ICT news

• Some People Really Are Mosquito Magnets, Study Finds

  21-10-2022 23:22 via science.slashdot.org
  A new study finds that some people really are "mosquito magnets" and it probably has to do with the way they smell. From a report: The researchers found that people who are most attractive to mosquitoes produce a lot of certain chemicals on their skin that are tied to smell. And bad news for mosquito magnets: they stay loyal to their favorites over time. "If you have high levels of this stuff on your skin, you're going to be the one at the picnic getting all the bites," said study author Leslie
  
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• French Police Probe Multiple Cuts of Major Internet Cables

  21-10-2022 22:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  French police said Friday they're investigating multiple cuts to fiber-optic cables in France's second-largest city. Operators said the cables link Marseille to other cities in France and Europe and that internet and phone services were severely disrupted. From a report: The disruptions in Marseille were a taste of what analysts warn could be far larger problems in other cases if cables are systematically attacked. The vulnerability of fiber-optic cables, especially those underwater, and other k
  
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• Damaged Cable Leaves Shetland Cut Off From Mainland

  21-10-2022 22:01 via tech.slashdot.org
  Communications to Shetland, the Scottish archipelago that lies across the sea from Norway and more than 100 miles north of mainland Britain, have been severely disrupted after a subsea cable was damaged. From a report: Police have declared a major incident after the south subsea cable between the islands and the mainland was cut. The force said some landlines and mobiles were not usable and that officers were patrolling to try to reassure residents. Repairs to another cable connecting Shetland a
  
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• #StopRansomware: Daixin Team

  21-10-2022 21:38 via us-cert.cisa.gov
  Original release date: October 21, 2022
  CISA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA), #StopRansomware: Daixin Team to provide information on the “Daixin Team,” a cybercrime group actively targeting U.S. businesses, predominantly in the Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) Sector, with ransomware and data extortion operations. This joint CSA provides Daixin actors’ tactics,
  
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• The $1 Million Amazon Conflict: Washington's Ethics Czars Struggle To Enforce Stock-Trading Laws

  21-10-2022 21:20 via news.slashdot.org
  The U.S. has rules limiting federal officials' stock-market investing. They can be waived. The Wall Street Journal: Mark Wu held more than $1 million of Amazon.com stock when President Biden tapped him to help craft a trade policy that would benefit U.S. technology companies and online retailers. Ethics officials at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said they gave Mr. Wu two options: Get rid of the stock or recuse himself from digital trade issues. He did neither.
  For several months, M
  
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• Canonical Releases Ubuntu 22.10 Kinetic Kudu

  21-10-2022 20:40 via news.slashdot.org
  Canonical blog: Codenamed "Kinetic Kudu," this interim release improves the experience of enterprise developers and IT administrators. It also includes the latest toolchains and applications with a particular focus on the IoT ecosystem. Ubuntu 22.10 delivers toolchain updates to Ruby, Go, GCC and Rust. OpenSSH in Ubuntu 22.10 is configured by default to use systemd socket activation, meaning that sshd will not be started until an incoming connection request is received. This reduces the memory f
  
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• YouTube's Latest Revenue Grab: A 27% Price Increase For Family Plans

  21-10-2022 20:00 via news.slashdot.org
  Not content with doing $28.8 billion in revenue in 2021, YouTube has recently gone on the hunt for more revenue-generating strategies. Now, the Google division has announced a price hike for YouTube Premium family plans. From a report: As 9to5Google was the first to spot, the family plan is jumping over 27 percent in the US, from $17.99 to $22.99, with other regions also seeing price hikes. Instead of making an official announcement, Google is quietly emailing existing subscribers. So far, it do
  
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• Apple's Industrial Design Chief Hankey To Leave Three Years After Ive

  21-10-2022 19:25 via apple.slashdot.org
  Apple's head of hardware design, Evans Hankey, is leaving the iPhone maker three years after taking the job, creating a significant hole at the top of a company famous for its slick-looking products, Bloomberg News reported Friday, citing sources. From the report: Hankey was named to the post in 2019 to replace Jony Ive, the company's iconic design chief for two decades. Before taking her current role as vice president of industrial design, Hankey spent several years at Apple reporting to Ive. S
  
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• Windows Subsystem for Android Declared Ready for Prime Time

  21-10-2022 18:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  Microsoft has decided the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) -- its offering that runs Android VMs which behave just like another application in Windows -- is sufficiently stable that it can be designated version 1.0 and made available to all. From a report: While it's lovely that Windows can now run Android VMs, Hendrixson's tweet needs a little parsing. The "50,000 apps" he mentions are only available from the Amazon.com app store -- not the larger Google Play digital tat bazaar. Google's app
  
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• Telegram To Auction Off Usernames Via Blockchain-based Platform

  21-10-2022 18:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  Would you pay for a username on social media? Telegram is hoping yes. From a report: The messaging app is soon to launch a username auction platform on The Open Network (TON) blockchain, the company said in an official channel on Thursday. Telegram founder Pavel Durov revealed the project in August, citing inspiration from the success of a recent TON auction for their wallet usernames. Some, including "casino.ton," sold for over $200,000.
  "If TON has been able to achieve these results, imagine h
  
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• Apple Lawsuits Say Health Monitoring Company Masimo Copied Apple Watch

  21-10-2022 17:24 via apple.slashdot.org
  Apple has sued medical technology company Masimo in Delaware federal court, accusing its new W1 line of smartwatches of infringing several Apple Watch patents. From a report: The two lawsuits said Masimo copied Apple's technology while seeking bans on sales and imports of Apple Watches in earlier intellectual-property cases against the tech giant in California and at a U.S. trade tribunal. Apple said Masimo "carefully studied Apple's IP" during those cases and claimed a Masimo spinoff received c
  
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• Cisco Releases Security Update for Cisco Identity Services Engine 

  21-10-2022 17:22 via us-cert.cisa.gov
  Original release date: October 21, 2022
  Cisco has released a security update to address vulnerabilities affecting Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE). A remote attacker could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system. For updates addressing high and low severity vulnerabilities, see the Cisco Security Advisories page. CISA encourages users and administrators to review Cisco Advisory cisco-sa-ise-path-trav-Dz5dpzyM and apply the necessary u
  
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• UK Regulator Proposes Easing Net Neutrality Rules Following Brexit

  21-10-2022 16:40 via yro.slashdot.org
  UK regulator Ofcom proposed changes to net neutrality rules carried over from the European Union to give telecommunications and internet providers more flexibility. From a report: Internet service providers should be allowed to offer a broader range of premium packages on a wider variety of parameters such as latency, and could include discounted tariffs during off-peak hours, according to proposals from the watchdog published Friday. "The net neutrality rules constrain the activities of broadba
  
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• Amazon Says Fear of Google Putting Off Vendors From TV Hardware Partnership

  21-10-2022 16:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  Amazon says over half a dozen hardware vendors have indicated that they cannot enter into a TV manufacturing relationship with the e-commerce group over fear of retaliation from Google, escalating tension with the search giant with whom it competes on several businesses. From a report: The revelation, officially shared by Amazon for the first time, was made by the company's unit in India to the Competition Commission of India as part the antitrust watchdog's years-long investigation into Google
  
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• 'House of the Dragon' and 'Rings of Power' Face Off In Podcasting

  21-10-2022 15:00 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: A good fall TV run comes to an end on Sunday when HBO airs its House of the Dragon season one finale, a week or so after Amazon wrapped up the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The shows aren't done yet providing content, though. Both Amazon and HBO offer companion podcasts to keep fans engaged, and both devised wildly different approaches for their audio. The podcasts offer behind-the-scenes chats with cast and crew an
  
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• New Jersey Legislators Aim To Ban Most In-Car Subscriptions

  21-10-2022 12:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  Two state legislators in New Jersey are proposing a bill that would ban car companies from "[offering consumers] a subscription service for any motor vehicle feature" that "utilizes components and hardware already installed on the motor vehicle at the time of purchase." The Drive reports: The bill has one stipulation, however. The subscription would only be unlawful if there was no "ongoing expense to the dealer, manufacturer, or any third-party service provider." In other words, if an automaker
  
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• NASA's Webb Takes Star-Filled Portrait of Pillars of Creation

  21-10-2022 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a lush, highly detailed landscape -- the iconic Pillars of Creation -- where new stars are forming within dense clouds of gas and dust. From NASA: The three-dimensional pillars look like majestic rock formations, but are far more permeable. These columns are made up of cool interstellar gas and dust that appear -- at times -- semi-transparent in near-infrared light. Webb's new view of the Pillars of Creation, which were first made famous when imaged
  
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• Ring Cameras Are Being Used To Control and Surveil Overworked Delivery Workers

  21-10-2022 05:30 via yro.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Networked doorbell surveillance cameras like Amazon's Ring are everywhere, and have changed the nature of delivery work by letting customers take on the role of bosses to monitor, control, and discipline workers, according to a recent report (PDF) by the Data & Society tech research institute. "The growing popularity of Ring and other networked doorbell cameras has normalized home and neighborhood surveillance in the name of safety and se
  
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• Anti-Vaccine Groups Avoid Facebook Bans By Using Emojis

  21-10-2022 04:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  Pizza slices, cupcakes, and carrots are just a few emojis that anti-vaccine activists use to speak in code and continue spreading COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook. Ars Technica reports: Bloomberg reported that Facebook moderators have failed to remove posts shared in anti-vaccine groups and on pages that would ordinarily be considered violating content, if not for the code-speak. One group that Bloomberg reviewed, called "Died Suddenly," is a meeting ground for anti-vaccine activists supposed
  
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• RIAA Flags 'Artificial Intelligence' Music Mixer As Emerging Copyright Threat

  21-10-2022 03:25 via yro.slashdot.org
  The RIAA has submitted its most recent overview of notorious markets to the U.S. Trade Representative. As usual, the music industry group lists various torrent sites, cyberlockers and stream-ripping services as familiar suspects. In addition, several 'AI-based' music mixers and extractors are added as an emerging threat. TorrentFreak reports: "There are online services that, purportedly using artificial intelligence (AI), extract, or rather, copy, the vocals, instrumentals, or some portion of th
  
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• US To Launch 'Labeling' Rating Program For Internet-Connected Devices In 2023

  21-10-2022 02:45 via yro.slashdot.org
  The Biden administration said it will launch a cybersecurity labeling program for consumer Internet of Things devices starting in 2023 in an effort to protect Americans from "significant national security risks." TechCrunch reports: Inspired by Energy Star, a labeling program operated by Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to promote energy efficiency, the White House is planning to roll out a similar IoT labeling program to the "highest-risk" devices starting next year,
  
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• Chess Grandmaster Hans Niemann Sues Champion Magnus Carlsen, Others For $100 Million Over Cheating Claim

  21-10-2022 02:02 via yro.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNBC: Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann filed a $100 million lawsuit against world champion Magnus Carlsen and others for alleged defamatory statements claiming that Niemann cheated in competition. The suit claims that the defendants, including Chess.com, inflicted "devastating damages" against Niemann by "egregiously defaming him" and "unlawfully colluding" to bar him from the professional chess world. "My lawsuit speaks for itself," Niemann said Thursday i
  
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• OpenBSD 7.2 Released

  21-10-2022 01:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  Longtime Slashdot reader lazyeye writes: The 53rd release of OpenBSD, version 7.2, has officially been released. Support for new platforms such as the Ampere Altra, Apple M2 chip, and support for Lenovo ThinkPad x13s and other machines using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 (SC8280XP) SoC are now included, along with various kernel improvements. The announcement with all the details are available at the link [here] from the openbsd-announce mailing list.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Parler Accidentally Doxed Elite Members When Announcing Kanye West Takeover

  21-10-2022 00:40 via yro.slashdot.org
  Parler was so excited to tell its users that the artist formerly known as Kanye West had decided to buy the social media network, it accidentally doxed all its members. Fortune reports: The platform has been embraced by conservatives who departed Twitter over allegations of political censorship, and West, a known lover of controversy, agreed to buy it earlier this week so those users could "freely express" themselves. But in an email announcing the rapper's involvement, the company publicly copi
  
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• 'I Tried the $1,500 Quest Pro and Saw the Best of the Metaverse'

  21-10-2022 00:02 via games.slashdot.org
  "Good news, readers: After using nearly every virtual reality headset made in the last seven years, including the latest $1,500 goggles from Mark Zuckerberg's Meta, I've seen the best of what the metaverse could offer," writes the New York Times' Brian Chen. "Yes, the best is already here, and has been for quite some time. It's video games." An anonymous reader shares an excerpt from his report: At Meta's Burlingame office, I strapped on the Quest Pro to see what was new. Meta highlighted three
  
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