-long operation at 100 million degrees

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The Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), a superconducting fusion device also known as the Korean artificial sun, set the new world record as it succeeded in maintaining the high temperature plasma for 20 seconds with an ion temperature over 100 million degrees (Celsius). On November 24 (Tuesday), the KSTAR Research Center at the Korea Read more about Korean artificial sun sets the new world record of 20-sec-long operation at 100 million degrees[…]

Vietnam targeted in complex supply chain attack through CA

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A group of mysterious hackers has carried out a clever supply chain attack against Vietnamese private companies and government agencies by inserting malware inside an official government software toolkit. The attack, discovered by security firm ESET and detailed in a report named “Operation SignSight,” targeted the Vietnam Government Certification Authority (VGCA), the government organization that Read more about Vietnam targeted in complex supply chain attack through CA[…]

China Targets Jack Ma’s Alibaba With Monopoly Investigation

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China kicked off an investigation into alleged monopolistic practices at Alibaba Group Holding and summoned affiliate Ant Group Co. to a high-level meeting over financial regulations, escalating scrutiny over the twin pillars of billionaire Jack Ma’s internet empire. The probe announced Thursday marks the formal start of the Communist Party’s crackdown on the crown jewel Read more about China Targets Jack Ma’s Alibaba With Monopoly Investigation[…]

China’s Secret War for U.S. Data Blew American Spies’ Cover

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Around 2013, U.S. intelligence began noticing an alarming pattern: Undercover CIA personnel, flying into countries in Africa and Europe for sensitive work, were being rapidly and successfully identified by Chinese intelligence, according to three former U.S. officials. The surveillance by Chinese operatives began in some cases as soon as the CIA officers had cleared passport Read more about China’s Secret War for U.S. Data Blew American Spies’ Cover[…]

YouTube Class Action: Same IP Address Used to Upload ‘Pirate’ Movies & File DMCA Notices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

YouTube says it has found a “smoking gun” to prove that a class-action lawsuit filed by Grammy award-winning musician Maria Schneider and Pirate Monitor Ltd was filed in bad faith. According to the Google-owned platform, the same IP address used to upload ‘pirate’ movies to the platform also sent DMCA notices targeting the same batch Read more about YouTube Class Action: Same IP Address Used to Upload ‘Pirate’ Movies & File DMCA Notices[…]