ICT news

• 'Smart' Car Alarm App Could Allow 3 Million Cars To Be Unlocked Remotely

  09-03-2019 23:34 via rss.slashdot.org
  "Two popular smart alarm systems for cars had major security flaws that allowed potential hackers to track the vehicles, unlock their doors and, in some cases, cut off the engine," reports CNET:
  The vulnerabilities could be exploited with two simple steps, security researchers from Pen Test Partners, who discovered the flaw, said Friday. The problems were found in alarm systems made by Viper [known as Clifford in the U.K.] and Pandora Car Alarm System, two of the largest smart car alarm makers i
  
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• Japanese Police Charge 13-Year-Old Girl For Sharing 'Unclosable Popup' Code Online

  09-03-2019 22:34 via rss.slashdot.org
  "Japanese police have brought in, questioned, and charged a 13-year-old female student from the city of Kariya for sharing [links to] browser exploit code online," writes ZDNet. An anonymous reader shares their report:The code was a mere prank that triggered an infinite loop in JavaScript to show an "unclosable" popup when users accessed a certain link, Japanese news agency NHK reported yesterday. The popup could be closed in some browsers -- such as Edge and Firefox on desktop -- but couldn't b
  
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• Amazon's Charity 'AmazonSmile' Funds Anti-Vaccine Groups

  09-03-2019 22:04 via rss.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes the Guardian:
  Amazon appears to be helping fund anti-vaccine not-for-profit organizations through its charity arm, the AmazonSmile Foundation. The AmazonSmile fundraising program -- through which Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price of a shopper's Amazon transactions to an organization of their choice -- is promoted on the websites of four prominent anti-vaccine organizations... Numerous other anti-vaccine organizations are also listed by Amazon as eligible for th
  
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• Facebook Begins Hiding Anti-Vaccine Misinformation

  09-03-2019 21:34 via rss.slashdot.org
  America now has 206 confirmed cases of measles, its highest year-to-date number in over 25 years . Now USA Today reports on how Facebook is responding:In mid-February, Facebook told USA TODAY it had "taken steps" to reduce fake health news and anti-vaxx posts and said it was considering making anti-vaccination content on its site less visible amid a measles outbreak that has reignited a conversation about preventative shots. At the time, Facebook said, "we know we have more to do...." Revealed T
  
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• Many Android VPN Apps Request 'Dangerous' Permissions They Don't Need

  09-03-2019 20:34 via rss.slashdot.org
  A VPN researcher found that many Android VPN apps request access to sensitive permissions that they don't need, according to an article shared by WaitingForSupport. ZDNet reports:The study, carried out by John Mason from TheBestVPN.com, analyzed 81 Android apps available for download through the Google Play Store. Mason said he downloaded and extracted the permissions requested by each VPN app from their respective APK installer files.... According to Mason, 50 of the 81 Android VPN apps he test
  
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• Major League Baseball Finally Begins Experimenting With Robot Umpires

  09-03-2019 19:34 via rss.slashdot.org
  "Baseball's potential future will be showcased in the independent Atlantic League this year, and it includes robot umpires..." reports ESPN, calling it part of "a wide variety of experiments that the Atlantic League will run this season as part of its new partnership with Major League Baseball."
  While MLB has long tested potential rule changes in the minor leagues, its three-year partnership with the Atlantic League -- an eight-team league that features former major leaguers trying to return to
  
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• Apple Is Now Forcing Its Suppliers to Go 'Green'

  09-03-2019 18:34 via rss.slashdot.org
  Apple is already running on 100% green energy, according to Fast Company. But Apple is still "keen to show it's a good corporate citizen," reports the Australian Financial Review:
  Apple's annual supplier responsibility report released on Thursday revealed 20 manufacturing supplier facilities had been removed from the company's supply chain for breaches of environmental permits or workplace rules. "Smelters and refiners deeper in our supply chain are held to similar standards and if they exhibit
  
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• The Dutch DPA Hates Cookie Walls

  09-03-2019 18:00
  The Dutch DPA announced that "cookie walls," which only allow website visitors to view a site if they consent to have their browsing tracked, violate GDPR.
  
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• Nvidia to End Driver Support for Kepler Notebook GPUs

  09-03-2019 17:36
  Updated knowledge base articles revealed that Nvidia would drop support for Kepler-series notebook GPUs and 3D Vision in future drivers.
  
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• VMware Touts Dismissal of Linux GPL Lawsuit

  09-03-2019 17:34 via rss.slashdot.org
  "For over a decade, VMware has been accused of illegally using Linux code in its VMware ESX bare-metal virtual machine hypervisor," reports ZDNet, adding that "A German court has dismissed the case, but the struggle may not be over."
  VMware stood accused of illegally using Linux code in its flagship VMware ESX bare-metal virtual machine (VM) hypervisor... In 2011, the Software Freedom Conservancy, a non-profit organization that promotes open-source software, discovered that VMware had failed to
  
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• Satellite Magnate Argues Post-Brexit Britain Will Be 'Lost In Space'

  09-03-2019 17:04 via rss.slashdot.org
  PolygamousRanchKid quotes the BBC: Will Marshall's "Planet" company operates the world's largest satellite imaging network, with 150 spacecraft able to fully picture Earth on a daily basis. He warns EU withdrawal will do immense harm to Britain's space industry. The UK will be "lost in space", he says.
  The UK Space Agency responded by saying home businesses had a positive outlook. The most recent survey of confidence across the sector found that three-quarters of organisations expected growth ov
  
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• Will A No-Deal Brexit Void 340,000 British-Owned .EU Domains?

  09-03-2019 16:34 via rss.slashdot.org
  The Guardian reports on what may happen next to British businesses and individuals who own .EU domains:
  There are about 340,000 registered British holders of these web addresses, and the government has urged them to make contingency plans as their web addresses will disappear if the UK does not agree on a deal with Brussels. The domains were introduced in 2006 as a rival to the likes of .com and .org but are available only to individuals or businesses based in the EU or the European Economic Are
  
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• What Is CAS Latency in RAM? CL Timings Explained

  09-03-2019 16:30
  
  What is the meaning of a RAM’s CAS latency or CL timing? Latency and RAM performance explained.
  
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• MSI MPG Z390M Gaming Edge: A Mid-Sized Value

  09-03-2019 16:30
  
  Micro ATX fixes the compromises of Mini ITX but with only half of the space savings. Does the MPG Z390M Gaming Edge make good use of that extra space?
  
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• The Official Android Beta Community Moves From Google+ To Reddit

  09-03-2019 14:00 via rss.slashdot.org
  With Google+ being shutdown in just a few weeks, the official Android Beta community announced that it will be leaving the dying social media site in exchange for Reddit. The group on Google+ was home to over 163,000 members. Android Police reports: The community's new home will be r/android_beta. In an official announcement, the Android Beta team says they'll keep a close eye on the subreddit for feedback and will use it for announcements and updates. There's nothing there just yet, but when th
  
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• Infrared Drowning Detection System To Be Installed At 11 Public Swimming Pools In Singapore

  09-03-2019 11:00 via rss.slashdot.org
  By April 2020, a total of 11 public pools in Singapore will feature a state-of-the-art computer vision drowning detection system (CVDDS). The CVDDS uses a network of overhead infrared cameras to detect if anyone in the pool becomes unconscious while swimming. It reportedly has a detect response time of 15 seconds, allowing lifeguards to spot distressed swimmers more quickly. "[T]he system will be installed at pools in Bukit Batok, Jurong West and Our Tampines Hub this year, with another seven to
  
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• Prioritizing the MacBook Hierarchy of Needs

  09-03-2019 08:00 via rss.slashdot.org
  Jason Snell, writing for Six Colors: This week on the Accidental Tech Podcast (ATP), John Siracusa floated the concept of a MacBook Hierarchy of Needs, a priority list of features for the next time Apple redesigns the MacBook line, as is rumored to happen later this year. It's a fun thought experiment, because it requires you to rank your wish list of laptop features. That's important, because if I've learned anything in this wacky world of ours, it's that you can never get everything you ask fo
  
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• Ajit Pai's Rosy Broadband Deployment Claim May Be Based On Gigantic Error

  09-03-2019 04:30 via rss.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Pai's claim was questionable from the beginning, as we detailed last month. The Federal Communications Commission data cited by Chairman Pai merely showed that deployment continued at about the same rate seen during the Obama administration. Despite that, Pai claimed that new broadband deployed in 2017 was made possible by the FCC "removing barriers to infrastructure investment." But even the modest gains cited by Pai rely partly on the impl
  
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• North Korea Amassed Cryptocurrency Through Hacking, Says UN Panel

  09-03-2019 03:20 via rss.slashdot.org
  North Korea has used cyberattacks and blockchain technology to circumvent economic sanctions and obtain foreign currency, according to a panel of experts reporting to the U.N. Security Council. From a report: Pyongyang has amassed around $670 million in foreign and virtual currency through cyberthefts, using blockchain technology to cover its tracks, the panel told the Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee in its annual report, Nikkei has learned. It is the first time the panel has
  
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• NASA Captures Unprecedented Images of Supersonic Shockwaves

  09-03-2019 02:30 via rss.slashdot.org
  As NASA looks into developing planes that can fly faster than sound without creating "sonic booms," the space agency has captured unprecedented photos of the interaction of shockwaves from two supersonic aircraft. Phys.Org reports: When an aircraft crosses that threshold -- around 1,225 kilometers (760 miles) per hour at sea level -- it produces waves from the pressure it puts on the air around it, which merge to cause the ear-splitting sound. In an intricate maneuver by "rock star" pilots at NA
  
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• The CDC is Studying the Rise in Electric Scooter Injuries For the First Time as Startups Expand To More Cities

  09-03-2019 01:30 via rss.slashdot.org
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is examining the rise of injuries related to shareable electric scooters. From a report: "We want to identify the risk factors for those who get injured, how severe the injuries are and why they're getting hurt," said Jeff Taylor, manager of the Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit with Austin Public Health. Taylor, who is overseeing the investigation, is working with three CDC epidemiologists to examine severe injuries that occurred in
  
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• AOC Tempts With $300 4K Gaming Monitor

  09-03-2019 01:10
  AOC announced this week the G2868PQU, a monitor with the potential to offer gamers 4K resolution for just $299 / £319.
  
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• Hard Disks Can Be Turned Into Listening Devices, Researchers Find

  09-03-2019 00:30 via rss.slashdot.org
  Researchers from the University of Michigan and Zhejiang Univeristy in China have found that hard disk drives can be turned into listening devices, using malicious firmware and signal processing calculations. The Register reports: For a study titled "Hard Drive of Hearing: Disks that Eavesdrop with a Synthesized Microphone," computer scientists Andrew Kwong, Wenyuan Xu, and Kevin Fu describe an acoustic side-channel that can be accessed by measuring how sound waves make hard disk parts vibrate.
  
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