- wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

Signal Threatens To Dump US Market If EARN IT Act Passes
by Peter Reutemann 10 Apr '20

10 Apr '20

'Signal is warning that an anti-encryption bill circulating in Congress could force the private messaging app to pull out of the U.S. market. PC Magazine reports: Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the free app, which offers end-to-end encryption, has seen a surge in traffic. But on Wednesday, the nonprofit behind the app published a blog post, raising the alarm around the EARN IT Act. "At a time when more people than ever are benefiting from these (encryption) protections, the EARN IT bill proposed by the Senate Judiciary Committee threatens to put them at risk," Signal developer Joshua Lund wrote in the post. Although the goal of the legislation, which has bipartisan support, is to stamp out online child exploitation, it does so by letting the U..S government regulate how internet companies should combat the problem -- even if it means undermining the end-to-end encryption protecting your messages from snoops. If the companies fail to do so, they risk losing legal immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which can shield them from lawsuits concerning objectionable or illegal content posted on their websites or apps. "Some large tech behemoths could hypothetically shoulder the enormous financial burden of handling hundreds of new lawsuits if they suddenly became responsible for the random things their users say, but it would not be possible for a small nonprofit like Signal to continue to operate within the United States," Lund wrote in the blog post.' -- source: https://it.slashdot.org/story/20/04/09/2014207 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Meet dark_nexus, quite possibly the most potent IoT botnet ever
by Peter Reutemann 10 Apr '20

10 Apr '20

'A newly discovered botnet that preys on home routers, video recorders, and other network-connected devices is one of the most advanced Internet-of-things platforms ever seen, researchers said on Wednesday. Its list of advanced features includes the ability to disguise malicious traffic as benign, maintain persistence, and infect devices that run on at least 12 different CPUs. Researchers from antivirus provider Bitdefender described the so-called dark_nexus as a “new IoT botnet packing new features and capabilities that put to shame most IoT botnets and malware that we’ve seen.” In the three months that Bitdefender has tracked it, dark_nexus has undergone 30 version updates, as its developer has steadily added more features and capabilities.' -- source: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/04/meet-dark_nexus-quit… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Chinese Cybercriminals Target High-Value Linux Servers With Weak Defenses: BlackBerry
by Peter Reutemann 10 Apr '20

10 Apr '20

'Linux malware is real and Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups have been infiltrating critical servers with these tools for at least eight years, according to a new report from BlackBerry. From a report: In "Decade of the RATs: Cross-Platform APT Espionage Attacks Targeting Linux, Windows and Android," security researchers found that these groups have attacked companies around the world and across all industries with goals ranging from simple cybercrime to full-blown economic espionage. The RATs report describes how five APT groups are working with the Chinese government and the remote access trojans (RATs) the cybercriminals are using to get and maintain access to Linux servers. According to the report, the groups appeared to be using WINNTI-style tooling to take aim at Linux servers and remain relatively undetected for almost a decade. These groups are targeting Red Hat Enterprise, CentOS, and Ubuntu Linux environments for espionage and intellectual property theft. The APT groups examined include the original WINNTI GROUP, PASSCV, BRONZE UNION, CASPER (LEAD), and a newly identified group BlackBerry researchers are tracking as WLNXSPLINTER. The BlackBerry researchers think all five groups are working together, given the distinct similarities in their preferred tools, tactics, and procedures.' -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/20/04/09/1538218 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Google Launches Braille Keyboard for Android Devices
by Peter Reutemann 10 Apr '20

10 Apr '20

'Google today announced the launch of a virtual braille keyboard for Android that's designed to enable those with low vision or blindness to type on their phones without additional hardware. From a report: The tech giant says it collaborated with braille developers and users to create it, and to ensure it can be used anywhere a user would normally type -- including social media, text messaging, and email apps. According to the World Health Organization, at least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness. To address their needs, Google previously developed and released BrailleBack, an accessibility service for Android that helps users make use of braille devices, but BrailleBack didn't offer on-screen typing.' -- source: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/20/04/09/1831238 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Windows 10 Is Getting Linux Files Integration In File Explorer
by Peter Reutemann 09 Apr '20

09 Apr '20

'Microsoft is planning to fully integrate Linux file access into the built-in File Explorer. The Verge reports: A new Linux icon will be available in the left-hand navigation pane in File Explorer, providing access to the root file system for any distros that are installed in Windows 10. The icon that will appear in File Explorer is the famous Tux, the penguin mascot for the Linux kernel. Microsoft is testing the Linux File Explorer integration in a new build of Windows 10 that's available for testers today. Previously, Windows 10 users would have to manually navigate to a UNC path to get access to Linux files from the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). If you have WSL enabled, then the Tux will appear in File Explorer, and Microsoft is now seeking feedback on the integration before it's finalized as part of a future Windows 10 update. The software maker will ship this update to all Windows 10 users later this year. ' -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/20/04/08/2146226 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

corp.com Saved From Falling Into The Wrong Hands
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 09 Apr '20

09 Apr '20

Seems that early versions of Windows Active Directory would offer a default path name of “corp” during setup. Back in the days before the Internet became a part of everyday life, many admins accepted this without thinking too much about it. But once you start connecting servers to the Internet, they are liable to do DNS lookups on names like this, and accidentally connecting to something like “corp.com”. So to avoid such a name from coming under the control of less-than-savoury elements, Microsoft has bought it over <https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/08/microsoft_active_directory/>. One of the reader comments links to this old Microsoft blog post <https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20061013-05/?p=29393>, which explains that example/default names like “Contoso” and “Fabrikam” used in Microsoft’s documentation and products were actually created by their legal department, after a careful vetting process to ensure that they are indeed entirely fictitious.

1 0

Cryptominer Linux Malware Infecting Docker Containers
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 09 Apr '20

09 Apr '20

Seems some people are not properly securing their Docker setups <https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/08/docker_malware_attacks/>, allowing the “Kinsing” malware to gain entrance and hijack your CPU time to do cryptocurrency mining.

1 0

Longtime Mozilla Leader Mitchell Baker is Now CEO
by Peter Reutemann 09 Apr '20

09 Apr '20

'On Wednesday, Mozilla chair and longtime leader Mitchell Baker was named permanent CEO of the company that makes the Firefox web browser. >From a report: Mitchell became interim CEO of Mozilla in December 2019, after former CEO Chris Beard resigned. The company conducted an external candidate search over the last eight months, and concluded the Mitchell is the right leader for Mozilla at this time, according to a company blog post published Wednesday. "Increasingly, numbers of people recognize that the internet needs attention," Baker said in another Mozilla blog post Wednesday. "Mozilla has a special, if not unique role to play here. It's time to tune our existing assets to meet the challenge. It's time to make use of Mozilla's ingenuity and unbelievable technical depth and understanding of the "web" platform to make new products and experiences. It's time to gather with others who want these things and work together to make them real."' -- source: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/20/04/08/1720218 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

2 1

Chrome 81 Arrives With Web NFC Origin Trial, AR Features, and Mixed Images Autoupgraded To HTTPS
by Peter Reutemann 09 Apr '20

09 Apr '20

'Google today launched Chrome 81 for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. Chrome 81 includes an Origin Trial of Web NFC for mobile, early Augmented Reality support, mixed images autoupgraded to HTTPS, TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 deprecated, and more developer features. With over 1 billion users, Chrome is both a browser and a major platform that web developers must consider. In fact, with Chrome's regular additions and changes, developers have to stay on top of everything available -- as well as what has been deprecated or removed. Among other things, Chrome 81 removes the "discard" element and FTP support.' -- source: https://slashdot.org/story/20/04/08/1641238 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Tails, the Security-Focused OS, Adds Support For Secure Boot
by Peter Reutemann 09 Apr '20

09 Apr '20

'Tail OS, an operating system optimized for privacy and anonymity, has released version 4.5 this week, the first version that supports a crucial security feature named UEFI Secure Boot. From a report: Secure Boot works by using cryptographic signatures to verify that firmware files loaded during a computer's boot-up process are authentic and have not been tampered. If any of the firmware checks fail, Secure Boot has the authority to stop the boot process, preventing the operating system from launching. The feature has been available as part of the UEFI specification for almost two decades but is rarely used. The reason is because not all firmware vendors cryptographically sign their files, leaving the door open to verification errors that -- when Secure Boot is enabled -- block many operation systems from launching.' -- source: https://it.slashdot.org/story/20/04/08/1712239 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Google makes seamless update support mandatory in Android 11
by Peter Reutemann 09 Apr '20

09 Apr '20

'Google is putting new rules in place for Android 11: it's going to make support for Android's "seamless update" feature mandatory for devices launching with the new OS. The news comes to us via an Android source code commit first spotted by XDA Developers, which reads, "Require Virtual A/B on R launches." In English, this means the seamless update system, which requires two partitions (labeled "A" and "B"), will be required on Android R, aka Android 11. Android's seamless update system was introduced in Android 7.0 Nougat (it was actually borrowed from Chrome OS) as a way to reduce the downtime caused by OS updates and to offer a recovery mechanism in case an update applies incorrectly. Applying an update to an operating system usually means taking the OS offline for an extended period of downtime. On Android, before seamless updates, the phone would boot into recovery and could be stuck on the "Installing System Update" screen for as much as 25 minutes. That's a lot of downtime, and during this time you can't run any apps, see any text messages, or get any phone calls. The downtime happens because updating the system files requires taking the system partition offline, but the seamless update system fixes this by just having a second copy of the system partition.' -- source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/04/google-makes-seamless-update-suppor… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Scratch Makes It To TIOBE Top 20
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 08 Apr '20

08 Apr '20

Scratch, the graphically-based language designed to teach kids how to program, has entered TIOBE’s latest Top 20 list <https://devclass.com/2020/04/06/kids-programming-language-scratch-nails-top…>. Stats language R has also made some gains, getting into the top 10 for the first time.

1 0

Firefox 75 Arrives With Revamped Address Bar; Mozilla To Stick With 2020 Schedule
by Peter Reutemann 08 Apr '20

08 Apr '20

'Mozilla today launched Firefox 75 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Firefox 75 includes a revamped address bar with significant search improvements, a few performance tweaks, and a handful of developer features. You can download Firefox 75 for desktop now from Firefox.com, and all existing users should be able to upgrade to it automatically. According to Mozilla, Firefox has about 250 million active users, making it a major platform for web developers to consider. When the coronavirus crisis took hold, millions found themselves spending more time in their browsers as they learn and work from home. But the crisis is also impacting software developers. Google was forced to pause its Chrome releases, which typically arrive every six weeks. Ultimately, Chrome 81 was delayed, Chrome 82 is being skipped altogether, and Chrome 83 has been moved up a few weeks. Microsoft has followed suit with Edge's release schedule, consistent with Google's open source Chromium project, which both Chrome and Edge are based on. Mozilla wants to make clear it is not in the same boat. The company took an indirect jab at Google and Microsoft today, saying: "We've built empathy into our systems for handling difficult or unexpected circumstances. These strengths are what allow us to continue to make progress where some of our competitors have had to slow down or stop work."' -- source: https://news.slashdot.org/story/20/04/07/162246 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Microsoft Announces IPE, a New Code Integrity Feature for Linux
by Peter Reutemann 08 Apr '20

08 Apr '20

'Microsoft has revealed details about a new project it has been working on for Linux kernel. From a report: Named Integrity Policy Enforcement -- or IPE -- the project is a Linux security module (LSM). LSMs are optional add-ons for the Linux kernel that enable additional security features. According to a documentation page published on Monday, IPE is Microsoft's attempt to solve the code integrity problem for Linux -- an operating system the company broadly uses in its Azure cloud service. On Linux systems where IPE is enabled, system administrators can create a list of binaries that are allowed to execute and then add the verification attributes the kernel needs to check for each binary before allowing it to run. If binaries have been altered by an attacker, IPE can block the execution of the malicious code.' -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/20/04/07/1615232 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Google Backs Apple's SMS OTP Standard Proposal
by Peter Reutemann 08 Apr '20

08 Apr '20

'Google is now backing a standard proposed by Apple engineers in January to create a default format for one-time passcodes (OTP) sent via SMS to users during the two-factor authentication (2FA) process. >From a report: The standard, proposed by Apple engineers working on the Safari WebKit project, has now reached the status of official Web Platform Incubator Community Group (WICG) specification draft. "We've moved 'Origin-bound one-time codes delivered via SMS' to @wicg_, where we're working on a shared spec with our collaborators at Google. Please take a look! Updated explainer, and specification," wrote Apple's Ricky Mondello. The proposal aims to fix some issues with the current state of SMS 2FA/OTP codes, all of which have different formats, unique per the websites sending the codes.' -- source: https://apple.slashdot.org/story/20/04/07/199245 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Edge Overtakes Firefox To Become the Second-Most Popular Browser
by Peter Reutemann 06 Apr '20

06 Apr '20

'It was probably just a matter of time, but the thing so many people, including everyone at Microsoft, expected finally happened: Microsoft Edge surpassed Mozilla Firefox to become the world's second most-used desktop browser. Data provided by market analysis firm NetMarketShare reveals that the whole thing happened in March, when the adoption of the Chromium-powered Microsoft Edge improved to a level that allowed it to overtake Mozilla's own browser. So right now, Microsoft Edge is the second most-used desktop browser on the planet with a share of 7.59%, while Mozilla Firefox is now third with 7.19%. As for who's leading the pack, Google Chrome continues to be number one with a share of 68.50%' -- source: https://news.slashdot.org/story/20/04/05/1727217 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

3 2

Eclipse Foundation Unveils Open Source Alternative to Microsoft's 'Visual Studio Code' IDE
by Peter Reutemann 05 Apr '20

05 Apr '20

'"The Eclipse Foundation just released version 1.0 of an open-source alternative to Visual Studio Code called Eclipse Theia," reports SD Times: Theia is an extensible platform that allows developers to create multi-language cloud and desktop IDEs, allowing them to create entirely new developer experiences. According to the Eclipse Foundation, the differences between Theia and Visual Studio Code are that Theia has a more modular architecture, Theia was designed from the ground to run on desktop and cloud, and Theia was developed under community-driven and vendor-neutral governance of the Eclipse Foundation. The Theia project was started by Ericsson and TypeFox in 2016, and since then it has become an integral part of cloud solutions globally. The project approached the Eclipse Foundation about becoming a potential host in 2019. Early contributors to the project include ARM, Arduino, EclipseSource, Ericsson, Google Cloud, IBM, Red Hat, SAP, and TypeFox. "We are thrilled to see Eclipse Theia deliver on its promise of providing a production-ready, vendor-neutral, and open source framework for creating custom and white-labeled developer products," announced Mike Milinkovich, the Eclipse Foundation's executive director. "Visual Studio Code is one of the world's most popular development environments. Not only does Theia allow developers to install and reuse VS Code extensions, it provides an extensible and adaptable platform that can be tailored to specific use cases, which is a huge benefit for any organization that wants to deliver a modern and professional development experience. Congratulations to all the Theia committers and contributors on achieving this milestone." InfoWorld points out that "thus far Theia is intended to be fitted into third-party products. An end-user version is on the roadmap for release later this year." But programming columnist Mike Melanson notes that "Chances are, you've already run into Theia without even realizing it, as it already serves as the basis for Red Hat's CodeReady Workspaces, the Eclipse Foundation's own Eclipse Che, and Google Cloud Shell."' -- source: https://developers.slashdot.org/story/20/04/04/1819251 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

What's New in Linux 5.6? WireGuard VPN and USB4
by Peter Reutemann 05 Apr '20

05 Apr '20

'Linux 5.6 "has a bit more changes than I'd like," Linus Torvalds posted on the kernel mailing list, "but they are mostly from davem's networking fixes pulls, and David feels comfy with them. And I looked over the diff, and none of it looks scary..." TechRadar reports that the new changes include support for USB4 and GeForce RTX 2000 series graphics cards with the Nouveau driver: Yes, Turing GPU support has arrived with the open source Nouveau driver, along with the proprietary firmware images, as Phoronix.com reports. However, don't get too excited, as re-clocking doesn't work yet (getting the GPU to operate at stock clocks), and other important pieces of the puzzle are missing (like no Vulkan support with Nouveau). For the unfamiliar, Nouveau is an alternative to Nvidia's proprietary drivers on Linux, and although it remains in a relatively rough state in comparison, it's still good to see things progressing for Linux gamers with one of Nvidia's latest cards in their PC. Linux 5.6 also introduces fresh elements on the AMD front, with better reset support for Navi and Renoir graphics cards (which helps the GPU recover if it hits a problem)... Another notable move is the introduction of WireGuard support, a newcomer VPN protocol which makes a potentially nifty alternative to OpenVPN. Linux 5.6 also supports the Amazon Echo speaker, and naturally comes with a raft of other minor improvements... Linus's post also notes that for the next release's timing they'll "play it by ear... It's not like the merge window is more important than your health, or the health of people around you." But he says he hasn't seen signs that the pandemic could affect its development (other than the possibility of distraction by the news). "I suspect a lot of us work from home even normally, and my daughter laughed at me and called me a 'social distancing champ' the other day..."' -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/20/04/04/2128207 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

U.S. Government: Update Chrome 80 Now, Multiple Security Concerns Confirmed
by Peter Reutemann 05 Apr '20

05 Apr '20

'Part of America's Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) "has advised users to update Google Chrome as new high-rated security vulnerabilities have been found," reports Forbes: In an April 1 posting, CISA confirmed that Google Chrome version 80.0.3987.162 "addresses vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit to take control of an affected system," be that Windows, Mac or Linux. It went on to state that it "encourages" users and administrators to apply the update. It's not just CISA that is warning about the need to update Google Chrome. The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is a non-profit entity that works to safeguard both private and public organizations against cyber threats. In a multi-state information sharing and analysis center (MS-ISAC) advisory, it has also warned of multiple vulnerabilities in Google Chrome. The most severe of these could allow an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution within the context of the browser... All it would take for an attacker to exploit the vulnerabilities is to get the user to visit, by way of a phishing attack or even redirection from a compromised site, a maliciously crafted web page. Beside three high-rated vulnerabilities, Forbes reports that "a further five security vulnerabilities were discovered by the Google internal security team using a combination of internal audits and fuzzing."' -- source: https://it.slashdot.org/story/20/04/04/2020211 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Cheap 3D Printer Review
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 05 Apr '20

05 Apr '20

Here’s a review <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3SMUpNH_6I> of a sub-USD100 3D printer from China. Has some good discussion of quality issues in 3D printing generally, and how this relates to the printer versus the filament you use. And I learned about the “3DBenchy” benchmark reference model. Judging from the gear they have access to, LTT seems to have quite a high budget for a YouTube channel. Also some useful notes from knowledgeable users among the comments ... if you can be bothered to dig for them ...

1 0

Yet Another Processor Architecture
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 05 Apr '20

05 Apr '20

Here’s a report <https://www.nextplatform.com/2020/04/02/tachyum-starts-from-scratch-to-etch…> on a startup creating another new, proprietary processor architecture. Proprietary or not, the standard thing to do to get software running on things like this seems to be to port the GNU toolchain. Kernel? OS? No mention of that at this stage. I don’t claim to understand all the details, but it seems to be taking ideas from lots of sources, including Intel’s Itanium (which failed to become a successor to x86). One thing I was surprised to learn is that, as the wires connecting the transistors on a chip get thinner, this also makes them slower. So you don’t get all the gain you were expecting from making them shorter and bringing things closer together. One thing is clear: the Great Wheel Of Reincarnation <https://www.deviantart.com/default-cube/art/Computer-Graphics-And-The-Wheel…> (which in this case would apply to computing generally, not just graphics) has yet to stop spinning ...

1 0

Vint Cerf 'No Longer Contagious' With Covid-19
by Peter Reutemann 05 Apr '20

05 Apr '20

'Good news — VA Public Health has certified my wife and me as no longer contagious with COVID19," tweeted 76-year-old Vint Cerf, one of the creators of the modern internet. He added one word. "Recovering!" It seemed especially appropriate that Cerf shared his news online — and that it drew positive responses from grateful people around the world, including several who use the internet in their daily lives. Cerf's tweet immediately drew positive responses from the Internet Society, as well as the chief operating officer of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, YouTube's director of public policy, and a senior director of communications and public affairs at Google. There were also congratulatory posts from a Georgetown professor of technology and law, from Associated Press reporter Frank Bajak, and the executive director of the Global Privacy and Security by Design Centre. Cerf followed up his news with a re-tweet of Google's "Community Mobility Reports" charting our aggregate movement trends over time, and a tweet of a University of Pittsburgh press release about progress on a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Earlier in the week Cerf also re-tweeted a humorous compilation of clips from the TV show M*A*S*H that illustrated safe practices while social distancing.' -- source: https://news.slashdot.org/story/20/04/04/0615234 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Will Google Allow An Independent Peek At Its Crown Jewels?
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 04 Apr '20

04 Apr '20

An advertising company called Foundem is suing Google <https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/03/google_foundem_high_court_seo_expe…> over a drastic demotion in its search rankings and consequent damage to its business, claiming this was an anticompetitive act. Google denies this, and as part of its defence has filed documents with the court giving confidential details of how its search-ranking algorithms work. But of course the lawyers and judge don’t have the background to understand these documents. So the plaintiff wants an independent SEO expert to be able to go over them and make sense of them to the lawyers. Google is vehemently opposed to this. So now the judge has given the company a stark choice: either allow the expert access to those documents, or withdraw them from the evidence (and thereby, by Google’s own admission as to the “vital” nature of these documents for its defence, likely lose the case). Which way do you think Google will decide?

1 0

Phone-tracking of self-isolationists
by tom butz 04 Apr '20

04 Apr '20

When we had to track teenagers' nightclubbing whereabouts (they're adults now), we did the following: 1) made sure we'd written down their mobile phone-numbers (obviously) 2) remembered their names/addresses (obviously) 3) told them to leave their mobiles switched ON all the time (they'd have done that anyway to keep up with Social Media) 4) Sent them a text every hour on the hour and they'd have to reply 'OK'. We'd reimburse them the money for the texts (nice little earner if you're on a plan...). Side-effect: it boosted their self-esteem (wow, getting messages all the time - she must be popular). Was that asking too much? Fast forward to our current lockdown and the way to handle self-quarantine: 1) as above 2) as above 3) as above 4) get info from cellphone-towers to check which one they're logged in. If, for example, someone is in self-quarantine at an Auckland campground and all of a sudden's logged into the Gisborne cell-tower, that would be an indication that they're elsewhere - or that the phone had been stolen. Note that in the case of traffic accidents police already get the info from cell-towers, so they can determine if the driver - according to their phone - was in the area, logged on and texting. Piece of cake for them, according to TVNZ. BTW, there is no need for name-matching: the rental-car companies do that anyway, so the user's name could stay anonymous - until police very kindly ask/beg cap in hand for it to be released. Tom Butz.

1 0

Twitter Discloses Firefox Bug That Cached Private Files Sent or Received via DMs
by Peter Reutemann 03 Apr '20

03 Apr '20

'Social networking giant Twitter today disclosed a bug on its platform that impacted users who accessed their platform using Firefox browsers. >From a report: According to Twitter, its platform stored private files inside the Firefox browser's cache -- a folder where websites store information and files temporarily. Twitter said that once users left their platform or logged off, the files would remain in the browser cache, allowing anyone to retrieve it. The company is now warning users who share workstations or used a public computer that some of their private files may still be present in the Firefox cache. Malware present on a system could also scrape and steal this data, if ever configured to do so.' -- source: https://news.slashdot.org/story/20/04/02/2048216 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0