Tag: digital

A series of delays and major errors led to massive Equifax breach

Enlarge / A monitor displays Equifax Inc. signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York on Friday, September 15, 2017. (credit: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images ) A series of costly delays and crucial errors caused Equifax to remain unprotected for months against one of the most severe Web application vulnerabilities in years, the former CEO for the credit reporting service said in written testimony investigating the massive breach that exposed sensitive data for as many as 143 million US Consumers . Chief among the failures: an Equifax e-mail directing administrators to patch a critical vulnerability in the open source Apache Struts Web application framework went unheeded, despite a two-day deadline to comply. Equifax also waited a week to scan its network for apps that remained vulnerable. Even then, the delayed scan failed to detect that the code-execution flaw still resided in a section of the sprawling Equifax site that allows consumers to dispute information they believe is incorrect. Equifax said last month that the still-unidentified attackers gained an initial hold in the network by exploiting the critical Apache Struts vulnerability . “We at Equifax clearly understood that the collection of American consumer information and data carries with it enormous responsibility to protect that data,” Smith wrote in testimony provided to the US House Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection . “We did not live up to that responsibility.” Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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A series of delays and major errors led to massive Equifax breach

Atlus wants to cut off a PS3 emulator because it runs Persona 5

Enlarge Video game publishers often use the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to try to stop things like fan-games , ROM hacks , YouTube videos , and even “obsolete titles” from being distributed on the Internet. Japanese publisher Atlus, though, is using a more expansive view of DMCA protections to try to take down a PC-based PlayStation 3 emulator merely because it enables players to run copies of  Persona 5 . The battle centers on the Patreon page for RPCS3 , an “early, work-in-progress” effort to create a functional PS3 emulator that currently attracts more than $3,000 a month from 677 patrons. As Reddit user ssshadow notes in a thread , Atlus issued a DMCA request to Patreon to have the page taken down. While Patreon did not agree to that request, the RPCS3 team says it removed all references to Persona 5 from the Patreon page to help “resolve the situation.” Though Atlus reportedly acknowledged that “the PS3 emulator itself is not infringing on our copyrights and trademarks,” the publisher argued that “no version of the P5 game should be playable on this platform; and [the RPCS3] developers are infringing on our IP by making such games playable.” In a followup message to Patreon, Atlus reportedly argued that “to make Persona 5 work on the emulator, the user has to circumvent our DRM protections” and points out that the non-Patreon RPCS3 page provides generalized instructions for how to “dump” a legitimate copy of the game from your PS3. Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Atlus wants to cut off a PS3 emulator because it runs Persona 5

Trump Promises a Federal Technology Overhaul To Save $1 Trillion

New submitter threc shares a report from MIT Technology Review: The tech world descended on Washington, D.C. yesterday to attend a tech summit at the White House. According to MIT Technology Review associate editor Jamie Condliffe: “Trump suggested he might relax his stance on immigration as a way to get tech leaders to help his cause. ‘You can get the people you want, ‘ he told the assembled CEOs. That sweetener may be a response to a very vocal backlash in the tech world against the administration’s recent travel bans. Trump may hope that his business-friendly stance will offer enough allure: if tech giants scratch his back, he may later deign to scratch theirs.” The report continues: “‘Our goal is to lead a sweeping transformation of the federal government’s technology that will deliver dramatically better services for citizens, ‘ said Trump at the start of his meeting with the CEOs, according to the Washington Post. ‘We’re embracing big change, bold thinking, and outsider perspectives.’ The headline announcement from the event was Trump’s promise to overhaul creaking government computing infrastructure. According to Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and advisor, there’s much to be done: federal agencies have over 6, 000 data centers that could be consolidated, for instance, while the 10 oldest networks in use by the government are all at least 39 years old. The upgrade, said Trump, could save the country $1 trillion over the next 10 years.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Trump Promises a Federal Technology Overhaul To Save $1 Trillion

Tor Browser 7.0 works harder to protect your anonymity on its own

The latest update for privacy-minded folks’ favorite way to surf the web should make others’ attempts at tracking what they do even more difficult. The Tor browser’s 7. 0 version introduces a sandbox feature that, according to an interview on the Tor blog , should “make life a lot harder” for people using a Firefox exploit to discern the identities of a user. “It’s like Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, ” Tor developer Yawning Angel said. “The only reality Tor Browser knows is inside of the sandbox (cave). We prevent it from interacting with the rest of your computer (the outside world), except via the Tor Network (shadows on the wall).” The college philosophy class you barely remember aside, what the sandbox does is hides your files, your real IP address and your MAC address from the browser. Therefore, “the amount of information Tor Browser will learn about your computer, and thereby you, will be limited, ” Angel said. At the time of that interview last October, the sandbox was still unstable and very much in testing, but the recent update has brought the digital safe-zone online for Linux and macOS, and by default. Next up? Sandbox protection for Windows users. The update also imposes a few new requirements for users on Windows and macOS: Tor apparently won’t work on non-SSE2-capable Windows hardware and you need to be running OSX 10.9 or higher on Apple machines. Considering that last year a federal judge said that the FBI no longer needs warrants to hack a computer connected to the internet, this is an important update. “Even an internet user who employs the Tor network in an attempt to mask his or her IP address lacks a reasonable expectation of privacy in his or her IP address, ” judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr commented at the time. For the full rundown of what’s changed with the browser, hit the source links below. Source: Tor (1) , (2)

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Tor Browser 7.0 works harder to protect your anonymity on its own

WD’s next-gen SSDs add even more speed and capacity

Hard disk specialist Western Digital (WD) acquired SSD maker SanDisk last year for a colossal $19 billion, and now we’re getting some idea as to its strategy. The company unveiled two new lineups — branded under each company’s names — that feature the first SSDs to use 64-layer 3D NAND chips developed by SanDisk. The new, higher capacity chips will allow for “lower power consumption and higher performance, endurance and capacities, ” Western Digital wrote in its press release . The two lines, WD Blue and SanDisk Ultra 3D, are identical capacity-wise, use the same controllers and have identical performance specs — though WD Blue also offers a M.2 2280 device that SanDisk doesn’t. All of the 256GB drives, both in 2.5-inch and M.2 formats, start at a very reasonable $100. They also come in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB sizes, but WD hasn’t listed prices for those items yet. That information will be particularly interesting, since the drives require fewer chips than rival SSDs, which will hopefully drive down the prices. As for the performance, it’s pretty, pretty good. The larger capacity devices can read at 550 MB/s and write 560 MB/s, and the 256GB SSD is just a touch slower (550 MB/s and 525 MB/s). Perhaps more importantly, all products have a mean time to failure (MTTF) of 1.75 million hours. WD says that’s “industry-leading, ” but it falls behind some products, including Samsung’s (more expensive) 850 Pro , which sports a two million hour MTBF. WD gave a pretty good clue as to why it’s offering identical products under different labels. “Between our two strong brands in SanDisk and WD, and their respective loyal customer bases and distribution channels, these advanced SSDs will appeal to a very broad [range of consumers], ” said WD CEO Mike Cordano. In other words, WD has huge stores of goodwill in both brands, and it’s not willing to give that up to save some marketing costs. Source: Western Digital

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WD’s next-gen SSDs add even more speed and capacity

Sony’s latest E Ink tablet comes to the US in June

Did you see Sony’s second-generation Digital Paper and realize you found your dream e-reader? If so, you’ll get to do something about it very soon. Sony has announced that its latest 13.3-inch E Ink tablet (the DPT-RP1) will reach the US sometime in June, when it will sell for the previously announced $700. As mentioned in April, it’s really about a lot of incremental improvements: you’re most likely to notice the higher resolution (1, 650 x 2, 200), but the thinner, lighter design and NFC unlocking will also be helpful. The centerpiece remains the ability to read and annotate documents in exceptional detail — this is aimed at pros and students who need to plow through complex documents like research papers. It’s doubtful that you’ll see the new Digital Paper sitting at your local big-box store. You’ll likely have to go straight to the source or find a specialized reseller. We’ve asked Sony if it has plans for mainstream sales and will let you know if it has something to add. The $700 price makes this latest model considerably more accessible than the original Digital Paper , whose $1, 100 cost was eye-watering for just about anyone, including pros. Still, this definitely isn’t an impulse purchase in any field — you could easily get a more conventional tablet that won’t be as easy on the eyes, but should be much more than a one-trick pony. Source: Sony

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Sony’s latest E Ink tablet comes to the US in June

Today’s Massive Ransomware Attack Was Mostly Preventable—Here’s How To Avoid It

Ransomware may be mostly thought of as a (sometimes costly) nuisance, but when it hinders the ability of doctors and nurses to help people with an emergency medical problems, that qualifies as armed robbery. Read more…

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Today’s Massive Ransomware Attack Was Mostly Preventable—Here’s How To Avoid It

Today’s Massive Ransomware Attack Was Mostly Preventable—Here’s How To Avoid It

Ransomware may be mostly thought of as a (sometimes costly) nuisance, but when it hinders the ability of doctors and nurses to help people with an emergency medical problems, that qualifies as armed robbery. Read more…

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Today’s Massive Ransomware Attack Was Mostly Preventable—Here’s How To Avoid It

Today’s Massive Ransomware Attack Was Mostly Preventable—Here’s How To Avoid It

Ransomware may be mostly thought of as a (sometimes costly) nuisance, but when it hinders the ability of doctors and nurses to help people with an emergency medical problems, that qualifies as armed robbery. Read more…

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Today’s Massive Ransomware Attack Was Mostly Preventable—Here’s How To Avoid It

Amazon Confirms Advertising Will Become a ‘Meaningful’ Part of Its Business

An anonymous reader shares a report: Amazon’s advertising business has loomed quietly in the digital media space for some time but the online behemoth has given the clearest indication yet that it will now come to the fore. Advertisers and agencies have been hearing Amazon-sized footsteps for some time but until now the business has erred away from revealing too much. However, on its latest earnings call Amazon was asked by one analyst as to whether advertising could become a more “meaningful part of the business” over the near to mid-term. “It’s pretty early in the days with advertising but we’re very pleased with the team we have and the results, ” said Amazon’s chief financial officer Brian Olsavsky in response to another analyst query. “Our goal is to be helpful to consumers and enhance their shopping or their viewing experience with targeted recommendations, and we think a lot of the information we have and preferences of customers and recommendations help us do that for customers.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Amazon Confirms Advertising Will Become a ‘Meaningful’ Part of Its Business