Comment

I hope nobody loses their shirt over this.

Summary

• Sensitive data exposed: Internal code, infrastructure diagrams, passwords, and other technical information were publicly accessible on GitHub for months.
• Source unclear: Unclear if an outside hacker or Binance employee accidentally uploaded the data.
• Potential risk: Information could be used by attackers to compromise Binance systems, though Binance claims "negligible risk".
• Data details: Included code related to passwords and multi-factor authentication, diagrams of internal infrastructure, and apparent production system passwords.
• Binance response: Initially downplayed the leak, later acknowledged data was theirs but downplayed risk.
• Current status: Data removed from GitHub via copyright takedown request.
• Unclear if any malicious actors accessed the data.

Summary

Germany's renewable energy share reached a record 55% in 2023, driven by capacity expansion and favorable weather. This significant jump brings the country closer to its ambitious 2030 target of 80% green energy. Offshore wind led the way, followed by solar and biomass. The government's simplification of approval processes is credited with boosting growth. Power demand decreased due to economic slowdown and prioritizing renewables over fossil fuels. Despite temporary price spikes in 2022, day-ahead power prices stabilized in 2023, reflecting the increasing role of renewables. Overall, these developments highlight Germany's progress and the challenges it faces in its transition to a sustainable energy future.

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The issue:

Android users with Firefox can't access Google Search (including intl sites and localized domains like google.de, .co.uk, .com.br). Instead, they see a blank page.

Cause:

A server-side bug on Google's end related to User-Agent (UA) sniffing, which serves an empty page to newer Firefox versions.

Affected versions:

All Firefox versions on Android (>= 65) including Mobile 121.0, Nightly 123, and older.

Chrome not affected:

The bug is specific to Firefox.

Solutions:

• Use a different browser (Chrome, etc.) or search engine (DuckDuckGo).

Advanced users can:

• Change Firefox's UA in developer settings or with add-ons.

• Request the desktop version of Google from Firefox settings (region-dependent).

Status:

• Problem identified as critical and escalated.
• Still unresolved at the time of reporting.

Additional notes:

• Disabling Firefox's Enhanced Tracking Protection doesn't fix the issue.
• Some users report google.co.in loading the desktop site instead of mobile.

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Summary

• First cub sighting in 10 years: Camera captures a mother tiger with two cubs in Thailand, a major boost for the species.
• Population boom: Tiger numbers skyrocket, from 46 in 2007 to potentially 190 now, making Thailand the only Southeast Asian country with significant growth.
• Conservation works: Thailand's efforts, like anti-poaching measures and reduced human activity, are paying off. The country can now even become a source of tigers for struggling neighbours.
• Hope for the future: With a thriving population and suitable habitat, tigers seem set to flourish in Thailand's western rainforests.

Comments

However good this is, I personally wouldn't want to run into one of these in the wild.

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Key Points:

• Security and privacy concerns: Increased use of AI systems raises issues like data manipulation, model vulnerabilities, and information leaks.
• Threats at various stages: Training data, software, and deployment are all vulnerable to attacks like poisoning, data breaches, and prompt injection.
• Attacks with broad impact: Availability, integrity, and privacy can all be compromised by evasion, poisoning, privacy, and abuse attacks.
• Attacker knowledge varies: Threats can be carried out by actors with full, partial, or minimal knowledge of the AI system.
• Mitigation challenges: Robust defenses are currently lacking, and the tech community needs to prioritize their development.
• Global concern: NIST's warning echoes recent international guidelines emphasizing secure AI development.

Overall:

NIST identifies serious security and privacy risks associated with the rapid deployment of AI systems, urging the tech industry to develop better defenses and implement secure development practices.

Comment:

From the look of things, it looks like it's going to get worse before it gets better.

My favorite:

We found out that joy matters

Joy is a vital human emotion—but as researchers noted in 2020, "surprisingly little" study has investigated exactly what it means and how to experience more of it. In 2023, that started to change. Researchers from more than a dozen institutions, including Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley, teamed up to determine whether performing micro-acts of joy changes how people feel in the short- and long-term, and whether there are differences based on factors like age, race, and location. Inaugural data from the BIG JOY Project—the world's largest citizen science project on joy, with nearly 70,000 participants spanning more than 200 countries—were released in November. Among the findings: Daily micro-acts of joy, like making a gratitude list or practicing positive reframing, helped participants experience a 25% increase in emotional well-being, 34% boost in levels of coping perception, and 12% jump in self-reported sleep quality over the course of a week. People can still sign up to participate in the project, and published research further quantifying the benefits of joy is expected in 2024.—Angela Haupt

Summary

Health and Science:

• COVID-19 deaths fell significantly: Thanks to widespread vaccinations and treatments, COVID-19 deaths plummeted compared to previous years.
• Life expectancy rose: With fewer fatalities from the virus, life expectancy in the U.S. started to climb back up.
• Major advances in surgical science: Doctors achieved remarkable feats like transplanting animal organs into humans and performing the world's first whole-eye transplant.
• CRISPR gene-editing for a disease: Patients with sickle cell anemia received the first-ever CRISPR treatment for a disease in the U.S.

Climate and Environment:

• Electric vehicles reduced fossil fuel demand: EVs made a noticeable dent in global oil use, paving the way for a cleaner future.
• Good climate ideas became action: Innovative clean energy solutions like long-lasting iron-air batteries and carbon-based thermal batteries moved from concept to reality.
• A landmark treaty for the High Seas: A new agreement established a legal framework for protecting previously unregulated ocean areas.
• COP28 acknowledged the problem and solutions: Climate negotiations finally recognized the need to transition away from fossil fuels and ramp up renewables.
• Climate lawsuits started making a difference: A growing number of legal cases pushed governments and corporations toward responsible environmental practices.

Other Improvements:

• Violent crime declined: Across the U.S., violent crime rates dropped significantly.
• More scientific studies became free: Open access initiatives made research data more accessible to the public.
• Joy was scientifically proven to matter: A large-scale project demonstrated the positive impact of daily micro-acts of joy on well-being and sleep.

Overall, 2023 was a year marked by progress in various areas despite ongoing challenges. From advancements in healthcare and climate action to a renewed focus on mental well-being, these positive developments offer hope for the future.

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Key points:

• First-time painted dog mother abandons 8 pups at Potawatomi Zoo.
• Golden retriever named Kassy becomes surrogate mother to pups.
• 3 pups survive despite initial struggles due to missing pack interactions.
• Pups, named Blue, Red, and Orange, won't immediately rejoin painted dog pack to avoid conflict.
• Story highlights animal care difficulties, endangered species survival, and zoo conservation efforts.

Additional details:

• Painted dogs endangered due to habitat loss and hunting.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_wild_dog

cross-posted from: https://zerobytes.monster/post/5063838

I guess if the law firm handles its own data breach this way; you can expect the companies to handle the breaches the same way.

Summary

The international law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, specializing in handling security incidents for companies, suffered a cyberattack in March 2023, resulting in the exposure of sensitive health information belonging to over 637,000 data breach victims.

The stolen data included consumer names, dates of birth, postal address and email addresses, and government-issued identification numbers, such as Social Security numbers, passport and driver license numbers, and tax identification numbers. The data also includes medical treatment and diagnosis information, insurance claims information — such as the date and costs of services — and healthcare insurance numbers and provider details.

Orrick, serving as legal counsel during security incidents at other companies, revealed that the breach also affected clients such as EyeMed Vision Care, Delta Dental, MultiPlan, Beacon Health Options, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The number of affected individuals tripled since the initial disclosure. Orrick reached a settlement for class action lawsuits in December, which accused Orrick of failing to inform victims of the breach until months after the incident, acknowledging the incident's impact and expressing regret for the inconvenience caused. The firm did not disclose details about the hackers' entry or whether a financial ransom was demanded.

Summary:

The article discusses the phenomenon of microchimerism, where cells from a developing fetus can integrate into the mother's body and persist for years, potentially influencing various aspects of health. This bidirectional transfer of cells between mother and fetus during pregnancy is suggested to occur in various organs, such as the heart, lungs, breast, colon, kidney, liver, and brain. These cells, referred to as microchimeric cells, are genetically distinct entities that may play a role in immune system development, organ acceptance in transplantation, and even influencing behavior.

Researchers propose that microchimeric cells might impact susceptibility to diseases, pregnancy success, and overall health. Studies in mice suggest that these cells acquired during gestation could fine-tune the immune system and contribute to successful pregnancies. The article explores potential benefits and drawbacks of microchimerism, including its role in autoimmune diseases, organ acceptance in transplantation, and pregnancy complications.

Despite the widespread presence of microchimeric cells in individuals, many aspects of their function remain unclear, leading to debates among researchers. Some scientists believe that these cells may be influential architects of human life, potentially holding therapeutic implications for conditions like autoimmune diseases and high-risk pregnancies. However, challenges in studying microchimerism, including their rarity and hidden locations within the body, contribute to the ongoing controversy and uncertainty surrounding their significance.

Summary:

The author reflects on the challenges of memory and highlights a forgotten but valuable feature of Google Assistant on Android. The feature, called "Open memory," serves as a hub for Assistant's cross-platform information-storing system. Users can ask Google Assistant to remember specific information, and the "Open memory" command allows them to access a comprehensive list of everything stored, making it a useful tool for recalling details from any device connected to Google Assistant. The article emphasizes the potential of this feature for aiding memory and suggests incorporating it into daily habits for better recall.

From: https://petapixel.com/2023/05/30/15-incredible-photos-from-2023-milky-way-photographer-of-the-year/

Full Story

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/christine-crosss-dream-of-petting-a-penguin-is-fulfilled-for-christmas/

Summary

An elderly woman named Christine Cross has always been a huge fan of penguins. For Christmas, her daughter Lindsay fulfilled Christine's lifelong dream of petting a real penguin at SeaWorld San Diego. Christine was so overcome with emotion that she cried tears of joy.

Christine has always felt a connection to penguins because they are clumsy on land but graceful in the water, just like her. She collects anything penguin-themed and has sponsored penguins in zoos for years.

Lindsay said that when she told Christine about the present, "she didn't say any words. It was more like an excited noise." After the experience, Christine couldn't stop saying thank you.

These two news articles being consecutive is hilarious.

Summary

A new sextortion scam is circulating, impersonating YouPorn. Victims receive an email claiming that a sexually explicit video of them has been uploaded to the site and must pay to have it removed. In the past, similar scams threatened to share explicit content with contacts unless a ransom was paid, generating substantial profits. This recent scam claims to be from YouPorn, offering a free removal link that leads to nothing and lists paid options ranging from $199 to $1,399. Victims are urged to pay via Bitcoin. Thankfully, this campaign has not been successful, but it's important to remember that these emails are scams. If you receive such an email, delete it; there is no actual video, and making payments is not advisable.

TLDR; if your Linkedin account is taken over, the only way that you can get rid of the hacker may be to get support to do it.

Summary

• A LinkedIn user, Pearce, received an SMS text from LinkedIn telling him to reset his password. He checked his account and found that there was an unknown IP address in Texas logged into his account.

• Pearce changed his password and enabled multi-factor authentication, but the unwanted active session remained.

• He opened a support ticket with LinkedIn, but it took them 3-4 days to reply. LinkedIn eventually signed Pearce out of all sessions and sent him a password reset link.

• LinkedIn explained that Pearce's account may have been compromised if he had recently signed in from a public computer, used an outdated email or phone number, or used the same password on multiple websites.

• LinkedIn recommends that users check their email addresses and enable two-factor authentication to protect their accounts.

• The article also mentions that LinkedIn has added an option to end individual sessions, but it doesn't always work as advertised.

Additional Details

• The unwanted active session could not be removed by changing the password or enabling multi-factor authentication.

• LinkedIn Support was overwhelmed by the number of requests they received about this campaign, so it took them a long time to reply to Pearce's ticket.

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Summary

Scout, a stray dog with a mysterious past and signs of abuse, escaped from an animal shelter and repeatedly found his way into a nursing home called Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility. After several visits, the nursing home staff adopted him as their own pet, bringing joy to the residents. Despite his troubled history, Scout displayed a strong bond with the elderly residents, comforting and protecting them. He became an integral part of their extended family, offering companionship and a sense of security.

by long10000

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by 杨志强Zhiqiang

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by David290

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by long10000

Short Summary

The macOS app called NightOwl, originally designed to provide a night mode feature for Macs, has turned into a malicious tool that collects users' data and operates as part of a botnet. Originally well-regarded for its utility, NightOwl was bought by another company, and a recent update introduced hidden functionalities that redirected users' data through a network of affected computers. Web developer Taylor Robinson discovered that the app was running a local HTTP proxy without users' knowledge or consent, collecting users' IP addresses and sending the data to third parties. The app's certificate has been revoked, and it is no longer accessible. The incident highlights the risks associated with third-party apps that may have malicious intentions after updates or ownership changes.

Longer Summary

The NightOwl app was developed by Keeping Tempo, an LLC that went inactive earlier this year. The app was recently found to have been turned into a botnet by the new owners, TPE-FYI, LLC. The original developer, Michael Kramser, claims that he was unaware of the changes to the app and that he sold the company last year due to time constraints.

Gizmodo was unable to reach TPE-FYI, LLC for comment. However, the internet sleuth who discovered the botnet, Will Robinson, said that it is not uncommon for shady companies to buy apps and then monetize them by integrating third-party SDKs that harvest user data.

Robinson also said that it is understandable why developers might sell their apps, even if it means sacrificing their morals. App development is both hard and expensive, and for individual creators, it can be tempting to take the money and run.

This is not the first time that a popular app has been turned into a botnet. In 2013, the Brightest Flashlight app was sued by the Federal Trade Commission after allegedly transmitting users' location data and device info to third parties. The developer eventually settled with the FTC for an undisclosed amount.

In 2017, software developers discovered that the Stylish browser extension started recording all of its users' website visits after the app was bought by SimilarWeb. Another extension, The Great Suspender, was flagged as malware after it was sold to an unknown group back in 2020.

All of these apps had millions of users before anyone recognized the signs of intrusion. In these cases, the new app owners' shady efforts were all to support a more-intrusive version of harvesting data, which can be sold to third parties for an effort-free, morals-free payday.

Possible Takeaways

• Minimize the software you use

• Keep track of ownership changes

• Use software from only the most reputable sources

• Regularly review installed apps

• Be suspicious about app's unexpected behaviors and permissions

What are TunnelCrack vulnerabilities?

• Two widespread security vulnerabilities in VPNs can be abused by an adversary to leak traffic outside the VPN tunnel.
• The two vulnerabilities are called the LocalNet and ServerIP attack.

Summary of what VPNs are vulnerable to TunnelCrack

• VPNs for iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and macOS are extremely likely to be vulnerable
• A majority of VPNs on Windows and Linux are vulnerable
• Android is the most secure with roughly one-quarter of VPN apps being vulnerable.
• Users generally decide which VPN protocol to adopt while creating the VPN tunnel, with common options being OpenVPN, WireGuard, or IPsec. As a result, the precise configuration of the client, and whether it is vulnerable to (variants of) our attacks, may depend on the chosen VPN server and protocol.

TunnelCrack Prevention

To prevent the attack, VPN clients should be updated to send all traffic through the VPN tunnel, except traffic generated by the VPN app itself.

How do the LocalNet and ServerIP attacks work?

LocalNet attack:

• The adversary acts as a malicious Wi-Fi or Ethernet network and tricks the victim into connecting to it.

• Once connected, the adversary assigns a public IP address and subnet to the victim.

• The adversary then tells the victim that the local network is using this subnet, which means that IP addresses in this range are directly reachable in the local network. When the victim now visits a website with an IP address in this range, the web request will be sent outside the protected VPN tunnel.

• 66+ VPNs on five platforms were tested and found that all VPN apps on iOS are vulnerable. Additionally, all but one VPN client on macOS is vulnerable, on Windows a large majority of VPNs are vulnerable, and on Linux more than one-third are vulnerable. Interestingly, VPN apps on Android are typically the most secure, with one-quarter being vulnerable to the LocalNet attack.

ServerIP attack:

• The adversary abuses the observation that many VPNs don't encrypt traffic towards the IP address of the VPN server. This is done to avoid re-encryption of packets.

• The adversary first spoofs the DNS reply for the VPN server to return the IP address of a website that they control. The victim will then connect with the VPN server at this IP address.

• To assure the victim still successfully creates a VPN connection, the adversary redirects this traffic to the real VPN server.

• While establishing the VPN connection, the victim will add a routing rule so that all traffic to the VPN server, in this case the spoofed IP address, is sent outside the VPN tunnel. When the victim now visits a website with the IP address of the VPN server, the web request is sent outside the protected VPN tunnel.

• Built-in VPN clients of Windows, macOS, and iOS are vulnerable. Android 12 and higher is not affected. A significant number of Linux VPNs are also vulnerable.

Short summary: This is a sophisticated malware campaign that is targeting inexperienced cyber criminals with the goal of stealing their cryptocurrency and other sensitive information. The campaign is using malicious OpenBullet configuration files to distribute the malware, and it is targeting criminal communities that are known to use cryptocurrencies.

Other reading: https://thehackernews.com/2023/08/new-malware-campaign-targets.html