University of Utah pays $457,000 to ransomware gang

University officials restored from backups, but they had to pay the ransomware gang to prevent them from leaking student data.

The University of Utah revealed today that it paid a ransomware gang $457,059 in order to avoid having hackers leak student information online.

The incident is the latest in a long string of ransomware attacks where criminal groups steal sensitive files from the hacked companies before encrypting their files; and in case victims refuse to pay, threaten to release the stolen documents as a second extortion scheme.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/university-of-utah-pays-457000-to-ransomware-gang/

#US #Utah #University #ransomware

Microsoft is forcing people to use its Windows 10 antivirus software

No easy way to turn it off

Microsoft Defender (which used to be known as Windows Defender), is the built-in antivirus tool in Windows 10, and Microsoft has just made it more difficult to disable.

While the current version of Microsoft Defender does a good job of protecting PCs against viruses, malware and other internet threats, there are plenty of reasons why you’d want to disable it.

For example, if you want to use another antivirus application – and one that offers more advanced features – then there’s no reason to have Microsoft Defender running – and having two antivirus apps running at once can have a negative impact on your PC’s performance.

https://www.techradar.com/news/microsoft-is-forcing-people-to-use-its-windows-10-antivirus-software

#Microsoft #Windows #Defender

Google is trying to conscript YouTubers in its fight with Australia's consumer watchdog — but not all creators are onboard

The whole world has been paying attention to the skirmish between Australia’s consumer watchdog, the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and the US tech giants.

In a world first, the ACCC is attempting to broker an agreement between Facebook, Google and Australian news publishers to pay for news content. Their latest effort, a draft code that lays out a procedure for the negotiation process, has been poorly received by the tech companies.

In an attempt to stave off regulation, Google is attempting to win over public opinion by going to their broader community with their concerns.

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/google-youtube-news-accc-publishers-2020-8

#Australia #Google

Marriott faces London lawsuit over vast data breach

LONDON (Reuters) - Marriott International, a leading hotel operator, is facing a London class action brought by millions of former guests demanding compensation after their personal records were hacked in one of the largest data breaches in history.

Martin Bryant, founder of technology and media consultancy Big Revolution, is leading the claim for English and Welsh-domiciled guests after more than 300 million customer records from Marriott’s global database, potentially including passport and credit card details, were hacked between 2014 and 2018.

“I hope this case will raise awareness of the value of our personal data, result in fair compensation ... and also serve notice to other data owners that they must hold our data responsibly,” he said in a statement.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-marriott-dataprotection/marriott-faces-london-lawsuit-over-vast-data-breach-idUSKCN25F0S2

#Europe #UK #Marriot #lawsuit

News publishers push back against Apple over app store terms

(Reuters) - Major news publishers are seeking more favorable terms from Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on commissions the iPhone maker collects from them on payments made through its app store, according to a letter posted by a trade body on Thursday.

Digital Content Next (DCN), which represents New York Times Co (NYT.N), the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and other publishers, posted the letter, addressed to Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, on its website.

Apple, which usually takes a cut that ranges between 15% and 30% from news publishers for first-time subscriptions made through apps on the store, has a reduced rate for Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O).

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-app-store/news-publishers-push-back-against-apple-over-app-store-terms-idUSKBN25G2EO

#US #Apple #news #publishers

Prosecutors: Former Uber exec charged in hacking cover-up

A former Uber executive was charged Thursday in federal court on allegations that he arranged to pay hackers $100,000 to cover up a high-tech heist that stole the personal information about 57 million of the ride-hailing service’s users and drivers during 2016.

Two hackers pleaded guilty in the scheme last year and are awaiting sentencing. The criminal complaint filed Thursday against Joseph Sullivan, Uber’s former chief security officer, alleges that the hackers shared the data with a third person — who may still have it.

https://apnews.com/972fd68cafc1533fa871ac8894bb931d

#US #Uber #hacking

A Five-Year Analysis of the Darknet

The last five years have seen the evolution and adaptation of dark web marketplaces to usher in a new era of cybercrime.

The dark web has played host to a large community of users selling illegal goods and cybercriminal services for years.

The past five years has seen the paradigm shift in the manner in which darknet markets operate, with the evolution of these sites to adapt to changing buyer need, supply chain factors and emerging technologies.

An Overview:

Looking back, Silk Road was launched in the year 2011 at the first dark web marketplace. The years that followed were marked with steady growth that has since expanded. Tor, which happens to be one of the most popular anonymity tools used by darknet market users, was found to host roughly 80,000 platforms, according to a 2015 report.

Experts estimate that the dark web economy garners more than $1 trillion in annual revenues, a staggering figure that surpasses the Gross Domestic Product of several countries of the world.

Indeed, this success can be attributed to the fact that dark web marketplaces have continued to evolve and shift according to metamorphoses of the global threat landscape. The past five years have been marked by significant shifts to emergent platforms, communication channels and products, as darknet user paranoia continues to grow across the board.

In 2019 alone, analysts noted that the emergence of radical changes in the public sphere had a profound effect in the dark web underworld where fake news and propaganda services grew tremendously.

In addition, the channels of darknet communication were subjected to significant changes, along with shift in the manner in which dark web markets and forums were managed.

👀 👉🏼 (Tor-Browser)
http://tapeucwutvne7l5o.onion/a-five-year-analysis-of-the-darknet

#analysis #darknet
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@BlackBox_Archiv
📡@NoGoolag

Malaysian Navy Documents Uploaded on the Dark Web by Hackers

Documents belonging to the Royal Malaysian Navy have been breached and posted on the dark web although the Malaysian military has dismissed the data as obsolete

When we speak about the numerous cyberattacks that have been orchestrated in brazen campaigns of late, one thing stands out – threat actors breach an organization’s system to access critical files through a loophole, which then exposes the entire system to the attackers.

Although recent times have seen the hacking of victims such as Garmin who ended up parting with millions of dollars for ransom, it appears that threat actors have not restricted their sights to private sector entities – the Royal Malaysian Navy is the latest victim.

Media reports have intimated that about 70 documents belonging to Malaysian Navy were accessed by unknown hackers who uploaded them to a darknet platform.

According to Singapore’s English-language daily newspaper The Straits Times, it turns out that the affected documents were sourced from different threat actors who breached the communication channels belonging to the Malaysian military – including personnel email accounts.

While the newspaper reported the uncertainty to whether the hackers intended to sell the uploaded documents, it was revealed that the affected information touched on details concerning the strength of the Malaysian Navy.

👀 👉🏼
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/08/17/navy-documents-leaked-on-dark-web-claims-report/

👀 👉🏼 (Tor-Browser)
http://tapeucwutvne7l5o.onion/malaysian-navy-documents-uploaded-on-the-dark-web-by-hackers

#malaysia #navy #hackers #leak #darkweb
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@BlackBox_Archiv
📡@NoGoolag

Torrent Site 1337x Bans ‘YTS’ For Handing User Data to Movie Companies

1337x.to, one of the world's most-visited torrent sites, has banned uploads from the YTS group. The decision comes after YTS, a popular torrent site in its own right, shared user details with several movie companies. Shortly after the decision, the account of EZTV.io was banned for its apparent association with the YTS group.

For many seasoned BitTorrent users, 1337x.to is a familiar name. The site has been around for more than a decade and is generally known for its lively community.

Over the years 1337x has steadily climbed through the ranks. It is currently the third most-visited torrent site, trailing only behind The Pirate Bay and YTS.mx.

https://torrentfreak.com/torrent-site-1337x-bans-yts-user-data-200820/

#piracy

Adobe accidentally deleted people’s photos in latest Lightroom update

Pictures and presets are gone for good

For the past two days, photographers have been posting in a panic across Twitter, Reddit, and the Photoshop feedback forums. They’d downloaded Adobe’s latest update for Lightroom’s iOS app, and suddenly their photos and presets were gone. Adobe has now confirmed the issue, and it’s also said that the data is gone for good.

“I’ve talked with customer service for 4+ hours over the past 2 days and just a minute ago they told me that the issue has no fix and that these lost photos are unrecoverable,” complained one Reddit user, who says they’ve lost over two years’ worth of photo edits. The complaints were spotted by PetaPixel.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/20/21377411/adobe-lightroom-ios-ipados-app-update-pictures-photos-presets-deleted

#Adobe #Lightroom #iOS

Proctoring Apps Subject Students to Unnecessary Surveillance

With COVID-19 forcing millions of teachers and students to rethink in-person schooling, this moment is ripe for an innovation in learning. Unfortunately, many schools have simply substituted surveillance technology for real transformation. The use of proctoring apps—privacy-invasive software products that “watch” students as they take tests or complete schoolwork, has skyrocketed. These apps make a seductive promise: that schools can still rely on high-stakes tests, where they have complete control of a student's environment, even during remote learning. But that promise comes with a huge catch—these apps violate student privacy, negatively impact some populations, and will likely never fully stop creative students from outsmarting the system.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/08/proctoring-apps-subject-students-unnecessary-surveillance

#EFF #students #privacy #surveillance

Programmers say Uber Eats is systematically underpaying their workers

A programmer-turned-delivery driver discovered that the app isn't accurately accounting for distance traveled

Uber Eats workers may have overheard the internet buzz about a new browser plug-in, cheekily called "Uber Cheats." The reason for the pun, as the browser extension's author makes clear, is that he claims the food delivery platform underpays its employees. And he has the receipts to prove it.

"I had this one delivery that was an hour-and-a-half long and I got paid $16 and I thought, 'There is no way that's right,'" Armin Samii, an unemployed computer scientist who has been working Uber Eats on the side, told Salon. "I looked into it and found out that Uber paid me for a one mile delivery instead of a four mile delivery. Of course it's all made worse because I'm on a bike and they don't account for that, but that's a separate issue. I called them and said, 'Look, it's one mile instead of four.' And they replied, 'You need to go to email support.'"

https://www.salon.com/2020/08/20/programmers-say-uber-eats-is-systematically-underpaying-their-workers/

#US #UberEats

‘Telegram revolution’: App helps drive Belarus protests

MOSCOW (AP) — Every day, like clockwork, to-do lists for those protesting against Belarus’ authoritarian leader appear in the popular Telegram messaging app. They lay out goals, give times and locations of rallies with business-like precision, and offer spirited encouragement.

“Today will be one more important day in the fight for our freedom. Tectonic shifts are happening on all fronts, so it’s important not to slow down,” a message in one of Telegram’s so-called channels read Tuesday. “Morning. Expanding the strike … 11:00. Supporting the Kupala (theater) ... 19:00. Gathering at the Independence Square.”

The app has become an indispensable tool in coordinating the unprecedented mass protests that have rocked Belarus since Aug. 9, when election officials announced President Alexander Lukashenko had won a landslide victory to extend his 26-year rule in a vote widely seen as rigged.

https://apnews.com/823180da2b402f6a1dc9fbd76a6f476b

#Europe #Belarus #Telegram #protests

Anti-Piracy Outfit Hires VPN Expert to Help Track Down The Pirate Bay

Movie companies and their anti-piracy partners are pressing ahead with their legal action to track down The Pirate Bay. The site reportedly used VPN provider OVPN, which carries no logs, but a security expert - one that regularly penetration tests several major VPN providers - believes that information about the notorious site could still be obtained.

Tracking down, prosecuting, blocking and otherwise trying to prevent The Pirate Bay from operating has become an entertainment industry project for the last 15 years.

The torrent site has faced more adversaries than any other on the planet yet today the site remains stubbornly online. Exactly where and operated by whom remains either a mystery or a topic of speculation.

After a period of what seemed like calm, this year it became clear that the site’s old enemies, Swedish anti-piracy group Rights Alliance, were again working to get closer to the site and its operators.

We’ve covered the back story in detail but in summary, the site is alleged to have used Swedish VPN provider OVPN to hide its true location and Rights Alliance is now engaged in legal action to get its hands on whatever information the VPN provider may hold.

👀 👉🏼 https://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-outfit-hires-vpn-expert-to-help-track-down-the-pirate-bay-200821/

#piracy #vpn #thepiratebay
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@BlackBox_Archiv
📡@NoGoolag

Book Publishers Warn Congress Amazon Is Too Powerful

In a letter to Congress, the Author’s Guild, American Association of Publishers, and the American Booksellers Association warned that Amazon has become too powerful.

Three of the publishing industry's largest groups have sent a letter to Congress warning of Amazon’s power in the industry. Representatives from the publishers told Congress that Amazon has too much power and is engaging in anti-competitive market behavior that has made it a de facto monopoly in the publishing world.

“Amazon’s scale of operation and share of the market for book distribution has reached the point that no publisher can afford to be absent from its online store,” members of the Association of American Authors, the Author’s Guild, and The American Booksellers Association said in a letter to Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), the Chairman of Congress’ Antitrust Subcommittee.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wxqkx5/book-publishers-warn-congress-amazon-is-too-powerful

#US #Amazon #book #publishers

WordPress founder claims Apple cut off updates to his completely free app because it wants 30 percent

This sounds ridiculous

WordPress, the iOS app, lets you build and manage a website right from your iPhone or iPad, for free.

Separately, WordPress.com also happens to sell domain names and fancier website packages.

Now, WordPress founding developer Matt Mullenweg is accusing Apple of cutting off the ability to update that app — until or unless he adds in-app purchases so the most valuable company in the world can extract its 30 percent cut of the money.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/21/21396316/apple-wordpress-in-app-purchase-tax-update-store

#Wordpress #Apple

Hackers Leak Alleged Internal Files of Chinese Social Media Monitoring Firms

A group of hackers claims to have breached three Chinese companies that specialize in social media surveillance.

A group of hackers says they have obtained internal files from three Chinese social media monitoring companies. After leaking some of the documents, the group was banned by Twitter under its hacked files policy, however, Motherboard has been unable to confirm the authenticity of the documents.

The group goes by the name CCP Unmasked, in reference to the Chinese Communist Party ruling the country. The group reached out to journalists on Thursday, pitching "a large dump of files" that they said exposes social media monitoring and disinformation campaigns conducted by three private companies at the behest of the Chinese government. They claim to have stolen internal documents from Knowlesys, a company based in Hong Kong and GuangDong, Yunrun Big Data Service, a company based in Guangzhou, and OneSight, based in Beijing.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dyzewz/hackers-leak-alleged-internal-files-of-chinese-social-media-monitoring-firms

#Asia #China #internet #monitoring #firms #hackers #hacking

Android developer class action suit targets Play Store and its 30% transaction fee

The suit needs approval from federal court

Epic Games is waging legal war against Apple and Google for what it calls the exorbitant 30% revenue share those companies make on every app and in-app purchase. Indeed, every developer finds themselves paying the piper for the privilege of using what may arguably be the only practical commerce platforms of Android and iOS, but they don't usually have the means to file a suit. Now, though, one law firm is attempting to round up the aggrieved with proposed class-action litigation against Google.

https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/08/20/android-developer-class-action-suit-targets-play-store-and-its-30-transaction-fee/

#US #Google #Play

AI wins flawless victory against human F-16 fighter pilot in DARPA dogfight

DARPA’s AlphaDogfight trials have officially come to a close with Heron Systems’ incredible artificial intelligence pilot system defeating not only its industry competitors, but going on to secure 5 straight victories against a highly trained U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot, without the human pilot scoring a single hit.

Eight teams were selected to create artificial intelligence (AI) “agents” that would be capable of simulating a real dogfight between fighters, referred to as within-visual-range air combat maneuvering, more formally. The first two rounds of this competition saw these virtual pilots engage with one another in simulated combat environments in November and again in January. This third round of AI dogfighting included similar competitions, with the four finalist firms squaring off in a round robin. The event then culminated with the hands-down victor, Heron Systems, taking on a real human fighter pilot in another simulated fight.

And Heron really brought the heat, with its artificial intelligence system ultimately securing the AI championship by defeating Lockheed Martin’s AI system.

https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/darpa-artificial-intelligence-dogfight-competition

#US #AI #DARPA #dogfight #simulator

Phones could detect drinking over legal driving limit

Smartphones can detect when you've had too much to drink by monitoring your walk, a study has found.

American researchers used sensors in smartphones to detect when somebody was over the legal drink-drive limit.

Phones were able to do this with about 90% accuracy when users walked just 10 steps in the study by the University of Pittsburgh.

Scientists hope the discovery can be used to develop device alerts, such as asking people not to drive while drunk.

"We have powerful sensors we carry around with us wherever we go," lead researcher Brian Suffoletto said. "We need to learn how to use them to best serve public health."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53834476

#smartphone #privacy