The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

MIT Unveils New Material That’s Strongest and Lightest On Earth

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Graphene, which was heretofore, the strongest material known to man, is made from an extremely thin sheet of carbon atoms arranged in two dimensions. But there’s one drawback: while notable for its thinness and unique electrical properties, it’s very difficult to create useful, three-dimensional materials out of graphene. Now, a team of MIT researchers discovered Read more about MIT Unveils New Material That’s Strongest and Lightest On Earth[…]

MongoDB ransom attacks soar, body count hits 27,000 in hours

Posted on by Robin Edgar

MongoDB databases are being decimated in soaring ransomware attacks that have seen the number of compromised systems more than double to 27,000 in a day. Criminals are accessing, copying and deleting data from unpatched or badly-configured databases. Administrators are being charged ransoms to have data returned. Initial attacks saw ransoms of 0.2 bitcoins (US$184) to Read more about MongoDB ransom attacks soar, body count hits 27,000 in hours[…]

Autocomplete hidden form fields a novel phishing hole for Chrome, Safari crims

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The attack vector is manifest when victims select autofill while filling out registration forms: attackers hide sensitive fields like street address, date of birth, and phone number, displaying only basic entry boxes like name and email. Users who type the start of their names will generate a prompt that when selected will throw an option Read more about Autocomplete hidden form fields a novel phishing hole for Chrome, Safari crims[…]

One interview question that shows true character

Posted on by Robin Edgar

http://www.inc.com/betsy-mikel/1-interview-question-that-cuts-through-the-bs-to-reveal-someones-true-character.html Are you a giver or a taker? Ask for the names of 4 people the interviewee has boosted their career. If the positions of the people are lower than the interviewee you have a giver. If higher then the interviewee is a taker – a self serving backstabber…

Entrepreneurial experiences ‘no better than textbooks,’ says study

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The common thought that learning by experience is most effective when it comes to teaching entrepreneurship at university has been challenged in a new study. An analysis of more than 500 graduates found no significant difference between business schools that offered traditional courses and those that emphasise a ‘learning-by-doing’ approach to entrepreneurship education. The research Read more about Entrepreneurial experiences ‘no better than textbooks,’ says study[…]

Uber’s Latest Update seeks location and phone info from non Uber-using friends

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Now, instead of plugging in an address, you can sync up your contacts and choose a friend’s name. The lucky buddy will receive a request from Uber—via push notification if they’re an Uber user, and via text message if they’re not—to provide their location. If they accept, their location is then transmitted to the driver, Read more about Uber’s Latest Update seeks location and phone info from non Uber-using friends[…]

Egypt has blocked encrypted messaging app Signal

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Egypt has blocked its residents from accessing encrypted messaging app Signal, according to the application’s developer. Mada Masr, an Egypt-based media organization, reported yesterday that several users took to Twitter over the weekend to report that they could no longer send or receive messages while on Egyptian IP addresses. Open Whisper Systems, the team behind Read more about Egypt has blocked encrypted messaging app Signal[…]

Google releases crypto library checker tools

Posted on by Robin Edgar

We’re excited to announce the release of Project Wycheproof, a set of security tests that check cryptographic software libraries for known weaknesses. We’ve developed over 80 test cases which have uncovered more than 40 security bugs (some tests or bugs are not open sourced today, as they are being fixed by vendors). For example, we Read more about Google releases crypto library checker tools[…]

Charting All the Beer Styles

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Beer Judge Certification Program lists 100 styles with defined ranges of alcohol by volume (ABV), bitterness (measured in IBUs, or International Bittering Units), and color (measured using SRM, or Standard Reference Method).Below is a series of charts for all 100 styles. Mouseover any style for more details and commercial examples. Rectangles to the top Read more about Charting All the Beer Styles[…]

Hackers hit Thai sites to protest restrictive internet law

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The new law would allow Thailand authorities to intercept private communication and to censor websites without a court order. “The bill is very broad and open to interpretation and we will have to see how the government will implement these laws,” said Arthit Suriyawongkul of the Thai Netizen Network, which promotes online freedom. Source: Hackers Read more about Hackers hit Thai sites to protest restrictive internet law[…]

Tor blocked in Turkey as government cracks down on VPN use

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In late 2016 reports surfaced that Turkey had ordered ISPs to block access to Tor and several commercial VPN services. On 5 December, ISP industry representatives Turk Internet reported growing pressure to complete the ban, including demands for weekly progress reports on the status of the new technical restrictions. Users started reporting connectivity issues around Read more about Tor blocked in Turkey as government cracks down on VPN use[…]

World Energy Hits a Turning Point: Solar That’s Cheaper Than Wind – Bloomberg

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A transformation is happening in global energy markets that’s worth noting as 2016 comes to an end: Solar power, for the first time, is becoming the cheapest form of new electricity. This has happened in isolated projects in the past: an especially competitive auction in the Middle East, for example, resulting in record-cheap solar costs. Read more about World Energy Hits a Turning Point: Solar That’s Cheaper Than Wind – Bloomberg[…]

Yahoo Suffers World’s Biggest Hack Affecting 1 Billion Users ub 2013

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Yahoo has discovered a 3-year-old security breach that enabled a hacker to compromise more than 1 billion user accounts, breaking the company’s own humiliating record for the biggest security breach in history. The digital heist disclosed Wednesday occurred in August 2013, more than a year before a separate hack that Yahoo announced nearly three months Read more about Yahoo Suffers World’s Biggest Hack Affecting 1 Billion Users ub 2013[…]

The New and Improved Privacy Badger 2.0 Is Here | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Privacy Badger is a browser extension that automatically blocks hidden third-party trackers that would otherwise follow you around the web and spy on your browsing habits. Privacy Badger now has approximately 900,000 daily users and counting. Third-party tracking—that is, when advertisers and websites track your browsing activity across the web without your knowledge, control, or Read more about The New and Improved Privacy Badger 2.0 Is Here | Electronic Frontier Foundation[…]

Orbital ATK air launches Pegasus XL CYGNSS

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Our Pegasus rocket successfully launched NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) from our L-1011 Stargazer aircraft this morning at 8:37 a.m. EST, and completed payload deployment at 8:52 a.m. To learn more about the CYGNSS mission, visit NASA’s blog here. About the Mission The three-stage Pegasus XL will be used to deploy eight small Read more about Orbital ATK air launches Pegasus XL CYGNSS[…]

Hacking: macOS FileVault2 Password Retrieval

Posted on by Robin Edgar

macOS FileVault2 let attackers with physical access retrieve the password in clear text by plugging in a $300 Thunderbolt device into a locked or sleeping mac. The password may be used to unlock the mac to access everything on it. To secure your mac just update it with the December 2016 patches.Anyone including, but not Read more about Hacking: macOS FileVault2 Password Retrieval[…]