Zack Whittaker reports via ZDNet: A U.S. company refused to comply with a top-secret order that compelled it to facilitate government surveillance, according to newly declassified documents. According to the document, the unnamed company’s refusal to participate in the surveillance…
We Could Have Had Cellphones Four Decades Earlier
_Sharp’r_ writes: Professor Thomas Hazlett of Clemson University analyzed the history of wireless spectrum and concluded the technology was known and available for cellphones in the 40s, but there was no spectrum available. Based on assumptions cellphones would always be…
Microsoft's AI Is the First to Reach a Perfect Ms. Pac-Man Score
Maluuba, a deep-learning team acquired by Microsoft in January, has created an AI system that has achieved the perfect score for Ms. Pac-Man. According to The Verge, the AI system “learned how to reach the game’s maximum point value of…
US Spy Satellite Buzzes ISS
The spy satellite that SpaceX launched about six weeks ago appears to have buzzed the International Space Station in early June. The fly-by was made by a dedicated group of ground-based observers who continued to track the satellite after it…
Rare XP Patches Fix Three Remaining Leaked NSA Exploits
Microsoft released patches on Tuesday for unsupported versions of Windows, a decision prompted by three NSA exploits that remained unaddressed from April’s ShadowBrokers leak.
Post-WannaCry, 5.5 Million Devices Still Expose SMB Port
In its annual National Exposure Index report, Rapid7 found 160 million computers, IoT devices and servers with open ports that should not be exposed to the public network.
Abuse of Apple Search Ads Feature Leading to Fraud
Apple has removed one of its top 10 grossing productivity apps after an independent developer’s story about fraudsters’ abuse of the App Store’s Search Ads functionality went viral.
DHS, FBI Warn of North Korea ‘Hidden Cobra’ Strikes Against US Assets
DHS and the FBI warned that North Korean attackers are targeting U.S. businesses with malware- and botnet-related attacks that are part of concerted effort dubbed “Hidden Cobra.”
Decryption Utility Unlocks Files Encrypted by Jaff Ransomware
Researchers have neutralized the latest strain of the Jaff ransomware, releasing a decryption tool for unlocking files.
Mozilla Fixes 32 Vulnerabilities in Firefox 54
Mozilla fixed 32 vulnerabilities, including a critical bug that could have resulted in a crash, with the release Tuesday of Firefox 54, the latest version of its flagship browser.