ICT news

• Microsoft Set To Change Print Screen Button So It Opens Snipping Tool in Windows 11

  11-04-2023 23:23 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader writes: Windows users don't like it when Microsoft changes long-used and familiar functions in its OS, so altering something that's been the same for 28 years is always going to bring controversy. Nevertheless, it seems that the Redmond firm is planning on changing the Print Screen button into a key that opens the Windows 11 Snipping Tool. The Print Screen button has performed the same function in the Windows operating system since Windows 95: taking a screenshot of the curre
  
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• Europe is Bracing For (Another) Devastating Drought

  11-04-2023 22:41 via news.slashdot.org
  
  After unusually low amounts of rain and snow this winter, the continent faces a severe water shortage. From a report: What happens during the next few months will really matter. Abundant rainfall could ease the situation and stave off the worst-case scenario. But Europe needs a lot. "We're talking about a sea, a sea's worth of water," says Hannah Cloke at the University of Reading in the UK. In terms of volume, hundreds of millions of cubic liters of rain would have to fall across the continent
  
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• France Eyeing Antitrust Action Against Apple

  11-04-2023 22:01 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  The French Competition Authority is likely to move forward soon with an antitrust investigation into Apple over complaints tied to 2021 changes to its app tracking policies, Axios reported, citing sources. From the report: A formal investigation would mark the first major government move taken globally against Apple related to privacy rule changes that upended the digital advertising world. French regulators are favoring issuing a formal "Statement of Objections" to parties involved in the matte
  
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• Windows Defender Finally Squashes Firefox Bug That Ate CPUs For 5 Years

  11-04-2023 21:21 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Firefox has a reputation of being something of a resource hog, even among modern browsers. But it might not be entirely earned, because it looks like a CPU bug affecting Firefox users on Windows was actually the fault of Windows Defender. The latest update to the ubiquitous security tool addresses the issue, and should result in measurably lower CPU usage for the Windows version of Firefox. According to Mozilla senior software engineer Yannis Juglaret, the cu
  
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• Why Are Movies So Dark These Days?

  11-04-2023 20:42 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  A filmmaker walks us through the reasons behind the 'dark cinematography' that's causing so many complaints. From a report: Take, for instance, Wes Craven's 1996 horror classic Scream -- a film often remarked on for just how lit everything in it is at all times. An early scene depicts protagonist Sidney Prescott embracing her boyfriend Billy Loomis in the wake of a terrifying home invasion and her near-death at the hands of a masked killer. After Sidney throws her arms around Billy, Craven cuts
  
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• New NASA Official Took Her Oath of Office on Carl Sagan's 'Pale Blue Dot'

  11-04-2023 20:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  When Dr. Makenzie Lystrup was sworn in as the new director of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center last week, she didn't take her oath of office on the Bible or the U.S. Constitution, but rather on a tome revered by space enthusiasts everywhere: Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot. From a report: The book, published in 1994, is named after an iconic image of Earth, snapped by the Voyager I probe, that depicts the planet as a small speck smothered by the emptiness of space. That photo inspired astronomer Ca
  
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• The Problem With Weather Apps

  11-04-2023 19:23 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report:Weather apps are not all the same. There are tens of thousands of them, from the simply designed Apple Weather to the expensive, complex, data-rich Windy.App. But all of these forecasts are working off of similar data, which are pulled from places such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Traditional meteorologists interpret these models based on their training as well as thei
  
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• Mercenary Spyware Hacked iPhone Victims With Rogue Calendar Invites, Researchers Say

  11-04-2023 18:40 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Hackers using spyware made by a little known cyber mercenary company used malicious calendar invites to hack the iPhones of journalists, political opposition figures, and an NGO worker, according to two reports. From a report: Researchers at Microsoft and the digital rights group Citizen Lab analyzed samples of malware they say was created by QuaDream, an Israeli spyware maker that has been reported to develop zero-click exploits -- meaning hacking tools that don't require the target to click on
  
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• South Korea Fines Google $32 Million for Blocking Games on Competing Platform

  11-04-2023 18:01 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  South Korea's antitrust regulator has fined Alphabet's Google 42.1 billion won ($31.88 million) for blocking the release of mobile video games on a competitor's platform. From a report: The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said on Tuesday that Google bolstered its market dominance, and hurt local app market One Store's revenue and value as a platform, by requiring video game makers to exclusively release their titles on Google Play in exchange for providing in-app exposure between June 2016 an
  
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• Reddit Moderators Brace for a ChatGPT Spam Apocalypse

  11-04-2023 17:34 via slashdot.org
  
  Reddit moderators say they already see an increase in spam and that the future will "require a lot of human labor." From a report: In December last year, the moderators of the popular r/AskHistorians Reddit forum noticed posts popping up that appeared to carry the hallmarks of AI-generated text. "They were pretty easy to spot," said Sarah Gilbert, one of the forum's moderators and a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University. "They're not in-depth, they're not comprehensive, and they often con
  
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• Commerce Department Looks To Craft AI Safety Rules

  11-04-2023 16:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The federal government is taking what could be the first steps toward requiring safer, more transparent AI systems as a Commerce Department agency invited public comment to help shape specific policy recommendations. From a report: The move is far short of the comprehensive AI legislation critics have advocated. But with the frenzy over generative AI continuing to grow, the Biden administration is trying to get a head start on a government response to the fast-moving industry. The Commerce Depar
  
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• China Mandates Security Reviews for AI Services Like ChatGPT

  11-04-2023 16:01 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  China plans to require a security review of generative AI services before they're allowed to operate, casting uncertainty over ChatGPT-like bots unveiled by the country's largest tech companies including Baidu. From a report: Providers of services must ensure content is accurate and respects intellectual property, and neither discriminates nor endangers security, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in draft guidelines published for public feedback. AI operators must also clearly label AI
  
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• UK Government To Offer One Million People Vapes To Cut Smoking Rates

  11-04-2023 15:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Mirage News: One million smokers will be encouraged to swap cigarettes for vapes under a pioneering new "swap to stop" scheme designed to improve the health of the nation and cut smoking rates. As part of the world-first national scheme, almost one in five of all smokers in England will be provided with a vape starter kit alongside behavioral support to help them quit the habit as part of a series of new measures to help the government meet its ambition o
  
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• Mozilla Releases Security Advisories for Multiple Products

  11-04-2023 14:00 via cisa.gov
  Mozilla has released security advisories for vulnerabilities affecting multiple Mozilla products. A cyber threat actor could exploit these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.
  CISA encourages users and administrators to review the following advisories and apply the necessary updates:
  Security Vulnerabilities fixed in Firefox ESR 102.10 Mozilla Foundation Security Advisory 2023-14
  Security Vulnerabilities fixed in Firefox 112, Firefox for Android 112, Focus for Android 112 Mozil
  
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• Microsoft Releases Guidance for the BlackLotus Campaign

  11-04-2023 14:00 via cisa.gov
  Microsoft has released Guidance for investigating attacks using CVE-2022-21894: The BlackLotus Campaign. According to Microsoft, “[t]his guide provides steps that organizations can take to assess whether users have been targeted or compromised by threat actors exploiting CVE-2022-21894 via a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) bootkit called BlackLotus.” An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to take control of an affected system.
  CISA urges users and organization
  
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• Microsoft Releases April 2023 Security Updates

  11-04-2023 14:00 via cisa.gov
  Microsoft has released updates to address multiple vulnerabilities in Microsoft software. An attacker can exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.
  CISA encourages users and administrators to review Microsoft’s April 2023 Security Update Guide and Deployment Information and apply the necessary updates.
  
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• Fortinet Releases April 2023 Vulnerability Advisories

  11-04-2023 14:00 via cisa.gov
  Fortinet has released its April 2023 Vulnerability Advisories to address vulnerabilities affecting multiple products. An attacker could exploit one of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.
  CISA encourages users and administrators to review the Fortinet April 2023 Vulnerability Advisories page for more information and apply the necessary updates.
  
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• CISA Releases Zero Trust Maturity Model Version 2

  11-04-2023 14:00 via cisa.gov
  CISA has released an update to the Zero Trust Maturity Model (ZTMM), superseding the initial version released in September 2021. ZTMM provides a roadmap for agencies to reference as they transition towards a zero-trust architecture. ZTMM also provides a gradient of implementation across five distinct pillars to facilitate federal implementation, allowing agencies to make minor advancements toward optimization over time.
  The objective of this update is to facilitate the distribution of the Z
  
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• You Can Now Watch Every Star Trek Movie In 4K HDR

  11-04-2023 12:00 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  For the first time, you can now buy or rent every single Star Trek movie in the latest 4K and HDR standards. That includes all six movies based on the original series cast, all four featuring The Next Generation's cast, and the more recent J.J. Abrams films. Ars Technica reports: On April 4, Paramount released an UltraHD Blu-ray set that included Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek: Nemesis along with several special features. The set marks th
  
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• NASA Reveals What Made an Entire Starlink Satellite Fleet Go Down

  11-04-2023 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  schwit1 shares a report from Inverse: On March 23, sky observers marveled at a gorgeous display of northern and southern lights. It was a reminder that when our Sun gets active, it can spark a phenomenon called "space weather." Aurorae are among the most benign effects of this phenomenon. At the other end of the space weather spectrum are solar storms that can knock out satellites. The folks at Starlink found that out the hard way in February 2022. On January 29 that year, the Sun belched out a
  
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• Physicists Extend Qubit Lifespan In Pivotal Validation of Quantum Computing

  11-04-2023 05:30 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from ScienceAlert: Keeping enough qubits in their ideal state long enough for computations has so far proved a challenge. In a new experiment, scientists were able to keep a qubit in that state for twice as long as normal. Along the way, they demonstrated the practicality of quantum error correction (QEC), a process that keeps quantum information intact for longer by introducing room for redundancy and error removal. The idea of QEC has been around since the m
  
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• The Biggest EV Battery Recycling Plant In the US Is Open For Business

  11-04-2023 04:02 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Ascend Elements opened a recycling plant in Covington, Georgia in late March that it says is the largest electric-vehicle battery recycling facility in North America. "It can process 30,000 metric tons of input each year, breaking down old batteries and prepping the most valuable materials inside to be processed and turned into new batteries," reports Canary Media. "That capacity equates to breaking down the battery packs from 70,000 electric vehicles annually, said Ascend CEO Mike O'Kronley." F
  
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• How Much To Infect Android Phones Via Google Play Store? How About $20K

  11-04-2023 03:25 via news.slashdot.org
  
  If you want to sneak malware onto people's Android devices via the official Google Play store, it may cost you about $20,000 to do so, Kaspersky suggests. The Register reports: This comes after the Russian infosec outfit studied nine dark-web markets between 2019 and 2023, and found a slew of code and services for sale to infect and hijack the phones and tablets of Google Play users. Before cybercriminals can share their malicious apps from Google's official store, they'll need a Play developer
  
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• FTC Orders Supplement Maker To Pay $600K In First Case Involving Hijacked Amazon Reviews

  11-04-2023 02:45 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent order in its first-ever enforcement action over a case involving "review hijacking," or when a marketer steals consumer reviews of another product to boost the sales of its own. TechCrunch reports: In this case, the FTC has ordered supplements retailer The Bountiful Company, the maker of Nature's Bounty vitamins and other brands, to pay $600,000 for deceiving customers on Amazon where it used a feature to merge the reviews of differe
  
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• American IQ Scores Have Rapidly Dropped, Proving the 'Reverse Flynn Effect'

  11-04-2023 02:02 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Popular Mechanics: Americans' IQ scores are trending in a downward direction. In fact, they've been falling for over a decade. According to a press release, in studying intelligence testing data from 2006 to 2018, Northwestern University researchers noticed that test scores in three out of four "cognitive domains" were going down. This is the first time we've seen a consistent negative slope for these testing categories, providing tangible evidence of wha
  
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• Do Kwon Converted Illicit Funds From LUNA To Bitcoin

  11-04-2023 01:20 via news.slashdot.org
  
  According to South Korean prosecutors, Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon converted most of the illicit funds associated with him and his associates into Bitcoin. CoinTelegraph reports: South Korean prosecutors have identified 414.5 billion won ($314.2 million) in illicit assets associated with Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon and his associates. Out of the identified illegal assets, prosecutors have linked about 91.4 billion won ($69 million) of the specified amount directly to Kwon. Although K
  
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• Tesla To Open Megapack Battery Factory In Shanghai

  11-04-2023 00:40 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Tesla will open a factory in Shanghai to produce its Megapack large-scale batteries, cementing another foothold for the U.S. company in China even as political and economic tensions between Washington and Beijing swirl. The Washington Post reports: Tesla said in a brief tweet on Sunday that its "Megafactory" in Shanghai will be capable of producing 10,000 Megapacks annually, an output equivalent to its other Megafactory in Lathrop, Calif., about 70 miles east of San Francisco. The company, which
  
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• Z-Library Plans To Let Users Share Physical Books Through 'Z-Points'

  11-04-2023 00:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: Z-Library appears to be shrugging off a criminal investigation as if nothing ever happened. The site continues to develop its shadow library and, following a successful fundraiser, now plans to expand its services to the physical book market. Z-Library envisions a book 'sharing' market, where its millions of users can pick up paperbacks at dedicated "Z-Points" around the globe. [...] With more than 12 million books in its archive, Z-Library
  
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