Software Development

 “From the get-go, this feature was useless,” researcher says of feature put into iOS 14.   Enlarge / Private Wi-Fi address setting on an iPhone. (credit: Apple) Three years ago, Apple introduced a privacy-enhancing feature that hid the Wi-Fi address of iPhones and iPads when they joined a network. On Wednesday, the world learned that …

iPhones have been exposing your unique MAC despite Apple’s promises otherwise Read More »

 Previously unknown XSS in Roundcube let Winter Vivern steal government emails.   Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) A relentless team of pro-Russia hackers has been exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in widely used webmail software in attacks targeting governmental entities and a think tank, all in Europe, researchers from security firm ESET said on Wednesday. The previously …

Pro-Russia hackers target inboxes with 0-day in webmail app used by millions Read More »

 Altered images could destroy AI model training efforts that scrape art without consent.   Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) On Friday, a team of researchers at the University of Chicago released a research paper outlining “Nightshade,” a data poisoning technique aimed at disrupting the training process for AI models, reports MIT Technology Review and VentureBeat. The …

University of Chicago researchers seek to “poison” AI art generators with Nightshade Read More »

 Repair advocates say Apple’s move is beneficial, but also strategic.   Enlarge / A section of Apple’s repair manual for the M2 MacBook Air from 2022. Apple already offers customers some repair manuals and parts through its Self-Service Repair program. (credit: Apple) Right-to-repair advocates have long stated that passing repair laws in individual states was …

Apple backs national right-to-repair bill, offering parts, manuals, and tools Read More »

 OSU officials isolate food robots after bomb threat, later resolved with an arrest.   Enlarge / A 2020 file photo of a Starship Technologies food delivery robot. Food is stored inside the robot’s housing during transportation and opened upon delivery. (credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images) On Tuesday, officials at Oregon State University issued a warning on …

“Do not open robots,” warns Oregon State amid college food delivery bomb prank Read More »

 Nvidia tried to end-run restrictions with new designs, but US govt said not so fast.   Enlarge / A press photo of the Nvidia H100 Tensor Core GPU. (credit: Nvidia) On Tuesday, chip designer Nvidia announced in an SEC filing that new US export restrictions on its high-end AI GPU chips to China are now …

US surprises Nvidia by speeding up new AI chip export ban Read More »

 1Password CTO says investigation found no compromise of user data or sensitive systems.   Enlarge (credit: 1Password) 1Password, a password manager used by millions of people and more than 100,000 businesses, said it detected suspicious activity on a company account provided by Okta, the identity and authentication service that disclosed a breach on Friday. “On …

1Password detects “suspicious activity” in its internal Okta account Read More »

 Researchers say “most transparent” AI model scores only 54% on their index.   Enlarge (credit: Getty Images / Benj Edwards) On Wednesday, Stanford University researchers issued a report on major AI models and found them greatly lacking in transparency, reports Reuters. The report, called “The Foundation Model Transparency Index,” examined models (such as GPT-4) created …

Stanford researchers challenge OpenAI, others on AI transparency in new report Read More »

 GPU-based physics simulator speeds up reality by “1,000x” while GPT-4 calls the shots.   Enlarge / In this still captured from a video provided by Nvidia, a simulated robot hand learns pen tricks, trained by Eureka, using simultaneous trials. (credit: Nvidia) On Friday, researchers from Nvidia, UPenn, Caltech, and UT Austin announced Eureka, an algorithm …

Eureka: With GPT-4 overseeing training, robots can learn much faster Read More »

 One is fatally hacked, the other shut down in international police dragnet.   Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) From the warm-and-fuzzy files comes this feel-good Friday post, chronicling this week’s takedown of two hated ransomware groups. One vanished on Tuesday, allegedly after being hacked by a group claiming allegiance to Ukraine. The other was taken out …

Feel-good story of the week: 2 ransomware gangs meet their demise Read More »