Showing Archived Posts

Ransomware Attack Hits Europe; Microsoft Turns to AI to Fight Malware

Posted June 27th, 2017 at 1:53 pm (UTC-4)
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 Today’s Tech Sightings: New Ransomware Attack Hits European Firms, Infrastructure A massive cyberattack first reported in Ukraine has spread to Russia, Denmark, Britain and other countries. Hackers are targeting major companies, government agencies and infrastructure, banks, utilities, airports, and many others. In Ukraine, government agencies were unable to access their computers. In Britain, an advertising […]

Facebook Changes Mission Statement; Hackers Altered US Voter Data

Posted June 22nd, 2017 at 1:11 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Facebook Changes Mission Statement to ‘Bring the World Closer Together’ Facebook’s original mission statement was “making the world more open and connected.” But as the company approaches two billion monthly users, CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared a new mission statement: to “give people the power to build community and bring the world closer […]

The Future, According to Jack Ma; Uber CEO Resigns

Posted June 21st, 2017 at 12:18 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Alibaba’s Jack Ma: AI Could Lead to 4-hour Workdays and World War III Adding his voice to a chorus of visionaries warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), Alibaba Founder and CEO Jack Ma told CNBC AI automation could allow people more free time, perhaps leading to four-day work weeks in […]

Social Media Urged to Fight Political Bots; Most Web Apps Not Secure

Posted June 20th, 2017 at 12:48 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Oxford Professors Tell Twitter, Facebook to Fight Political Bots Top academic researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute are urging social media giants to take action to limit the widespread use of algorithms and bots for political propaganda. After analyzing millions of posts in nine countries, the professors leading the team described the […]

Mobile Phishing’s New Tricks; Older Samsung Devices Left Vulnerable

Posted June 15th, 2017 at 12:32 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Login-stealing Phishing Sites Hide Their Evil With Lots of Hyphens in URL Malicious websites are using mobile-focused phishing attacks that are adding enough hyphens to their original domain names so that they are too long to be visible in the address bar. Researchers with security firm PhishLabs say the emerging trend is […]

Google Store Flooded With Fake Apps; What Fake News Services Cost

Posted June 14th, 2017 at 12:59 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Malicious Fake Protection Apps Flood Google Play Store In the aftermath of the infamous WannaCry ransomware, criminals are now flooding the Google Play Store with fake ransomware protection tools. Researchers with security firm RiskIQ found hundreds of cases where apps available for download claim to protect mobile phones, but in fact expose […]

Two-thirds of World Now on Mobile; US Election Hack Hit 39 States

Posted June 13th, 2017 at 12:46 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: 5 Billion People Now Have a Mobile Phone Connection Two-thirds of the world’s population is now connected on mobile phones, according to GSMA Intelligence, a research group operated by GSMA, which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. GSMA Intelligence’s real-time tracker shows just a bit over 5 billion mobile users globally […]

New Robots Debut in Shanghai; Russian Malware Found on Instagram

Posted June 8th, 2017 at 12:51 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Companion Robots Featured at Shanghai Electronics Show More than 50 Chinese companies are showcasing a new generation of robots at Shanghai’s CES electronics show. The robots have heightened dexterity and skills and are being touted as potential home companions, shopping attendants or entertainers. Russian Malware Controls Hiding on Britney Spears’ Instagram Page […]

China Loves Social Media; Wikimedia’s Use of Donor Funds Questioned

Posted June 7th, 2017 at 1:30 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Study Shows Chinese Okay With Social Media Being Bad for Health An overwhelming majority of Chinese social media users – nearly 90 percent – are unperturbed by the negative effects of excessive online use, according to a national study from research group Kantar. Despite loss of sleep and privacy and other negative […]

Google Teaches Kids About Online Safety; Email Scams on the Rise

Posted June 6th, 2017 at 12:35 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Google Is Using Games to Teach Kids About Online Safety Learning how to watch your step online to avoid malware and other pitfalls is an acquired skill. And Google has just launched a new program called “Be Internet Awesome” to teach young people how to make smart decisions online. The program includes […]