The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Design flaw has Microsoft Authenticator overwriting MFA accounts, locking users out

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] For those who rely on Microsoft Authenticator, the experience can go beyond momentary frustration to full-blown panic as they become locked out of their accounts. That’s because, due to an issue involving which fields it uses, Microsoft Authenticator often overwrites accounts when a user adds a new account via QR scan — the most Read more about Design flaw has Microsoft Authenticator overwriting MFA accounts, locking users out[…]

Chrome Web Store warns end is coming for uBlock Origin

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] With the stable release of Chrome 127 on July 23, 2024, the full spectrum of Chrome users could see the warning. One user of the content-blocking add-on filed a GitHub Issue about the notification. “This extension may soon no longer be supported because it doesn’t follow best practices for Chrome extensions,” the Chrome Web Read more about Chrome Web Store warns end is coming for uBlock Origin[…]

Sonos apologized months too late for messing up its app and has offered a roadmap for fixing everything which has already slipped

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Sonos seriously stepped in it a couple of months back when it released an overhauled first-party mobile app that shipped with a number of missing features. These included core functions like sleep timers and alarms. Many of the company’s speakers would not appear as a pairing option and it became extremely difficult to precisely adjust Read more about Sonos apologized months too late for messing up its app and has offered a roadmap for fixing everything which has already slipped[…]

Etsy goes USA level prude and will kill Artisanal sex toy businesses – without having told them that their policies were changing. Surprise!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Simply Elegant Glass has been selling hand-crafted sex toys on Etsy for nearly a decade. In that time, the shop has made over 7,000 sales and racked up more than 1,500 mostly five-star reviews. The Etsy shop — which offers glass dildos, anal plugs and other insertable items — drives the majority of the small Read more about Etsy goes USA level prude and will kill Artisanal sex toy businesses – without having told them that their policies were changing. Surprise![…]

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Samsung starts blocking sideloading, so Epic Games pulls Fortnite from the Galaxy Store

Posted on by Robin Edgar

After it was discovered that Samsung would begin blocking any attempt to sideload apps Epic Games has made the decision to remove Fortnite, among other titles, from the Galaxy Store. When the Galaxy Z Fold 6 began to land in the hands of users, the loaded version of One UI touted a brand-new attempt to Read more about Samsung starts blocking sideloading, so Epic Games pulls Fortnite from the Galaxy Store[…]

Crowdstrike apologises for breaking the world to own IT Workers With $10 Uber Eats Coupons that are flagged by Uber as Fraudulent

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Last week, the world reacted as 8.5 million computers crashed to bluescreen, grounding flights, crippling hospitals, and bringing down 911 services. This week, the world is reacting to the company responsible—Crowdstrike—offering its staff and the companies it works with a $10 Uber Eats voucher as way of apology for all their extra work over the Read more about Crowdstrike apologises for breaking the world to own IT Workers With $10 Uber Eats Coupons that are flagged by Uber as Fraudulent[…]

A Hacker ‘Ghost’ Network Is Quietly Spreading Malware on GitHub

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A secretive network of around 3,000 “ghost” accounts on GitHub has quietly been manipulating pages on the code-hosting website to promote malware and phishing links, according to new research seen by WIRED. Since at least June last year, according to researchers at cybersecurity company Check Point, a cybercriminal they dubbed “Stargazer Goblin” has been hosting Read more about A Hacker ‘Ghost’ Network Is Quietly Spreading Malware on GitHub[…]

US Congress Wants To Let Private Companies Own The Law – set standards you must comply with but can’t actually find or see easily

Posted on by Robin Edgar

It sounds absolutely batty that there is a strong, bipartisan push to lock up aspects of our law behind copyright. But it’s happening. Even worse, the push is on to include this effort to lock up the law in the “must pass” National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This is the bill that Congress lights up Read more about US Congress Wants To Let Private Companies Own The Law – set standards you must comply with but can’t actually find or see easily[…]

FTC asks 8 big names to explain surveillance pricing tech

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an investigation into “surveillance pricing,” a phenomenon likely familiar to anyone who’s had to buy something in an incognito browser window to avoid paying a premium. Surveillance pricing, according to the FTC, is the use of algorithms, AI, and other technologies – most crucially combined with personal Read more about FTC asks 8 big names to explain surveillance pricing tech[…]

Switzerland now requires all government software to be open source. Sort of.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Several European countries are betting on open-source software. In the United States, eh, not so much. In the latest news from across the Atlantic, Switzerland has taken a major step forward with its “Federal Law on the Use of Electronic Means for the Fulfillment of Government Tasks” (EMBAG). This groundbreaking legislation mandates using open-source software Read more about Switzerland now requires all government software to be open source. Sort of.[…]

Google’s reCAPTCHAv2 is just labor exploitation, boffins say

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google promotes its reCAPTCHA service as a security mechanism for websites, but researchers affiliated with the University of California, Irvine, argue it’s harvesting information while extracting human labor worth billions. The term CAPTCHA stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart,” and, as Google explains, it refers to a challenge-response Read more about Google’s reCAPTCHAv2 is just labor exploitation, boffins say[…]

UN Cybercrime Treaty does not define cybercrime, allows any definition and forces all signatories to secretly surveil their own population on request by any other signatory (think totalitarian states spying on people in democracies with no recourse)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] EFF colleague, Katitza Rodriguez, about the Cybercrime Treaty, which is about to pass, and which is, to put it mildly, terrifying: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/07/un-cybercrime-draft-convention-dangerously-expands-state-surveillance-powers Look, cybercrime is a real thing, from pig butchering to ransomware, and there’s real, global harms that can be attributed to it. Cybercrime is transnational, making it hard for cops in any Read more about UN Cybercrime Treaty does not define cybercrime, allows any definition and forces all signatories to secretly surveil their own population on request by any other signatory (think totalitarian states spying on people in democracies with no recourse)[…]

Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A new antibiotic that works by disrupting two different cellular targets would make it 100 million times more difficult for bacteria to evolve resistance, according to new research from the University of Illinois Chicago. For a new paper in Nature Chemical Biology, researchers probed how a class of synthetic drugs called macrolones disrupt bacterial cell Read more about Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible[…]

Google isn’t killing third-party cookies in Chrome after all in move that surprises absolutely no-one.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google won’t kill third-party cookies in Chrome after all, the company said on Monday. Instead, it will introduce a new experience in the browser that will allow users to make informed choices about their web browsing preferences, Google announced in a blog post. Killing cookies, Google said, would adversely impact online publishers and advertisers. This Read more about Google isn’t killing third-party cookies in Chrome after all in move that surprises absolutely no-one.[…]

Intel has finally figured out its long-standing desktop CPU instability issues, hopefully patches in August

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The first reports of instability issues with the 13th-gen Intel desktop CPUs started popping up in late 2022, mere months after the models came out. Those issues persisted, and over time, users reported dealing with unexpected and sudden crashes on PCs equipped with the company’s 14th-gen CPUs, as well. Now, Intel has announced that it Read more about Intel has finally figured out its long-standing desktop CPU instability issues, hopefully patches in August[…]

Nvidia’s third-party RTX 40-series GPUs are losing performance over time thanks to rubbish factory-installed thermal paste

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Modern graphics cards use lots of power and all of it is turned into heat. So if you’re paying many hundreds of dollars for a powerful GPU, you’d expect no expense to be spared on the cooling system. It turns out that for many Nvidia RTX 40-series vendors, the expense is being spared and cheap, Read more about Nvidia’s third-party RTX 40-series GPUs are losing performance over time thanks to rubbish factory-installed thermal paste[…]

“Smart soil” grows 138% bigger crops using 40% less water

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] in areas where water is more scarce it can be hard to grow crops and feed populations, so scientists are investigating ways to boost efficiency. Building on earlier work, the new study marks a good step in that direction. The soil gets its “smart” moniker thanks to the addition of a specially formulated hydrogel, Read more about “Smart soil” grows 138% bigger crops using 40% less water[…]

Space Force tests small satellite jammer to protect against a ‘space-enabled attack’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The U.S. Space Force is testing a new ground-based satellite jamming weapon to help keep U.S. military personnel safe from potential “space-enabled” attacks. The tests were conducted by Space Training and Readiness Command, or STARCOM, which is responsible for educating and training U.S. Space Force personnel. The satellite jammer is known as the Remote Modular Read more about Space Force tests small satellite jammer to protect against a ‘space-enabled attack’[…]

First trial on British Army vehicle for high-powered laser weapon

Posted on by Robin Edgar

For the first time scientists and engineers have successfully fired a high powered laser energy weapon from a British Army combat vehicle. This ground-breaking test, conducted at Dstl’s range in Porton Down, saw the laser weapon neutralise targets at distances in excess of 1km. The high-energy laser weapon mounted on to a British Army Wolfhound Read more about First trial on British Army vehicle for high-powered laser weapon[…]

So that Global Microsoft IT outage – turns out a Crowdstrike update borked your PC. Here’s some memes to make you feel better.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Businesses worldwide grappled with an ongoing major IT outage Friday, as financial services and doctors’ offices were disrupted, while some TV broadcasters went offline. Air travel has been hit particularly hard, with planes grounded, services delayed and airports issuing advice to passengers. The outage came as cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike experienced a major disruption early Friday Read more about So that Global Microsoft IT outage – turns out a Crowdstrike update borked your PC. Here’s some memes to make you feel better.[…]

Meta and Apple are Keeping their Next Big AI things Out of the EU – that’s a good thing

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] In a statement to The Verge, Meta spokesperson Kate McLaughlin said that the company’s next-gen Llama AI model is skipping Europe, placing the blame squarely on regulations. “We will release a multimodal Llama model over the coming months,” Mclaughlin said, “but not in the EU due to the unpredictable nature of the European regulatory Read more about Meta and Apple are Keeping their Next Big AI things Out of the EU – that’s a good thing[…]

Indian WazirX halts withdrawals after losing $230M worth crypto assets – still cowboy country there

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] The Mumbai-based firm said one of its multisig wallets had suffered a security breach. A multisig wallet requires two or more private keys for authentication. WazirX said its wallet had six signatories, five of whom were with WazirX team. Liminal, which operates a wallet infrastructure firm, said in a statement to TechCrunch that its Read more about Indian WazirX halts withdrawals after losing $230M worth crypto assets – still cowboy country there[…]

Critical Cisco bug allows anyone to change all (including admin) passwords

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Cisco just dropped a patch for a maximum-severity vulnerability that allows attackers to change the password of any user, including admins. Tracked as CVE-2024-20419, the bug carries a maximum 10/10 CVSS 3.1 rating and affects the authentication system of Cisco Smart Software Manager (SSM) On-Prem. Cisco hasn’t disclosed too many details about this, which is Read more about Critical Cisco bug allows anyone to change all (including admin) passwords[…]

How to unsnarl a tangle of threads, according to physics

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Physicists may have found a solution for the rage-inducing tangles that crop up in everything from electronics cords to necklaces: to free a single thread from a tangle of many, you must shake it not too fast and not too slow but with just the right frequency. Ishant Tiwari at the Georgia Institute of Technology Read more about How to unsnarl a tangle of threads, according to physics[…]