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Submission + - Twitter.com now redirects to X.com, nixes Firefox's Enhanced Tracking Protection

Submitted by united_notions
united_notions writes: Anyone with Twitter.com bookmarked will now be automatically redirected to X.com.

Simultaneously, X.com no longer allows access from Firefox when blocking cross-site trackers and other privacy-indifferent bloat. Users receive a message "Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection (Strict Mode) is known to cause issues on x.com". Click the shield in the menu bar and disable Enhanced Tracking Protection, and it's all back to normal, but at an obvious cost. Naturally reports are piling in on X.com and elsewhere.

Submission + - In a world of Deep Fakes, USAA is asking customers to authenticate with voice (usaa.com)

Submitted by st33ld13hl
st33ld13hl writes: USAA, a banking and insurance company, has begun notifying its customers that they can "enhance your account security" by enabling USAA Voice ID.
From letters sent to customers:

Imagine a world with fewer passwords and verification codes, where your voice becomes the key to effortless access.

Embrace the peace of mind that comes with knowing your account is protected with state-of-the-art security measures. Voice ID uses advanced algorithms to analyze your unique vocal patterns, making it secure and convenient. Feel confident in the knowledge that your voiceprint and your account is in safe hands — yours.

Your bank account balance can now be in anyone's hands that has 15 seconds of your voice

See also:


Submission + - Woman Accused of Helping North Koreans Get Remote IT Jobs At 300 Companies (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: An Arizona woman has been accused of helping generate millions of dollars for North Korea’s ballistic missile program by helping citizens of that country land IT jobs at US-based Fortune 500 companies. Christina Marie Chapman, 49, of Litchfield Park, Arizona, raised $6.8 million in the scheme, federal prosecutors said in an indictment unsealed Thursday. Chapman allegedly funneled the money to North Korea’s Munitions Industry Department, which is involved in key aspects of North Korea’s weapons program, including its development of ballistic missiles. Part of the alleged scheme involved Chapman and co-conspirators compromising the identities of more than 60 people living in the US and using their personal information to get North Koreans IT jobs across more than 300 US companies.

As another part of the alleged conspiracy, Chapman operated a “laptop farm” at one of her residences to give the employers the impression the North Korean IT staffers were working from within the US; the laptops were issued by the employers. By using proxies and VPNs, the overseas workers appeared to be connecting from US-based IP addresses. Chapman also received employees’ paychecks at her home, prosecutors said. Federal prosecutors said that Chapman and three North Korean IT workers—using the aliases of Jiho Han, Chunji Jin, Haoran Xu, and others—had been working since at least 2020 to plan a remote-work scheme. In March of that year, prosecutors said, an individual messaged Chapman on LinkedIn and invited her to “be the US face” of their company. From August to November of 2022, the North Korean IT workers allegedly amassed guides and other information online designed to coach North Koreans on how to write effective cover letters and résumés and falsify US Permanent Resident Cards.

Under the alleged scheme, the foreign workers developed “fictitious personas and online profiles to match the job requirements” and submitted fake documents to the Homeland Security Department as part of an employment eligibility check. Chapman also allegedly discussed with co-conspirators about transferring the money earned from their work. Chapman was arrested Wednesday. It wasn’t immediately known when she or Didenko were scheduled to make their first appearance in court. If convicted, Chapman faces 97.5 years in prison, and Didenko faces up to 67.5 years.

Submission + - Archie, the Internet's First Search Engine, Is Rescued and Running (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: It's amazing, and a little sad, to think that something created in 1989 that changed how people used and viewed the then-nascent Internet had nearly vanished by 2024. Nearly, that is, because the dogged researchers and enthusiasts at The Serial Port channel on YouTube have found what is likely the last existing copy of Archie. Archie, first crafted by Alan Emtage while a student at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, allowed for the searching of various "anonymous" FTP servers around what was then a very small web of universities, researchers, and government and military nodes. It was groundbreaking; it was the first echo of the "anything, anywhere" Internet to come. And when The Serial Port went looking, it very much did not exist.

While Archie would eventually be supplanted by Gopher, web portals, and search engines, it remains a useful way to index FTP sites and certainly should be preserved. The Serial Port did this, and the road to get there is remarkable and intriguing. You are best off watching the video of their rescue, along with its explanatory preamble. But I present here some notable bits of the tale, perhaps to tempt you into digging further.

Submission + - NetBSD Bans AI Generated Code (netbsd.org)

Submitted by Seven Spirals
Seven Spirals writes: NetBSD committers are now banned from using any AI generated code from ChatGPT, CoPilot, or other AI tools. Time will tell how this plays out with both their users and core team.

Submission + - Why a 'frozen' distribution Linux kernel isn't the safest choice for security (zdnet.com) 1

Submitted by Jeremy Allison - Sam
Jeremy Allison - Sam writes: Cracks in the Ice: Why a 'frozen' distribution Linux kernel isn't the safest choice for security

https://ciq.com/blog/why-a-fro...

This is an executive summary of research that my colleagues Ronnie Sahlberg and Jonathan Maple did, published as a whitepaper with all the numeric details here:

https://ciq.com/whitepaper/ven...

Steven Vaughan-Nichols is covering the release of this
data here:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/...

Submission + - Another Billionaire Pushes A Bid For TikTok, But To Decentralize It (techdirt.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: If you’re a fan of chaos, well, the TikTok ban situation is providing plenty of chaos to follow. Ever since the US government made it clear it was seriously going to move forward with the obviously unconstitutional and counterproductive plan to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok or have the app effectively banned from the U.S., various rich people have been stepping up with promises to buy the app. There was former Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin with plans to buy it. Then there was “mean TV investor, who wants you to forget his sketchy history” Kevin O’Leary with his own TikTok buyout plans. I’m sure there have been other rich dudes as well, though strikingly few stories of actual companies interested in purchasing TikTok.

But now there’s another billionaire to add to the pile: billionaire real estate/property mogul Frank McCourt (who has had some scandals in his own history) has had an interesting second act over the last few years as a big believer in decentralized social media. He created and funded Project Liberty, which has become deeply involved in a number of efforts to create infrastructure for decentralized social media, including its own Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSTP).

Over the past few years, I’ve had a few conversations with people involved in Project Liberty and related projects. Their hearts are in the right place in wanting to rethink the internet in a manner that empowers users over big companies, even if I don’t always agree with their approach (he also frequently seems to surround himself with all sorts of tech haters, who have somewhat unrealistic visions of the world). Either way, McCourt and Project Liberty have now announced a plan to bid on TikTok. They plan to merge it into his decentralization plans.

Submission + - Almost a Quarter of UK Kids Aged 5-7 Have Smartphones (bbc.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Nearly a quarter of UK five-to-seven-year-olds now have their own smartphone, Ofcom research suggests. Social media use also rose in the age group over last year with nearly two in five using messaging service WhatsApp, despite its minimum age of 13. The communications regulator warned parental enforcement of rules "appeared to be diminishing." It also said the figures should be a "wake up call" for the industry to do more to protect children.

In its annual study of children's relationship with the media and online worlds, Ofcom said the percentage of children aged between five and seven who used messaging services had risen from 59% to 65%. The number on social media went up from 30% to 38%, while for livestreams it increased from 39% to 50%. Just over 40% are reported to be gaming online — up from 34% the year before. Over half of children under 13 used social media, contrary to most of the big platforms' rules, and many admitted to lying to gain access to new apps and services. [...]

Only a third of parents know the correct minimum age requirement for most social media platforms Ofcom suggests. But the regulator said parents were also less willing to enforce the rules they knew about. Three in ten parents were willing to let a child aged 5-7 have a social media profile even if it was under the minimum age permitted for the apps, an increase compared to last year. Parents may be "resigned" to not being able to control children's online lives the new report notes. [...] Ofcom said new age limits for smartphones would be a matter for government.

Submission + - EU Opens Child Safety Probes of Facebook and Instagram, Citing Addictive Design (techcrunch.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Facebook and Instagram are under formal investigation in the European Union over child protection concerns, the Commission announced Thursday. The proceedings follow a raft of requests for information to parent entity Meta since the bloc’s online governance regime, the Digital Services Act (DSA), started applying last August. The development could be significant as the formal proceedings unlock additional investigatory powers for EU enforcers, such as the ability to conduct office inspections or apply interim measures. Penalties for any confirmed breaches of the DSA could reach up to 6% of Meta’s global annual turnover.

Meta’s two social networks are designated as very large online platforms (VLOPs) under the DSA. This means the company faces an extra set of rules — overseen by the EU directly — requiring it to assess and mitigate systemic risks on Facebook and Instagram, including in areas like minors’ mental health. In a briefing with journalists, senior Commission officials said they suspect Meta of failing to properly assess and mitigate risks affecting children. They particularly highlighted concerns about addictive design on its social networks, and what they referred to as a “rabbit hole effect,” where a minor watching one video may be pushed to view more similar content as a result of the platforms’ algorithmic content recommendation engines.

Commission officials gave examples of depression content, or content that promotes an unhealthy body image, as types of content that could have negative impacts on minors’ mental health. They are also concerned that the age assurance methods Meta uses may be too easy for kids to circumvent. “One of the underlying questions of all of these grievances is how can we be sure who accesses the service and how effective are the age gates — particularly for avoiding that underage users access the service,” said a senior Commission official briefing press today on background. “This is part of our investigation now to check the effectiveness of the measures that Meta has put in place in this regard as well.” In all, the EU suspects Meta of infringing DSA Articles 28, 34, and 35. The Commission will now carry out an in-depth investigation of the two platforms’ approach to child protection.

Submission + - Tesla Must Face Claims It Misled Buyers About Autopilot and Self-Driving (bloomberg.com)

Submitted by theweatherelectric
theweatherelectric writes: Tesla must face a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that it misled consumers about its cars’ self-driving capabilities, a fresh setback for the electric-car maker just as Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has staked the company’s future on autonomy. Tesla has been accused of overstating in 2016 that all its upcoming cars would have the “hardware needed for full self-driving capability” and would be able to drive themselves from Los Angeles to New York City by the end of 2017.

California resident Thomas LoSavio, who filed the complaint, says he bought a new Tesla in 2017 and paid an extra $8,000 for FSD. He alleged that statements by Tesla and Musk led him to believe that his car would have self-driving technology within a “reasonably short period.” But by 2022, Tesla hadn’t produced “anything even remotely approaching a fully self-driving car,” according to his complaint.

Submission + - GCHQ to spy on election candidates (computerweekly.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: GCHQ to protect politicians and election candidates

The National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ to protect election candidates’ from hostile state cyber-attacks

Submission + - The inside story of Elon Musk's mass firings of Tesla Supercharger staff (reuters.com) 1

Submitted by theweatherelectric
theweatherelectric writes: The day before Elon Musk fired virtually all of Tesla’s electric-vehicle charging division last month, they had high hopes as charging chief Rebecca Tinucci went to meet with Musk about the network’s future, four former charging-network staffers told Reuters. After Tinucci had cut between 15% and 20% of staffers two weeks earlier, part of much wider layoffs, they believed Musk would affirm plans for a massive charging-network expansion. The meeting could not have gone worse. Musk, the employees said, was not pleased with Tinucci’s presentation and wanted more layoffs. When she balked, saying deeper cuts would undermine charging-business fundamentals, he responded by firing her and her entire 500-member team.

Submission + - Airbus Unveils Half-Plane, Half-Copter In Quest For Speed (reuters.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Airbus Helicopters showcased an experimental half-plane, half-helicopter on Wednesday in a quest for speed as competition heats up to define the rotorcraft of the future. The $217 million Racer is a one-off demonstrator model combining traditional overhead rotors with two forward-facing propellors in a bid to combine stability and speed, shortening response times for critical missions like search-and-rescue. "There are missions where the quickest possible access to the zone is vital. We often talk about the 'golden hour'," Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even told Reuters, referring to the window considered most critical for providing medical attention. Such designs could also be offered for military developments as NATO conducts a major study into next-generation helicraft, though much depends on how its planners define future needs. [...]

Racer's public debut came months after Italy's Leonardo and U.S. manufacturer Bell agreed to co-operate on the next generation of tilt-rotor technology, which replaces a helicopter's trademark overhead blades altogether. Leonardo is also leading a separate project to develop the next generation of tilt-rotors for civil use. Its AW609 is the sole existing civil design, but has yet to be certified. Proponents of the tilt-rotor, which relies on swiveling side-mounted rotors 90 degrees to go up and then forwards, say it permits higher speed and range that are suited to military missions. Critics say the tilt mechanism reaches higher speeds only at the expense of higher complexity and maintenance costs. Airbus said the Racer will fly at 220 knots (400 km/hour) compared with traditional helicopter speeds closer to 140 knots. Bell says its V-280 Valor tilt-rotor design, recently picked by the Pentagon, will reach a cruise speed of 280 knots.

Submission + - $25 million in cryptocurrency stolen in 12 seconds (cbsnews.com)

Submitted by quonset
quonset writes: 12 seconds is all it took for two MIT-educated brothers to steal $25 million in cryptocurrency. Anton and James Peraire-Bueno were charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Investigators accused them of spending months plotting their theft within the Ethereum blockchain, baiting their victims and establishing shell companies to hide their illicit profits.

The brothers allegedly started laying the groundwork in December 2022, engaging in what investigators called a "baiting" operation that targeted three specific victim traders on the digital Ethereum platform. They are specifically accused of exploiting the "validators" on the blockchain, vital components of the integrity and security of transactions.

"In doing so, they fraudulently gained access to pending private transactions and used that access to alter certain transactions and obtain their victims' cryptocurrency," prosecutors alleged in court documents.

Investigators said the defendants' plot took months to plan but just 12 seconds to execute, allegedly raking in approximately $25 million from their unwitting victims.

From April and June of last year, Peraire-Buenos are accused of laundering their money through shell companies. Prosecutors said the duo even rejected repeated requests from a victim, the victim's attorney and an Ethereum representative to return the cryptocurrency.

Submission + - DHS Got Involved In Online Censorship By Labeling Disinformation a Cyber Attack (realclearpolitics.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: "This dirty trick of calling cyber censorship 'cyber security' is how DHS got involved in this," he said. "DHS teamed up with the FBI in the runup to the 2020 election and created a series of private sector and academic cutouts to serve as attack dogs for social media content DHS wanted taken down."

"The FBI and DHS are taking advantage of this lull period awaiting a Supreme Court decision to resume this same dirty work they were doing in the 2020 election."

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