Author: Robin Edgar

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

China state hackers infected 20,000 govt and defence Fortinet VPNs, due to at least 2 month unfixed critical vulnerability

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Hackers working for the Chinese government gained access to more than 20,000 VPN appliances sold by Fortinet using a critical vulnerability that the company failed to disclose for two weeks after fixing it, Netherlands government officials said. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2022-42475, is a heap-based buffer overflow that allows hackers to remotely execute malicious code. Read more about China state hackers infected 20,000 govt and defence Fortinet VPNs, due to at least 2 month unfixed critical vulnerability[…]

lg-55UH850V lies about refresh rates

So… LG lies about TV Framerates on their site

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The LG55UH850V, a 4K is mentioned online as having a framerate of 120Hz at specification sites on Google LG’s Finnish website puts the framerate at a staggering 200Hz So does the South African website – this also boasts a “Billion Rich Colors” – color depth is only 8 bit. After having upgraded to a graphics Read more about So… LG lies about TV Framerates on their site[…]

Crooks threaten to leak 2.9B records of personal info from National Public Data, a “small” US information broker

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Billions of records detailing people’s personal information may soon be dumped online after being allegedly obtained from a Florida firm that handles background checks and other requests for folks’ private info. A criminal gang that goes by the handle USDoD put the database up for sale for $3.5 million on an underworld forum in April, Read more about Crooks threaten to leak 2.9B records of personal info from National Public Data, a “small” US information broker[…]

Cooler Master hit by data breach exposing 500,000 customers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Computer hardware manufacturer Cooler Master has suffered a data breach after a threat actor breached the company’s website and claimed to steal the Fanzone member information of 500,000 customers. Cooler Master is a hardware manufacturer based in Taiwan that is known for its computer cases, cooling devices, gaming chairs, and other computer peripherals. Yesterday, a threat actor Read more about Cooler Master hit by data breach exposing 500,000 customers[…]

Japan’s Push To Make All Research Open Access is Taking Shape

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Japanese government is pushing ahead with a plan to make Japan’s publicly funded research output free to read. From a report: In June, the science ministry will assign funding to universities to build the infrastructure needed to make research papers free to read on a national scale. The move follows the ministry’s announcement in Read more about Japan’s Push To Make All Research Open Access is Taking Shape[…]

documents scattered

Google Leak Reveals Thousands of Privacy Incidents

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google has accidentally collected childrens’ voice data, leaked the trips and home addresses of car pool users, and made YouTube recommendations based on users’ deleted watch history, among thousands of other employee-reported privacy incidents, according to a copy of an internal Google database which tracks six years worth of potential privacy and security issues obtained Read more about Google Leak Reveals Thousands of Privacy Incidents[…]

Adobe changes TOS, says it can republish what you made for free

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Adobe has decided that if you use its software, it can re-use anything you create. Considering you pay to use the software, that’s a bit grating. 4.2 Licenses to Your Content. Solely for the purposes of operating or improving the Services and Software, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free sublicensable, license, to use, reproduce, publicly display, Read more about Adobe changes TOS, says it can republish what you made for free[…]

Ticketmaster 560m+ account hack confirmed in what seems to be a spree hitting Snowflake customers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Cloud storage provider Snowflake said that accounts belonging to multiple customers have been hacked after threat actors obtained credentials through info-stealing malware or by purchasing them on online crime forums. Ticketmaster parent Live Nation—which disclosed Friday that hackers gained access to data it stored through an unnamed third-party provider—told TechCrunch the provider was Snowflake. The Read more about Ticketmaster 560m+ account hack confirmed in what seems to be a spree hitting Snowflake customers[…]

Spotify Says It Will Refund Car Thing Purchases with a valid receipt

Posted on by Robin Edgar

If you contact Spotify’s customer service with a valid receipt, the company will refund your Car Thing purchase. That’s the latest development reported by Engadget. When Spotify first announced that it would brick every Car Thing device on December 9, 2024, it said that it wouldn’t offer owners any subscription credit or automatic refund. From Read more about Spotify Says It Will Refund Car Thing Purchases with a valid receipt[…]

Largest ever operation by Europol against botnets hits dropper malware ecosystem

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Between 27 and 29 May 2024 Operation Endgame, coordinated from Europol’s headquarters, targeted droppers including, IcedID, SystemBC, Pikabot, Smokeloader, Bumblebee and Trickbot. The actions focused on disrupting criminal services through arresting High Value Targets, taking down the criminal infrastructures and freezing illegal proceeds. This approach had a global impact on the dropper ecosystem. The malware, Read more about Largest ever operation by Europol against botnets hits dropper malware ecosystem[…]

How Researchers Cracked an 11-Year-Old Password to a $3 Million Crypto Wallet

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Two years ago when “Michael,” an owner of cryptocurrency, contacted Joe Grand to help recover access to about $2 million worth of bitcoin he stored in encrypted format on his computer, Grand turned him down. Michael, who is based in Europe and asked to remain anonymous, stored the cryptocurrency in a password-protected digital wallet. He Read more about How Researchers Cracked an 11-Year-Old Password to a $3 Million Crypto Wallet[…]

“Deny, denounce, delay”: ultra-processed food companies fighting using big tobacco type tactics

Posted on by Robin Edgar

When the Brazilian nutritional scientist Carlos Monteiro coined the term “ultra-processed foods” 15 years ago, he established what he calls a “new paradigm” for assessing the impact of diet on health. Monteiro had noticed that although Brazilian households were spending less on sugar and oil, obesity rates were going up. The paradox could be explained Read more about “Deny, denounce, delay”: ultra-processed food companies fighting using big tobacco type tactics[…]

2.8M US folks’ personal info swiped in Sav-Rx IT heist – 8 months ago

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Sav-Rx has started notifying about 2.8 million people that their personal information was likely stolen during an IT intrusion that happened more than seven months ago. The biz provides prescription drug management services to more than 10 million US workers and their families, via their employers or unions. It first spotted the network “interruption” on Read more about 2.8M US folks’ personal info swiped in Sav-Rx IT heist – 8 months ago[…]

Google’s technical info about search ranking leaks online

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A trove of documents that appear to describe how Google ranks search results has appeared online, likely as the result of accidental publication by an in-house bot. The leaked documentation describes an old version of Google’s Content Warehouse API and provides a glimpse of Google Search’s inner workings. The material appears to have been inadvertently Read more about Google’s technical info about search ranking leaks online[…]

Lawyers To Plastic Makers: Prepare For ‘Astronomical’ PFAS Lawsuits

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: The defense lawyer minced no words as he addressed a room full of plastic-industry executives. Prepare for a wave of lawsuits with potentially “astronomical” costs. Speaking at a conference earlier this year, the lawyer, Brian Gross, said the coming litigation could “dwarf anything related Read more about Lawyers To Plastic Makers: Prepare For ‘Astronomical’ PFAS Lawsuits[…]

YouTube’s Crackdown on Adblockers Makes Videos Unwatchable – now skips to end of video

Posted on by Robin Edgar

YouTube has been at war with adblockers for quite some time now and has employed various tactics to keep users off those extensions. Its most recent defense strategy is to skip right to the end of the video you’re playing. If you try replaying it, it’ll do that again. If you tap anywhere on the Read more about YouTube’s Crackdown on Adblockers Makes Videos Unwatchable – now skips to end of video[…]

Samsung Requires Independent Repair Shops to Share Customer Data, Snitch on People and destroy phones Using Aftermarket Parts, Leaked Contract Shows

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In exchange for selling them repair parts, Samsung requires independent repair shops to give Samsung the name, contact information, phone identifier, and customer complaint details of everyone who gets their phone repaired at these shops, according to a contract obtained by 404 Media. Stunningly, it also requires these nominally independent shops to “immediately disassemble” any Read more about Samsung Requires Independent Repair Shops to Share Customer Data, Snitch on People and destroy phones Using Aftermarket Parts, Leaked Contract Shows[…]

Spotify to brick every Car Thing gadget it ever sold only 2 – 3 years ago

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Spotify’s brief attempt at being a hardware company wasn’t all that successful: the company stopped producing its Car Thing dashboard accessory less than a year after it went on sale to the public. And now, two years later, the device is about to be rendered completely inoperable. Customers who bought the Car Thing are receiving Read more about Spotify to brick every Car Thing gadget it ever sold only 2 – 3 years ago[…]

Crooks plant backdoor in software used by courtrooms around the world

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A software maker serving more than 10,000 courtrooms throughout the world hosted an application update containing a hidden backdoor that maintained persistent communication with a malicious website, researchers reported Thursday, in the latest episode of a supply-chain attack. The software, known as the JAVS Viewer 8, is a component of the JAVS Suite 8, an Read more about Crooks plant backdoor in software used by courtrooms around the world[…]

Bilingual Brain-Reading Implant Decodes Spanish and English

Posted on by Robin Edgar

For the first time, a brain implant has helped a bilingual person who is unable to articulate words to communicate in both of his languages. An artificial-intelligence (AI) system coupled to the brain implant decodes, in real time, what the individual is trying to say in either Spanish or English. The findings, published on 20 Read more about Bilingual Brain-Reading Implant Decodes Spanish and English[…]

Netflix app update for Windows PCs will ditch downloads and offline viewing but give you stuff you never wanted.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In the past few weeks, users have received notifications on their Netflix Windows indicating that a new update is coming. The update will ship with many new features and quality-of-life improvements, including support for watching live events, improved streaming quality, compatibility with ad-supported plans, and more. Wait – who wants any of this stuff? What Read more about Netflix app update for Windows PCs will ditch downloads and offline viewing but give you stuff you never wanted.[…]

Adobe threatens to sue Nintendo emulator Delta for its look-alike logo

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Delta, an emulator that can play Nintendo games, had to change its logo after Adobe threatened legal action. You’d think it would face trouble from Nintendo, seeing as it has been going after emulators these days, but no. It’s Adobe who’s going after the developer, which told TechCrunch that it first received an email from Read more about Adobe threatens to sue Nintendo emulator Delta for its look-alike logo[…]

winamp interface

Winamp has announced that it is opening up its source code

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Winamp has announced that on 24 September 2024, the application’s source code will be open to developers worldwide. Winamp will open up its code for the player used on Windows, enabling the entire community to participate in its development. This is an invitation to global collaboration, where developers worldwide can contribute their expertise, ideas, and Read more about Winamp has announced that it is opening up its source code[…]

Germany’s Sovereign Tech Fund Now Supporting FFmpeg

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Following Germany’s Sovereign Tech Fund providing significant funding for GNOME, Rust Coreutils, PHP, a systemd bug bounty, and numerous other free software projects, the FFmpeg multimedia library is the latest beneficiary to this funding from the Germany government. The Sovereign Tech Fund notes that the FFmpeg project is receiving €157,580.00 for 2024 and 2025. An Read more about Germany’s Sovereign Tech Fund Now Supporting FFmpeg[…]