EasyDoc Malware Adds Tor Backdoor To Macs For Botnet Control

An anonymous reader writes: Security firm Bitdefender has issued an alert about a malicious app that hands over control of Macs to criminals via Tor. The software, called EasyDoc Converter.app, is supposed to be a file converter but doesn’t do its advertised functions. Instead it drops complex malware onto the system that subverts the security of the system, allowing it to be used as part of a botnet or to spy on the owner. “This type of malware is particularly dangerous as it’s hard to detect and offers the attacker full control of the compromised system, ” said Tiberius Axinte, Technical Leader, Bitdefender Antimalware Lab. “For instance, someone can lock you out of your laptop, threaten to blackmail you to restore your private files or transform your laptop into a botnet to attack other devices. The possibilities are endless.” The malware, dubbed Backdoor.MAC.Eleanor, sets up a hidden Tor service and PHP-capable web server on the infected computer, generating a .onion domain that the attacker can use to connect to the Mac and control it. Once installed, the malware grants full access to the file system and can run scripts given to it by its masters.A report on AppleInsider says that malware can also control the FaceTime camera on a victim’s computer. But thankfully, Apple’s Gatekeeper security prevents the unsigned app from being installed. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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EasyDoc Malware Adds Tor Backdoor To Macs For Botnet Control

TP-LINK Loses Control of Two Device Configuration Domains

Reader Orome1 writes: Security researcher Amitay Dan warns that tplinklogin.net, a domain through which TP-LINK router owners can configure their devices, is no longer owned by the company, and that this fact could be misused by malware peddlers. TP-LINK has confirmed that they no longer own the domain in question, and will not be trying to buy it from the unknown seller for now. Instead, they intend to change the domain in the manuals to a newer one that’s already in use.ComputerWorld has more details. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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TP-LINK Loses Control of Two Device Configuration Domains

PBS Caught Faking Fireworks During ‘Live’ Fourth of July Celebration 

There are a few things that make America great, and blowing shit up on the Fourth of July is one of them. So when PBS decided to digitally add stock footage of fireworks to its “live” coverage of the Capitol’s Independence Day celebration, some viewers were left unimpressed. Faking shit? Very Un-American. Read more…

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PBS Caught Faking Fireworks During ‘Live’ Fourth of July Celebration 

Why World Hunger Is Going to Fall to Its Lowest Levels Ever This Decade

By 2026, there’s going to be a lot less hunger worldwide—and that’s something to celebrate. The reason is not that we’re growing more food, however. Food is just getting cheaper. Read more…

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Why World Hunger Is Going to Fall to Its Lowest Levels Ever This Decade

The TSA Is About to Make Airport Security Less Terrible

It’s been a bad couple of days / months / lifetime for the Transport Security Administration, but there’s some good news. The much loathed government agency is going to try to make airport screening less terrible with fancy new automated security checkpoints. Read more…

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The TSA Is About to Make Airport Security Less Terrible

Hyperloop Connecting Helsinki and Stockholm Turns 300-Mile Trip Into 28 Minute Ride

Where will the first Hyperloop be? So far there are plans to use the tubular transportation system to move passengers in Slovakia and freight in Switzerland . But a proposed application for the Hyperloop announced today could solve a transportation conundrum that has been challenging planners for centuries: Connecting the neighboring nations of Sweden and Finland. Read more…

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Hyperloop Connecting Helsinki and Stockholm Turns 300-Mile Trip Into 28 Minute Ride

Remains of the Day: GameCube Emulation Just Got Way Better

Good news! You’ve made it to the weekend. And I know what I’ll be doing while everyone else is out grilling beneath the summer sun: playing Nintendo games on my computer thanks to a newly updated emulator. Read more…

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Remains of the Day: GameCube Emulation Just Got Way Better

Scientists Are Redefining the Kilogram

Stop the presses! Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have made a new measurement of Planck’s constant to a highly accurate degree. It’s the latest step toward improving the official definition of the kilogram, the unit of mass that underpins our entire international system of weights and measures. Read more…

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Scientists Are Redefining the Kilogram