One Petabyte of Data Exposed Via Insecure Big Data Systems
Behind every big data deployment is a range of supporting technologies like databases and memory caching systems that are used to store and analyze massive data sets at lightning speeds. A new report from security research firm Binaryedge suggests that many of the organizations using these powerful data storage and analysis tools are not taking adequate steps to secure them. The result is that more than a petabyte of stored data is accessible to anyone online with the knowledge of where and how to look for it.
http://blog.binaryedge.io/2015/08/10/data-technologies-and-security-part-1/
Superdata: Hearthstone pulls in $20 million a month as it disrupts the card game industry
How is Hearthstone suddenly dominating the digital collectible card game market? The analysts believe it’s because the game has managed to recreate what World of Warcraft did to massively multiplayer online games in 2004. World of Warcraft delivered a more accessible take on the persistent online games and packed it with the Warcraft franchise’s popular characters and settings. So too does Hearthstone, streamlining the sometimes convoluted rules of collectible card games and filling it out with colorful, popular characters and settings.
Design flaw in Intel processors opens door to rootkits, researcher says
A design flaw in the x86 processor architecture dating back almost two decades could allow attackers to install a rootkit in the low-level firmware of computers, a security researcher said Thursday. Such malware could be undetectable by security products.
The vulnerability stems from a feature first added to the x86 architecture in 1997. It was disclosed Thursday at the Black Hat security conference by Christopher Domas, a security researcher with the Battelle Memorial Institute.
Wireless power transfer tech: Trials set for England’s offroads
Wireless charging technology that is built into the road, powering electric cars as they move, is to undergo trials on England’s offroads. Announced on Tuesday, the technology will address the need to power up electric and hybrid vehicles on England’s roads. The trials will get under way later this year.
Key questions that the trial will address: will the technology work safely and effectively? How will the tech allow drivers of ultra-low emission vehicles to travel longer distances without needing to stop and charge the car’s battery? The announcement referred to “dynamic wireless power transfer” technologies where cars are recharged while on the move.
Transport Minister Andrew Jones said that the government is already committing £500 million over the next five years to keep Britain at the forefront of this technology. The trials will involve fitting vehicles with wireless technology and testing the equipment, installed underneath the road, to replicate motorway conditions.
These are offroad trials and are expected to last for approximately 18 months. Subject to the results, they could be followed by on-road trials.
http://phys.org/news/2015-08-wireless-power-tech-trials-england.html
Sundar Pichai becomes CEO of Google as Sergey Brin and Larry Page form a new company
The change comes as Google reveals a new operating strategy and the creation of an umbrella company called Alphabet. Larry Page says he will serve as CEO of the new company, with Sergey Brin taking on the role of president.
Tech Firm Ubiquiti Suffers $46M Cyberheist
Networking firm Ubiquiti Networks Inc. disclosed this week that cyber thieves recently stole $46.7 million using an increasingly common scam in which crooks spoof communications from executives at the victim firm in a bid to initiate unauthorized international wire transfers.
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/08/tech-firm-ubiquiti-suffers-46m-cyberheist/
The ALICE experiment at CERN makes precise comparison of light nuclei and antinuclei
The ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN has made a precise measurement of the difference between ratios of the mass and electric charge of light nuclei and antinuclei. The result, published today in Nature Physics, confirms a fundamental symmetry of nature to an unprecedented precision for light nuclei. The measurements are based on the ALICE experiment’s abilities to track and identify particles produced in high-energy heavy-ion collisions at the LHC.
http://phys.org/news/2015-08-alice-cern-precise-comparison-nuclei.html#jCp
Microsoft drops rush Internet Explorer fix for remote code exec hole
Microsoft has released an out-of-band patch for Internet Explorer versions 7 through 11, to close a dangerous remote code execution flaw allowing attackers to commandeer machines. The attack will be a highly useful tool in hacker arsenals likely allowing them to build powerful phishing, watering hole, and malvertising campaigns. Redmond’s new Edge browser is not impacted. “The vulnerability (CVE-2015-2502) could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Internet Explorer, Microsoft says in an advisory .
IoT for cities, security and privacy concerns
In two weeks the IoT Solutions World Congress will open in Barcelona. It will be the latest addition in a growing number of conferences, seminars, exhibitions, and workshops about the Internet of Things happening all over the world.
Many cities and tech companies are investing millions to develop and run pilot programs for products that will never reach the market because they don’t incorporate strong enough security and privacy features.
One key example is smart meters. The European Union has mandated that 80% of standard electricity meters should be replaced by smart meters by 2020. Some member states introduced legislation to replace all household meters as soon as 2018.
In The Netherlands, however, there was major backlash: Consumer and privacy organizations were concerned that information relayed as frequently as every 15 minutes could allow employees of utility companies to see when properties were empty or when householders had bought expensive new gadgets. Those concerned citizens campaigned against the new meters, forcing the government to stop deployment.
http://www.citiesofthefuture.eu/is-the-iot-a-tech-bubble-for-cities/
