https://it.slashdot.org/ News for nerds, stuff that matters en-us Copyright Slashdot Media. All Rights Reserved. 2024-08-15T17:14:37+00:00 Slashdot Media feedback@slashdot.org Technology 1970-01-01T00:00+00:00 1 hourly https://a.fsdn.com/sd/topics/topicslashdot.gif https://it.slashdot.org/ https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/08/15/165206/google-sold-android-phones-with-hidden-insecure-feature-companies-find?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed Google's master software for some Android phones includes a hidden feature that is insecure and could be activated to allow remote control or spying on users, according to a security company that found it inside phones at a U.S. intelligence contractor. From a report: The feature appears intended to give employees at stores selling Pixel phones and other models deep access to the devices so they can demonstrate how they work, according to researchers at iVerify who shared their findings with The Washington Post. The discovery and Google's lack of explanation alarmed the intelligence contractor, data analysis platform vendor Palantir Technologies, to the extent that it has stopped issuing Android phones to employees, Palantir told The Post. "Mobile security is a very real concern for us, given where we're operating and who we're serving," Palantir Chief Information Security Officer Dane Stuckey said. "This was very deleterious of trust, to have third-party, unvetted insecure software on it. We have no idea how it got there, so we made the decision to effectively ban Androids internally." The security company said it contacted Google about its findings more than 90 days ago and that the tech giant has not indicated whether it would remove or fix the application. On Wednesday night, Google told The Post that it would issue an update to remove the application. "Out of an abundance of precaution, we will be removing this from all supported in-market Pixel devices with an upcoming Pixel software update," said company spokesperson Ed Fernandez. He said distributors of other Android phones would also be notified.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Google+Sold+Android+Phones+With+Hidden+Insecure+Feature%2C+Companies+Find%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F15%2F165206%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F15%2F165206%2Fgoogle-sold-android-phones-with-hidden-insecure-feature-companies-find%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/08/15/165206/google-sold-android-phones-with-hidden-insecure-feature-companies-find?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> msmash 2024-08-15T16:04:00+00:00 android grave-concerns technology 8 8,8,8,8,3,1,0 https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/14/2150250/nist-finalizes-trio-of-post-quantum-encryption-standards?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed "NIST has formally accepted three algorithms for post-quantum cryptography," writes ancient Slashdot reader jd. "Two more backup algorithms are being worked on. The idea is to have backup algorithms using very different maths, just in case a flaw in the original approach is discovered later." The Register reports: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today released the long-awaited post-quantum encryption standards, designed to protect electronic information long into the future -- when quantum computers are expected to break existing cryptographic algorithms. One -- ML-KEM (PDF) (based on CRYSTALS-Kyber) -- is intended for general encryption, which protects data as it moves across public networks. The other two -- ML-DSA (PDF) (originally known as CRYSTALS-Dilithium) and SLH-DSA (PDF) (initially submitted as Sphincs+) -- secure digital signatures, which are used to authenticate online identity. A fourth algorithm -- FN-DSA (PDF) (originally called FALCON) -- is slated for finalization later this year and is also designed for digital signatures. NIST continued to evaluate two other sets of algorithms that could potentially serve as backup standards in the future. One of the sets includes three algorithms designed for general encryption -- but the technology is based on a different type of math problem than the ML-KEM general-purpose algorithm in today's finalized standards. NIST plans to select one or two of these algorithms by the end of 2024. Despite the new ones on the horizon, NIST mathematician Dustin Moody encouraged system administrators to start transitioning to the new standards ASAP, because full integration takes some time. "There is no need to wait for future standards," Moody advised in a statement. "Go ahead and start using these three. We need to be prepared in case of an attack that defeats the algorithms in these three standards, and we will continue working on backup plans to keep our data safe. But for most applications, these new standards are the main event." From the NIST: This notice announces the Secretary of Commerce's approval of three Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS): - FIPS 203, Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism Standard - FIPS 204, Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Standard - FIPS 205, Stateless Hash-Based Digital Signature Standard These standards specify key establishment and digital signature schemes that are designed to resist future attacks by quantum computers, which threaten the security of current standards. The three algorithms specified in these standards are each derived from different submissions in the NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization Project.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=NIST+Finalizes+Trio+of+Post-Quantum+Encryption+Standards%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F14%2F2150250%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F14%2F2150250%2Fnist-finalizes-trio-of-post-quantum-encryption-standards%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/14/2150250/nist-finalizes-trio-of-post-quantum-encryption-standards?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> BeauHD 2024-08-15T02:02:00+00:00 encryption just-a-decade-away it 18 18,18,18,16,3,3,2 https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/24/08/14/1929247/gamer-connects-444-consoles-to-single-tv-sets-world-record?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed Ibrahim Al-Nasser, a gaming enthusiast from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has set a Guinness World Record for the most video game consoles connected to a single television, with 444 systems hooked up simultaneously. Al-Nasser's collection spans five decades of gaming history, from the 1972 Magnavox Odyssey to the 2023 PlayStation 5 Slim. It includes mainstream consoles like the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Switch, as well as rare items such as the Super A'Can. To manage the complex setup, Al-Nasser employs over 30 RCA switchers and 12 HDMI switchers, along with various converters for older systems. He maintains an Excel spreadsheet detailing the location and activation procedure for each console. "After a while I noticed that I had a big stack of gaming consoles that I couldn't play," Al-Nasser said. "By adding more switchers, the idea came to my mind to connect all of the gaming consoles I have to the TV then contact Guinness World Records because this project is unique." Engadget adds: He's even organized his collection so the cables aren't showing or creating the kind of tangled mess most of us have to deal with when we have just two consoles hooked up to a single television. That may sound like a lot of video game consoles for one collection but it's far from the actual record. Linda Guillory of Garland, Texas currently holds the record for the largest collection of playable gaming systems with her collection of 2,430 items, according to Guinness World Records.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Gamer+Connects+444+Consoles+To+Single+TV%2C+Sets+World+Record%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fentertainment.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F14%2F1929247%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fentertainment.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F14%2F1929247%2Fgamer-connects-444-consoles-to-single-tv-sets-world-record%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/24/08/14/1929247/gamer-connects-444-consoles-to-single-tv-sets-world-record?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> msmash 2024-08-14T20:01:00+00:00 tv impressive entertainment 38 38,38,36,32,2,0,0 https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/08/14/1559240/microsoft-is-enabling-bitlocker-device-encryption-by-default-on-windows-11?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed Microsoft is making BitLocker device encryption a default feature in its next major update to Windows 11. From a report: If you clean install the 24H2 version that's rolling out in the coming months, device encryption will be enabled by default when you first sign in or set up a device with a Microsoft account or work / school account. Device encryption is designed to improve the security of Windows machines by automatically enabling BitLocker encryption on the Windows install drive and backing up the recovery key to a Microsoft account or Entra ID. In Windows 11 version 24H2, Microsoft is reducing the hardware requirements for automatic device encryption, opening it up to many more devices -- including ones running the Home version of Windows 11. Device encryption no longer requires Hardware Security Test Interface (HSTI) or Modern Standby, and encryption will also be enabled even if untrusted direct memory access (DMA) buses / interfaces are detected.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Microsoft+is+Enabling+BitLocker+Device+Encryption+By+Default+on+Windows+11%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F14%2F1559240%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F14%2F1559240%2Fmicrosoft-is-enabling-bitlocker-device-encryption-by-default-on-windows-11%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/08/14/1559240/microsoft-is-enabling-bitlocker-device-encryption-by-default-on-windows-11?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> msmash 2024-08-14T16:44:00+00:00 encryption up-next technology 103 103,102,95,91,25,13,8 https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/08/13/2031213/companies-prepare-to-fight-quantum-hackers?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed National-security authorities have warned for years that today's encryption will become vulnerable to hackers when quantum computers are widely available. Companies can now start to integrate new cryptographic algorithms into their products to protect them from future hacks. From a report: Some companies have already taken steps to replace current forms of encryption with post-quantum algorithms. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the Commerce Department, published three new algorithms for post-quantum encryption Tuesday. The three algorithms that NIST selected use different types of encryption to protect digital signatures that authenticates information, and cryptographic key exchange, which keeps data confidential. IBM researchers were part of teams that submitted algorithms that NIST selected. International Business Machines is working with companies in telecommunications, online payments and other industries on how to implement the new standards. "Our digital economy is toast unless people go in and change the cryptography," said Scott Crowder, vice president of IBM's quantum adoption group. The new standards from NIST will be influential because they will replace encryption algorithms in use all over the world, said Joost Renes, principal cryptographer at NXP Semiconductors, a key provider of chips to the auto industry. NXP customers in different industries have been asking about the new encryption algorithms and want to make sure their suppliers are prepared to migrate to post-quantum cryptography, Renes said. He said NXP will start using the algorithms as soon as possible but declined to comment on when that will be. "You should really look at this as a kind of ongoing transition project which is going to take quite some time," he said.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Companies+Prepare+To+Fight+Quantum+Hackers%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F13%2F2031213%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F13%2F2031213%2Fcompanies-prepare-to-fight-quantum-hackers%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/08/13/2031213/companies-prepare-to-fight-quantum-hackers?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> msmash 2024-08-13T22:00:00+00:00 usa moving-forward news 20 20,20,20,20,3,3,1 https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/13/2036245/six-ransomware-gangs-behind-over-50-of-2024-attacks?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed An anonymous reader shares a report: Despite a law enforcement takedown six months ago, LockBit 3.0 remains the most prolific encryption and extortion gang, at least so far, this year, according to Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42. Of the 53 ransomware groups whose underworld websites, where the crooks name their victims and leak stolen data, that the incident response team monitored, just six accounted for more than half of the total infections observed. For its analysis, Unit 42 reviewed announcements posted on these crews' dedicated leak sites during the first six months of 2024 and counted 1,762 posts, which represents a 4.3 percent year-over-year increase from 2023. Before we get into the top six gangs' victims count, a note on how Unit 42 tracks nation-state and cybercrime groups: It combines a modifier with a constellation. And Scorpius is the lucky constellation that Unit 42 connects to ransomware gangs.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=+Six+Ransomware+Gangs+Behind+Over+50%25+of+2024+Attacks%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F13%2F2036245%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F13%2F2036245%2Fsix-ransomware-gangs-behind-over-50-of-2024-attacks%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/13/2036245/six-ransomware-gangs-behind-over-50-of-2024-attacks?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> msmash 2024-08-13T21:22:00+00:00 security more-you-know it 5 5,5,5,4,1,0,0 https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/13/1651208/copyright-group-takes-down-dutch-language-ai-dataset?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed Dutch-based copyright enforcement group BREIN has taken down a large language dataset that was being offered for use in training AI models, the organization said on Tuesday. From a report: The dataset included information collected without permission from tens of thousands of books, news sites, and Dutch language subtitles harvested from "countless" films and TV series, BREIN said in a statement. Director Bastiaan van Ramshorst told Reuters it was not clear whether or how widely the dataset may already have been used by AI companies. "It's very difficult to know, but we are trying to be on time" to avoid future lawsuits, he said. He said the European Union's AI Act will require AI firms to disclose what datasets they have used to train their models.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Copyright+Group+Takes+Down+Dutch+Language+AI+Dataset%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F13%2F1651208%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F13%2F1651208%2Fcopyright-group-takes-down-dutch-language-ai-dataset%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/13/1651208/copyright-group-takes-down-dutch-language-ai-dataset?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> msmash 2024-08-13T16:50:00+00:00 ai tussle-continues it 14 14,13,12,9,1,0,0 https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/08/12/152226/microsoft-to-retire-paint-3d?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed An anonymous reader shares a report: Microsoft Paint isn't one of Windows' best photo editing apps, but in the recent past, the software giant introduced some exciting features, such as layer support, to make the app more viable for Windows users. While Microsoft was pouring the Paint app with new features, the Paint 3D app was dying a slow death. The app will finally be delisted from the Microsoft Store in November this year.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Microsoft+To+Retire+Paint+3D%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F12%2F152226%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F12%2F152226%2Fmicrosoft-to-retire-paint-3d%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/08/12/152226/microsoft-to-retire-paint-3d?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> msmash 2024-08-12T15:20:00+00:00 microsoft drawing-the-line technology 38 38,37,36,31,15,5,2 https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/12/140214/co-founder-of-ddosecrets-was-dark-web-drug-kingpin?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed A co-founder of transparency activism organization Distributed of Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets) was a dark web drug kingpin who ran the successor to the infamous Silk Road marketplace and was later convicted of child abuse imagery crimes. From a report: The co-founder was Thomas White, who was prosecuted for administering the Silk Road 2.0 drug marketplace and for possessing images of child sexual abuse material. He decided to reveal his involvement in DDoSecrets to 404 Media after serving a five year prison sentence. "I was told, in no uncertain terms, that if I spoke out publicly against Ross Ulbricht's excessive sentence, [DDoSecrets] or anything similar, that I would spend much more time in prison," he said. "Now I can freely speak again, it is important to use it or lose it. So #FreeRoss." The news provides more insights into the origins of DDoSecrets, which has filled the void left by Wikileaks to become the most significant site publishing massive data dumps at this time. The other co-founder is Emma Best, who for years has archived, cataloged, and distributed large amounts of hacked information online. "Emma and I have been communicating for many years, and both know the difficulty in finding and verifying leaked material. It was a shared vision to make this process easier for people better placed than ourselves, to use the data to counteract the veil of secrecy protecting many bad actors in society," White told 404 Media in an email in July.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Co-Founder+of+DDoSecrets+Was+Dark+Web+Drug+Kingpin%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F12%2F140214%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F12%2F140214%2Fco-founder-of-ddosecrets-was-dark-web-drug-kingpin%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/12/140214/co-founder-of-ddosecrets-was-dark-web-drug-kingpin?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> msmash 2024-08-12T14:00:00+00:00 it more-you-know it 24 24,24,19,13,1,1,1 https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/11/2029231/can-a-free-business-rent-program-revive-san-franciscos-downtown?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed The New York Times visits the downtown of one of America's biggest tech cities to explore San Francisco's "Vacant to Vibrant" initiative, where "city and business leaders provide free rent for up to six months" to "entrepreneurs who want to set up shop in empty spaces, many of which are on the ground floor of office buildings." The program also offers funding for business expenses (plus technical and business permit assistance) &mdash; and it seems to be working. One cafe went on to sign a five-year lease for a space in the financial district's iconic One Embarcadero Center building &mdash; and the building's landlord says the program also resulted in another three long leases. Can the progress continue? The hope is that these pop-up operations will pay rent and sign longer leases after the free-rent period is over, and that their presence will regenerate foot traffic in the area. Some 850 entrepreneurs initially applied for a slot, and 17 businesses were chosen to occupy nine storefront spaces in the fall. Out of those businesses, seven extended their leases and now pay rent. Eleven businesses were selected in May for the program's second cohort, which started operating their storefronts this summer... The city's office vacancy rate hit 33.7%, a record high, in the second quarter this year, according to JLL, a commercial real estate brokerage. That's one of the bleakest office markets in the nation, which has an average vacancy rate of about 22%. For the moment, however, San Francisco has a silver lining in Vacant to Vibrant. Rod Diehl, the BXP executive vice president who oversees its West Coast properties, said the pop-up strategy was good not just for local business owners to test their concepts and explore growth opportunities, but also for office leasing efforts... Beyond free rent, which is typically given for three months with a possibility for another three months, Vacant to Vibrant provides up to $12,000 to the businesses to help cover insurance and other expenses. The program also offers grants up to $5,000 for building owners to cover costs for tenant improvements in the spaces as well as for other expenses like utilities... In addition to the Vacant to Vibrant program &mdash; which received $1 million from the city initially and is set to receive another $1 million for the current fiscal year, which began July 1 &mdash; the city is directing nearly $2 million toward a similar pop-up program. This new program would help businesses occupy larger empty spaces along Powell Street, as crime and other retail pressures have driven out several retailers, including Anthropologie, Banana Republic and Crate &amp; Barrel, in the Union Square area. One business owner who joined "Vacant to Vibrant" in May says they haven't decided yet whether to sign a lease. "It's not as crowded as before the pandemic." But according to the article, "she was hopeful that more businesses opening nearby would attract more people." "In addition to filling empty storefronts, the program has the opportunity to bring in a fresher and more localized downtown shopping vibe, said Laurel Arvanitidis, director for business development at San Francisco's Office of Economic and Workplace Development." Victor Gonzalez, an entrepreneur who founded GCS Agency to stage showings for artists, is embracing the opportunity to get a foothold downtown despite the city's challenges. When he opened a storefront as part of the first Vacant to Vibrant cohort in the Financial District last year, he immediately knew that he wanted to stay there as long as possible. He has since signed a three-year lease. "San Francisco is no stranger to big booms and busts," he said. "So if we're in the midst of a bust, what's next? It's a boom. And I want to be positioned to be part of it." <p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Can+a+Free+Business+Rent+Program+Revive+San+Francisco's+Downtown%3F%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F11%2F2029231%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F11%2F2029231%2Fcan-a-free-business-rent-program-revive-san-franciscos-downtown%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/11/2029231/can-a-free-business-rent-program-revive-san-franciscos-downtown?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> EditorDavid 2024-08-11T22:34:00+00:00 government vacant-to-vibrant it 94 94,90,83,72,18,9,6 https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/11/0520231/some-def-con-attendees-forgive-crowdstrike---and-some-blame-microsoft-windows?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed Fortune reports that Crowdstrike "is enjoying a moment of strange cultural cachet at the annual Black Hat security conference, as throngs of visitors flock to its booth to snap selfies and load up on branded company shirts and other swag." (Some attendees "collectively shrugged at the idea that Crowdstrike could be blamed for a problem with a routine update that could happen to any of the security companies deeply intertwined with Microsoft Windows.") Others pointed out that Microsoft should take their fair share of the blame for the outage, which many say was caused by the design of Windows in its core architecture that leads to malware, spyware and driver instability. "Microsoft should not be giving any third party that level of access," said Eric O'Neill, a cybersecurity expert, attorney and former FBI operative. "Microsoft will complain, well, it's just the way that the technology works, or licensing works, but that's bullshit, because this same problem didn't affect Linux or Mac. And Crowdstrike caught it super-early." Their article notes that Crowdstrike is one of this year's top sponsors of the conference. Despite its recent missteps, Crowdstrike had one of the biggest booths, notes TechCrunch, and "As soon as the doors opened, dozens of attendees started lining up." They were not all there to ask tough questions, but to pick up T-shirts and action figures made by the company to represent some of the nation-state and cybercriminal grups it tracks, such as Scattered Spider, an extortion racket allegedly behind last year's MGM Resorts and Okta cyberattacks; and Aquatic Panda, a China-linked espionage group. "We're here to give you free stuff," a CrowdStrike employee told people gathered around a big screen where employees would later give demos. A conference attendee looked visibly surprised. "I just thought it would be dead, honestly. I thought it would be slower over there. But obviously, people are still fans, right?" For CrowdStrike at Black Hat, there was an element of business as usual, despite its global IT outage that caused widespread disruption and delays for days &mdash; and even weeks for some customers. The conference came at the same time as CrowdStrike released its root cause analysis that explained what happened the day of the outage. In short, CrowdStrike conceded that it messed up but said it's taken steps to prevent the same incident happening again. And some cybersecurity professionals attending Black Hat appeared ready to give the company a second chance.... TechCrunch spoke to more than a dozen conference attendees who visited the CrowdStrike booth. More than half of attendees we spoke with expressed a positive view of the company following the outage. "Does it lower my opinion of their ability to be a leading-edge security company? I don't think so," said a U.S. government employee, who said he uses CrowdStrike every day. Although TechCrunch does note that one engineer told his parent company they might consider Crowdstrike competitor Sophos...<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Some+Def+Con+Attendees+Forgive+Crowdstrike+-+and+Some+Blame+Microsoft+Windows%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F11%2F0520231%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F11%2F0520231%2Fsome-def-con-attendees-forgive-crowdstrike---and-some-blame-microsoft-windows%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/11/0520231/some-def-con-attendees-forgive-crowdstrike---and-some-blame-microsoft-windows?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> EditorDavid 2024-08-11T07:34:00+00:00 security mistakes-were-made it 92 92,90,85,67,13,6,4 https://yro.slashdot.org/story/24/08/10/1844244/north-korean-group-infiltrated-100-plus-firms-with-imposter-it-pros?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed "CrowdStrike has continued doing what gave it such an expansive footprint in the first place," writes CSO Online &mdash; "detecting cyber threats and protecting its clients from them." They interviewed Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike's SVP of counter adversary operations, whose team produced their 2024 Threat Hunting Report (released this week at the Black Hat conference). Of seven case studies presented in the report, the most daring is that of a group CrowdStrike calls Famous Chollima, an alleged DPRK-nexus group. Starting with a single incident in April 2024, CrowdStrike discovered that a group of North Koreans, posing as American workers, had been hired for multiple remote IT worker jobs in early 2023 at more than thirty US-based companies, including aerospace, defense, retail, and technology organizations. CrowdStrike's threat hunters discovered that after obtaining employee-level access to victim networks, the phony workers performed at minimal enough levels to keep their jobs while attempting to exfiltrate data using Git, SharePoint, and OneDrive and installing remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools RustDesk, AnyDesk, TinyPilot, VS Code Dev Tunnels, and Google Chrome Remote Desktop. The workers leveraged these RMM tools with company network credentials, enabling numerous IP addresses to connect to victims' systems. CrowdStrike's OverWatch hunters, a team of experts conducting analysis, hunted for RMM tooling combined with suspicious connections surfaced by the company's Falcon Identity Protection module to find more personas and additional indicators of compromise. CrowdStrike ultimately found that over 100 companies, most US-based technology entities, had hired Famous Chollima workers. The OverWatch team contacted victimized companies to inform them about potential insider threats and quickly corroborated its findings. Thanks to Slashdot reader snydeq for sharing the news.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=North+Korean+Group+Infiltrated+100-Plus+Firms+with+Imposter+IT+Pros%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F10%2F1844244%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F10%2F1844244%2Fnorth-korean-group-infiltrated-100-plus-firms-with-imposter-it-pros%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://yro.slashdot.org/story/24/08/10/1844244/north-korean-group-infiltrated-100-plus-firms-with-imposter-it-pros?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> EditorDavid 2024-08-10T18:46:00+00:00 crime cuckoo's-nest yro 16 16,16,13,13,2,0,0 https://yro.slashdot.org/story/24/08/09/2324206/russia-blocks-signal-messaging-app?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed Russia has blocked access to the encrypted Signal messaging app to "prevent the messenger's use of terrorist and extremist purposes." YouTube is also facing mass outages following repeated slowdowns in recent weeks. The Associated Press reports: Russian authorities expanded their crackdown on dissent and free media after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. They have blocked multiple independent Russian-language media outlets critical of the Kremlin, and cut access to Twitter, which later became X, as well as Meta's Facebook and Instagram. In the latest blow to the freedom of information, YouTube faced mass outages on Thursday following repeated slowdowns in recent weeks. Russian authorities have blamed the slowdowns on Google's failure to upgrade its equipment in Russia, but many experts have challenged the claim, arguing that the likely reason for the slowdowns and the latest outage was the Kremlin's desire to shut public access to a major platform that carries opposition views.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Russia+Blocks+Signal+Messaging+App%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F09%2F2324206%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F09%2F2324206%2Frussia-blocks-signal-messaging-app%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://yro.slashdot.org/story/24/08/09/2324206/russia-blocks-signal-messaging-app?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> BeauHD 2024-08-10T00:02:00+00:00 censorship cease-and-desist yro 47 47,44,37,33,15,10,3 https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/09/2054225/sinkclose-flaw-in-hundreds-of-millions-of-amd-chips-allows-deep-virtually-unfixable-infections?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: Security flaws in your computer's firmware, the deep-seated code that loads first when you turn the machine on and controls even how its operating system boots up, have long been a target for hackers looking for a stealthy foothold. But only rarely does that kind of vulnerability appear not in the firmware of any particular computer maker, but in the chips found across hundreds of millions of PCs and servers. Now security researchers have found one such flaw that has persisted in AMD processors for decades, and that would allow malware to burrow deep enough into a computer's memory that, in many cases, it may be easier to discard a machine than to disinfect it. At the Defcon hacker conference tomorrow, Enrique Nissim and Krzysztof Okupski, researchers from the security firm IOActive, plan to present a vulnerability in AMD chips they're calling Sinkclose. The flaw would allow hackers to run their own code in one of the most privileged modes of an AMD processor, known as System Management Mode, designed to be reserved only for a specific, protected portion of its firmware. IOActive's researchers warn that it affects virtually all AMD chips dating back to 2006, or possibly even earlier. Nissim and Okupski note that exploiting the bug would require hackers to already have obtained relatively deep access to an AMD-based PC or server, but that the Sinkclose flaw would then allow them to plant their malicious code far deeper still. In fact, for any machine with one of the vulnerable AMD chips, the IOActive researchers warn that an attacker could infect the computer with malware known as a "bootkit" that evades antivirus tools and is potentially invisible to the operating system, while offering a hacker full access to tamper with the machine and surveil its activity. For systems with certain faulty configurations in how a computer maker implemented AMD's security feature known as Platform Secure Boot -- which the researchers warn encompasses the large majority of the systems they tested -- a malware infection installed via Sinkclose could be harder yet to detect or remediate, they say, surviving even a reinstallation of the operating system. Only opening a computer's case, physically connecting directly to a certain portion of its memory chips with a hardware-based programming tool known as SPI Flash programmer and meticulously scouring the memory would allow the malware to be removed, Okupski says. Nissim sums up that worst-case scenario in more practical terms: "You basically have to throw your computer away." In a statement shared with WIRED, AMD said it "released mitigation options for its AMD EPYC datacenter products and AMD Ryzen PC products, with mitigations for AMD embedded products coming soon." The company also noted that it released patches for its EPYC processors earlier this year. It did not answer questions about how it intends to fix the Sinkclose vulnerability.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status='Sinkclose'+Flaw+in+Hundreds+of+Millions+of+AMD+Chips+Allows+Deep%2C+Virtually+Unfixable+Infections%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F09%2F2054225%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F09%2F2054225%2Fsinkclose-flaw-in-hundreds-of-millions-of-amd-chips-allows-deep-virtually-unfixable-infections%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/09/2054225/sinkclose-flaw-in-hundreds-of-millions-of-amd-chips-allows-deep-virtually-unfixable-infections?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> BeauHD 2024-08-09T23:20:00+00:00 security lurking-in-the-background it 57 57,54,49,44,15,5,1 https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/09/2038220/cow-and-calf-die-after-hackers-attack-farms-milking-robot?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed According to Agrarheute, hackers launched a cyberattack on a Swiss farmer's computer system, disrupting the flow of vital data from a milking robot. Tragically, this led to the death of a cow and her calf. From the report (translated from German into English): According to the CSO, hackers attacked the computers of a farmer from Hagendorn. The dairy farmer's milking robot was also connected to these computers. When the animal owner stopped receiving milking data, he initially suspected a dead zone. But then he learned from the manufacturer of his milking system that he had been hacked. Apparently it was a ransomware attack. The hackers demanded $10,000 to decrypt the data. The farmer considered whether he should give in to the cyber criminals' demands. At first he thought the data on the amount of milk produced was bearable. In addition, the milking robot also worked without a computer or network connection. The cows could therefore continue to be milked. For one cow , however, the cyberattack ended tragically. The farmer normally receives vital data from his cows via the system. This is particularly important and critical for pregnant animals. One cow's calf died in the womb. Because the computer was paralyzed, Bircher was unable to recognize the emergency in time. They tried everything to at least save the cow, but in the end it had to be put down. Overall, the attack caused monetary damages amounting to the equivalent of over 6,400 euros, mainly due to veterinary costs and the purchase of a new computer. However, the hackers came away empty-handed.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Cow+and+Calf+Die+After+Hackers+Attack+Farm's+Milking+Robot%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F09%2F2038220%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F24%2F08%2F09%2F2038220%2Fcow-and-calf-die-after-hackers-attack-farms-milking-robot%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://it.slashdot.org/story/24/08/09/2038220/cow-and-calf-die-after-hackers-attack-farms-milking-robot?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> BeauHD 2024-08-09T22:00:00+00:00 security nobody-is-safe-from-cyber-attacks it 39 39,36,30,20,7,1,1 Search Slashdot stories query https://it.slashdot.org/search.pl