ICT news

• Microsoft Patched Bing Vulnerability That Allowed Snooping on Email and Other Data

  29-03-2023 23:20 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft patched a dangerous security issue in Bing last month just days before it launched a new artificial intelligence-powered version of the search engine. From a report: The problem was discovered by outside researchers at the security firm Wiz. It was created by a mistake in the way that Microsoft configured applications on Azure, its cloud-computing platform, and could be used to gain access to emails and other documents of people who used Bing, the researchers said. Microsoft fixed the
  
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• Free AI Programs Prone To Security Risks, Researchers Say

  29-03-2023 22:40 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Companies rushing to adopt hot new types of artificial intelligence should exercise caution when using open-source versions of the technology, some of which may not work as advertised or include flaws that hackers can exploit, security researchers say. From a report: There are few ways to know in advance if a particular AI model -- a program made up of algorithms that can do such things as generate text, images and predictions -- is safe, said Hyrum Anderson, distinguished engineer at Robust Int
  
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• Sam Bankman-Fried's Legal Defense Is Being Funded With Alameda Money He Gifted His Father

  29-03-2023 22:00 via slashdot.org
  
  While still CEO of now-collapsed FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried transferred millions of dollars to his father. Some of those funds have since been used to pay for his mounting legal fees, Forbes os reporting, citing two sources close to the company. From a report: Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of fallen cryptocurrency exchange FTX who claimed to have just $100,000 in his bank account last November, is preparing for trial in October backed by a roster of powerful attorneys. But it has remained unclear, unti
  
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• Exxon's Climate Opponents Were Infiltrated by Massive Hacking-for-Hire Operation

  29-03-2023 21:20 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: In the midst of perpetrating what federal prosecutors say was a massive corporate hacking campaign, Israeli private detective Aviram Azari in 2017 received welcome news. A group of hackers in India wrote him to say they had successfully infiltrated the email and social-media accounts of a group of environmental activists campaigning against Exxon. "On a happy note I would like to report some success below: Project Name Rainbow," the hackers wrote in electroni
  
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• Senator Rand Paul Opposes TikTok Ban Push in Congress

  29-03-2023 20:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Republican Senator Rand Paul on Wednesday opposed efforts in Congress to ban popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which is used by more than 150 million Americans. From a report: A small but growing number of Democrats and Republicans have raised concerns, citing free speech and other issues and have objected to legislation targeting TikTok as overly broad. Republican Senator Josh Hawley said this week he hoped to get unanimous consent for a TikTok ban bill. "Congressional Republicans
  
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• Intel Says Power-Efficient Sierra Forest Chip Will Be Delivered in H1 2024

  29-03-2023 20:00 via slashdot.org
  
  U.S. chip giant Intel said on Wednesday its first semiconductor for data center customers focused on power efficiency, Sierra Forest, would be delivered in the first half of next year, as it outlined a chip release schedule after prior delays. From a report: "It's been a challenging few years as we had introduced a lot of innovation but also a lot of complexity and our product release dates had pushed out," Intel Data Center and AI Group head Sandra Rivera told Reuters ahead of an investor event
  
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• Apple Sets June 5 WWDC To Debut Mixed-Reality Headset

  29-03-2023 19:20 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple set a June 5 date for the event where it plans to unveil a mixed-reality headset, the first major new product since its smartwatch debuted eight years ago. From a report: The company scheduled its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, better known as WWDC, to kick off on that Monday and run through Friday, June 9. It typically uses the first day of the conference to discuss its next-generation platforms and operating systems. This year's conference will be held as an "all-day experience"
  
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• AV1 Live Streaming Is Finally Coming To YouTube

  29-03-2023 18:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: In a recent video, YouTuber EposVox reports that YouTube is finally rolling out AV1 live-streaming support to the platform, with the tech currently in a beta. AV1 will provide YouTube live streams with a substantial increase in video quality, and allow users to stream at up to 4K 60FPS with Twitch-limited bitrates. EposVox was able to get early access to a development build of OBS 29.1 to check out YouTube's live streaming AV1 capabilities. The newest additio
  
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• Ransomware Crooks Are Exploiting IBM File-Exchange Bug With a 9.8 Severity

  29-03-2023 18:01 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Threat actors are exploiting a critical vulnerability in an IBM file-exchange application in hacks that install ransomware on servers, security researchers have warned. From a report: The IBM Aspera Faspex is a centralized file-exchange application that large organizations use to transfer large files or large volumes of files at very high speeds. Rather than relying on TCP-based technologies such as FTP to move files, Aspera uses IBM's proprietary FASP -- short for Fast, Adaptive, and Secure Pro
  
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• There is a Global Rice Crisis

  29-03-2023 17:33 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The foodstuff feeds more than half the world -- but also fuels diabetes and climate change. From a report: According to Indonesian legend, rice was bestowed upon the island of Java by the goddess Dewi Sri. Pitying its inhabitants the blandness of their existing staple, cassava, she taught them how to nurture rice seedlings in lush green paddy fields. In India, the Hindu goddess Annapurna is said to have played a similar role; in Japan, Inari. Across Asia, rice is conferred with a divine, and usu
  
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• UK Government Urges Regulators To Come Up With Rules For AI

  29-03-2023 16:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The U.K. government on Wednesday published recommendations for the artificial intelligence industry, outlining an all-encompassing approach for regulating the technology at a time when it has reached frenzied levels of hype. From a report: In a white paper to be put forward to Parliament, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will outline five principles it wants companies to follow. They are: safety, security and robustness; transparency and explainability; fairness; acco
  
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• AI Leaders Urge Labs To Halt Training Models More Powerful Than ChatGPT-4

  29-03-2023 16:00 via slashdot.org
  
  Artificial intelligence experts, industry leaders and researchers are calling on AI developers to hit the pause button on training any models more powerful than the latest iteration behind OpenAI's ChatGPT. From a report: More than 1,100 people in the industry signed a petition calling for labs to stop training powerful AI systems for at least six months to allow for the development of shared safety protocols. Prominent figures in the tech community, including Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Stev
  
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• Meatball From Long-Extinct Mammoth Created By Food Firm

  29-03-2023 15:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Guardian: A mammoth meatball has been created by a cultivated meat company, resurrecting the flesh of the long-extinct animals. The project aims to demonstrate the potential of meat grown from cells, without the slaughter of animals, and to highlight the link between large-scale livestock production and the destruction of wildlife and the climate crisis.The mammoth meatball was produced by Vow, an Australian company, which is taking a different approa
  
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• Lockheed Martin Is Building a Moon-To-Earth Satellite Communications Network

  29-03-2023 12:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Lockheed Martin has created a spinoff devoted to lunar infrastructure, Crescent Space, whose first project is a Moon-to-Earth satellite network. Engadget reports: Parsec, as it's called, uses a constellation of small lunar satellites to provide a non-stop connection between astronauts, their equipment and the people back home. The system will also provide navigation help. The technology should help explorers keep in touch, and assist with spacecraft course changes. As Lockheed Martin explains, t
  
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• Fast Radio Burst Linked With Gravitational Waves For the First Time

  29-03-2023 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Clancy William James writes via The Conversation: We have just published evidence in Nature Astronomy for what might be producing mysterious bursts of radio waves coming from distant galaxies, known as fast radio bursts or FRBs. Two colliding neutron stars -- each the super-dense core of an exploded star -- produced a burst of gravitational waves when they merged into a "supramassive" neutron star. We found that two and a half hours later they produced an FRB when the neutron star collapsed into
  
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• UK Sets Up Fake Booter Sites To Muddy DDoS Market

  29-03-2023 05:30 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from KrebsOnSecurity: The United Kingdom's National Crime Agency (NCA) has been busy setting up phony DDoS-for-hire websites that seek to collect information on users, remind them that launching DDoS attacks is illegal, and generally increase the level of paranoia for people looking to hire such services. The NCA says all of its fake so-called "booter" or "stresser" sites -- which have so far been accessed by several thousand people -- have been created to loo
  
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• Norway Company Can't Produce Ukraine Ammunition Because of TikTok

  29-03-2023 04:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  quonset writes: In what has to be one of the most inconceivable confluences ever, the Norwegian company Nammo says it is unable to expand its production of artillery shells to support Ukraine because of "cat videos" on TikTok. To placate European scrutiny, TikTok is opening two data centers in Europe to house European user data locally. One of those data centers is in the Hamar region of Norway. Because of this expansion, there is no excess capacity for the factory to ramp up production of artil
  
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• Disney Unplugs Metaverse Unit During Initial Round of Layoffs

  29-03-2023 03:25 via slashdot.org
  
  Disney has eliminated a small business unit focused on exploring the metaverse, part of its initial efforts to reduce its workforce by about 7,000 employees. Deadline reports: About 50 workers were part of the group dedicated to "next-generation storytelling and consumer experiences." Mike White, a former consumer products exec who had been leading the unit, will remain at the company in a yet-to-be-determined role, the source said. On Monday, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed in a staff memo that t
  
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• Steam Will Require Windows 10 or Later Next Year

  29-03-2023 02:45 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Valve announced today that Steam will require Windows 10 or later on January 1, 2024. The reason? Google Chrome. PC Gamer reports: "The newest features in Steam rely on an embedded version of Google Chrome, which no longer functions on older versions of Windows," Valve's typically curt announcement reads. "In addition, future versions of Steam will require Windows feature and security updates only present in Windows 10 and above." January 1, 2024 is the day of doom for Steam on the old Windows v
  
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• EU Countries Approve 2035 Phaseout of CO2-Emitting Cars

  29-03-2023 02:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: European Union countries gave final approval on Tuesday to a landmark law to end sales of new CO2-emitting cars in 2035, after Germany won an exemption for cars running on e-fuels. The approval from EU countries' energy ministers means Europe's main climate policy for cars can now enter into force -- after weeks of delay caused by last-minute opposition from Germany. The EU law will require all new cars sold to have zero CO2 emissions from 2035,
  
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• SBF Charged With Paying $40 Million Bribe

  29-03-2023 01:20 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was charged with directing $40 million in bribes to one or more Chinese officials to unfreeze assets relating to his cryptocurrency business in a rewritten indictment unsealed Tuesday. CBS News reports: The charge of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act means Bankman-Fried faces now faces a total of 13 charges after being arrested in the Bahamas last December and brought to the United States soon thereafter. [...] Th
  
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• Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix Becomes Official Ubuntu Flavor

  29-03-2023 00:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  prisoninmate shares a report from 9to5Linux: The Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix distribution has become an official Ubuntu flavor and will join the rest of the flavors starting with the upcoming Ubuntu 23.04 (Lunar Lobster) release. Created and maintained by members of the Linux community, Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix is an Ubuntu derivative that features the modern Cinnamon desktop environment developed by the Linux Mint team. Cinnamon Remix aims to offer a traditional approach to the modern Linux desktop.Unti
  
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• Open Source Espresso Machine Is One Delicious Rabbit Hole Inside Another

  29-03-2023 00:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  In a Substack post, Norm Sohl describes how he built a highly configurable machine out of open source hardware plans and the thermal guts of an Espresso Gaggia. An anonymous reader shares a summary from Ars Technica: Like many home espresso enthusiasts, Sohl had seen that his preferred machine, the Gaggia Classic Pro, could be modified in several ways, including adding a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller and other modifications to better control temperature, pressure, and shot vo
  
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