Computer News July 4, 2020 University of California SF pays ransomware hackers $1.14 million to salvage research The malware infected crucial research stored in the UCSF medical school’s network. The cybersecurity tools an enterprise deploys, the less effective their defense is New research highlights how throwing money indiscriminately security doesn’t guarantee results. Google removes 25 Android apps caught stealing Facebook credentials The malicious apps were downloaded more than 2.34 million times. US bans export of dual-use techology to Hong Kong over China's new security laws Commerce Department says it is now too risky to send technology to Hong Kong as it may end up in the Chinese Communist Party's hands. US Cyber Command says foreign hackers will most likely exploit new PAN-OS security bug Palo Alto Networks disclosed today a major bug that lets hackers bypass authentication on its firewall and corporate VPN products. China's influence via WeChat is 'flying under the radar' of most Western democracies China's United Front Work Department performs its 'biggest magic' through WeChat. Is it to rein in its covert influence? Should it even be banned? A hacker gang is wiping Lenovo NAS devices and asking for ransoms Ransom notes signed by 'Cl0ud SecuritY' hacker group are being found on old LenovoEMC NAS devices. India bans 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, UC Browser, Weibo, and WeChat Indian government ban comes after the Indian military has clashed with Chinese forces on the country's northern border. FCC's Ajit Pai hopes a 988 suicide prevention number will save lives The chairman tells CNET that establishing 988 will be acknowledge suicide as a serious issue that demands attention. The FCC votes on 988 next month. UK court shuts down scam cryptocurrency platform GPay Ltd, £1.5 million in client funds lost GPay used fake celebrity endorsements and ads to lure traders to invest. Apple Watch, Fitbit data can spot if you are sick days before symptoms show up A Stanford study is showing how wearables have promise in helping to keep a lid on coronavirus infections. Samsung launches 8TB SSD for PCs The 870 QVO offers read and write speeds of up to 560Mbps and 530Mbps, respectively. releases emergency security update to fix two bugs in Windows codecs Security updates have been silently deployed to customers on Tuesday through the Windows Store app. Apple tells app devs to use IPv6 as it's 1.4 times faster than IPv4 Company also urges app devs to using newer web tech like HTTP/2 and TLS 1.3, citing similar performance and speed improvements. "Apple platforms have had native IPv6 support for a number of years, including support for IPv6-only networks," said Jiten Mehta, Internet Technologies Engineer at Apple. "There has been a growing trend of IPv6 usage on the internet. If we look at the last month of connections made worldwide by Apple devices, we see that IPv6 now accounts for 26% of all connections made," Mehta added. "20% of the time, the connection could have used IPv6, but the server didn't have it enabled. Gen Z has the most trouble working from home during the new normal Is your company deciding when or if to head back into the office, and if so, how do you feel about it? Gen Z certainly wants to return. Facing pressure from lawmakers, Amazon creates Counterfeit Crime Unit Amazon is establishing a special unit to take on counterfeiters, comprising former federal prosecutors, investigators and data analysts. FCC officially designates Huawei, ZTE as national security threats Money from the FCC's Universal Service Fund can no longer be used on equipment or services from the Chinese firms. New EvilQuest ransomware discovered targeting macOS users EvilQuest ransomware encrypts macOS systems but also installs a keylogger and a reverse shell for full control over infected hosts. Microsoft removes the 2004 block on Surface devices As of June 29, Microsoft is no longer putting a hold on certain Surface devices that were blocked from getting the May 2020 Windows 10 Update. The change should kick in starting this week. One out of every 142 passwords is '123456' The '123456' password was spotted 7 million times across a data trove of one billion leaked credentials, in one of the biggest password re-use studies of its kind. Android security: This fake message about a missed delivery leads to data-stealing malware FakeSpy malware spreads via SMS phishing, using each infected victim to further distribute itself - and researchers say the cyber criminal operation behind it is finding a lot of success. AT&T dragged to court, again, over SIM hijacking and cryptocurrency theft A customer allegedly lost $1.9 million due to AT&T’s handling of a number transfer request. Optus signs contract for Ku-band sixth satellite to launch in 2023 Software-defined satellite said to be 'fully configurable' when in orbit. Facebook says 5,000 app developers got user data after cutoff date A Facebook privacy mechanism blocks apps from receiving user data if users didn't use an app for 90 days. Facebook said 5,000 apps continued to receive user data regardless. Connection discovered between Chinese hacker group APT15 and defense contractor Lookout said it linked APT15 malware to Xi'an Tianhe Defense Technology, a Chinese defense contractor. Microsoft OneDrive updates include 100GB file size boost, dark mode, new admin controls New features are aimed at improving sharing and collaboration across work and life. VMware is acquiring Datrium for hybrid cloud disaster recovery Once the deal closes, VMware plans to complement its current, performance-optimized VMware Site Recovery DRaaS offering with Datrium’s cost-optimized DRaaS option. Brazilian Senate passes fake news bill Proposals to tackle the spread of false information online advance; president Jair Bolsonaro considers the possibility of a veto.

New Windows 10 Dev Channel test build tweaks Start Menu, notifications, taskbar layout Microsoft's latest Dev Channel/Fast Ring Windows 10 test build, No. 20161, adds a number of new features which ultimately may or may not make it into Windows 10 21H1. Hacker ransoms 23k MongoDB databases and threatens to contact GDPR authorities The hacker has attempted to ransom nearly 47% of all MongoDB databases left exposed online. Batteries not included: USB Power Delivery is the fastest way to charge iPhone and Android devices The latest generation of iPhone and Android hardware supports the fastest charge technologies possible. But don't just use the cable and charger that come in the box. World UFO Day: See how your state rates when it comes to sightings Idaho and Montana are out of this world. Ever marveled at an unidentified flying object? UFOs seem to like some US states more than others, according to a recent analysis by SatelliteInternet.com, an internet-service comparison site. The report used information from the National UFO Reporting Center and the US Census to discover which states had the most reported UFO sightings per capita from 2019 to June 2020. And the results are just in time for World UFO Day, which is Thursday, July 2, a date selected because early July, 1947, was when mysterious metallic wreckage was found in Roswell, New Mexico, sparking a wave of interest in UFOs in the US. UFOs may not make the news as much as they once did, but in 2019, Americans reported almost twice as many UFO sightings to the National UFO Reporting Center than the previous year -- jumping from 3,456 sightings in 2018 to 6,340 sightings in 2019. The analysis also notes that in the first three months of 2020, the number of UFO sightings was 112 percent higher than the first three months of 2019. Is anyone surprised that 2020 continues on its path of unprecedented events? Free New 10 tool helps you deleted or corrupted data Microsoft's new command-line app can advanced Windows users recover deleted files and photos. Microsoft has released a new Windows 10 utility called Windows File Recovery that helps users recover damaged or deleted files. The tool, spotted by Windows leaker Walking Cat, is for Windows 10 version 2004 and above and promises to help users recover from PC disasters involving lost memories and work. "Accidentally deleted an important file? Wiped clean your hard drive? Unsure of what to do with corrupted data? Windows File Recovery can help recover your personal data," Microsoft says on the listing for the app. SEE: Windows 10 Start menu hacks (TechRepublic Premium) "For photos, documents, videos and more, Windows File Recovery supports many file types to help ensure that your data is not permanently lost." SEC warns off investment in iBSmartify Nigeria cryptocurrencies iBledger and InksNation are unregistered, and therefore a financial risk outside of the local commission’s regulatory protections. Russian leader of Infraud stolen ID, credit card ring pleads guilty The Infraud Organization was once known as a major player in the carding world. South Korea to reallocate mid-band spectrum for 5G use Spectrum used in satellite communications will be reallocated for 5G use, the country's tech ministry says. Facebook announces election changes, hate speech fight as advertisers pull out The changes are listed as providing authoritative information on voting during the pandemic, implementing additional steps to fight voter suppression, creating a higher standard for hateful content in ads, and labelling newsworthy content. Ransomware is now your biggest online security nightmare. And it's about to get worse Criminals understand our weaknesses and how to exploit them. That means ransomware isn't going away. Microsoft Edge is stealing Chrome users' data? I asked Microsoft if it's true Some Chrome and Firefox users are unhappy that Microsoft's new browser appears to help itself to their current default browser data. Adobe, Mastercard, Visa warn online store owners of Magento 1.x EOL Almost 110,000 online stores are still running the soon-to-be-outdated Magento 1.x CMS. Docker servers infected with DDoS malware in extremely rare attacks Most Docker servers are usually infected with cryptocurrency-mining malware. Credit card skimmers are now being buried in image file metadata on e-commerce websites Magecart attackers are suspected of using an interesting technique to steal your financial data. New EvilQuest ransomware discovered targeting macOS users EvilQuest ransomware encrypts macOS systems but also installs a keylogger and a reverse shell for full control over infected hosts. Microsoft closes down all physical stores, will repurpose flagship venues After 11 years, Microsoft is throwing in the towel on its physical retail stores and is refocusing its retail sales efforts around its online/digital store. Another scooter-share company? Yep, and here's why Big money backs a scooter company full of MIT brainiacs who think they have a better way to do mobility. Twitter introduces voice tweets for iOS It will soon start screaming at you with iOS users to be the first to tweet using their voice. Google CEO Pichai commits to lasting, meaningful change Pichai promised to make Google's products more inclusive, announced an overhaul of internal leadership, and a $175 million package to support Black business owners, startup founders, job seekers, and developers. Microsoft to resume in July delivery of optional Windows 10 cumulative updates The optional cumulative 'C' and 'D' week Windows 10 updates, which Microsoft paused in March, are coming back with new names Zoom backtracks and plans to offer end-to-end encryption to all users E2EE calls were initially planned for Zoom paying customers only, but the company has reconsidered following the public's outcry. AWS said it mitigated a 2.3 Tbps DDoS attack, the largest ever The previous record for the largest DDoS attack ever recorded was of 1.7 Tbps, recorded in March 2018. Unpatched vulnerability identified in 79 Netgear router models

Microsoft president Brad Smith: It's time Apple's App Store model was probed Mobile app store tolls justify antitrust law, says Microsoft's Brad Smith. Google launches its own version of Pinterest called Keen Keen is the latest experiment from Google's Area 120. Honeywell claims to have world’s highest performing quantum computer according to IBM’s benchmark Honeywell said JP Morgan Chase and other customers are using its quantum computer in production, which it claims is the most powerful currently in use based on a benchmark established last year by IBM. Mozilla to launch VPN product 'in the next few weeks' Mozilla VPN to beta this summer. Future plans include launching a Mac client. Currently only available on Windows, Android, iOS, and Firefox extension. This app will turn your iPhone into a digital fortress It will tell you if your iPhone has been hacked. Facebook sues websites that sold Instagram likes and scraped Facebook user data Facebook files lawsuits against MGP25 Cyberint Services in Spain and against Massroot8 in the US. Google removes 106 Chrome extensions for collecting sensitive user data Security firm identifies 111 malicious Chrome extensions collecting user keystrokes, content, cookies, more. Boogaloo members allegedly used Facebook to plot a murder To track down the suspects, the FBI pieced together surveillance videos, cellphone records and social media conversations.