The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Amazon Ring Doorbell allows people to eavesdrop with video and even insert footage

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Plaintext transmission of audio/video footage to the Ring application allows for arbitrary surveillance and injection of counterfeit traffic, effectively compromising home security (CVE-2019-9483). […] We moved over to sniffing the application. Here we see a more sensible SIP/TLS approach, with pretty much all notifications, updates and information being passed via HTTPS. However, the actual RTP Read more about Amazon Ring Doorbell allows people to eavesdrop with video and even insert footage[…]

Stonehenge: Geologists have found exactly where some rocks came from

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Five thousand years after people in the British Isles began building Stonehenge, scientists now know precisely where some of the massive rocks came from and how they were unearthed. A team of 12 geologists and archaeologists from across the United Kingdom unveiled research this month that traces some of the prehistoric monument’s smaller stones to Read more about Stonehenge: Geologists have found exactly where some rocks came from[…]

Incredible Experiment Gives Infrared Vision to Mice—and Humans Could Be Next

Posted on by Robin Edgar

By injecting nanoparticles into the eyes of mice, scientists gave them the ability to see near-infrared light—a wavelength not normally visible to rodents (or people). It’s an extraordinary achievement, one made even more extraordinary with the realization that a similar technique could be used in humans. Of all the remarkable things done to mice over Read more about Incredible Experiment Gives Infrared Vision to Mice—and Humans Could Be Next[…]

How artificially brightened clouds could cool down the earth

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Clouds, however, naturally reflect the sun (it’s why Venus – a planet with permanent cloud cover – shines so brightly in our night sky). Marine stratocumulus clouds are particularly important, covering around 20% of the Earth’s surface while reflecting 30% of total solar radiation. Stratocumulus clouds also cool the ocean surface directly below. Proposals to Read more about How artificially brightened clouds could cool down the earth[…]

Plain wrong: Millions of utility customers’ passwords stored in plain text by website builder SEDC

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In September of 2018, an anonymous independent security researcher (who we’ll call X) noticed that their power company’s website was offering to email—not reset!—lost account passwords to forgetful users. Startled, X fed the online form the utility account number and the last four phone number digits it was asking for. Sure enough, a few minutes Read more about Plain wrong: Millions of utility customers’ passwords stored in plain text by website builder SEDC[…]

Samsung is loading McAfee antivirus software on smart TVs – which may be impossible to uninstall

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Samsung is adding bloatware to its 2019 TVs because McAfee is paying them to do so. There is arguably no reason for Samsung to offer third-party antivirus software for an operating system that is developed in-house. Partnering with software vendors is fairly common practice for large hardware manufacturers. Laptop makers frequently pre-install bloatware in return Read more about Samsung is loading McAfee antivirus software on smart TVs – which may be impossible to uninstall[…]

China bans 23m from buying travel tickets as part of ‘social credit’ system.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

China has blocked millions of “discredited” travellers from buying plane or train tickets as part of the country’s controversial “social credit” system aimed at improving the behaviour of citizens. According to the National Public Credit Information Centre, Chinese courts banned would-be travellers from buying flights 17.5 million times by the end of 2018. Citizens placed Read more about China bans 23m from buying travel tickets as part of ‘social credit’ system.[…]

Excel Can Now Turn Pictures of Tables Into Actual, Editable Tables

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft is introducing a really useful feature for Excel on mobile devices. The company is rolling out a new update to the Excel app for Android that makes it really easy to capture data. If you ever had to manually enter data from a paper in real life into your spreadsheets, you are going to Read more about Excel Can Now Turn Pictures of Tables Into Actual, Editable Tables[…]

Surprise! Facebook Low-Balled the Percentage of young teens It Paid to Install Spyware – by a factor of 4!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In January, when news first broke that Facebook had been paying teens in gift cards to let it install what is, by definition, essentially spyware on their phones, it seemed like just another Tuesday. Had it been virtually any other company, the outrage would have been tenfold. After all, paying 13-year-olds to gain access to Read more about Surprise! Facebook Low-Balled the Percentage of young teens It Paid to Install Spyware – by a factor of 4![…]

Comcast set mobile pins to “0000,” helping attackers steal phone numbers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A bad security decision by Comcast on the company’s mobile phone service made it easier for attackers to port victims’ cell phone numbers to different carriers. Comcast in 2017 launched Xfinity Mobile, a cellular service that uses the Verizon Wireless network and Comcast Wi-Fi hotspots. Comcast has signed up 1.2 million mobile subscribers but took Read more about Comcast set mobile pins to “0000,” helping attackers steal phone numbers[…]

Four new DNA letters double life’s alphabet

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The DNA of life on Earth naturally stores its information in just four key chemicals — guanine, cytosine, adenine and thymine, commonly referred to as G, C, A and T, respectively. Now scientists have doubled this number of life’s building blocks, creating for the first time a synthetic, eight-letter genetic language that seems to store Read more about Four new DNA letters double life’s alphabet[…]

As China frightens Europe’s data protectors, America does too with Cloud Act

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A foreign power with possible unbridled access to Europe’s data is causing alarm in the region. No, it’s not China. It’s the United States. As the US pushes ahead with the “Cloud Act” it enacted about a year ago, Europe is scrambling to curb its reach. Under the act, all US cloud service providers, from Read more about As China frightens Europe’s data protectors, America does too with Cloud Act[…]

Boeing Just Revealed the ‘Loyal Wingman’ Fighter Drone—For Australia

Posted on by Robin Edgar

American plane-maker Boeing has revealed a stealthy, robotic fighter jet that could fly into battle alongside old-school manned planes. But the “loyal wingman” drone, as officials call it, isn’t for the U.S. military. The Australian government funded the ‘bot’s development in the hope of equipping Royal Australian Air Force squadrons with drone wingmen. Which is Read more about Boeing Just Revealed the ‘Loyal Wingman’ Fighter Drone—For Australia[…]

spacedesk – extend or duplicate your desktop on a smartphone or tablet

Posted on by Robin Edgar

At least 2 machines are needed to operate spacedesk. These machines must be connected via a Local Area Network (e.g. Ethernet or Wireless) supporting TCP/IP network protocol. Each one of the two machines is running a different spacedesk software: 1. The Primary Machine is a Windows PC, laptop or Surface Pro tablet. It runs the spacedesk DRIVER Read more about spacedesk – extend or duplicate your desktop on a smartphone or tablet[…]

Some American Airlines In-Flight TVs Have Cameras In Them watching you, just like Singapore Airlines and Google Nest

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A viral photo showing a camera in a Singapore Airlines in-flight TV display recently caused an uproar online. The image was retweeted hundreds of times, with many people expressing concern about the privacy implications. As it turns out, some seat-back screens in American Airlines’ premium economy class have them, too. Sri Ray was aboard an Read more about Some American Airlines In-Flight TVs Have Cameras In Them watching you, just like Singapore Airlines and Google Nest[…]

Experts Find Serious Problems With Switzerland’s Online Voting System

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Switzerland made headlines this month for the transparency of its internet voting system when it launched a public penetration test and bug bounty program to test the resiliency of the system to attack. But after source code for the software and technical documentation describing its architecture were leaked online last week, critics are already expressing Read more about Experts Find Serious Problems With Switzerland’s Online Voting System[…]

In small groups, people follow high-performing leaders

Posted on by Robin Edgar

researchers at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering have cracked the code on how leaders arise from small groups of people over time. The work is detailed in a study, “Social information and Spontaneous Emergence of Leaders in Human Groups,” published in The Royal Society Interface. […] To conduct the research, the team convened several Read more about In small groups, people follow high-performing leaders[…]

Physicists get thousands of semiconductor nuclei to do ‘quantum dances’ in unison

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A team of Cambridge researchers have found a way to control the sea of nuclei in semiconductor quantum dots so they can operate as a quantum memory device. Quantum dots are crystals made up of thousands of atoms, and each of these atoms interacts magnetically with the trapped electron. If left alone to its own Read more about Physicists get thousands of semiconductor nuclei to do ‘quantum dances’ in unison[…]

Earth’s atmosphere extends much farther than previously thought

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Most people think that the Earth’s atmosphere stops a bit over 62 miles (100 km) from the surface, but a new study based on observations made over two decades ago by the joint US-European Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite shows that it actually extends as far 391,000 miles (630,000 km) or 50 times the Read more about Earth’s atmosphere extends much farther than previously thought[…]

Squid could provide an eco-friendly alternative to plastics

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The remarkable properties of a recently-discovered squid protein could revolutionize materials in a way that would be unattainable with conventional plastic, finds a review published in Frontiers in Chemistry. Originating in the ringed teeth of a squid’s predatory arms, this protein can be processed into fibers and films with applications ranging from ‘smart’ clothes for Read more about Squid could provide an eco-friendly alternative to plastics[…]

why does Singapore Airlines have an embedded camera looking at you on the inflight entertainment system? Just like the Google Nest spy, they say it’s ummm all ok, nothing to see here.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Given Singapore’s reputation for being an unabashed surveillance state, a passenger on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight could be forgiven for being a little paranoid. Vitaly Kamluk, an information security expert and a high-ranking executive of cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab, went on Twitter with concerns about an embedded camera in SIA’s inflight entertainment systems. He Read more about why does Singapore Airlines have an embedded camera looking at you on the inflight entertainment system? Just like the Google Nest spy, they say it’s ummm all ok, nothing to see here.[…]

IBM Brings Watson AI To The Private Cloud And Rival Public Cloud Platforms

Posted on by Robin Edgar

IBM Watson Anywhere is built on top of Kubernetes, the open source orchestration engine that can be deployed in diverse environments. Since the Watson Anywhere platform is built as a set of microservices designed to run on Kubernetes, it is flexible and portable. […] According to IBM, the microservices-based Watson Anywhere delivers two solutions – Read more about IBM Brings Watson AI To The Private Cloud And Rival Public Cloud Platforms[…]

How’s this for sci-fi: A cosmic river of 4,000 stars dazzles lifeforms as it flows through a galaxy. And that galaxy is the Milky Way

Posted on by Robin Edgar

If you’re living in Earth’s southern hemisphere, chances are you may be able to see some of the stars in a newly identified cosmic river that’s flowed through the Milky Way for hundreds of millions of years. Astronomers say the freshly discovered gigantic cluster of stars is passing relatively close to our Solar System. The Read more about How’s this for sci-fi: A cosmic river of 4,000 stars dazzles lifeforms as it flows through a galaxy. And that galaxy is the Milky Way[…]