Tux Machines

Microsoft, Crime, Security, and FUD

Posted by Roy Schestowitz on Apr 18, 2023

=> Programming Leftovers | Today in Techrights

The Farce of Microsoft’s Anti-Racism and the Capture of Academia

=> ↺ The Farce of Microsoft’s Anti-Racism and the Capture of Academia

In recent years, most large tech corporations have begun pushing anti-racism public relations and touting their donations to Black causes. There is no company more steeped or skilled in this practice than the elder of the group, Microsoft. By deploying fleets of flacks, messaging professionals and hired intellectuals, the company has managed to maintain a pristine image as a “moral leader” of Big Tech, while avoiding and deflecting attention from its deep and sordid history of collaboration with police, prisons, intelligence agencies and militaries.

Microsoft has been so effective at keeping public attention away from these activities that it has largely avoided the so-called “tech-lash” that’s bruised the reputations of its peers. It owes this success, in no small part, to a large squadron of traditional company spokespersons. But above these employees is a lesser-known Microsoft-funded network of researchers, academics and journalists that operates at the highest levels of public and academic debate, and who together constitute a kind of “shadow” PR operation. This network has generally flown under the radar in recent years, even as some of its members have achieved prominence and even fame.

It’s time to meet them and see how they function.

LockBit Ransomware Group Developing Malware to Encrypt Files on macOS

=> ↺ LockBit Ransomware Group Developing Malware to Encrypt Files on macOS

The notorious LockBit ransomware group is apparently developing a piece of malware that can encrypt files on devices running Apple’s macOS operating system. Researchers have analyzed the malware to determine how much of a threat it actually poses.

NCR suffers Aloha POS outage after BlackCat ransomware attack [iophk: Windows TCO]

=> ↺ NCR suffers Aloha POS outage after BlackCat ransomware attack

NCR is suffering an outage on its Aloha point of sale platform after being hit by an ransomware attack claimed by the BlackCat/ALPHV gang.

Ransomware attack causes outages at payments giant NCR [iophk: Windows TCO]

=> ↺ Ransomware attack causes outages at payments giant NCR

In a statement today, NCR said it detected a “cyber ransomware incident” on April 13 in a single data center, resulting in an outage that affected the “functionality for a subset of its commerce customers.” The company then ticked off a standard list of responses — informing affected customers, implementing its response plan, engaging a third-party cybersecurity company and informing federal law enforcement.

Payments Giant NCR Hit by Ransomware [iophk: Windows TCO]

=> ↺ Payments Giant NCR Hit by Ransomware

The BlackCat ransomware has been around since at least November 2021 and its leak website currently lists more than 300 victims. The group has been known to target industrial companies.

Investigation Shows NSO Group Competitor QuaDream’s Spyware Was Used To Target Journalists And Activists

=> ↺ Investigation Shows NSO Group Competitor QuaDream’s Spyware Was Used To Target Journalists And Activists

Here we go again. Another NSO-alike, founded in Israel by former government snoops, is selling powerful phone exploits to bad people who, unsurprisingly, use it to do bad things.

15 years to the end of the world as Unix knows it

=> ↺ 15 years to the end of the world as Unix knows it

It’s still possible to encounter another problem, which is how the system itself copes when parts of the software model are 32 bits and parts are 64 bits. It is possible for a special Unix systems model of error coding to return a non-zero value. Zero in Unix and C denotes a ‘valid’ return from many tasks and a non-zero return means ‘something unusual happened’. This is, by far, the most likely response from modern systems, and it doesn’t mean that suddenly the entire world drops back to the flared jeans and cheesecloth shirts of the ’70s. Instead, some systems report errors. Some will report errors and quit and some silently quit.

KeePassXC Audit Report

=> ↺ KeePassXC Audit Report

An audit of KeePassXC has been on the wish list since we started this project over six years ago. Today we are happy to announce the release of an audit conducted by Zaur Molotnikov, an independent security consultant, that was completed on January 19, 2023 against KeePassXC 2.7.4. This audit was conducted free of charge to the KeePassXC Team and the findings and writeup were reviewed for correctness.

Report: Most IT Teams Can’t Fix Open Source Software Security [Ed: Very typical FUD singling out "Open Source" for bugs while proprietary software has actual back doors]

=> ↺ Report: Most IT Teams Can’t Fix Open Source Software Security

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