Author: Robin Edgar

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

Russia admits, yup, the Americans are right: One of our rocket’s tanks just disintegrated in Earth’s orbit

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Russian rocket tanks used to launch a radio telescope have broken up into 65 chunks, littering Earth’s orbit with debris. The tanks, dumped from the Fregat-SB upper stage of the Zenit-3SLBF rocket that took the Spektr-R radio telescope into orbit in 2011, disintegrated on Friday, Roscosmos said on Sunday. “According to reports, the destruction occurred Read more about Russia admits, yup, the Americans are right: One of our rocket’s tanks just disintegrated in Earth’s orbit[…]

Amazon builds UV-light robot to kill coronavirus on surfaces

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Amazon built robot that is designed to kill the novel coronavirus with ultraviolet light. The robot looks a little like a hotel luggage cart, with a tall metal frame attached to a rectangular wheeled bottom. One side of the frame is outfitted with at least 10 ultraviolet tube lights. In a video shared with CBS Read more about Amazon builds UV-light robot to kill coronavirus on surfaces[…]

Brit defense contractor Interserve hacked, up to 100,000 past and present employees’ details siphoned off

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Britain’s Ministry of Defence contractor Interserve has been hacked, reportedly leaking the details of up to 100,000 of past and current employees, including payment information and details of their next of kin. The Daily Telegraph reports that up to 100,000 employee details were stolen, dating back across a number of years. Interserve currently employs around Read more about Brit defense contractor Interserve hacked, up to 100,000 past and present employees’ details siphoned off[…]

Researchers spot thousands of Android apps leaking user data through misconfigured Firebase databases

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Security researchers at Comparitech have reported that an estimated 24,000 Android apps are leaking user data because of misconfigured Firebase databases. Firebase is a popular backend service with SDKs for multiple platforms, including Android, iOS, web, C++ and Unity (for games). Features include two NoSQL database managers, Cloud Firestore and the older Realtime Database. Data Read more about Researchers spot thousands of Android apps leaking user data through misconfigured Firebase databases[…]

PrintDemon vulnerability impacts all Windows versions | ZDNet

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Two security researchers have published today details about a vulnerability in the Windows printing service that they say impacts all Windows versions going back to Windows NT 4, released in 1996. The vulnerability, which they codenamed PrintDemon, is located in Windows Print Spooler, the primary Windows component responsible for managing print operations. The service can Read more about PrintDemon vulnerability impacts all Windows versions | ZDNet[…]

SPACEX – ISS Docking Simulator

Posted on by Robin Edgar

This simulator will familiarize you with the controls of the actual interface used by NASA Astronauts to manually pilot the SpaceX Dragon 2 vehicle to the International Space Station. Source: SPACEX – ISS Docking Simulator Turns out it’s quite easy in a sim 😀

Senate Votes to Allow FBI to Look at US citizen Web Browsing History Without a Warrant

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The US Senate has voted to give law enforcement agencies access to web browsing data without a warrant, dramatically expanding the government’s surveillance powers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The power grab was led by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell as part of a reauthorization of the Patriot Act, which gives federal agencies Read more about Senate Votes to Allow FBI to Look at US citizen Web Browsing History Without a Warrant[…]

Saturn has a hexagon vortex 18 layers thick the larger than the earth over its pole packed with hydrocarbon ice crystals.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The giant hexagon-shaped storm raging atop Saturn’s North Pole is made out of frozen hydrocarbon ice suspended in seven hazy layers stacked on top of one another, according to a study published in Nature Communications on Friday. The swirling six-sided wonder, which El Reg once dubbed the hexacane, has perplexed scientists since its discovery in Read more about Saturn has a hexagon vortex 18 layers thick the larger than the earth over its pole packed with hydrocarbon ice crystals.[…]

5 minutes with a Thunderbolt machine leaves it completely open using Thunderspy – evil maids don’t need much knowledge

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Thunderspy targets devices with a Thunderbolt port. If your computer has such a port, an attacker who gets brief physical access to it can read and copy all your data, even if your drive is encrypted and your computer is locked or set to sleep. Thunderspy is stealth, meaning that you cannot find any traces Read more about 5 minutes with a Thunderbolt machine leaves it completely open using Thunderspy – evil maids don’t need much knowledge[…]

Gigantic new 3D map traces every neuron in a tiny mouse brain | Live Science

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, a Seattle nonprofit dedicated to neuroscience, have been painstakingly recording every brain cell and every connection between those neurons in mice for the past several years. The result represents major progress since an earlier, simpler map they released in 2016. The now-complete map encompasses about 100 million Read more about Gigantic new 3D map traces every neuron in a tiny mouse brain | Live Science[…]

Oil Crash Busted Broker’s Computers and Inflicted Big Losses

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Syed Shah usually buys and sells stocks and currencies through his Interactive Brokers account, but he couldn’t resist trying his hand at some oil trading on April 20, the day prices plunged below zero for the first time ever. The day trader, working from his house in a Toronto suburb, figured he couldn’t lose as Read more about Oil Crash Busted Broker’s Computers and Inflicted Big Losses[…]

Cognizant expects to lose between $50m and $70m following ransomware attack

Posted on by Robin Edgar

IT services provider Cognizant said in an earnings call this week that a ransomware incident that took place last month in April 2020 will negatively impact its Q2 revenue. “While we anticipate that the revenue impact related to this issue will be largely resolved by the middle of the quarter, we do anticipate the revenue Read more about Cognizant expects to lose between $50m and $70m following ransomware attack[…]

One malicious MMS is all it takes to pwn a Samsung smartphone: Bug squashed amid Android patch batch

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Samsung has patched a serious security hole in its smartphones that can be exploited by maliciously crafted text messages to hijack devices. It appears no user interaction is required: if Samsung’s messaging app bundled with phones since 2015 receives a booby-trapped MMS, it will parse it automatically before the user even opens it. This will Read more about One malicious MMS is all it takes to pwn a Samsung smartphone: Bug squashed amid Android patch batch[…]

Privacy Enhancements for Android

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Privacy Enhancements for Android (PE for Android) is a platform for exploring concepts in regulating access to private information on mobile devices. The goal is to create an extensible privacy system that abstracts away the details of various privacy-preserving technologies. PE for Android allows app developers to safely leverage state-of-the-art privacy techniques without knowledge of Read more about Privacy Enhancements for Android[…]

GitHub blasts code-scanning tool into all open-source projects

Posted on by Robin Edgar

GitHub has made its automated code-scanning tools available to all open-source projects free of charge. The aim, said the code repo house, is to help developers suss out potential security vulnerabilities ahead of time, and to do so at a scale that will work for both small and large projects. The feature, based on the Read more about GitHub blasts code-scanning tool into all open-source projects[…]

Nervous, Adobe? It took 16 years, but open-source vector graphics editor Inkscape v1.0 now works properly on macOS

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Open-source, cross-platform vector drawing package Inkscape has reached its version 1.0 milestone after many years of development. Inkscape can be seen as an alternative to commercial products such as Adobe Illustrator or Serif Affinity Designer – though unlike Inkscape, neither of those run on Linux. The native format of Inkscape is SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), Read more about Nervous, Adobe? It took 16 years, but open-source vector graphics editor Inkscape v1.0 now works properly on macOS[…]

Hackers hide web skimmer behind a website’s favicon

Posted on by Robin Edgar

a hacker group created a fake icons hosting website in order to disguise malicious code meant to steal payment card data from hacked websites. The operation is what security researchers refer to these days as a web skimming, e-skimming, or a Magecart attack. Hackers breach websites and then hide malicious code on its pages, code Read more about Hackers hide web skimmer behind a website’s favicon[…]

Details of 44m Pakistani mobile users leaked online, part of bigger 115m cache

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The details of 44 million Pakistani mobile subscribers have leaked online this week, ZDNet has learned. The leak comes after a hacker tried to sell a package containing 115 million Pakistani mobile user records last month for a price of $2.1 million in bitcoin. ZDNet has obtained copies of both data sets. We received the Read more about Details of 44m Pakistani mobile users leaked online, part of bigger 115m cache[…]

Jet propulsion by microwave air plasma in the atmosphere: AIP Advances: Vol 10, No 5

Posted on by Robin Edgar

We propose a prototype design of a propulsion thruster that utilizes air plasma induced by microwave ionization. Such a jet engine simply uses only air and electricity to produce high temperature and pressurized plasma for jet propulsion. We used a home-made device to measure the lifting force and jet pressure at various settings of microwave Read more about Jet propulsion by microwave air plasma in the atmosphere: AIP Advances: Vol 10, No 5[…]

No cookie consent walls — and no, scrolling isn’t consent, says EU data protection body

Posted on by Robin Edgar

You can’t make access to your website’s content dependent on a visitor agreeing that you can process their data — aka a ‘consent cookie wall’. Not if you need to be compliant with European data protection law. That’s the unambiguous message from the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), which has published updated guidelines on the Read more about No cookie consent walls — and no, scrolling isn’t consent, says EU data protection body[…]

Google Lens can now copy and paste handwritten notes to your computer

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google has added a very useful feature to Google Lens, its multipurpose object recognition tool. You can now copy and paste handwritten notes from your phone to your computer with Lens, though it only works if your handwriting is neat enough. In order to use the new feature, you need to have the latest version Read more about Google Lens can now copy and paste handwritten notes to your computer[…]

Researcher Discovers That Old Tesla Media Control Units Are Full Of Owner’s Private Data Even After A Factory Reset

Posted on by Robin Edgar

There’s a hacker/security researcher with the Twitter handle GreenTheOnly that has been doing some interesting work with used Tesla parts. This time specifically, he’s acquired three Tesla Model 3 integrated media control units (MCU) and Autopilot (HW) units (known as the ICE computer, just for Models 3 and Y), and a Model X MCU unit. Read more about Researcher Discovers That Old Tesla Media Control Units Are Full Of Owner’s Private Data Even After A Factory Reset[…]

Amazon Sued for Acting Like Users Own “Purchased” Movies (Spoiler Alert: You Don’t)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The question of whether you own your digital purchases, or whether you’re simply licensing that content from whatever tech giant du jour hosts it, has always been a bit of a black box for consumers. Recently, this lack of transparency has prompted one California user to file a lawsuit against Amazon for saying customers can Read more about Amazon Sued for Acting Like Users Own “Purchased” Movies (Spoiler Alert: You Don’t)[…]

IAB Europe Guide to the Post Third-Party Cookie Era

Posted on by Robin Edgar

This Guide has been developed by experts from IAB Europe’s Programmatic Trading Committee (PTC) to prepare brands, agencies, publishers and tech intermediaries for the much-anticipated post third-party cookie advertising ecosystem. It provides background to the current use of cookies in digital advertising today and an overview of the alternative solutions being developed. As solutions evolve, Read more about IAB Europe Guide to the Post Third-Party Cookie Era[…]

Air Force Announces it Can Save $7 Million by Adjusting One Plane’s Windshield Wipers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Air Force recently proved through a series of tests that its KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft can fly more efficiently just by mounting the cockpit window’s wiper blades vertically instead of horizontally. The potential fuel cost savings: about $7 million per year. Researchers with the Advanced Power and Technology Office, part of the Air Force Research Read more about Air Force Announces it Can Save $7 Million by Adjusting One Plane’s Windshield Wipers[…]