Author: Robin Edgar

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

BlindSide: Watch speculative memory probing bypass kernel defenses, give malware root control

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Boffins in America, the Netherlands, and Switzerland have devised a Spectre-style attack on modern processors that can defeat defenses that are supposed to stop malicious software from hijacking a computer’s operating system. The end result is exploit code able to bypass a crucial protection mechanism and take over a device to hand over root access. Read more about BlindSide: Watch speculative memory probing bypass kernel defenses, give malware root control[…]

Several Fish Can Secretly Walk on Land, Study Suggests

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A surprising number of hillstream loaches—a family of Asian fish—are capable of walking on land using all four limbs, according to a new study. It’s a discovery that could explain how some of the earliest animals managed to stroll on solid ground. South Asian hillstream loaches are a family of small fish that can often Read more about Several Fish Can Secretly Walk on Land, Study Suggests[…]

How Britain can help you get away with stealing millions: a five-step guide

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Step 1: Forget what you think you know If you want to commit significant financial crime, therefore, you need a bank account, because electronic cash weighs nothing, no matter how much of it there is. But that causes a new problem: the bank account will have your name on it, which will alert the authorities Read more about How Britain can help you get away with stealing millions: a five-step guide[…]

Researchers reveal a much richer picture of the past with new DNA recovery technique

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers at McMaster University have developed a new technique to tease ancient DNA from soil, pulling the genomes of hundreds of animals and thousands of plants—many of them long extinct—from less than a gram of sediment. The DNA extraction method, outlined in the journal Quarternary Research, allows scientists to reconstruct the most advanced picture ever Read more about Researchers reveal a much richer picture of the past with new DNA recovery technique[…]

Apple sues Epic for destroying the App store and won’t let their users log in using Apple log in (whatever that is)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

So, Apple is trying to frame it’s strong arming of companies into paying 30% protection money… uh… app store fees – well… unless you have an agreement to pay less, but only one or two have that… as being in the interest of the people who’s arms they are ripping out. Because we believe the Read more about Apple sues Epic for destroying the App store and won’t let their users log in using Apple log in (whatever that is)[…]

Hacked Windows 10 Themes Can Swipe Your Microsoft Login

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Windows 10 users can customize their desktops with unique themes, and are able to create and share those themes with others. Hackers can also use them to steal your credentials. A flaw in Windows 10’s theme-creation feature lets hackers modify custom themes that, once installed, trick users into passing over their Microsoft account name and Read more about Hacked Windows 10 Themes Can Swipe Your Microsoft Login[…]

TCL’s new paper-like display can also play videos

Posted on by Robin Edgar

NXTPAPER today — a new type of display that’s meant to offer better eye protection by reducing flicker, blue light and light output. The company said the effect is similar to E Ink, calling it a “combination of screen and paper.” TCL also said it has received eye protection certifications from the German Rhine laboratory, Read more about TCL’s new paper-like display can also play videos[…]

Rocket Lab secretly launched its own satellite that may one day go to the Moon

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Rocket Lab recently made a successful return to flight and launched a client satellite from its Electron Rocket, but that’s not all that happened on the mission. The company also secretly launched its own satellite, called Photon, that could one day fly ambitious deep space missions. Photon is based on Rocket Lab’s “Kick Stage,” which Read more about Rocket Lab secretly launched its own satellite that may one day go to the Moon[…]

Harvard created a wool-like 3D-printable material that can shape shift

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The team, from the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), created a 3D-printable material that can be “pre-programmed with reversible shape memory.” The wool-like material can remember old forms and morph back into those, or transform into different shapes when a certain stimulus is applied. It’s made using keratin extracted from Read more about Harvard created a wool-like 3D-printable material that can shape shift[…]

Italy is investigating Apple, Google and Dropbox cloud storage services

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Italy’s competition watchdog is investing Apple, Google and Dropbox, TechCrunch reports. In a press release, the AGCM announced that it opened six investigations into the companies’ cloud storage services: Google Drive, iCloud and Dropbox. The authority is concerned that the services fail to adequately explain how user data will be collected and used for commercial Read more about Italy is investigating Apple, Google and Dropbox cloud storage services[…]

China Just Launched and Landed a Secret Reusable Spacecraft

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In recent days, China has quietly launched a secret reusable spacecraft, left it in orbit for two days and safely landed it back on Earth. And although the spacecraft is top secret—we’re not even privy to its design—there are some things that China apparently wants the world to know about it. According to Xinhua, China’s Read more about China Just Launched and Landed a Secret Reusable Spacecraft[…]

India flies Mach 6 scramjet for 20 seconds

Posted on by Robin Edgar

India claims it flew a perfect scramjet test at Mach 6 on Monday. A government announcement says the vehicle hitched a ride on a rocket that ascended to an altitude of 30km before launching the “Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle “The cruise vehicle separated from the launch vehicle and the air intake opened as planned. The Read more about India flies Mach 6 scramjet for 20 seconds[…]

No, Kubernetes doesn’t make applications portable, say analysts. Good luck avoiding lock-in, too

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Do not make application portability your primary driver for adopting Kubernetes, say Gartner analysts Marco Meinardi, Richard Watson and Alan Waite, because while the tool theoretically improves portability in practice it also locks you in while potentially denying you access to the best bits of the cloud. The three advance that theory in a recent Read more about No, Kubernetes doesn’t make applications portable, say analysts. Good luck avoiding lock-in, too[…]

Australia starts second fight with Google and Apple, this time over whether app stores leak data, gouge devs, steal ideas and warp markets

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Australia, already embroiled in a nasty fight with Google and Facebook over its plan to make them pay for news links, has opened an inquiry into whether Apple and Google’s app stores offer transparent pricing and see consumers’ data used in worrying ways. The issues paper [PDF] outlining the scope of the inquiry names only Read more about Australia starts second fight with Google and Apple, this time over whether app stores leak data, gouge devs, steal ideas and warp markets[…]

Angry 123-Reg customers in the UK wake up to another day where hosted mail doesn’t get through to users on Microsoft email accounts

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Users of UK web hosting firm 123-Reg’s email service told The Reg this morning that 96 hours after clocking the issue, they are still having trouble sending emails to users with Microsoft’s Live, Outlook or Hotmail accounts. For its part, 123-Reg has confirmed “delays in delivering emails to Hotmail/Outlook/Live email addresses,” but provided no ETA Read more about Angry 123-Reg customers in the UK wake up to another day where hosted mail doesn’t get through to users on Microsoft email accounts[…]

Security Risks Revolving the 2020 US Presidential Elections | Techwarn.com

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The coronavirus pandemic has forced people around the globe to temporarily modify the ways they go about activities. Activities like these include political elections and campaigning. Since the virus hit in an election year, it’s highly likely new measures will be taken to prevent mass gatherings during voting. Infection rates aren’t likely to drop any Read more about Security Risks Revolving the 2020 US Presidential Elections | Techwarn.com[…]

Dutch minister of Justice holds coronaparty, changes law to escape consequences, appears to DMCA to delete from internet, better than Cummings!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The man who told all of the Netherlands to keep to 1.5m distance and to stay away from older people (Grapperhaus) was photographed hugging his mother in law and repeatedly breaking the distance at his wedding. This is the man who fines people EUR 400,- for this and then gives them a permanent record. He Read more about Dutch minister of Justice holds coronaparty, changes law to escape consequences, appears to DMCA to delete from internet, better than Cummings![…]

‘Linusgate’: Namby pamby doesn’t like Linus calling FSF names at debconf, feels cancel cultury about it.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

253 emails have been leaked from private (high-level) mailing lists of Debian, in which its representatives vocally complain about the talk Linus Torvalds gave at the most recent DebConf conference. Some people insist that he should be permanently banned from future conferences because the language he uses is inappropriate and infringes on the project’s Code Read more about ‘Linusgate’: Namby pamby doesn’t like Linus calling FSF names at debconf, feels cancel cultury about it.[…]

TCL Announces E Ink Color Display That Can Handle Video

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Known for its tablets, TVs, and phones, TCL has this week announced a new technology, NXTPAPER, that could totally change how you think about e ink. E ink displays are known for being great to stare at for hours and perfect for reading books (and sometimes even comics), but the latest color displays from E Read more about TCL Announces E Ink Color Display That Can Handle Video[…]

7 years later, US court deems NSA bulk phone-call snooping illegal, possibly unconstitutional, and probably pointless anyway

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled [PDF] that the National Security Agency’s phone-call slurping was indeed naughty, seven years after former contractor Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the tawdry affair. It’s been a long time coming, and while some might view the decision as a slap for officials Read more about 7 years later, US court deems NSA bulk phone-call snooping illegal, possibly unconstitutional, and probably pointless anyway[…]

European ISPs report mysterious wave of DDoS attacks

Posted on by Robin Edgar

More than a dozen internet service providers (ISPs) across Europe have reported DDoS attacks that targeted their DNS infrastructure. The list of ISPs that suffered attacks over the past week includes Belgium’s EDP, France’s Bouygues Télécom, FDN, K-net, SFR, and the Netherlands’ Caiway, Delta, FreedomNet, Online.nl, Signet, and Tweak.nl. Attacks lasted no longer than a day and were all eventually mitigated, but ISP services were Read more about European ISPs report mysterious wave of DDoS attacks[…]

These students figured out their tests were graded by AI — and the easy way to cheat – The Verge

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Simmons, who is a history professor herself. Then, Lazare clarified that he’d received his grade less than a second after submitting his answers. A teacher couldn’t have read his response in that time, Simmons knew — her son was being graded by an algorithm. Simmons watched Lazare complete more assignments. She looked at the correct Read more about These students figured out their tests were graded by AI — and the easy way to cheat – The Verge[…]

Bill Barr to destroy antitrust case vs Google by forcing DoJ complaint filed before case is ready but before Trump re-election voting

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Several interested parties in the U.S. government have been looking to put Google’s head on a spike, and while undoubtedly there’s been some degree of jockeying between them for which will ultimately get the credit, they’ve been proceeding with care and caution in the interest of building an ironclad case against a particularly canny opponent. Read more about Bill Barr to destroy antitrust case vs Google by forcing DoJ complaint filed before case is ready but before Trump re-election voting[…]

After Facebook Balks, Apple Delays “Privacy” (ie only Apple spies on you) Feature

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In June, Apple unveiled plans for an iOS 14 privacy update that forces developers to gather users’ consent before tracking their activities across third-party apps and websites. Needless to say, giving users more control over how their information is gathered and trafficked is expected to bruise advertisers—especially Facebook, which uses that information to narrow its Read more about After Facebook Balks, Apple Delays “Privacy” (ie only Apple spies on you) Feature[…]

Facebook finally joins responsible disclosure for bugs they find

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Facebook has published its first Vulnerability Disclosure Policy and given itself grounds to blab the existence of bugs to the world if it thinks that’s the right thing to do. “Facebook may occasionally find critical security bugs or vulnerabilities in third-party code and systems, including open source software,” the company writes. “When that happens, our Read more about Facebook finally joins responsible disclosure for bugs they find[…]