Category: iTechnology

Category: iTechnology

Hire a Hacker: Criminal Organizations Work with Hackers to Look for Targets, Collect Ransom Proceeds
06/11/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Ransomware cases are on the rise worldwide and criminal groups based in Russia are suspected of being behind some of the biggest recent attacks. Michelle Quinn reports on the changing world of ransomware.Camera: Matt DibbleProduced by: Michelle Quinn …

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US Again Condemns Nigeria’s Twitter Ban 
06/10/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. has condemned Nigeria’s continuing ban of Twitter in the country, saying the action “has no place in a democracy.”“Freedom of expression and access to information both online and offline are foundational to prosperous and secure democratic societies,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday in a statement calling for the African nation to

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Insect-Tracking Drones to Boost Rare Bug Conservation in New Zealand
06/10/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A “swarm” of bug-tracking drones and tiny radars are being developed to help conservation of rare insects in New Zealand.  The new tag-and-track technology is being developed at the University of Canterbury on New Zealand’s South Island. Researchers hope it could lead to a deeper understanding of New Zealand’s threatened and endangered insects. The research draws on years of experience in the area

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Biden Administration to Review Trump Ban on TikTok, WeChat, Other Apps 
06/09/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Former president Donald Trump’s executive order that attempted to ban Chinese video app TikTok has been replaced by the Biden administration, which has implemented its own executive orders to review several Chinese apps for possible national security and privacy risks. President Joe Biden’s executive order directs the Commerce Department to analyze TikTok, WeChat and other Chinese

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Biden Replaces Trump Ban on TikTok, WeChat, Other Apps 
06/09/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Former president Donald Trump’s executive order that attempted to ban Chinese video app TikTok has been replaced by the Biden administration, which has implemented its own executive orders to review several Chinese apps for possible national security and privacy risks. President Joe Biden’s executive order directs the Commerce Department to analyze TikTok, WeChat and other Chinese

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Pipeline Executive Felt Cornered by Ransomware Attack
06/09/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The top executive for the biggest fuel pipeline operator in the United States told lawmakers he felt like he had no choice but to pay off hackers after a ransomware attack shut down operations along the East Coast. Testifying Tuesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Colonial Pipeline Chief Executive Joseph Blount took

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How a Fake FBI-Encrypted Device Ensnared Criminals Around the World
06/09/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The global sting operation billed as “Trojan Shield” that led to the arrests of hundreds of criminals this week began with the takedown of an encrypted device maker catering to drug traffickers around the world.  In 2018, the FBI dismantled Canada-based Phantom Secure, forcing its customers — at the time estimated at more than 10,000

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Senate Passes Bill to Boost US Tech Industry, Counter Rivals
06/09/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Tuesday that aims to boost U.S. semiconductor production and the development of artificial intelligence and other technology in the face of growing international competition, most notably from China. The 68-32 vote for the bill demonstrates how confronting China economically is an issue that unites both parties in Congress. That’s a

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With Trump Suspension, Facebook Tells World Leaders: Your Speech Will Not Get a Pass   
06/09/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook’s recent decision to ban former president Donald Trump for two years sends a message to world leaders that Facebook is stepping up its role as sheriff on its service. Tina Trinh reports.Produced by Tina Trinh …

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Internet Outage Hits Major Websites
06/08/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A number of major websites could not be reached early Tuesday following an outage at the cloud services company Fastly.The affected sites included news agencies CNN, the Guardian and the New York Times, streaming platform Twitch, and the U.K. government’s website.All were back online within a period of hours.Fastly said it identified an issue and

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US Snatches Back Ransom from Colonial Pipeline Hackers
06/08/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. law enforcement officials say they have hit back at the Russian-based criminal network that caused gas pipelines to shut down across parts of the country last month, seizing much of the multimillion-dollar ransom payment before it could be used.The Justice Department announced Monday it recovered $2.3 million of the approximately $5 million Colonial Pipeline

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Apple’s ‘Private Relay’ Will Not Be Available in China, Elsewhere
06/08/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Apple on Monday said a new “private relay” feature designed to obscure a user’s web browsing behavior from internet service providers and advertisers will not be available in China for regulatory reasons.The feature was one of a number of privacy protections Apple announced at its annual software developer conference Monday.It will also be unavailable in

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Possible First Use of AI-Armed Drones Triggers Alarm Bells
06/07/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Western military experts are assessing whether an autonomous drone operated by artificial intelligence, or AI, killed people — in Libya last year — for the first time without a human controller directing it remotely to do so.   A report by a United Nations panel of experts issued last week that concluded an advanced drone

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China Blocks Several Cryptocurrency-related Social Media Accounts Amid Crackdown
06/07/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A slew of crypto-related accounts in China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform were blocked over the weekend, as Beijing stepped up a crackdown on bitcoin trading and mining. More actions are expected, including linking illegal crypto activities in China more directly with the country’s criminal law, according to analysts and a financial regulator. Last month, China’s State Council, or cabinet, vowed to crack down on

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Microsoft Says ‘Tank Man’ Image Blocking Due to Human Error
06/06/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Microsoft Corp. blamed “accidental human error” for its Bing search engine briefly not showing image results for the search term “tank man” on the anniversary of the bloody military crackdown in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.Users in different parts of the world, including the U.S., said Friday that no image results were returned when they

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Global War on Ransomware? Hurdles Hinder US Response
06/06/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Foreign keyboard criminals with scant fear of repercussions have paralyzed U.S. schools and hospitals, leaked highly sensitive police files, triggered fuel shortages and, most recently, threatened global food supply chains.Escalating havoc caused by ransomware gangs raises an obvious question: Why has the United States, believed to have the world’s greatest cyber capabilities, looked so powerless

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Millions of Nigerian Twitter Users Blocked as Ban Takes Hold 
06/05/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Millions of Nigerians struggled Saturday to access Twitter, a day after authorities suspended the service in response to the company’s deletion of a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari for violating its terms of service.The Twitter ban took effect Saturday morning. Millions of users in Lagos and Abuja said they were unable to access their accounts.Authorities

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Nigeria Suspends Twitter Over President’s Deleted Tweet
06/05/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Nigeria’s government said Friday it was suspending Twitter indefinitely in Africa’s most populous nation, a day after the company deleted a controversial tweet President Muhammadu Buhari made about a secessionist movement.It was not immediately clear when the suspension would go into effect as users could still access Twitter late Friday, and many said they would

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Facebook Suspends Trump for at Least Two Years
06/04/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook said Friday it would suspend Donald Trump’s accounts for at least two years, retaining a ban on the former U.S. president that it imposed after determining he incited the deadly January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. “At the end of this period, we will look to experts to assess whether the risk to public

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Reports: Facebook to End Rule Exemptions for Politicians
06/04/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook plans to end a contentious policy championed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg that exempted politicians from certain moderation rules on its site, according to several news reports.The company’s rationale for that policy held that the speech of political leaders is inherently newsworthy and in the public interest even if it is offensive, bullying or otherwise

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White House Urges US Companies to Protect Against Ransomware
06/03/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The White House on Thursday urged American businesses to take new precautions to combat disruptive ransomware attacks that have increasingly hobbled companies throughout Western economies.Jen Psaki, President Joe Biden’s press secretary, urged private industry to harden access to their computer systems, saying the government “can’t do it alone.”Anne Neuberger, a White House cybersecurity official, said

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Twitter Announces New Premium Services 
06/03/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter announced a new premium service for users in Canada and Australia that allows paying users to adjust tweets, among other features.Called Twitter Blue, the service allows users to preview and modify a tweet up to 30 seconds before publishing it. Users can also bookmark and organize tweets, making them easier to find.Twitter Blue will

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