ICT news

• Key Radar Antenna Stuck On Europe's Jupiter-Bound Spacecraft

  28-04-2023 23:23 via science.slashdot.org
  
  The European Space Agency appears to have a slight problem: a critical antenna is jammed on their Jupiter-bound spacecraft launched two weeks ago. From the Associated Press: The 52-foot (16-meter) radar antenna on Juice unfolded only one-third of the way following liftoff, according to the space agency. Engineers suspect a tiny pin may be protruding. Flight controllers in Germany plan to fire the spacecraft's engine in hopes of shaking the pin loose. If that doesn't work, they said they have ple
  
  Read more

• Zimbabwe Will Issue Gold-Backed Digital Tokens From Next Month

  28-04-2023 22:41 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Zimbabwe's central bank plans to sell a gold-backed digital currency to the public from May 8 in another attempt to stabilize its tumbling currency and offer an alternative to the US dollar. From a report: The tokens, to be sold through banks in local and foreign currency at a 20% margin above the interbank mid-rate, will be introduced in two phases, central bank governor John Mangudya, said in an emailed statement on Friday. The currency will initially be used for investment and then for transa
  
  Read more

• China Ramps Up Coal Power Despite Carbon Neutral Pledges

  28-04-2023 22:01 via slashdot.org
  
  Local governments in China approved more new coal power in the first three months of 2023 than in the whole of 2021, according to official documents. From a report: The approvals, analysed by Greenpeace, reveal that between January and March this year, at least 20.45 gigawatts of coal power was approved, up from 8.63GW in the same period in 2022. In the whole of 2021, 18GW of coal was approved. A Chinese Communist party (CCP) five-year plan from 2016 had placed a heavy emphasis on reducing the u
  
  Read more

• New Venmo Feature Lets Users Transfer Crypto To Outside Wallets - and To Each Other

  28-04-2023 21:21 via slashdot.org
  
  Venmo soon will allow users to transfer their Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash to outside wallets -- as well as to other users of the popular payment app. From a report: The feature will roll out starting in May, according to a statement from PayPal, which acquired Venmo in 2013. Users can also transfer crypto to their PayPal wallets, which released a similar ability for users in 2022. Crypto transfers on Venmo will be irreversible, just like crypto transactions more broadly -- a fu
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Microsoft is Busy Rewriting Core Windows Code in Memory-safe Rust

  28-04-2023 20:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft is rewriting core Windows libraries in the Rust programming language, and the more memory-safe code is already reaching developers. From a report: David "dwizzle" Weston, director of OS security for Windows, announced the arrival of Rust in the operating system's kernel at BlueHat IL 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel, last month. "You will actually have Windows booting with Rust in the kernel in probably the next several weeks or months, which is really cool," he said. "The basic goal here was
  
  Read more

• Tech Companies Are Colluding To Cheat H1-B Visa Lottery

  28-04-2023 19:32 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The Biden administration says it has found evidence that several dozen small technology companies have colluded to increase the chances that their prospective foreign hires will win a coveted H-1B visa for skilled foreign workers in this year's lottery. From a report: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that awards H-1B visas, said it has found that a small number of companies are responsible for entering the same applicants into the lottery multiple times, with the all
  
  Read more

• Former Apple Employee Must Repay $19 Million After Defrauding the Company

  28-04-2023 19:23 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  A former Apple employee has been sentenced to three years in prison and must pay back over $19 million in restitution for stealing around $17 million from the tech giant through mail and wire fraud schemes. From a report: Dhirendra Prasad, 55, was originally charged in March 2022 and later pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud Apple and related tax crimes back in November last year. Prasad was employed at the company between 2008 and 2018, mostly working as a buyer in Apple's global service su
  
  Read more

• Top Taiwan Chip Designer MediaTek 'Rapidly' Shifts Focus To Autos, AI

  28-04-2023 18:48 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Taiwan's top chip design company MediaTek is focusing more resources on chips for cars and AI computing as its smartphone clients face a supply glut and inflation and macroeconomic uncertainty dent demand for consumer electronics. From a report: "We are definitely moving our resources very, very rapidly towards the automotive and computing areas, because those areas will provide our growth in the next three to five years," MediaTek Chief Executive Rick Tsai told an earnings call. "In this very d
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Many Public Salesforce Sites are Leaking Private Data

  28-04-2023 18:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  A shocking number of organizations -- including banks and healthcare providers -- are leaking private and sensitive information from their public Salesforce Community websites, KrebsOnSecurity has learned. From the report: The data exposures all stem from a misconfiguration in Salesforce Community that allows an unauthenticated user to access records that should only be available after logging in. Salesforce Community is a widely-used cloud-based software product that makes it easy for organizat
  
  Read more

• Microsoft is Done With Major Windows 10 Updates

  28-04-2023 17:32 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Windows 10 22H2 will be the final version of the operating system, Microsoft said in a blog post on Thursday. From a report: Moving forward, all editions of Windows 10 will be supported with monthly security updates until October 14th, 2025, when Microsoft will end support. (Some releases on the Long-Term Servicing Channel, or LTSC, will get updates past that end of support date.) Microsoft is encouraging users to now transition to Windows 11 because Windows 10 won't be getting any new features.
  
  Read more

• Mastercard Seeks To Expand Crypto Card Tie-ups

  28-04-2023 16:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Mastercard will expand its cryptocurrency payment card programme by seeking more partnerships with crypto firms, the company's head of crypto and blockchain said, even as the sector comes under closer scrutiny from regulators and banks grow wary. From a report: Mastercard has already partnered with crypto exchanges including Binance, Nexo and Gemini to offer crypto-linked payment cards in some countries. The Binance cards allow users to make payments in traditional currencies, funded by their cr
  
  Read more

• Wikipedia Will Not Perform Online Safety Bill Age Checks

  28-04-2023 16:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Wikipedia will not comply with any age checks required under the Online Safety Bill, its foundation says. From a report: Rebecca MacKinnon, of the Wikimedia Foundation, which supports the website, says it would "violate our commitment to collect minimal data about readers and contributors." A senior figure in Wikimedia UK fears the site could be blocked as a result. But the government says only services posing the highest risk to children will need age verification. Wikipedia has millions of art
  
  Read more

• Google Gets Court Order To Take Down CryptBot That Infected Over 670,000 Computers

  28-04-2023 15:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Hacker News: Google on Wednesday said it obtained a temporary court order in the U.S. to disrupt the distribution of a Windows-based information-stealing malware called CryptBot and "decelerate" its growth. The tech giant's Mike Trinh and Pierre-Marc Bureau said the efforts are part of steps it takes to "not only hold criminal operators of malware accountable, but also those who profit from its distribution." CryptBot is estimated to have infected ove
  
  Read more

• CISA Requests for Comment on Secure Software Self-Attestation Form

  28-04-2023 14:00 via cisa.gov
  CISA has issued requests for comment on the Secure Software Self-Attestation Form. CISA, in coordination with the Office of Budget and Management (OMB), released proposed guidance on secure software. This guidance seeks to secure software leveraged by the federal government. CISA expects agencies to use this proposed form to reduce the risk to the federal environment, thereby implementing a standardized process for agencies and software producers that will create transparency on the security of
  
  Read more

• New Senate Bill Could Force Ticket Sellers To Disclose Their Fees Upfront

  28-04-2023 12:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  schwit1 shares a report from Rolling Stone: It was a busy day for the live music industry in Washington [on Wednesday] as senators introduced multiple pieces of legislation aimed at improving transparency and competition in ticketing. One of the most common complaints among music fans in a long list of gripes about the modern ticketing industry is the hidden fees that get tacked on at the very end of a purchase, adding a deceptive extra costs customers won't even see until they've already select
  
  Read more

• NASA Power Tweak Extends Voyager 2 Mission Even Longer

  28-04-2023 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Longtime Slashdot reader canux writes: In an effort to continue to power Voyager 2's five on-board scientific instruments, NASA engineers have devised a software update that disables the probe's electrical supply safety system [to redirect the power to them]. "Although the spacecraft's voltage will not be tightly regulated as a result, even after more than 45 years in flight, the electrical systems on both probes remain relatively stable, minimizing the need for a safety net," according to NASA
  
  Read more

• Palantir Demos AI To Fight Wars

  28-04-2023 05:30 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Palantir, the company of billionaire Peter Thiel, is launching Palantir Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), software meant to run large language models like GPT-4 and alternatives on private networks. In one of its pitch videos, Palantir demos how a military might use AIP to fight a war. In the video, the operator uses a ChatGPT-style chatbot to order drone reconnaissance, generate several plans of attack, and organize the jamming of enem
  
  Read more

• Brit Fusion Magnets Set For US Gamma Ray Bombardment Test

  28-04-2023 03:25 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  UK fusion company Tokamak Energy claims to have made a breakthrough in fusion magnets, developing technology capable of withstanding the electromagnetic bombardment from a fusion reaction while holding the reaction in place. It plans to put its technology to the test at a U.S. gamma ray facility in the desert. The Register reports: At its Oxford headquarters, Tokamak Energy, which is collaborating with the UK government's nuclear fusion program, has built a specialist gamma radiation cryostat sy
  
  Read more

• Intel Reports Largest Quarterly Loss In Company History

  28-04-2023 02:45 via news.slashdot.org
  
  In the company's first-quarter earnings results (PDF) on Wednesday, Intel reported a 133% annual reduction in earnings per share. "Revenue dropped nearly 36% year over year to $11.7 billion," adds CNBC. From the report: In the first quarter, Intel swung to a net loss of $2.8 billion, or 66 cents per share, from a net profit of $8.1 billion, or $1.98 per share, last year. Excluding the impact of inventory restructuring, a recent change to employee stock options and other acquisition-related charg
  
  Read more

• Tokyo Has 20x As Much Wi-Fi As It Needs

  28-04-2023 02:02 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: Tokyo has five million Wi-Fi access points -- and that's 20 times what the city needs, because they're reserved for private use, according to NTT. The Japanese tech giant proposes sharing the fleet to cope with increased demand for wireless comms without adding more hardware. NTT says it's successfully tested network sharing with a scheme that starts by asking operators of Wi-Fi access points or other connections if they're open to sharing t
  
  Read more

• Audio App Clubhouse Lays Off Half Its Employees

  28-04-2023 01:20 via slashdot.org
  
  Clubhouse, the audio app that peaked in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, is laying off more than half of its employees. Axios reports: CEO Paul Davison tweeted that the move was about forming a smaller team focused "relentlessly on product," rather than because of the economic environment. He added it wasn't a financial decision and the San Francisco-based company has "plenty of runway."No specifics on layoff numbers, but a Clubhouse spokesperson says that company headcount never surpass
  
  Read more

• Google Plans To Add End-To-End Encryption To Authenticator

  28-04-2023 00:40 via it.slashdot.org
  
  After security researchers criticized Google for not including end-to-end encryption with Authenticator's account-syncing update, the company announced "plans to offer E2EE" in the future. "Right now, we believe that our current product strikes the right balance for most users and provides significant benefits over offline use," writes Google product manager Christiaan Brand on Twitter. "However, the option to use the app offline will remain an alternative for those who prefer to manage their ba
  
  Read more

• Coinbase Offers a Fiery Response To SEC's Threat of Enforcement Action

  28-04-2023 00:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Crypto exchange Coinbase offered a fiery response on Thursday to last month's Wells notice from the SEC, telling the federal regulator that an enforcement action against the crypto exchange would pose "major programmatic risks" to the SEC that would "fail on the merits." From a report: "Coinbase does not list, clear, or effect trading in securities," the company's response said. The analysis SEC did staffers to justify an enforcement action "appears to rest on superficial and incorrect analogies
  
  Read more

Follow @newslocke_ict on Twitter!