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New ‘Hardened’ Tor Browser Protects Users From FBI Hacking

An anonymous reader quotes an article from Motherboard: According to a new paper, security researchers are now working closely with the Tor Project to create a “hardened” version of the Tor Browser, implementing new anti-hacking techniques which could dramatically improve the anonymity of users and further frustrate the efforts of law enforcement… “Our solution significantly improves security over standard address space layout randomization (ASLR) techniques currently used by Firefox and other mainstream browsers, ” the researchers write in their paper, whose findings will be presented in July at the Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium in Darmstadt, Germany. The researchers say Tor is currently field-testing their solution for an upcoming “hardened” release, making it harder for agencies like the FBI to crack the browser’s security, according to Motherboard. “[W]hile that defensive advantage may not last for too long, it shows that some in the academic research community are still intent on patching the holes that their peers are helping government hackers exploit.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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New ‘Hardened’ Tor Browser Protects Users From FBI Hacking

Facebook Live death highlights the risks of livestreaming

Facebook Live is great for capturing events as they happen . However, like any other live internet broadcast, it’s becoming clear that there’s also a dark side . Police have confirmed to the New York Times that Chicago man Antonio Perkins was shot to death on June 15th while he was using Facebook Live to share an otherwise normal evening. The incident isn’t strictly unique (there have sadly been other incidents of livestreamed violence before), but it underscores the lack of filters for livestreaming. Unlike similar scenes on live TV, there’s no one to cut away when horror occurs on-camera. Notably, Facebook isn’t taking the Perkins video down. While it will remove clips that sensationalize violence, it’s leaving this and other footage that it believes will boost awareness of violence and its consequences. There’s a “graphic video” warning before you start watching, but there’s otherwise nothing stopping you. As it stands, it’s doubtful that Facebook is about to have second thoughts about livestreaming. Any live video service has the potential to show something terrible — and when Facebook has over 1.6 billion active users every month, that potential is stronger than usual. If the company wants to offer livestreaming at all, it’ll have to accept that some videos are likely to be tragic. Source: New York Times

Olli is a 3D Printed, IBM Watson-Powered, Self-Driving Minibus

An anonymous reader writes from a report via Phys.Org: Arizona-based startup Local Motors unveiled Olli — a 3D-printed minibus capable of carrying 12 people. It’s powered by IBM’s supercomputer platform Watson and is designed as an on-demand transportation solution that passengers can summon with a mobile app. The company claims it can be “printed” to specification in “micro factories” in a matter of hours. They say it is ready to go as soon as regulations allow it to hit the streets. While Local Motors has developed the system to control the driving, IBM’s Watson system is used to provide the user interface so passengers can have “conversations” with Olli. “Watson is bringing an understanding to the vehicle, ” said IBM’s Bret Greenstein. “If you have someplace you need to be you can say that in your own words. A vehicle that understands human language, where you can walk in and say, ‘I’d like to get to work, ‘ that lets you as a passenger relax and enjoy your journey, ” he said. The vehicle relies on more than 30 sensors and streams of data from IBM’s cloud. Olli will be demonstrated in National Harbor, Maryland, over the next few months with additional trials expected in Las Vegas and Miami. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

GitHub Presses Big Red Password Reset Button After Third-Party Breach

John Leyden, writing for The Register: GitHub has reset the passwords of users targeted in an attack this week that relied on using stolen credentials from a breach at a third-party site. The software repository itself has not suffered a breach. Hackers behind the assault were trying to break into the accounts of users who had inadvisedly used the same login credentials on an unnamed site that had suffered a breach, as a statement by GitHub explains. GitHub said it had reset the passwords on all affected accounts before beginning the process of notifying those affected. “We encourage all users to practise good password hygiene and enable two-factor authentication to protect your account, ” GitHub sensibly advised. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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GitHub Presses Big Red Password Reset Button After Third-Party Breach

‘Spam King’ is sentenced to 2.5 years in prison

Sanford Wallace, the self-proclaimed ” Spam King ” who was responsible for a ton of spam messages on Facebook a few years ago, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison. From 2008 to 2009, Wallace blasted people with a link to an external website that stole their log-in credentials and downloaded their friends’ lists. He then spammed those users steal their log-ins in order to spam their friends, and so on and so forth. Wallace accessed Facebook’s computer network several times during that period to execute his scheme. In all, he was responsible for 27 billion spam messages on the social network. If you received any shady PM within that timeframe, it was probably from him. Wallace pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and related activity in connection with electronic mail and one count of criminal contempt in August 2015. According to Ars Technica , prosecutors asked the court for a 36-month sentence. “The defendant’s history demonstrates that he has yet to suffer a consequence — other than a default judgment that cannot be collected — for his spamming activities, ” they wrote. “A sentence of 36 months’ imprisonment will impress upon the defendant the seriousness of his actions and deter him from engaging in similar conduct again.” By “default judgment, ” they meant the $1 billion worth of fines he was hit with back in 2009, which they couldn’t collect. This time, the court ordered him to pay $310, 629 in restitution. And by “history, ” they meant Wallace’s decades-long love affair with spam. He started by inundating people with junk faxes way back in 1991. Since then, he’s faced numerous lawsuits filed by Facebook and other entities, including MySpace and AOL*. *Disclosure: As you know, AOL is Engadget’s parent company. Via: Ars Technica Source: DOJ

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‘Spam King’ is sentenced to 2.5 years in prison

Access To Thousands Of Compromised Government Servers Selling For $6 On Black Market

An anonymous reader writes: Researchers have uncovered an underground market selling information of over 70, 000 compromised servers. Russia-based Kaspersky Lab revealed that the online forum, named xDedic, seems to be operated by a Russian-speaking organisation and allows hackers to pay for undetectable access to a wide range of servers, including those owned by government, corporate and academic groups in more than 170 countries. Access to a compromised server can be bought for as little as $6. This kit comes with relevant tools to instruct on launching denial-of-service attacks and spam campaigns on the targeted network, as well as allowing criminals to illegally produce bitcoin and breach online systems, such as retail payment platforms. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Access To Thousands Of Compromised Government Servers Selling For $6 On Black Market

Twitter Invests $70 Million In Music Streaming Service SoundCloud

An anonymous reader writes: Recode reports that Twitter has decided to purchase a piece of the music streaming service SoundCloud. Roughly two years ago, Twitter thought about buying SoundCloud, but ultimately ended up walking away from the music service. Now, Twitter has invested around $70 million “as part of a round that should end up in the $100 million-range.” Recode reports: “The round is expected to value SoundCloud at about $700 million — the same value that investors placed on the company in 2014, when it raised $60 million; since then it has also raised a debt round.” Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey wouldn’t comment on the specifics, but did confirm Twitter’s stake in the company. “Earlier this year we made an investment in SoundCloud through Twitter Ventures to help support some of our efforts with creators, ” said Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. “They’ve been great partners of ours over the years and their community-supported approach mirrors ours in many ways.” Twitter may try and integrate SoundCloud into its service to increase growth and engagement, while SoundCloud may try and use Twitter to promote its newly launched subscription service. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Twitter Invests $70 Million In Music Streaming Service SoundCloud

Asymmetric Molecule, Key To Life, Detected In Space For First Time

schwit1 quotes a report from Yahoo News: Scientists for the first time have found a complex organic molecule in space that bears the same asymmetric structure as molecules that are key to life on Earth. The researchers said on Tuesday they detected the complex organic molecule called propylene oxide in a giant cloud of gas and dust near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Akin to a pair of human hands, certain organic molecules including propylene oxide possess mirror-like versions of themselves, a chemical property called chirality. Scientists have long pondered why living things make use of only one version of certain molecules, such as the ‘right-handed’ form of the sugar ribose, which is the backbone of DNA. The discovery of propylene oxide in space boosts theories that chirality has cosmic origins. The scientists in the new study used radio telescopes to ferret out the chemical details of molecules in the distant, star-forming cloud of gas and dust. As molecules move around in the vacuum of space they emit telltale vibrations that appear as distinctive radio waves. Future studies of how polarized light interacts with the molecules may reveal if one version of propylene oxide dominates in space, the researchers said. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Asymmetric Molecule, Key To Life, Detected In Space For First Time

The Biggest Maker of Raspberry Pis Has Been Acquired For $871 Million

An anonymous reader writes from a report via The Verge: The biggest manufacturer of the Raspberry Pi minicomputer, Premier Farnell, has been acquired by Swiss industrial component supplier Daetwyler Holding AG for roughly $871 million. According to Bloomberg, the deal will reportedly help both companies compete better in the components market. “By combining forces, we significantly increase our competitiveness and extend our product range, ” Daetwyler Chairman Ulrich said in a statement, “facilitating a one-stop shopping experience for our wide range of customers from a multitude of industries.” Premier Farnell is one of the only companies with a license to design and distribute Raspberry Pis. The Wall Street Journal says the Raspberry Pi devices are a big part of the company’s business, as the division in charge of the Pi raked in 16 percent of the company’s total revenue last year. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Rhapsody Rebrands Itself As Napster

An anonymous reader writes: After completing its purchase of Napster in December 2011, Rhapsody has decided to rebrand itself as Napster. Rhapsody made the announcement on their blog, which states: “No changes to your playlists, favorites, albums, and artists. Same music. Same service. Same price. 100% the music you love. Stay tuned!” That’s it. The company didn’t elaborate as to why they decided to change their name now. Napster has made a name for itself as being a brand synonymous with illegal music downloads. It’ll be interesting to what kind of effect, if any, this has on Rhapsody. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Rhapsody Rebrands Itself As Napster

Ken May

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