The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Upgrade now: OpenPGP.js bug enables encrypted message spoofing

Security researchers are sounding the alarm over a fresh flaw in the JavaScript implementation of OpenPGP (OpenPGP.js) that allows both signed and encrypted messages to be spoofed. Discovered by Codean Labs’ Edoardo Geraci and Thomas Rinsma, the vulnerability essentially undermines the core purpose of using public key cryptography to secure communications. Tracked as CVE-2025-47934 (8.7 Read more about Upgrade now: OpenPGP.js bug enables encrypted message spoofing[…]

Trump’s Golden Dome Missile Shield: What We Just Learned And Its Implications

The Golden Dome missile defense system will cost about $175 billion and be operational “in less than three years” with “a success rate close to 100%,” President Donald Trump declared Tuesday afternoon as he shared new details about his ambitious, very expensive, and controversial missile defense shield for the U.S. homeland. It follows one of Read more about Trump’s Golden Dome Missile Shield: What We Just Learned And Its Implications[…]

Respond to the EU on allowing corporations to shut down sections of the internet with no recourse before 28th May

After LaLiga accidentally shut down Cloudflare and Vercel in Spain (LaLiga Piracy Blocks Randomly Take Down huge innocent segments of internet with no recourse or warning, slammed as “Unaccountable Internet Censorship”) and the Italian Privacy Shield shut down Google Drive in Italy (Massive expansion of Italy’s Piracy Shield underway despite growing criticism of its flaws Read more about Respond to the EU on allowing corporations to shut down sections of the internet with no recourse before 28th May[…]

Three Steps Coinbase Users Should Take After a Hack (bribe of support agents) Compromised One Million Accounts

Data breaches are most often the work of external bad actors, but sometimes the call comes from inside the house. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has disclosed that hackers paid off support agents—both employees and contractors located outside the U.S.—who had access to company systems to provide customer data and then demanded a $20 million ransom not Read more about Three Steps Coinbase Users Should Take After a Hack (bribe of support agents) Compromised One Million Accounts[…]

Google backs down after locking out Nextcloud Files app

[…] Andy Schertzinger, Director of Engineering at Nextcloud, told The Register: “Google has decided to restore the permissions to our Android app so we can bring back the full file syncing functionality.” Nextcloud expects to release an update to the app shortly, and Schertzinger paid tribute to the broader community for its support. Nextcloud’s problem Read more about Google backs down after locking out Nextcloud Files app[…]

Researchers Finally Link Long Covid ‘Brain Fog’ to Inflammation

An anonymous reader shared this report from The Hill: A new study indicates the debilitating “brain fog” suffered by millions of long COVID patients is linked to changes in the brain, including inflammation and an impaired ability to rewire itself following COVID-19 infection. United Press International reported this week that the small-scale study, conducted by Read more about Researchers Finally Link Long Covid ‘Brain Fog’ to Inflammation[…]

First successful demonstration of quantum error correction of qudits for quantum computers

In the world of quantum computing, the Hilbert space dimension—the measure of the number of quantum states that a quantum computer can access—is a prized possession. Having a larger Hilbert space allows for more complex quantum operations and plays a crucial role in enabling quantum error correction (QEC), essential for protecting quantum information from noise Read more about First successful demonstration of quantum error correction of qudits for quantum computers[…]

House of Lords shows they are in pocket of big copyright and pushes back against government’s AI plans

The government has suffered another setback in the House of Lords over its plans to let artificial intelligence firms use copyright-protected work without permission. An amendment to the data bill requiring AI companies to reveal which copyrighted material is used in their models was backed by peers, despite government opposition. It is the second time Read more about House of Lords shows they are in pocket of big copyright and pushes back against government’s AI plans[…]

CISA changes vulnerabilities updates, shifts to defunct website X(twitter) as do NTSB, SSA

The US government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced Monday that going forward, only urgent alerts tied to emerging threats or major cyber activity will appear on its website. Routine updates, guidance, and other notifications will instead be shared via email, RSS, and X. Up until now, its Cybersecurity Alerts and Advisories website has Read more about CISA changes vulnerabilities updates, shifts to defunct website X(twitter) as do NTSB, SSA[…]

Scientists find lead really can be turned into gold (with help from the Large Hadron Collider)

One of the ultimate goals of medieval alchemy has been realized, but only for a fraction of a second. Scientists with the European Organization for Nuclear Research, better known as CERN, were able to convert lead into gold using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. Unlike the examples of transmutation Read more about Scientists find lead really can be turned into gold (with help from the Large Hadron Collider)[…]

Garmin CEO Hints More Paywalls And Enshittification Are Coming, Falsely Claims Users Love It after paywalling existing features and pissing off actual users

We recently noted how device maker Garmin had decided to follow in the footsteps of Google’s Fitbit, and begin putting basic features behind an annoying subscription paywall to goose revenues. Garmin’s new “premium” Garmin+ tier takes several features users already enjoyed for free, put them behind a $7 per month paywall, and called it innovation. Users Read more about Garmin CEO Hints More Paywalls And Enshittification Are Coming, Falsely Claims Users Love It after paywalling existing features and pissing off actual users[…]

Moderna’s Vaccine for both Flu and Covid Works—Now Politics Could Sink It

Moderna’s mRNA-based flu and covid-19 vaccine could provide the best of both worlds—if it’s actually ever approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This week, scientists at Moderna published data from a Phase III trial testing the company’s combination vaccine, codenamed mRNA-1083. Individuals given mRNA-1083 appeared to generate the same or even greater immune response Read more about Moderna’s Vaccine for both Flu and Covid Works—Now Politics Could Sink It[…]

Charter airline helping Trump’s deportation campaign pwned

GlobalX, a charter airline used for deportations by the US government, has admitted someone broke into its network infrastructure. “On May 5, 2025, Global Crossing Airlines Group learned of unauthorized activity within its computer networks and systems supporting portions of its business applications, which the company determined to be the result of a cybersecurity incident,” Read more about Charter airline helping Trump’s deportation campaign pwned[…]

Volvo EX90’s Lidar Sensor Will Fry Your Phone’s Camera

[…] That pod on the roof of Volvo’s new electric SUV is essentially just shooting out a bunch of high-powered infrared beams, determining the distance of the vehicle’s surroundings by measuring the time taken for reflected light to return to the sensor. If you point your phone’s camera directly at those beams, you’ll observe some Read more about Volvo EX90’s Lidar Sensor Will Fry Your Phone’s Camera[…]

Google will pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims the company collected users’ data without permission

[…] “For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won.” The agreement settles several claims Texas made against the search giant in 2022 related to geolocation, incognito searches and biometric data. The state argued Google was “unlawfully tracking Read more about Google will pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims the company collected users’ data without permission[…]

Study Uncovers the One Thing That Cuts Through Climate Apathy: Loss – use clear binary data

[…]“People definitely noticed that they were able to get out onto the lake less,” said Liu, who’s now a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University. “However, they didn’t necessarily connect this trend to climate change.” When the university’s alumni magazine featured her research in the winter of 2021, the comment section was filled with wistful Read more about Study Uncovers the One Thing That Cuts Through Climate Apathy: Loss – use clear binary data[…]

US senator introduces bill calling for location-tracking on AI chips to limit China access

A U.S. senator introduced a bill on Friday that would direct the Commerce Department to require location verification mechanisms for export-controlled AI chips, in an effort to curb China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology. Called the “Chip Security Act,” the bill calls for AI chips under export regulations, and products containing those chips, to be Read more about US senator introduces bill calling for location-tracking on AI chips to limit China access[…]

EU prepares to give new rights to live streaming sites, to the detriment of the Internet and its users

At the heart of Walled Culture the book (free digital versions available) lies the dispiriting saga of how the EU Copyright Directive came into being. It began in early 2013 with the usual “stakeholder dialogue”, in which the European Commission sought the views of the various constituencies affected. It generated an unprecedentedly large response that Read more about EU prepares to give new rights to live streaming sites, to the detriment of the Internet and its users[…]

ispace’s RESILIENCE Enters Lunar Orbit. It’ll Try to Land in Early June

Headquartered in Japan, the commercial space company ispace is dedicated to creating robotic spacecraft and other technology to support the discovery, mapping, and harvesting of natural resources on the Moon. One of the main tools in their arsenal is the RESILIENCE lander, a small, lightweight uncrewed spacecraft designed for low-cost, high-frequency transportation of instruments and Read more about ispace’s RESILIENCE Enters Lunar Orbit. It’ll Try to Land in Early June[…]

cientists Identify New Mutation That Enables Three-Hour Sleepers

Researchers have discovered a mutation in the SIK3 gene that enables some people to function normally on just three to six hours of sleep. The finding, published this week in PNAS, adds to a growing list of genetic variants linked to naturally short sleepers. When University of California, San Francisco scientists introduced the mutation to Read more about cientists Identify New Mutation That Enables Three-Hour Sleepers[…]

VMware perpetual license holders receive cease-and-desist letters from Broadcom

Broadcom has been sending cease-and-desist letters to owners of VMware perpetual licenses with expired support contracts, Ars Technica has confirmed. Following its November 2023 acquisition of VMware, Broadcom ended VMware perpetual license sales. Users with perpetual licenses can still use the software they bought, but they are unable to renew support services unless they had Read more about VMware perpetual license holders receive cease-and-desist letters from Broadcom[…]

Hackers Manage To Take Control of Nissan Leaf’s Steering Remotely

Connected cars are great, as they let you communicate with other systems and devices via the internet, but connectivity opens the door to hacking. As it turns out, hacking a Nissan Leaf isn’t nearly as difficult as it might sound if you’ve got the right tools and the right knowledge. Researchers from Budapest-based PCAutomotive traveled Read more about Hackers Manage To Take Control of Nissan Leaf’s Steering Remotely[…]

Contemplating art’s beauty found to boost abstract and ‘big picture’ thinking

[…] a new study from the University of Cambridge suggests that stopping to contemplate the beauty of artistic objects in a gallery or museum boosts our ability to think in abstract ways and consider the “bigger picture” when it comes to our lives. Researchers say the findings offer empirical evidence that engaging with artistic beauty Read more about Contemplating art’s beauty found to boost abstract and ‘big picture’ thinking[…]

Apple Hit with Class-Action Lawsuit for App Store Injunction Violation after Judge rules apple execs lied and willfully ignored injunction – join here

[…]The new lawsuit was filed May 2, 2025, following news that a federal judge found the tech giant in contempt of court for violating a 2021 antitrust injunction which required Apple to permit its app developers to sell subscriptions and other in-app products directly to their customers using links within their apps. Without the injunction Read more about Apple Hit with Class-Action Lawsuit for App Store Injunction Violation after Judge rules apple execs lied and willfully ignored injunction – join here[…]

Minecraft ended virtual reality support – no reason given why

Minecraft is no longer (officially) available on virtual and mixed reality platforms. The change was confirmed in today’s patch notes for the game’s Bedrock edition following an announcement from developer Mojang in October. Those fall patch notes suggested that the platforms would be removed in March, so players who favored VR wound up getting a Read more about Minecraft ended virtual reality support – no reason given why[…]