- wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

Former Top Waymo Engineer Altered Code To Go on 'Forbidden Routes', Report Says
by Peter Reutemann 17 Oct '18

17 Oct '18

'In the early days of what ultimately became Waymo, Google's self-driving car division (known at the time as "Project Chauffeur"), there were "more than a dozen accidents, at least three of which were serious," according to a new article in The New Yorker . From a report: The magazine profiled Anthony Levandowski, the former Google engineer who was at the center of the Waymo v. Uber trade secrets lawsuit. According to the article, back in 2011, Levandowski also modified the autonomous software to take the prototype Priuses on "otherwise forbidden routes." Citing an anonymous source, The New Yorker reports that Levandowski sat behind the wheel as the safety driver, along with Isaac Taylor, a Google executive. But while they were in the car, the Prius "accidentally boxed in another vehicle," a Camry. As The New Yorker wrote: "A human driver could easily have handled the situation by slowing down and letting the Camry merge into traffic, but Google's software wasn't prepared for this scenario. The cars continued speeding down the freeway side by side. The Camry's driver jerked his car onto the right shoulder. Then, apparently trying to avoid a guard rail, he veered to the left; the Camry pinwheeled across the freeway and into the median. Levandowski, who was acting as the safety driver, swerved hard to avoid colliding with the Camry, causing Taylor to injure his spine so severely that he eventually required multiple surgeries." This was apparently just one of several accidents in Project Chauffeur's early days.' -- source: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/18/10/17/204215 Just another reason why self-driving cars should be open-sourced... 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

MongoDB Switches Up Its Open-Source License
by Peter Reutemann 17 Oct '18

17 Oct '18

'MongoDB is taking action against cloud giants who are taking its open-source code and offering a hosted commercial version of its database to their users without playing by the open-source rules. The company announced today that it has issued a new software license, the Server Side Public License (SSPL), "that will apply to all new releases of its MongoDB Community Server, as well as all patch fixes for prior versions," reports TechCrunch. From the report: For virtually all regular users who are currently using the community server, nothing changes because the changes to the license don't apply to them. Instead, this is about what MongoDB sees as the misuse of the AGPLv3 license. "MongoDB was previously licensed under the GNU AGPLv3, which meant companies who wanted to run MongoDB as a publicly available service had to open source their software or obtain a commercial license from MongoDB," the company explains. "However, MongoDB's popularity has led some organizations to test the boundaries of the GNU AGPLv3." So while the SSPL isn't all that different from the GNU GPLv3, with all the usual freedoms to use, modify and redistribute the code (and virtually the same language), the SSPL explicitly states that anybody who wants to offer MongoDB as a service -- or really any other software that uses this license -- needs to either get a commercial license or open source the service to give back the community. "The market is increasingly consuming software as a service, creating an incredible opportunity to foster a new wave of great open source server-side software. Unfortunately, once an open source project becomes interesting, it is too easy for cloud vendors who have not developed the software to capture all of the value but contribute nothing back to the community," said Eliot Horowitz, the CTO and co-founder of MongoDB, in a statement. "We have greatly contributed to -- and benefited from -- open source and we are in a unique position to lead on an issue impacting many organizations. We hope this will help inspire more projects and protect open source innovation."' -- source: https://developers.slashdot.org/story/18/10/16/2039253 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

libssh 0.8.4 and 0.7.6 security and bugfix release
by Peter Reutemann 16 Oct '18

16 Oct '18

'This is an important security and maintenance release in order to address CVE-2018-10933. libssh versions 0.6 and above have an authentication bypass vulnerability in the server code. By presenting the server an SSH2_MSG_USERAUTH_SUCCESS message in place of the SSH2_MSG_USERAUTH_REQUEST message which the server would expect to initiate authentication, the attacker could successfully authentciate without any credentials. The bug was discovered by Peter Winter-Smith of NCC Group.' -- source: https://www.libssh.org/2018/10/16/libssh-0-8-4-and-0-7-6-security-and-bugfi… -- via twitter: https://twitter.com/FioraAeterna/status/1052294419607506944 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

So It’s Not Just Me
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 16 Oct '18

16 Oct '18

Given the number of tech-support scam calls I’ve been getting, I was starting to feel picked on. But it turns out it’s New Zealand as a whole that’s being picked on, with “more than three-quarters” of Kiwis sampled in a Microsoft study reporting that they had been targeted by these scammers <https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=121434…>. We are also more likely than any other nation (out of the 16 that took part in the survey) to experience fake popup browser notifications. But then, thinking about it, the “global average” of 62% of respondents getting the scam attempts smells rather strongly of sampling bias to me. It’s hard to believe that nearly two-thirds of the entire world population has been getting these calls ...

1 0

Paul Allen Has Died
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 15 Oct '18

15 Oct '18

The Microsoft co-founder you didn’t hear so much about has lost his decades-long battle with cancer <https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/microsoft-founder-paul-allen-dies-ag…>. He was a philanthropist who quietly supported many causes with his riches. One of these was the Seattle Living Computer Museum <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk4J6y37OkY>, which has been working on getting various old classic machines back in working condition.

1 0

Rivals ARM and Intel Make Peace To Secure Internet of Things
by Peter Reutemann 15 Oct '18

15 Oct '18

'Rival semiconductor giants ARM and Intel have agreed to work together to manage networks of connected devices from both firms, clearing a major stumbling block to market growth of the so-called Internet of Things (IoT). From a report: Britain's ARM, a unit of Japan's Softbank, said on Monday it had struck a strategic partnership with Intel to use common standards developed by Intel for managing IoT devices, connections and data. The IoT involves connecting simple chips that detect distance, motion, temperature, pressure and images to be used in an ever wider range of electronics such as lights, parking meters or refrigerators. Some of the world's dumbest electronics devices get smarter by becoming connected into cloud networks, but also harder to protect. ARM's agreement to adopt Intel standards for securely managing such networks marks a breakthrough that promises to drive the spread of IoT across many industries, the two companies said.' -- source: https://it.slashdot.org/story/18/10/15/1338259 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

Software Freedom Conservancy Shares Thoughts on Microsoft Joining Open Invention Network's Patent Non-Aggression Pact
by Peter Reutemann 14 Oct '18

14 Oct '18

'Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that it was joining the open-source patent consortium Open Invention Network (OIN). The press release the two shared this week was short on details on how the two organizations intend to work together and what does the move mean to, for instance, the billions of dollars Microsoft earns each year from its Android patents (since Google is a member of OIN, too.) Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC), a non-profit organization that promotes open-source software, has weighed in on the subject: While [this week's] announcement is a step forward, we call on Microsoft to make this just the beginning of their efforts to stop their patent aggression efforts against the software freedom community. The OIN patent non-aggression pact is governed by something called the Linux System Definition. This is the most important component of the OIN non-aggression pact, because it's often surprising what is not included in that Definition especially when compared with Microsoft's patent aggression activities. Most importantly, the non-aggression pact only applies to the upstream versions of software, including Linux itself. We know that Microsoft has done patent troll shakedowns in the past on Linux products related to the exfat filesystem. While we at Conservancy were successful in getting the code that implements exfat for Linux released under GPL (by Samsung), that code has not been upstreamed into Linux. So, Microsoft has not included any patents they might hold on exfat into the patent non-aggression pact. We now ask Microsoft, as a sign of good faith and to confirm its intention to end all patent aggression against Linux and its users, to now submit to upstream the exfat code themselves under GPLv2-or-later. This would provide two important protections to Linux users regarding exfat: (a) it would include any patents that read on exfat as part of OIN's non-aggression pact while Microsoft participates in OIN, and (b) it would provide the various benefits that GPLv2-or-later provides regarding patents, including an implied patent license and those protections provided by GPLv2 (and possibly other GPL protections and assurances as well).' -- source: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/18/10/14/2140221 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

The OS That Did Too Much
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 13 Oct '18

13 Oct '18

You may have heard of the recent Windows 10 update (now withdrawn) that was causing some users to lose their files. There is an analysis of the problem, reported here <https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/10/10/microsoft_windows_deletion_bug/>. It was a consequence of a feature known as “Known Folder Redirection”, which it seems only exists because of the drive-letter limitations of Windows. The closest analogue might be Linux mount points or symlinks, only the Windows version is more complicated, in usual Microsoft fashion. One mystery is that the bug was reported by multiple testers months before release, yet it seems their reports were ignored.

1 0

Facebook Offers Update On Recent Hack — And It's Bad. Here's How To Find Out If You Were Affected And What It Means
by Peter Reutemann 13 Oct '18

13 Oct '18

'Late last month Facebook announced the service had been hacked, resulting in the theft of data from 50 million users. Today Facebook finally issued an update on what the company's continuing investigation has found regarding the scale and scope of the attack. While the official press release presents the findings in a matter-of-fact manner, tech reporters have been quick to point out that the actual risks posed by what the attackers possess are alarming. The hackers used an exploit particular to the "View As" feature that allowed them to steal access tokens, letting the hackers take over accounts they did not already possess the passwords to. Facebook's press release notes that "the attackers already controlled a set of accounts, which were connected to Facebook friends." Starting by taking over friends of those initial accounts, the hackers stole tokens for "about 400,000" accounts. From there, the hackers used a portion of those accounts' friend lists to take over 30 million accounts. The press release is quick to note that this is less than Facebook's initial assessment that 50 million accounts had been compromised ("about 30 million actually had their tokens stolen," emphasis Facebook's).' -- source: http://digg.com/2018/facebook-hack-30-million-users-contact-info-2fa 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

Apple Rebukes Australia's 'Dangerously Ambiguous' Anti-Encryption Bill
by Peter Reutemann 13 Oct '18

13 Oct '18

'Apple has strongly criticized Australia's anti-encryption bill, calling it "dangerously ambiguous" and "alarming to every Australian." >From a report: The Australian government's draft law -- known as the Access and Assistance Bill -- would compel tech companies operating in the country, like Apple, to provide "assistance" to law enforcement and intelligence agencies in accessing electronic data. The government claims that encrypted communications are "increasingly being used by terrorist groups and organized criminals to avoid detection and disruption," without citing evidence. But critics say that the bill's "broad authorities that would undermine cybersecurity and human rights, including the right to privacy" by forcing companies to build backdoors and hand over user data -- even when it's encrypted. Now, Apple is the latest company after Google and Facebook joined civil and digital rights groups -- including Amnesty International -- to oppose the bill, amid fears that the government will rush through the bill before the end of the year. In a seven-page letter to the Australian parliament, Apple said that it "would be wrong to weaken security for millions of law-abiding customers in order to investigate the very few who pose a threat." The company adds, "We appreciate the government's outreach to Apple and other companies during the drafting of this bill. While we are pleased that some of the suggestions incorporated improve the legislation, the unfortunate fact is that the draft legislation remains dangerously ambiguous with respect to encryption and security. This is no time to weaken encryption. Rather than serving the interests of Australian law enforcement, it will just weaken the security and privacy of regular customers while pushing criminals further off the grid."' -- source: https://apple.slashdot.org/story/18/10/12/1856202 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