Day: June 16, 2019

Researcher Publishers 7 Million (Still Public) Venmo Transactions on GitHub

Remember the outrage last year when a researcher discovered that for Venmo’s 40 million users, all transactions are “public” by default and broadcast on Venmo’s API? More than a year later, computer science student Dan Salmon has demonstrated that it’s still incredibly easy to download millions of transactions through Venmo’s developer API without obtaining user…


The iPod Touch 2019 is a worthy $200 gateway to iOS 13 and Apple Arcade – CNET

Commentary: What the latest iPod Touch lacks in screen and battery life, it makes up for in apps, games, AR and a headphone jack. …read more Source:: CNet


‘Genius’ Site Said It Used Morse Code To Catch Google Stealing Song Lyrics

“Genius.com says its traffic is dropping because, for the past several years, Google has been publishing lyrics on its own platform, with some of them lifted directly from the music site,” reports the Wall Street Journal: Google denies doing anything nefarious. Still, Genius’s complaints offer a window into the challenges small tech companies can face…


Toyota wins 24 Hours of Le Mans, but not without final-hour drama – Roadshow

Toyota Gazoo Racing claims second victory in a row in world-renowned endurance race. …read more Source:: CNet


Simulating the Enigma’s Oddball Cousin

Even if you wouldn’t describe yourself as a history buff, you’re likely familiar with the Enigma machine from World War II. This early electromechanical encryption device was used extensively by Nazi Germany to confound Allied attempts to eavesdrop on their communications, and the incredible effort put in by cryptologists such as Alan Turing to crack…


Google’s Login Chief: Apple’s Sign-In Button Is Better Than Using Passwords

After Apple announced a single sign-on tool last week, The Verge interviewed Google product management director Mark Risher. Though Google offers its own single sign-on tool, The Verge found him “surprisingly sunny about having a new button to compete with. While the login buttons are relatively simple, they’re much more resistant to common attacks like…


SIM-swap attack, iPad OS, Mate X delay, Pixel 4 reveal (MobileTechRoundup show #472)

A week from hell started when a hacker took over my SIM card and Google account and it continues today. Hopefully, this podcast serves as a PSA to prepare for an account takeover and lock down your cloud services as much as possible. …read more Source:: ZDNet


Michigan Town Approves Fiber Internet Despite Intense Lobbying

Long-time Slashdot reader Proudrooster writes: Fiber Internet is coming to Traverse City, Michigan in the hopes of attracting high tech startups and helping the city become a high-tech hub. Even in the face of intense lobbying by [commercial high-speed internet provider] Charter, The Mackinaw Center for Public Policy, and a barrage of pop up ads…


America Planted Malware In Russia’s Power Grid, Says NYT

“The U.S. military’s Cyber Command has gotten more aggressive than ever against Russia in the past year, placing ‘potentially crippling malware’ in systems that control the country’s electrical grid,” according to CNET, citing a report in the New York Times: Made possible by little-noticed legal authority granted last summer by Congress, Cyber Command’s strategy shift…


A Laser Cut Gingerbread Cathedral

One of the more disappointing news stories of 2019 was the fire at the Notre Dame cathedral. Widely considered a building of great historical importance and architectural merit, it was heavily damaged and will take significant time and resources to repair. Fundamentally though, if you’re reading this, that’s probably someone else’s job. Instead, why not…