🎮 Meta Cuts VR Studio, IP Flaw Hits Mac/Linux, Secret Google-Meta Ads Deal
Good morning. It’s Thursday, August 08. Today we are covering:
Meta is closing a beloved first-party Quest studio
Zero-Day IP Address Exploit Lets Hackers Attack Mac, Linux Computers
Google and Meta struck secret ads deal to target teenagers
TikTok, Big Tech and where your data is going
A Flaw in Windows Update Opens the Door to Zombie Exploits
Let’s dive in
Meta is closing a beloved first-party Quest studio
By Nicholas Sutrich via Android Central
Meta is closing the beloved Ready at Dawn studio, a major part of Oculus Studios, due to broader Reality Labs budget cuts.
The closure of Ready at Dawn marks a significant reduction in the first-party development for the Quest platform, impacting the future of Oculus Studios.
This decision reflects wider financial adjustments and cost-saving measures within Reality Labs, highlighting the challenges faced by Meta in sustaining its VR development initiatives.
𝕏: Wait, budgetary ceiling? For reality labs, the place where meta has burned $45bn? Not a great sign for the company - Ed Zitron (@edzitron)
Zero-Day IP Address Exploit Lets Hackers Attack Mac, Linux Computers
By Kate Irwin via PCMag
A zero-day flaw using the 0.0.0.0 IP address has been exploited by hackers, affecting users of major web browsers like Safari, Chrome, and Firefox on macOS and Linux.
Oligo cybersecurity firm reported that this exploit could allow hackers to breach private networks by communicating with local software, impacting Chromium-based browsers like Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Opera.
Apple is addressing the issue in the macOS 15 Sequoia beta by blocking the 0.0.0.0 address, while Chrome proposes a similar fix; Mozilla has yet to decide on restrictions for Firefox due to potential compatibility problems.
𝕏: Hackers have been targeting developers by exploiting what's been dubbed a "0.0.0.0-day" in Chrome, Safari and Firefox. The vulnerability allows hackers into internal networks with a simple malicious webpage. It's been open for 18 years. - Thomas Brewster (@iblametom)
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Google and Meta struck secret ads deal to target teenagers
By Hannah Murphy via Financial Times
Google and Meta struck a secret deal to target Instagram ads to teenagers on YouTube, circumventing Google's rules on ad targeting for minors.
The campaign, launched with Spark Foundry, used a loophole by targeting the "unknown" category, which included many under-18 users, in violation of Google's policies.
Following the exposure of this practice, Google canceled the project and initiated an investigation, while Meta defended the strategy, claiming adherence to their own and Google's advertising policies.
𝕏: So, while @google adamantly denied serving targeted ads on kids’ videos, they were secretly working with opioid-pushing @PublicisGroupe’s @SparkFoundryWW to help @Meta target kids. “Embrace the unknown” is disgusting. - Arielle Garcia (@ArielleSGarcia)
TikTok, Big Tech and where your data is going
Washington Post
The Justice Department sued TikTok for allowing children to create accounts and collecting data on them, violating COPPA.
The issue with data collection extends beyond TikTok, as many Big Tech companies constantly observe, identify, and track users, selling their information to law enforcement and governments.
Technology reporter Drew Harwell and NOTUS investigative reporter Byron Tau discuss the broader implications of data collection and the lawsuit against TikTok on Post Reports.
A Flaw in Windows Update Opens the Door to Zombie Exploits
By Lily Hay Newman via WIRED
A Windows Update vulnerability dubbed "Downdate" can be exploited to downgrade systems to older, vulnerable versions, exposing them to a slew of historical flaws.
SafeBreach Labs researcher Alon Leviev discovered the flaw, allowing attackers to manipulate the Windows Update process without detection, targeting highly privileged code in the system's core.
Microsoft is working on a complex fix, involving careful and gradual revocation of vulnerable system files to avoid causing new issues or reintroducing previously addressed problems.
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