Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Stealthy VPN Backdoor Uses 'Magic Packets' to Evade Detection

2025-01-24

Researchers uncovered a novel backdoor, dubbed J-Magic, infecting dozens of enterprise VPNs running Juniper's Junos OS. This backdoor leverages 'magic packets' embedded within normal TCP traffic, activating only upon receiving specific data patterns. To prevent unauthorized access, J-Magic employs an RSA encryption challenge-response mechanism. Its in-memory operation further hinders detection. The backdoor has been found in 36 organizations across various industries, including semiconductor, energy, manufacturing, and IT. The origin of the infection remains unknown.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Backdoor

South Korea's Democracy Defends Itself Against a Midnight Coup Attempt

2025-01-24

President Yoon Suk-yeol's surprise midnight declaration of martial law in South Korea was swiftly met with a powerful response from legislators and civil society. This near-coup attempt was thwarted within hours, highlighting the resilience of South Korean democracy. Decades of struggle against authoritarian rule have fostered a deeply networked society with strong civic engagement and near-universal digital connectivity. While political polarization remains a concern, the rapid mobilization against the attempted power grab underscores the strength of South Korea's democratic institutions and its citizens' commitment to defending them.

(carnegieendowment.org)

Tech democracy political crisis

100% Unemployment: The Looming Threat of Automation

2025-01-24

Software engineer Mike expresses concern about the potential for widespread unemployment due to automation. He argues that AI and automation will soon replace many, if not all, jobs susceptible to automation, challenging the notion that technological advancements will create new jobs. He raises the critical question of how to define personal worth in a future where most people lack economic value, prompting reflection on societal structures and individual value.

(hyponymo.us)

Tech Unemployment

China's 'Artificial Sun' Sets New Fusion Record: 1,006 Seconds of Plasma Confinement

2025-01-24

China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), nicknamed the 'artificial sun', has achieved a groundbreaking milestone in fusion energy research. It sustained high-confinement plasma operation for an unprecedented 1,066 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 403 seconds (also set by EAST). This significant achievement represents a crucial step towards harnessing fusion energy – a clean, virtually limitless power source. The success is attributed to advancements in heating system stability, control system accuracy, and diagnostic systems. This breakthrough not only showcases China's leadership in fusion research but also offers hope for a cleaner energy future.

(charmingscience.com)

Tech Nuclear Fusion EAST Tokamak

Amazon UK Halts Sales of Bloomsbury Books

2025-01-24

Amazon UK has announced it will cease selling Bloomsbury's print and ebooks, citing a failure to agree on new contract terms. This move could severely impact Bloomsbury and reignites concerns about Amazon's trade terms with publishers. Amazon claims Bloomsbury refused good-faith negotiations, while its existing terms differed greatly from those of other publishers. While Amazon assures customers can still buy Bloomsbury books from third-party sellers, this is a high-risk strategy impacting sales of many bestselling authors published by Bloomsbury, including J.K. Rowling. The incident echoes a similar public battle between Amazon and Hachette over a decade ago.

(www.thebookseller.com)

Tech Bloomsbury Publishing

macOS Kernel Vulnerability CVE-2024-54507: A Ghostly sysctl Overread

2025-01-23

A security researcher uncovered a fascinating vulnerability (CVE-2024-54507) in the XNU kernel of macOS 15.0. The bug resides within the `sysctl_udp_log_port` function, where an integer type confusion leads to a 4-byte read instead of the expected 2-byte read of a `uint16_t` variable, resulting in a 2-byte out-of-bounds read. An attacker could exploit this to read parts of kernel memory; while the contents depend on linker behavior and system configuration, it could still leak sensitive data. Apple patched this vulnerability in macOS 15.2 and iOS 18.2.

(jprx.io)

Tech kernel vulnerability

Trump Signs Crypto Executive Order, Charting a Path for US Digital Assets

2025-01-23

President Trump signed a long-awaited executive order on cryptocurrencies, setting a federal agenda to bring US digital asset businesses under friendlier oversight. The order establishes a working group to review existing regulations and propose modifications or revocations within 180 days. It also bans the development of a US central bank digital currency (CBDC). The move is seen as positive for the crypto industry, causing a brief spike in Bitcoin's price before a retracement.

(www.coindesk.com)

Tech Cryptocurrency

Google Simplifies URL Display in Mobile Search Results

2025-01-23

Google announced a simplification to how URLs are displayed in mobile search results. Previously, mobile search results included website breadcrumbs as part of the URL, but these were often truncated on smaller screens. Now, Google will remove breadcrumbs from mobile search results, displaying only the domain for a cleaner, more user-friendly experience. Desktop search results remain unchanged. This change doesn't require action from developers using breadcrumb structured data; it continues to be supported for desktop search.

(developers.google.com)

Tech Mobile Search URL Display

A Song of Ice and Fire Author Co-Authors Physics Paper

2025-01-23

George R.R. Martin, author of *A Song of Ice and Fire*, has co-authored a physics paper with a physicist from Los Alamos National Laboratory. The paper models the fictional virus from Martin's *Wild Cards* series, explaining the distribution of superpowers and mutations. While not a perfect representation, the model offers a unique pedagogical exercise, demonstrating how seemingly intractable problems can be transformed into analyzable dynamic systems for physics education.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Science Fiction George R.R. Martin

Planetary Orbit Spirographs Based on Kepler's Laws

2025-01-23

Inspired by John Carlos Baez's post on the Pentagram of Venus, Red Blob Games created a set of planetary orbit spirographs. Using Kepler's Third Law to convert orbital periods to distances from the sun, the site generates heliocentric planetary orbit images resembling spirographs. Data includes Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

(www.redblobgames.com)

Tech planetary orbits Kepler's Laws

UK Watchdog Probes Apple and Google's Mobile Empires

2025-01-23

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched investigations into Apple and Google's mobile ecosystems, marking the first use of its new digital market powers. The CMA will examine whether Apple and Google are abusing their dominant market positions, including practices like pre-installing their own apps and imposing unfair app store terms. This move aims to protect consumers and businesses from unfair practices by Big Tech. Both Apple and Google stated they would cooperate with the regulator.

(apnews.com)

Tech tech regulation Apple Google

Shocking Link Found Between ADHD and Shorter Lifespan

2025-01-23

A new study of over 30,000 UK adults with ADHD reveals a startling connection: a significantly shorter life expectancy and increased risk of mental health issues. Men with ADHD experienced a life expectancy reduction of 4.5 to 9 years, while women saw a decrease of 6.5 to 11 years. Researchers suggest this could be due to inadequate support and treatment, or potentially factors predating birth or early childhood. The findings highlight the urgent need for improved healthcare and interventions for individuals with ADHD to enhance their quality of life and lifespan.

(edition.cnn.com)

Tech lifespan

Pakistan Passes Bill Granting Sweeping Social Media Controls

2025-01-23

Pakistan's parliament passed a controversial bill granting the government extensive control over social media, including imprisonment for spreading disinformation. The bill's swift passage followed a walkout by opposition lawmakers protesting the legislation, raising concerns about further suppression of free speech. Critics argue the act allows authorities to block content deemed "unlawful and offensive," and ban individuals and organizations from social media for posting it. Social media platforms must register with a new regulatory body or face bans. Spreading disinformation becomes a criminal offense, punishable by up to three years in prison and a hefty fine. Journalists' and editors' unions strongly oppose the bill, seeing it as an attempt to stifle media and free speech.

(apnews.com)

Tech Pakistan

Heavy Social Media Use Linked to Higher Irritability

2025-01-23

A study published in JAMA Network Open found a correlation between frequent social media use and higher levels of irritability among US adults. The research, involving 42,597 participants, revealed that even after accounting for anxiety and depression, frequent use, especially among active posters, was associated with increased irritability scores. A dose-response relationship was observed, with TikTok users exhibiting the largest increase in irritability when posting multiple times daily. Political engagement also correlated with higher irritability levels. The findings suggest a potential feedback loop between social media use and irritability.

(medicalxpress.com)

Tech irritability

Subaru STARLINK Flaw Lets Hackers Remotely Control Cars, Access PII

2025-01-23

Security researchers discovered a critical vulnerability in Subaru's STARLINK connected car service. Attackers, knowing only a victim's last name and zip code, email, or license plate, could remotely start, stop, lock, unlock, and track vehicles. They could also access a year's worth of location history and retrieve sensitive personal information (address, billing details, etc.). The vulnerability allowed complete vehicle control and was patched within 24 hours. This highlights the critical need for enhanced security in connected car systems and robust user data protection.

(samcurry.net)

Tech car security

Pwn2Own Automotive 2025: 16 Zero-Days Exploited on Day One

2025-01-23

On the first day of Pwn2Own Automotive 2025, security researchers successfully exploited 16 unique zero-day vulnerabilities, earning a total of $382,750 in prize money. Fuzzware.io took the lead, hacking Autel MaxiCharger and Phoenix Contact CHARX SEC-3150 EV chargers. The competition highlighted critical vulnerabilities in EV chargers, in-vehicle infotainment systems, and car operating systems, underscoring the importance of cybersecurity in the automotive industry.

(www.bleepingcomputer.com)

Tech zero-day automotive security

The Underground Hydrogen Rush: A New Energy Race

2025-01-23

MIT Technology Review reports on an emerging energy race: the search for and exploitation of vast underground hydrogen reserves. Unlike traditional fossil fuel exploration, this race targets iron-rich rocks like olivine, which, under high temperature and pressure, undergo chemical reactions to produce hydrogen. Studies suggest that underground hydrogen deposits could reach a trillion tons, enough to meet humanity's needs for centuries. While challenges remain, such as hydrogen leakage and high transportation costs, the potential environmental benefits and positive impact on climate change make it a highly attractive energy option. This technology borrows from the oil and gas industry's expertise, but also faces the challenge of more efficient exploration and extraction methods.

(www.technologyreview.com)

Tech hydrogen energy underground energy

Clive Sinclair: The British Microcomputer Maverick

2025-01-23

Clive Sinclair, a mathematical prodigy, revolutionized the UK and European personal computer market with his affordable and innovative designs, including the ZX80 and ZX Spectrum. His relentless pursuit of low-cost hardware brought computing to the masses, despite later setbacks like the Sinclair QL. His story is a captivating blend of genius, disruptive innovation, and entrepreneurial risk-taking, showcasing the transformative power of technology.

(www.abortretry.fail)

Tech Personal Computing British Tech

Google Accelerates Android XR Platform with HTC Partnership

2025-01-23

Google announced a partnership with HTC, bringing key members of the HTC VIVE engineering team to Google to accelerate development of the Android XR platform across headsets and glasses. This move signifies Google's commitment to expanding its XR technology and strengthens its VR capabilities, promising richer XR experiences for users.

(blog.google)

Tech Virtual Reality

Unprecedented Detail: The Most Precise Map of US Waters Ever Created

2025-01-23

The US Geological Survey and its partners have unveiled the National Hydrography Dataset Plus High Resolution (NHDPlus High Resolution), the most detailed map of US waters ever produced. Boasting over 32 million features, this dataset offers an unprecedented level of detail, depicting rivers, lakes, wetlands, and more with rich attributes for mapping, analysis, and modeling. Now integrated into ArcGIS Living Atlas, this enhanced dataset provides seamless access and powerful capabilities, revolutionizing our understanding of US waterways and enabling advancements in hydrology research, environmental protection, and water resource management.

(www.esri.com)

Tech Mapping Hydrology

Can General-Purpose Robots Reignite the Economies of Germany and Japan?

2025-01-23

This article examines the relative decline of Germany and Japan's economies compared to the US and China since 1995. Jürgen Schmidhuber argues that AI-driven, general-purpose robots may be the key to reversing this trend. He recounts his early research at the Technical University of Munich, highlighting the origins of crucial AI technologies like LSTM and Transformers, and points to Germany's missed opportunities in AI development due to insufficient investment and brain drain. Schmidhuber calls for a national project in Germany to build general-purpose robots capable of performing jobs humans dislike, solving workforce shortages and revitalizing the economy.

(people.idsia.ch)

Tech Economics

Chirping Cosmic Waves Detected Far From Earth

2025-01-23

Scientists have detected 'chorus waves,' bursts of plasma sounding like birds chirping, from an unprecedented distance of over 62,000 miles from Earth. Previously observed closer to our planet, these waves, whose frequency matches human hearing, were detected by NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale satellites. The discovery, published in Nature, raises questions about the physics involved and the role of Earth's magnetic field. While chorus waves are known to exist near other planets and potentially disrupt satellite communications, this distant detection is exciting and prompts further research.

(apnews.com)

Tech cosmic waves chorus waves space physics Chorus Waves Space Plasma Earth's Magnetosphere

Apache Kvrocks: A Distributed NoSQL Database Compatible with Redis

2025-01-23

Apache Kvrocks is a distributed key-value NoSQL database that utilizes RocksDB as its storage engine and boasts compatibility with the Redis protocol. Key features include namespaces (similar to Redis SELECT but with per-namespace tokens), asynchronous replication (using binlog-like mechanisms), high availability (supporting Redis Sentinel for failover), and a centralized cluster management accessible via any Redis cluster client.

(kvrocks.apache.org)

Tech

Trump Admin Dismantles Cybersecurity Board Investigating Major Chinese Hack

2025-01-23

The Trump administration dissolved the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity Safety Review Board (CSRB), which was investigating a significant cyberattack by the Chinese hacking group Salt Typhoon on major US telecom firms. This move has sparked controversy, with Democrats accusing the administration of stacking the board with loyalists to hinder the investigation into Salt Typhoon. DHS countered that the board was pursuing agendas detrimental to national security. The hack reportedly compromised communications data of Trump, the Vice President, and other government officials.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Chinese hacking

Ledger Co-founder Kidnapped: Massive Investigation Underway in France

2025-01-23

David Balland, a co-founder of the cryptocurrency wallet company Ledger, has been kidnapped, prompting a large-scale investigation by French authorities. The incident unfolded in the Cher department of France, involving a significant police deployment including helicopters and searches of multiple locations. The motive behind the kidnapping remains unclear, and whether a ransom is involved has not been publicly disclosed. This event highlights the security risks within the cryptocurrency industry.

(www.leberry.fr)

Tech kidnapping

Bluesky's Trending Topics: A Curated Overview

2025-01-23

Bluesky social media platform showcases a vibrant array of trending feeds, categorized into diverse interests such as science, pets, books, music, gaming, art, Black culture, and sports. These curated feeds, organized by keywords and hashtags, offer users streamlined access to engaging content. The platform also provides tools for users to create and manage their own thematic feeds.

(www.bskyinfo.com)

Tech Curated Feeds

Seven Papers That Changed Computer Science History

2025-01-23

This article revisits seven influential papers that shaped modern computer science, ranging from Turing's theory of computation to Google's PageRank algorithm. Each paper's core ideas and significance are explored, with links provided for further learning. A captivating journey through the history of technology.

(terriblesoftware.org)

Tech

Google Fiber Launches Construction in Las Vegas

2025-01-22

Google Fiber has officially begun network construction in Las Vegas, starting on the west side of the city with expansion to other parts of Clark County in the coming months. This follows agreements reached in 2024 with the City of Las Vegas and Clark County. Google Fiber is committed to minimizing disruption during construction and plans to offer service in parts of the metro area later this year. Nevada residents and businesses will have access to Google Fiber's plans, boasting speeds up to 8 gigabits and prices unchanged since 2012.

(fiber.googleblog.com)

Tech Google Fiber Las Vegas Network Construction

Federal Court Rules Backdoor Searches of 702 Data Unconstitutional

2025-01-22

A federal district court has ruled that backdoor searches of databases containing Americans' private communications, collected under Section 702, typically require a warrant. This landmark ruling, following over a decade of litigation, rejects the government's claim that such searches can be conducted warrantlessly. Organizations like the EFF have long argued this practice is unconstitutional, and the court's decision is a significant victory for privacy rights. The ruling calls for Congressional reform of Section 702 to prevent future abuses.

(www.eff.org)

Tech Section 702 privacy rights unconstitutional

Trellis: AI-Powered PDF Workflow Automation

2025-01-22

Trellis is an AI-powered platform that automates PDF workflows. Its engine transforms complex documents and calls into usable data for Ops and engineering teams in seconds, not weeks. Offering customizable actions, data validation, and real-time syncing with data sources, Trellis prioritizes security with SOC II Type 2 compliance, data encryption, and private cloud deployment options. Applicable across finance, healthcare, and real estate, Trellis helps organizations improve efficiency and ensure regulatory compliance.

(runtrellis.com)

Tech PDF Automation Data Processing

Category: Tech