Firefox to ship ‘network partitioning’ as a new anti-tracking defense

Firefox 85, scheduled to be released next month, in January 2021, will ship with a feature named Network Partitioning as a new form of anti-tracking protection. The feature is based on “Client-Side Storage Partitioning,” a new standard currently being developed by the World Wide Web Consortium’s Privacy Community Group. “Network Partitioning is highly technical, but Read more about Firefox to ship ‘network partitioning’ as a new anti-tracking defense[…]

Buggy chkdsk in Windows update that caused boot failures and damaged file systems has been fixed

A Windows 10 update rolled out by Microsoft contained a buggy version of chkdsk that damaged the file system on some PCs and made Windows fail to boot. The updates that included the fault are KB4586853 and KB4592438. Microsoft’s notes on these updates now incorporate a warning: “A small number of devices that have installed Read more about Buggy chkdsk in Windows update that caused boot failures and damaged file systems has been fixed[…]

No, Cellebrite cannot ‘break Signal encryption.’

Yesterday, the BBC ran a story with the factually untrue headline, “Cellebrite claimed to have cracked chat app’s encryption.” This is false. Not only can Cellebrite not break Signal encryption, but Cellebrite never even claimed to be able to. Since we weren’t actually given the opportunity to comment in that story, we’re posting this to Read more about No, Cellebrite cannot ‘break Signal encryption.’[…]

Dozens sue Amazon’s Ring after camera hack leads to threats and racial slurs – why do you have one anyway?

Dozens of people who say they were subjected to death threats, racial slurs, and blackmail after their in-home Ring smart cameras were hacked are suing the company over “horrific” invasions of privacy. A new class action lawsuit, which combines a number of cases filed in recent years, alleges that lax security measures at Ring, which Read more about Dozens sue Amazon’s Ring after camera hack leads to threats and racial slurs – why do you have one anyway?[…]

Why on Earth Is Someone Stealing Unpublished Book Manuscripts?

Earlier this month, the book industry website Publishers Marketplace announced that Little, Brown would be publishing “Re-Entry,” a novel by James Hannaham about a transgender woman paroled from a men’s prison. The book would be edited by Ben George. Two days later, Mr. Hannaham got an email from Mr. George, asking him to send the Read more about Why on Earth Is Someone Stealing Unpublished Book Manuscripts?[…]

Mysterious water rich asteroid the size of a dwarf planet is lurking in our solar system

There’s a giant asteroid somewhere out in the solar system, and it hurled a big rock at Earth. The evidence for this mystery space rock comes from a diamond-studded meteor that exploded over Sudan in 2008. NASA had spotted the 9-ton (8,200 kilograms), 13-foot (4 meters) meteor heading toward the planet well before impact, and Read more about Mysterious water rich asteroid the size of a dwarf planet is lurking in our solar system[…]

French Film Company Somehow Trademarks ‘Planet’, Goes After Environmental NGOs For Using The Word

We cover a great many ridiculous and infuriating trademark disputes here, but it’s always the disputes around overly broad terms that never should have been trademarked to begin with that are the most frustrating. And that most irritating of those is when we get into geographic terms that never should be locked up by any Read more about French Film Company Somehow Trademarks ‘Planet’, Goes After Environmental NGOs For Using The Word[…]

iPhone security flaw let spies hack dozens of Al Jazeera journalists using NSO tools

Journalists appear to have fallen prone to a particularly sophisticated digital espionage campaign. According to the Guardian, Citizen Lab has discovered that operators using NSO Group software, nicknamed Kismet, hacked the iPhones of 37 journalists (most from Al Jazeera) using an iMessage vulnerability that had been present for roughly a year. The zero-click attacks left Read more about iPhone security flaw let spies hack dozens of Al Jazeera journalists using NSO tools[…]

Second hacking team was targeting SolarWinds at time of big breach, at least March

A second hacking group, different from the suspected Russian team now associated with the major SolarWinds data breach, also targeted the company’s products earlier this year, according to a security research blog by Microsoft. “The investigation of the whole SolarWinds compromise led to the discovery of an additional malware that also affects the SolarWinds Orion Read more about Second hacking team was targeting SolarWinds at time of big breach, at least March[…]

Physicists Made an Insanely Precise Clock That Keeps Time Using Entanglement

Nothing keeps time like the beating heart of an atom. But even the crisp tick-tock of a vibrating nucleus is limited by uncertainties imposed by the laws of quantum mechanics. Several years ago, researchers from MIT and the University of Belgrade in Serbia proposed that quantum entanglement could push clocks beyond this blurry boundary. Now, Read more about Physicists Made an Insanely Precise Clock That Keeps Time Using Entanglement[…]

Microsoft (MSFT) Is Designing Its Own Chips in Move Away From Intel (INTC)

Microsoft Corp. is working on in-house processor designs for use in server computers that run the company’s cloud services, adding to an industrywide effort to reduce reliance on Intel Corp.’s chip technology. The world’s largest software maker is using Arm Ltd. designs to produce a processor that will be used in its data centers, according Read more about Microsoft (MSFT) Is Designing Its Own Chips in Move Away From Intel (INTC)[…]

Space Force Troops Finally Have A Name: Guardians

he fledgling U.S. Space Force has announced the name by which its members will be called: Guardians. This is one of the last remaining organizational changes for America’s newest branch to make to give it a distinct from its parent, the U.S. Air Force. The service already has its own unique unit designations, insignias and Read more about Space Force Troops Finally Have A Name: Guardians[…]

Toxic Fumes On Planes Are Knocking Out Pilots And Making Passengers Sick – Manufacturers, regulators refuse to do anything

When passengers board airliners, they expect everything to be sorted with the aircraft. Decades of safety innovations and regulations have made flying the safest form of travel. But as revealed in an explosive report by the Los Angeles Times, planes are filling up with toxic fumes, injuring crew and passengers alike, while the Federal Aviation Read more about Toxic Fumes On Planes Are Knocking Out Pilots And Making Passengers Sick – Manufacturers, regulators refuse to do anything[…]

Should We Use Search History for Credit Scores? IMF Says Yes

With more services than ever collecting your data, it’s easy to start asking why anyone should care about most of it. This is why. Because people start having ideas like this. In a new blog post for the International Monetary Fund, four researchers presented their findings from a working paper that examines the current relationship Read more about Should We Use Search History for Credit Scores? IMF Says Yes[…]

Secret Agents Implicated In The Poisoning Of Opposition Leader Alexey Navalny Identified Thanks To Russia’s Black Market In Everybody’s Personal Data

Back in August, the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned on a flight to Moscow. Despite initial doubts — and the usual denials by the Russian government that Vladimir Putin was involved — everyone assumed it had been carried out by the country’s FSB, successor to the KGB. Remarkable work by the open source Read more about Secret Agents Implicated In The Poisoning Of Opposition Leader Alexey Navalny Identified Thanks To Russia’s Black Market In Everybody’s Personal Data[…]

Artificial intelligence classifies supernova explosions with unprecedented accuracy

Artificial intelligence is classifying real supernova explosions without the traditional use of spectra, thanks to a team of astronomers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. The complete data sets and resulting classifications are publicly available for open use. By training a machine learning model to categorize supernovae based on their visible characteristics, Read more about Artificial intelligence classifies supernova explosions with unprecedented accuracy[…]

Are we working more than ever? – Our World in Data

Working hours for the average worker have decreased dramatically over the last 150 years. Why should we care? The evidence presented here comes from decades of work from economic historians and other researchers. Of course, the data is not perfect — as we explain in a forthcoming post, measuring working hours with accuracy is difficult, Read more about Are we working more than ever? – Our World in Data[…]

Hackers used SolarWinds’ dominance against it in sprawling spy campaign

There was not a database or an IT deployment model out there to which his Austin, Texas-based company did not provide some level of monitoring or management, he told analysts on the Oct. 27 call. “We don’t think anyone else in the market is really even close in terms of the breadth of coverage we Read more about Hackers used SolarWinds’ dominance against it in sprawling spy campaign[…]

SolarWinds’ shares drop 22 per cent. But what’s this? $286m in stock sales just before hack announced?

Two Silicon Valley VC firms, Silver Lake and Thoma Bravo, sold hundreds of millions of dollars in SolarWinds shares just days before the software biz emerged at the center of a massive hacking campaign. Silver Lake and Thoma Bravo deny anything untoward. The two firms owned 70 per cent of SolarWinds, which produces networking monitoring Read more about SolarWinds’ shares drop 22 per cent. But what’s this? $286m in stock sales just before hack announced?[…]

Air Force Flies AI Copilot on U-2 Spy Plane in first. Very Star Wars referenced

For Star Wars fans, an X-Wing fighter isn’t complete without R2-D2. Whether you need to fire up converters, increase power, or fix a broken stabilizer, that trusty droid, full of lively beeps and squeaks, is the ultimate copilot. Teaming artificial intelligence (AI) with pilots is no longer just a matter for science fiction or blockbuster Read more about Air Force Flies AI Copilot on U-2 Spy Plane in first. Very Star Wars referenced[…]

Lunar Samples Land on Earth, Completing China’s Most Challenging ‘Space Adventure’

For the first time in 44 years, a spacecraft has brought lunar samples to Earth. With the Chang’e 5 mission complete, China now joins a very exclusive club, reinforcing the country’s role as a major player in space exploration. China is now only the third country to collect samples from the Moon and bring them Read more about Lunar Samples Land on Earth, Completing China’s Most Challenging ‘Space Adventure’[…]

Pornhub removes all unverified videos from its platform after Mastercard and Visa drop them

Last week, infamous porn-hosting site Pornhub made a big change by cutting off “unverified” uploads. Now, the company is taking things a step further and has removed all content that wasn’t uploaded by either a “content partner” or a verified user. Overnight, Pornhub has removed millions of uploaded videos — and, according to Vice, the Read more about Pornhub removes all unverified videos from its platform after Mastercard and Visa drop them[…]

Jailbreak app store Cydia files its own antitrust lawsuit against Apple

Cydia, the original app store for jailbroken iPhones, has joined a wave of companies and regulators in targeting Apple over antitrust concerns. In a lawsuit it filed on Thursday, it accused Apple of “anti-competitive acquisition and maintenance of an illegal monopoly over iOS app distribution.” Were that not the case, Cydia argues, users would “be Read more about Jailbreak app store Cydia files its own antitrust lawsuit against Apple[…]

France fines Google $120M and Amazon $42M for dropping tracking cookies without consent

France’s data protection agency, the CNIL, has slapped Google and Amazon with fines for dropping tracking cookies without consent. Google has been hit with a total of €100 million ($120 million) for dropping cookies on Google.fr and Amazon €35 million (~$42 million) for doing so on the Amazon .fr domain under the penalty notices issued Read more about France fines Google $120M and Amazon $42M for dropping tracking cookies without consent[…]