Editorial

Businesses cracking down on remote work ‘presenteeism’ – here’s how to avoid workplace surveillance

As employers begin to crack down on devices and introduce ever-more invasive surveillance techniques, workers need to know their rights and avoid being caught out.
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When activism and hacktivism defeat censorship

As a powerful force of causality, the tragic death of Masa Amini two years ago at the hands of Iran’s morality police for not wearing a hijab ignited a global women’s rights uprising within 24 hours and sparked outrage across the globe.
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The art of concealment: how hackers hide malware

Hackers use various techniques to conceal their malicious code to evade detection. Windows Defender stays pretty busy analyzing files, checking trusted certificates, and warning users about potentially malicious websites they may be trying to visit.
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An age-old problem: how age estimation tools let kids see porn

Is age estimation software up to the task of protecting our kids? If not, what can be done to improve the method and stop children from accessing inappropriate content?
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Cybernews podcast #44: everything you wanted to know about big tech but were afraid to ask

Without a single scratch and in mint condition, iPhone 14s might soon be heading for the dumpster. Without shiny new AI features, who needs them anyways?
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Book review: “The Secret Life of Data” is fascinating and disturbing

We’ve essentially given up and succumbed to the fact that some corporation or government agency is constantly gathering our personal data. However, a new book, The Secret Life of Data, argues that this is still frightening and even threatens open societies as we know them.
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Apple’s AI and ChatGPT integration: how will it handle data, and how safe is it?

Apple's Private Cloud Compute follows the best security practices. However, experts say there are risks.
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Unencrypting VPN traffic through a new TunnelVision attack

De-anonymizing users has been a hacker's favorite pastime for as long as I can remember. But that’s the least of anyone’s concerns when you factor in the scope of warrantless spying, the monetization of user data being vacuumed by big tech and sold by data brokers.
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Your boss is probably watching you, and Microsoft Recall just turned up the heat

Granting bosses the right to snoop on workers could cause major issues for staff – and should be avoided as AI encroaches on our lives.
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The rise of AI-Generated propaganda: the impact of AI and deepfakes on US elections

This year deserves to be named the “election year,” with 49% of the world's population voting in 2024 across 64 countries. The most prominent elections will occur in the USA and the European Union.
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Does the digital economy create more economic value than we think?

It's long been an accusation of the digital economy that it hasn't tended to translate into the kind of productivity improvements that feed their way into GDP growth. Indeed, economist Robert Solow famously said in 1987 that the computer age was everywhere except for productivity statistics.
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Cybernews podcast #43: crooks attack Ticketmaster and Paris Olympics

In the freshest episode of the Cybernews podcast, we deep-dive into the Ticketmaster breach debacle, debate the continuing issues at Google, and analyze what Russian hackers could do during the Paris Olympics.
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AI everywhere: will AI gadgets eventually replace your smartphone?

Snake Oil is getting a digital upgrade as tech companies increasingly begin their sales pitch or promo video with, "Is your smartphone stealing your attention?" This is usually followed by another nudge aimed at making you feel guilty by saying, "Would you like to break free of your smartphone addiction and doomscrolling to be more present in your life?"
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WormGPT: abusing batch scripting

Back in the day, whenever I needed code written, I had three options: learn to code it myself, reverse engineer someone else's code and repurpose it, or find someone to code it for me.
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Shodan: where hacktivism meets internet intelligence

Hacktivists devote a lot of time scouring the internet for vulnerable devices. The traditional way can take anywhere from minutes to days.
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Cybernews podcast #42: AI goes pop culture

From Scarlet Johansson to Jennifer Lopez, everyone seems to be talking about artificial intelligence (AI). So, naturally, we decided to talk about celebrities talking about AI.
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Ashley Madison: sex, lies, scandals, scams, and cyber – review

Ashley Madison, the newest Netflix docuseries, explores the devestating consequences of adultery and cyberattacks. Many lives were ruined due to the data leak as the story reveals the human cost when sensitive data is leaked to the public.
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When blackhats become heroes: the untold story of the Protocol Police

On Tuesday, May 7th, I was researching different Shodan filters when I received a private message on Twitter. The contents of that message made me sit down and rethink my strategies for #OpChildChildSafety. That’s because I learned how bad actors could compromise discoverable security cameras over the internet and use them to secretly watch children.
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Atlas review: AI might have written this one, but Netflix knows what people need

The promise of killer AI-powered robots made me try the new Netflix Memorial Day sci-fi feature called Atlas. And what a waste of time it was. Still, the streamer knows what it’s doing.
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Hacker honeypots for the everyday person

Honeypots are easy for the everyday person to set up and use. I have used them for years to catch online predators and unsuspecting threat actors before they can launch offensive attacks against my online assets. It’s been one of the most formidable weapons in my overall bag of tricks.
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