Shameless Plug

Ivanti Patches Two Zero-Days Under Attack, But Finds Another Published on February 01, 2024 at 02:12AM Ivanti warned on Wednesday that hackers are exploiting another previously undisclosed zero-day vulnerability affecting its widely used corporate VPN appliance. From a report: Since early December, ââChinese state-backed hackers have been exploiting Ivanti Connect Secure's flaws -- tracked as CVE-2023-46805 and CVE-2024-21887 -- to break into customer networks and steal information. Ivanti is now warning that it has discovered two additional flaws -- tracked as CVE-2024-21888 and CVE-2024-21893 -- affecting its Connect Secure VPN product. The former is described as a privilege escalation vulnerability, while the latter -- known as a zero-day because Ivanti had no time to fix the bug before hackers began exploiting it -- is a server-side bug that allows an attacker access to certain restricted resources without authentication. In its updated disclosure, Ivanti said it has observed...

California And Big Oil Are Splitting After Century-Long Affair Published on February 01, 2024 at 01:30AM It is the end of an era for Big Oil in California, as the most populous U.S. state divorces itself from fossil fuels in its fight against climate change. From a report: California's oil output a century ago amounted to it being the fourth-largest crude producer in the U.S., and spawned hundreds of oil drillers, including some of the largest still in existence. Oil led to its car culture of iconic highways, drive-in theaters, banks and restaurants that endures today. On Friday, however, the marriage will officially end. The two largest U.S. oil producers, Exxon Mobil and Chevron will formally disclose a combined $5 billion writedown of California assets when they report fourth-quarter results. "They are definitely getting a divorce," said Jamie Court, president of advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, which said the companies long ago stopped investing in California produ...

Cruise Faces Long Road Back To City Streets in Wake of Safety Review Published on February 01, 2024 at 12:54AM General Motors' Cruise self-driving car unit faces a trip that could last the better part of this year to convince regulators and a wary public that its robotaxis are fit to share the road with human drivers, industry officials said. From a report: After releasing a withering safety report last week that Cruise commissioned, GM said on Tuesday it slashed about $1 billion from Cruise's annual budget and promised to "soon" release a timeline for the unit's return to operations. The U.S. automaker also delayed indefinitely a March update when it was expected to lay out plans. That has raised questions about when Cruise might get its vehicles back on the road, particularly as it faces various government probes including from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Investigating defects is a highly deliberative process," said Mark Rose...

Binance Code and Internal Passwords Exposed on GitHub for Months Published on January 31, 2024 at 11:55PM A highly sensitive cache of code, infrastructure diagrams, internal passwords, and other technical information belonging to cryptocurrency giant Binance has been sitting on a publicly accessible GitHub repository for months, 404 Media has learned. From a report: Binance only managed to have GitHub remove the data under a copyright takedown request last week, but not before 404 Media and other people managed to view it. Although there is no public evidence this data was accessed or used by malicious parties, the cache contained a wealth of information that could be useful to hackers looking to compromise Binance's systems. "This account is using our client's internal code which poses significant risk to Binancec. and causes severe financial harm to Binance and user's confusion/harm," a section of the takedown request, available on GitHub, reads. Another secti...

Starbucks is Launching Its Olive Oil-Infused Beverages Nationwide Published on January 31, 2024 at 02:10AM Starbucks is taking its extra virgin olive oil-infused drinks -- which some customers previously complained of sending them straight to the bathroom ï-- nationwide beginning Tuesday. CNN: The lineup, called Oleato, launched in a few US cities last year before slowly expanding to more stores. Tuesday's launch across its US and Canada locations signifies that the chain stands behind the beverage despite subpar reviews from customers and critics. On the Oleato menu are two drinks: An oat milk latte infused with the extra virgin olive oil; and a new toffeenut iced shaken espresso with golden foam, which is vanilla sweet cream infused with extra virgin olive oil into a cold foam. The drinks debuted in Italy in 2023, with a Starbucks executive previously telling CNN that it's one of its "biggest launches we've had in decades." Read more of this story at Slashd...

FEMA Will Pay States To Install Solar Panels and Heat Pumps Published on January 31, 2024 at 01:32AM The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that it'll start reimbursing local governments for installing solar panels and more efficient appliances after a disaster strikes. From a report: The move can help communities prepare for another calamity by equipping them with tools that just might keep the lights on when they would otherwise suffer a power outage. It's also a way for the US to deploy technologies that cut greenhouse gas emissions and stave off worsening climate disasters like storms, heatwaves, and wildfires. [...] This is the first time FEMA is funding "net-zero energy projects, including solar, heat pumps and efficient appliances" through its biggest grant program, called Public Assistance. It's available to communities recovering from a major event that the president has declared an emergency or disaster. Under the program, FEMA ...

Russia Hit With Widespread Internet Outage Across Country Published on January 31, 2024 at 12:50AM Russia is facing a widespread internet outage that's affected users across the country, with access to websites on the local .ru domain down. From a report: The issue was linked to a technical problem with the .ru domain's global Domain Name System Security Extensions, or DNSSEC, which is used to secure data exchanged in internet protocol networks, Russia's Digital Ministry said in a statement on Telegram Tuesday. Websites including the most popular local search engine Yandex.ru, ecommerce leaders Ozon.ru and Wildberries.ru, and apps of the country's biggest banks -- Sberbank PJSC and VTB Group -- were all affected, state-run Ria reported, citing Downradar, a traffic monitoring service. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

'Microsoft Stole My Chrome Tabs, and It Wants Yours, Too' Published on January 31, 2024 at 12:10AM Tom Warren, writing for The Verge: Last week, I turned on my PC, installed a Windows update, and rebooted to find Microsoft Edge automatically open with the Chrome tabs I was working on before the update. I don't use Microsoft Edge regularly, and I have Google Chrome set as my default browser. Bleary-eyed at 9AM, it took me a moment to realize that Microsoft Edge had simply taken over where I'd left off in Chrome. I never imported my data into Microsoft Edge, nor did I confirm whether I wanted to import my tabs. But here was Edge automatically opening after a Windows update with all the Chrome tabs I'd been working on. I didn't even realize I was using Edge at first, and I was confused why all my tabs were suddenly logged out. After the shock wore off, I looked to make sure I hadn't accidentally allowed this behavior. I found a setting in Microsoft Edge that ...

IBM To Managers: Move Near an Office or Leave Company Published on January 30, 2024 at 02:14AM IBM delivered a companywide ultimatum to managers who are still working remotely: move near an office or leave the company. From a report: All US managers must immediately report to an office or client location at least three days a week "regardless of current work location status," according to a memo sent on Jan. 16 viewed by Bloomberg. Badge-in data will be used to "assess individual presence" and shared with managers and human resources, Senior Vice President John Granger wrote in the note. Those working remotely, other than employees with exceptions such as medical issues or military service, who don't live close enough to commute to a facility must relocate near an IBM office by the start of August, according to the memo. Managers who don't agree to relocate and are unable to secure a role that's approved to be remote must "separate from IBM,"...

Alaska Airlines Plane Appears To Have Left Boeing Factory Without Critical Bolts Published on January 30, 2024 at 01:31AM Regulators put limits on Boeing 737 MAX production; grounded MAX 9 jets have resumed flying after required inspections. From a report: Bolts needed to secure part of an Alaska Airlines jet that blew off in midair appear to have been missing when the plane left Boeing's factory. Boeing and other industry officials increasingly believe the plane maker's employees failed to put back the bolts when they reinstalled a 737 MAX 9 plug door after opening or removing it during production, according to people familiar with the matter. The increasingly likely scenario, according to some of these people, is based partly on an apparent absence of markings on the Alaska door plug itself that would suggest bolts were in place when it blew off the jet around 16,000 feet over Oregon on Jan. 5. They also pointed to paperwork and process lapses at Boeing's Renton, Wash.,...

Tattoo Artist Kat Von D Wins Copyright Lawsuit Over Miles Davis Photo Published on January 30, 2024 at 12:52AM UnknowingFool writes: Jurors on Friday, January 26, 2024 ruled in favor of celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D (real name Katherine von Drachenberg) in a copyright lawsuit regarding a photo of Miles Davis in that her use of the photo was not copyright infringement. The photographer of the photo, Jeffrey Sedlik, sued Von D in February 2021 after she used the photo as the basis for a tattoo she inked on a friend. Kat Von D, who gained fame in the reality shows about tattoo artists "LA Ink" and "Miami Ink", put the tattoo on her friend's arm in 2017 as a gift. The jury found that the tattoo was not "substantially similar" to the photo and were also persuaded that the non-commercial nature of the work meant her use of the photo would be fair use. The plaintiff Sedilk said he is planning to appeal the ruling arguing it contradicts the Supreme Court...

T-Mobile Says It May Slow Home Internet Speeds of Some Users in Times of 'Congestion' Published on January 30, 2024 at 12:12AM T-Mobile has tweaked its terms of service for its home broadband users to add a new clause: If you are a heavy internet user that passes 1.2TB of data in a monthly billing cycle, you may have your speeds slowed in "times of congestion" or when there is a lot of pressure on the network. CNET: As spotted by The Mobile Report, the change went into effect on Jan. 18. In its updated terms, the carrier says that these users "will be prioritized last on the network" in congestion situations, which could mean painfully slow speeds for however long the congestion persists. T-Mobile does note that since its Home Internet service is available only in "limited areas" and intended to be used in a "stationary" setting, as opposed to a phone that could be in a busy place like a packed stadium, "these customers should be l...

God Told Him to Launch a Crypto Venture, Said Pastor. Now He's Accused of Pocketing $1.2M Published on January 29, 2024 at 03:21AM In Denver, Colorado, a pastor had a message for his congregation, reports CNN. "After months of prayers and cues from God, he was going to start selling cryptocurrency, he announced in a YouTube video last April." The Signature and Silvergate banks had collapsed weeks earlier, signaling the need to look into other investment options beyond financial institutions, he said. With divine wisdom, he said, he was "setting the rails for God's wealth transfer." Shortly afterward, Regalado and his wife, Kaitlyn Regalado, launched a cryptocurrency, INDXcoin, and began selling it to members of his Victorious Grace Church and other Christian communities in the Denver area. They sold it through the Kingdom Wealth Exchange, an online cryptocurrency marketplace he created, controlled and operated. The Regalados raised more than $3.2 million f...

America's Car Industry Seeks to Crush AM Radio. Will Congress Rescue It? Published on January 29, 2024 at 02:21AM The Wall Street Journal reports that "a motley crew of AM radio advocates," including conservative talk show hosts and federal emergency officials, are lobbying Congress to stop carmakers from dropping AM radio from new vehicles: Lawmakers say most car companies are noncommittal about the future of AM tuners in vehicles, so they want to require them by law to keep making cars with free AM radio. Supporters argue it is a critical piece of the emergency communication network, while the automakers say Americans have plenty of other ways, including their phones, to receive alerts and information. The legislation has united lawmakers who ordinarily want nothing to do with one another. Sens. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and Ed Markey (D., Mass.) are leading the Senate effort, and on the House side, Speaker Mike Johnson — himself a former conservative talk radio host in Lo...

Office Mandates Don't Help Companies Make More Money, Study Finds Published on January 29, 2024 at 01:04AM Remember that cheery corporate video Internet Brands tried announcing their new (non-negotiable) hybrid return-to-office policy (with the festive song "Iko Iko" playing in the background)? They've now pulled the video from Vimeo. Could that signal a larger shift in attitudes about working from home? The Washington Post reports: Now, new research from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh suggests that office mandates may not help companies' financial performances, but they can make workers less satisfied with their jobs and work-life balance... "We will not get back to the time when as many people will be happy working from the office the way they were before the pandemic," said Mark Ma, co-author of the study and associate professor at the Katz Graduate School of Business. Additionally, mandates make workers less ha...

Could America's Rooftop Solar Industry Be On the Verge of Collapse? Published on January 29, 2024 at 12:04AM Long-time Slashdot reader SonicSpike shared this investigation by Time magazine's senior economics correspondent which argues that America's residential solar industry "is floundering." In late 2023 alone, more than 100 residential solar dealers and installers in the U.S. declared bankruptcy, according to Roth Capital Partners — six times the number in the previous three years combined. Roth expects at least 100 more to fail. The two largest companies in the industry, SunRun and Sunnova, both posted big losses in their most recent quarterly reports, and their shares are down 86% and 81% respectively from their peaks in January 2021... At the root of these struggles is the complicated financial engineering that helped companies raise money but that some investors and analysts say was built on a framework of lies — or at least exaggerations. Since at least ...

Tech Stocks Hit New Records as Tech Layoffs Rise Amid AI Hiring Sprees Published on January 28, 2024 at 04:15AM An anonymous Slashdot reader shared this report from CNBC: The S&P 500 is trading at a record and the Nasdaq is at its highest in two years. Alphabet shares reached a new pinnacle on Thursday, as did Meta and Microsoft, which ran past $3 trillion in market cap. Don't tell that to the bosses. While Wall Street cheers on Silicon Valley, tech companies are downsizing at an accelerating clip. So far in January, some 23,670 workers have been laid off from 85 tech companies, according to the website Layoffs.fyi. That's the most since March, when almost 38,000 people in the industry were shown the exits. Activity picked up this week with SAP announcing job changes or layoffs for 8,000 employees and Microsoft cutting 1,900 positions in its gaming division. Additionally, high-valued fintech startup Brex laid off 20% of its staff and eBay slashed 1,000 jobs, or 9% of its ...

How You Can Charge Your EV If You Don't Own a House Published on January 28, 2024 at 03:04AM "According to one study, homeowners are three times more likely than renters to own an electric vehicle," writes the Washington Post. But others still have options: Drivers who park on the street have found novel ways to charge their vehicles, using extension cords running over the sidewalk or even into the branches of a nearby tree... [S]ome municipalities explicitly allow over-the-sidewalk charging as part of a broader strategy to cut transportation emissions... In some areas, homeowners can also hire an electrician to run power under the sidewalk to a curbside charging port. But homeowners should check local rules and permitting requirements for curbside charging. In some highly EV-friendly cities, local governments will cover the costs. In Seattle, a pilot program is installing faster curbside charging to residents who opt in to the program... If home charging simply isn...

Disney Demos 'HoloTile Floor' with Possible Applications in Shared Virtual Reality Published on January 28, 2024 at 01:55AM In the last 90 seconds of a recent Disney Parks video, there's a demonstration of a new technology called a HoloTile floor. Disney research fellow/R&D "imagineerer" Lanny Smoot specifies that "we don't know yet where it will be used" — though noting multiple people could walk in place during a shared virtual reality experience. It's an "omnidirectional floor" which can "automatically do whatever it needs to" so those walkers stay in the same place. "Imagine a number of people being in a room, being able to be somewhere else collaboratively and moving around, doing sightseeing." Video also shows objects gliding smoothly along its surface, with its direction apparently controlled remotely by hand motions ("like telekinesis," as one design blog describes it). Smooth says in the vide...

Exercising 25 Minutes a Week Increases Brain Volume - and May Slow Memory Decline Published on January 28, 2024 at 12:04AM "Exercising for 25 minutes a week, or less than four minutes a day, could help to bulk up our brains," reports the Washington Post, "and improve our ability to think as we grow older." A new study, which involved scanning the brains of more than 10,000 healthy men and women from ages 18 to 97, found that those who walked, swam, cycled or otherwise worked out moderately for 25 minutes a week had bigger brains than those who didn't, whatever their ages. Bigger brains typically mean healthier brains. The differences were most pronounced in parts of the brain involved with thinking and memory, which often shrink as we age, contributing to risks for cognitive decline and dementia... The results have practical implications, too, about which types of exercise seem best for our brain health and how little of that exercise we may really need. The a...

Mozilla Says Apple's New Browser Rules Are 'as Painful as Possible' for Firefox Published on January 27, 2024 at 05:01AM Apple's new rules in the European Union mean browsers like Firefox can finally use their own engines on iOS. Although this may seem like a welcome change, Mozilla spokesperson Damiano DeMonte tells The Verge it's "extremely disappointed" with the way things turned out. From a report: "We are still reviewing the technical details but are extremely disappointed with Apple's proposed plan to restrict the newly-announced BrowserEngineKit to EU-specific apps," DeMonte says. "The effect of this would be to force an independent browser like Firefox to build and maintain two separate browser implementations -- a burden Apple themselves will not have to bear." In iOS 17.4, Apple will no longer force browsers in the EU to use WebKit, the underlying engine that powers Safari. The change opens the door for other popular eng...

California Lawmakers Push for Watermarks on AI-Made Photo, Video Published on January 27, 2024 at 02:30AM California lawmakers are drawing up multiple plans to require watermarks on content created by AI to curb the abuses within the emerging technology, which has affected sectors from political races to the stock market. From a report: At least five lawmakers have promised or are considering different proposals that would require AI companies to implement some type of verification that a video, photo, or written work was made by the technology. The activity comes as advanced AI has rapidly evolved to create realistic images or audio on an unprecedented level. Advocates worry the technology could be ripe for abuse and lead to a wider proliferation of deepfakes, where a person's likeness is digitally manipulated to typically misrepresent them -- with it already being used in the presidential race. But such measures are likely to face scrutiny by the tech sector. Amid a pivotal ele...

Aviation Sector Sees No Fast Tech Solution To GPS Interference Problem Published on January 27, 2024 at 01:31AM Global regulators, aviation security specialists and manufacturers failed to reach an agreement on a quick technical fix to the problem of GPS spoofing near war zones, instead calling for better training of pilots to deal with the issue, Reuters reports, citing sources briefed on the talks. From the report: Airlines have been urging quick action after a series of incidents where navigation systems were disrupted to show a false location or wrong time, though aircraft flight controls remained intact. Spoofing might involve one country's military sending false Global Positioning System signals to an enemy plane or drone to hinder its ability to function, which has a collateral effect on nearby airliners. GPS jamming and spoofing have grown worse in Eastern Europe, the Black Sea and the Middle East, according to industry group OpsGroup. GPS is a growing part of aviation in...

US Energy Secretary Says Anti-EV Sentiment is 'Political Nonsense' Published on January 27, 2024 at 12:30AM An anonymous reader shares a report: Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm can relate to Americans' anxiety over electric vehicles. The former governor of Michigan and longtime EV owner (who currently drives a Ford Mach-E) says she has experienced her own challenges with public charging on road trips. She has heard from drivers who are reluctant to give up their eight-cylinder engines and large trucks and SUVs for an electric model. But she is convinced that more Americans will soon realize the benefits of owning one, helping to change the current anti-EV rhetoric in this country. [...] "All of those factories that I was talking about regarding building electric vehicles and electric vehicle batteries, 60% of them are going into red states. So, you know, people in red states love their EVs, too, and are working at these factories," Granholm said. "I just...

FTC Launches Inquiry Into AI Deals by Tech Giants Published on January 26, 2024 at 05:31AM The Federal Trade Commission launched an inquiry (non-paywalled link) on Thursday into the multibillion-dollar investments by Microsoft, Amazon and Google in the artificial intelligence start-ups OpenAI and Anthropic, broadening the regulator's efforts to corral the power the tech giants can have over A.I. The New York Times: These deals have allowed the big companies to form deep ties with their smaller rivals while dodging most government scrutiny. Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, while Amazon and Google have each committed billions of dollars to Anthropic, another leading A.I. start-up. Regulators have typically focused on bringing antitrust lawsuits against deals where the tech giants are buying rivals outright or using acquisitions to expand into new businesses, leading to increased prices and other harm, and have not regularly challenged stak...