🕵️♂️ North Korean cyberattacks, Secure Boot flaw, Google’s fall
Good morning. It’s Friday, July 26. Today we are covering:
North Korean chap charged for attacks on US hospitals, military, NASA – and even China
Secure Boot is completely broken on 200+ models from 5 big device makers
The Google era is officially over
Hacked, leaked, exposed: Why you should never use stalkerware apps
In Memphis, an AI Supercomputer From Elon Musk Stirs Hope and Concern
Let’s dive in
North Korean chap charged for attacks on US hospitals, military, NASA – and even China
By Simon Sharwood via The Register
Rim Jong Hyok, a North Korean national, charged for ransomware attacks on US hospitals, defense companies, NASA, and a Chinese energy company using malware from North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau.
Rim laundered ransom proceeds in China to fund further cyber attacks. The FBI seized $114,000 in virtual currency, but Rim remains at large with a $10 million reward for information.
Microsoft and Mandiant detailed Andariel's use of custom tools and evolving malware, targeting critical infrastructure and exploiting vulnerabilities like Log4J and Atlassian's Confluence.
Secure Boot is completely broken on 200+ models from 5 big device makers
By Dan Goodin via Ars Technica
Secure Boot compromised on over 200 models from Acer, Dell, Gigabyte, Intel, and Supermicro due to a leaked cryptographic key in 2022.
The key, found in a GitHub repository, was protected by a weak four-character password, making it easy to crack and bypass Secure Boot protections.
Binarly researchers discovered the breach, revealing a broader supply-chain breakdown affecting over 300 additional device models.
𝕏: Secure Boot was introduced by Microsoft not to increase security of anything - but to make installing/using free and open operating systems harder - so I could not care less if its secure or not - first thing I do on my devices is to disable this shit. - vermaden (@vermaden)
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The Google era is officially over
By David Pierce via The Verge
Google Search faces new threats from products like OpenAI’s SearchGPT, challenging its dominance while still generating massive revenue.
AI companies are aggressively scraping the web for data, highlighting the need for new internet rules and norms.
Amazon's Alexa project is revealed as a significant financial loss, and new gadget reviews include the Samsung Galaxy Ring and Z Fold 6.
Hacked, leaked, exposed: Why you should never use stalkerware apps
By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai via TechCrunch
Stalkerware apps are prone to hacks and data breaches, with at least 21 companies affected since 2017, including recent breaches of Spytech and mSpy in 2024.
Stalkerware is used unethically to monitor partners and children, often leading to real-world harm and raising significant privacy concerns.
Hackers target stalkerware companies to expose their unethical practices and poor security measures, often leading to company shutdowns and public embarrassment.
𝕏: As per tradition, here's the updated list of all stalkerware companies that have been hacked, or have leaked sensitive data, since 2017. The list is so long that it doesn't fit in a tweet anymore. - Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai (@lorenzofb)
In Memphis, an AI Supercomputer From Elon Musk Stirs Hope and Concern
By Patrick Sisson via Bloomberg
Elon Musk's AI company is rapidly building a supercomputer in South Memphis, aiming for full operations by the end of 2025.
Local residents and officials express concern about the project's environmental impact and the lack of public feedback.
The supercomputer promises to leverage quantum physics for advanced AI, raising hopes for innovation but also fears about potential negative effects.
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