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Fnord666 writes:

The developers at Denuvo have been in the news thanks to cracks against their notoriously tough digital rights management (DRM) tools, which are normally used to lock down video games from leaking online. On Sunday, the company faced a different kind of crack—not against a high-profile video game, however, but of its depository of private web-form messages. A significant number of these appear to come from game makers, with many requesting information about applying Denuvo's DRM to upcoming games.

The first proof of this leak appears to come from imageboard site 4chan, where an anonymous user posted a link to a log file hosted at the denuvo.com domain. This 11MB file (still online as of press time) apparently contains messages submitted via Denuvo's public contact form dating back to April 25, 2014. In fact, much of Denuvo's web database content appears to be entirely unsecured, with root directories for "fileadmin" and "logs" sitting in the open right now.

Combing the log file brings up countless spam messages, along with complaints, confused "why won't this game work" queries from apparent pirates, and even threats (an example: "for what you did to arkham knight I will find you and I will kill you and all of your loved ones, this I promise you CEO of this SHIT drm"). But since Denuvo's contact page does not contain a link to a private e-mail address—only a contact form and a phone number to the company's Austrian headquarters—the form appears to also have been used by many game developers and publishers.

The log, as hosted at Denuvo.com, contains queries with legitimate reply addresses at current game studios. Those include a requests from the following: 343 Industries, about applying Denuvo to upcoming Halo Wars games on PC; Microsoft, in a 2015 message describing Denuvo as something that would fit with "an upcoming initiative"; TaleWorlds, about adding DRM to the sequel to its Mount & Blade franchise; Harmonix Games, about scheduling an in-person meeting at this March's Game Developers Conference to talk DRM; Capcom, with multiple requests—one of which is described as a Windows 10 UWP release for 2016 (which could mean this past December's Dead Rising 4, which indeed shipped on UWP with Denuvo DRM); Ninja Theory, who sent a query about DRM for its upcoming adventure game Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice; and many more.

Source:

https://arstechnica.com/security/2017/02/denuvo-forgets-to-secure-server-leaks-years-of-messages-from-game-makers/

Original Submission

TheMightyBuzzard brings us this jaunty tale about the spectre of censorship:

Over the last few months, we've talked about the weird obsession some people upset by the results of the election have had with the concept of "fake news." We warned that focusing on "fake news" as a problem was not just silly and pointless, but that it would quickly morph into calls for censorship. And, even worse, that censorship power would be in the hands of whoever got to define what "fake news" was.

Source: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170201/23481336610/bad-idea-worst-idea-having-ftc-regulate-fake-news.shtml

Original Submission

mrpg writes:

Between 2008 and 2013, China's fledgling solar-electric panel industry dropped world prices by 80 percent, a stunning achievement in a fiercely competitive high-tech market. China had leapfrogged from nursing a tiny, rural-oriented solar program in the 1990s to become the globe's leader in what may soon be the world's largest renewable energy source.

[...] China's new dominance of nearly all aspects of solar use and manufacturing—markets that are predicted to expand by 13 percent a year, according to the report—came through a "unique, complex and interdependent set of circumstances" that is not likely to be repeated.

[...] According to some veterans in the U.S. solar industry, China bought solar companies and invited others to move to China, where they found cheap, skilled labor. Instead of paying taxes, they received tax credits.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-china-is-dominating-the-solar-industry/

Wikipedia has more stats/charts

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

A high-level whistleblower has told this newspaper that America's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) breached its own rules on scientific integrity when it published the sensational but flawed report, aimed at making the maximum possible impact on world leaders including Barack Obama and David Cameron at the UN climate conference in Paris in 2015.

The report claimed that the 'pause' or 'slowdown' in global warming in the period since 1998 – revealed by UN scientists in 2013 – never existed, and that world temperatures had been rising faster than scientists expected. Launched by NOAA with a public relations fanfare, it was splashed across the world's media, and cited repeatedly by politicians and policy makers.

But the whistleblower, Dr John Bates, a top NOAA scientist with an impeccable reputation, has shown The Mail on Sunday irrefutable evidence that the paper was based on misleading, 'unverified' data.

It was never subjected to NOAA's rigorous internal evaluation process – which Dr Bates devised.

His vehement objections to the publication of the faulty data were overridden by his NOAA superiors in what he describes as a 'blatant attempt to intensify the impact' of what became known as the Pausebuster paper.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4192182/World-leaders-duped-manipulated-global-warming-data.html

More details can be found in his own words here:

They promised to begin an archive request for the K15 datasets that were not archived; however I have not been able to confirm they have been archived. I later learned that the computer used to process the software had suffered a complete failure, leading to a tongue-in-cheek joke by some who had worked on it that the failure was deliberate to ensure the result could never be replicated.

https://judithcurry.com/2017/02/04/climate-scientists-versus-climate-data/

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

A grey-hat hacker going by the name of Stackoverflowin says he's pwned over 150,000 printers that have been left accessible online.

Speaking to Bleeping Computer, the hacker says he wanted to raise everyone's awareness towards the dangers of leaving printers exposed online without a firewall or other security settings enabled.

For the past 24 hours, Stackoverflowin has been running an automated script that he wrote himself, which searches for open printer ports and sends a rogue print job to the target's device.

From high-end multi-functional printers at corporate headquarters to lowly receipt printers in small town restaurants, all have been affected.

Users reported multiple printer models as affected. The list includes brands such as Afico, Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Lexmark, Konica Minolta, Oki, and Samsung.

Stackoverflowin told Bleeping Computer that his script targets printing devices that have IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) ports, LPD (Line Printer Daemon) ports, and port 9100 left open to external connections.

The script also includes an exploit that uses a remote code execution vulnerability to target Dell Xeon printers. "This allowed me to inject PostScript and invoke rouge[sic] jobs," Stackoverflowin told Bleeping about the RCE vulnerability's role.

Source:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/a-hacker-just-pwned-over-150-000-printers-left-exposed-online/

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

Until now, expanding the storage space on your PS4 from the standard 500GB to 1TB built into the system involved opening up the system and sliding in a new internal drive. That process won't be necessary for much longer, as the PS4's upcoming Version 4.5 firmware will add support for USB 3.0 hard drives up to 8TB.

Just before the PS4 launched in 2013, Sony noted that PS4 games had to be "cached to the hard drive to ensure a smooth gaming experience." If streaming all that game data to the system over a USB connection was a bottleneck at launch, it's apparently no longer a concern for Sony (at least for drives that support USB 3.0's faster data transfer rates). Games, saved data, and captures screenshots and videos will all be storable on external drives, and that data will show up on the main system menu without the need to shuffle them to the internal storage.

The announcement of the external HD support comes as the beta of firmware version 4.5 rolls out to selected PS4 users today. That firmware also brings the ability to use in-game screenshots as home screen wallpapers, streamlined interface improvements, and new support for stereoscopic 3D Blu-Ray discs.

Source:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/02/ps4-will-soon-support-external-usb-hard-drives/

Original Submission

mcgrew writes:

A couple of weeks ago in news of someone coming out with 8K resolution televisions, I left a comment to the effect that I have a 4K TV, but there's no 4K content, so an 8K TV was a bit silly. Someone said they thought Netflix had a couple of 4K offerings.

I recently ran across news that I'll have 4K content in the nebulous future. The FCC [US Federal Communications Commission] is taking its first steps toward over the air 4K broadcasts. but it appears that it may be a while before I see it.

There's more about it here at CNet. But all three articles raise questions that aren't answered, primarily, what about bandwidth? It seems to me that without extremely tight lossy compression, it would take four times the bandwidth of 1080p. Will quality be much better than 1080p after they compress the signal?

How will they get around that? Will I lose some side channels? What do you folks have to say?

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

SpaceX is no stranger to delays. The private space firm headed by Elon Musk has pushed back is launch schedule several times in the last few years after rockets have been lost. Now, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says there may be an issue with the Falcon 9 rocket that delays the expected launch of the first manned mission in 2018.

The report from the GAO (just a preliminary release for now) cites issues with the turboblades used in Falcon 9 rockets. These are the components that move fuel from the tanks to engines. The blades apparently have a tendency to develop cracks, which could cause catastrophic failure if they develop or worsen during a launch.

According to NASA acting administrator Robert Lightfoot (who also has an amazing name) says the agency and SpaceX have been aware of the issue for months (or possibly years). NASA expressed concern to SpaceX that the turboblade cracks presented too great a risk to launch manned missions. Cracks have been found in the turboblades as recently as September 2016.

SpaceX says it has been conducting extensive testing on the Falcon 9 rocket and believes it to be safe. It has made changes to the design of the turboblades in an effort to mitigate the cracking issues. Although, the company may still undertake a full redesign of the blades depending on the upcoming GAO report. If that happens, the manned launch will almost certainly be delayed.

Source:

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/243883-problems-falcon-9-design-delay-manned-missions

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

Ever wondered why you sometimes have to wait months after an album's launch to get the music on vinyl? It's not necessarily because the label hates vinyl — in many cases, it's because the decades-old manufacturing process can't keep up with the format's resurgence. Relief may be in sight for turntable fans, though. Viryl Technologies is producing a pressing machine system, WarmTone, that should drag vinyl production into the modern era.

Much of WarmTone's improvement rests in its use of modern engineering. It's more reliable when producing the "pucks" that become records, makes it easier to switch out stampers (the negatives that press records) and sports a trimming/stacking system that can better handle large-scale production. Also, there's a raft of sensors -- the machine checks everything from pressure to temperature to timing, so companies will immediately know if something goes wrong.

Logically, the interface has been spruced up as well. Touchscreens help control the pressing machine on-site, and workers can check on the state of the machine from their computer or phone.

Source:

https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/29/vinyl-record-production-tech-upgrade/

Original Submission

charon writes:

[Ed Note: The linked article comes from Wired. They are notorious for their adblocker blocking to keep you from reading the site without viewing the ads. It worked for me, but YMMV. - cmn32480]

You're a private pilot, out on a Sunday jaunt in your single engine prop plane. Lovely day for a flight—calm skies, good weather. Then you hear, feel, and then see the fast approach of two, grey, angular military jets, flying terrifyingly close to you, most definitely armed and dangerous.

What have you done? More pressing, what do you do? Chances are, you've strayed into restricted airspace, like the no fly zones put in place to protect President Trump wherever he goes, or special events, like this weekend's Super Bowl.

For the big game, the no-fly zone banishes planes (and drones, the FAA is keen to stress) straying within 34.5 miles of NRG stadium, in downtown Houston. If pilots feel they must enter the outer edge of the perimeter, they need permission from controllers, and are asked to maintain constant contact. The 10-mile core is strictly no entry.

OK, back to those menacing fighter jets, one of which is now level with you, where you can see each other. Hopefully, as a pilot, you've read and memorized your in-flight intercept procedures (even if you didn't bother to check the FAA website for no-fly zones in your area), because they're your best bet for keeping a lot of airspace between you and a missile.

The full article at Wired discusses the steps taken by pilots on both sides of such a situation.

Original Submission

-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

Replicant is a fully free Android distribution running on several devices, a free software mobile operating system putting the emphasis on freedom and privacy/security.

Wolfgang Wiedmeyer of Replicant reports

Replicant 6.0 is moving forward and quite some work has been done over the last months.

- Galaxy S2

Only the Galaxy S3 was supported for a very long time. Recently, support for the Galaxy S2 was added. This was made possible because two community members, Grim Kriegor and dllud, sent me a device. The initial work on the device by another community member, Jookia, also gave me a head start for the port.

- GTA04

[...] I assisted Lukas Märdian from Goldelico with porting Replicant 6.0 to the GTA04 and at the end of the [8th Open Hardware and Software Workshop], we were able to boot Replicant 6.0 and had basic functionality working. Lukas continues to work on the port and I'm planning to integrate his changes and get Replicant 6.0 ready for the GTA04.

- Support for external WiFi dongles with the AR9271 chipset [...]

- Graphics rendering [...]

- Toolchain [...]

- Security/privacy enhancements [...]

- Current work and future plans

Porting Replicant 6.0 to more devices is a priority right now. [...]
Replicant is based on CyanogenMod 13.0. As the CyanogenMod project was discontinued, future Replicant 6.0 versions will be based on its successor, LineageOS 13.0.

Original Submission

rigrig writes:

The Open GApps Project is an open-source effort to script the automatic generation of up-to-date Google Apps packages. This is mostly useful for people flashing custom ROMS (which are not allowed to include Google's proprietary packages).

Android Police reports:

Google Assistant was introduced at Google I/O last year, as a more personal voice assistant than Google Now. Since then, it has been made available on several platforms - Pixel phones, the Google Home, Android TV, and Allo. But Assistant is still unavailable on non-Pixel phones without a special build.prop tweak. Now the Open GApps team has made enabling Assistant a little easier.

Google Assistant is marked as an optional feature right now due to it not having the full feature set of Google Now. You can download all Open GApps packages here, but keep in mind that only builds starting tomorrow will include the option for Assistant.

The original pull request can be viewed here.

Original Submission

charon writes:

As brandies age, chemical interactions between the spirits and the wood casks they mature in grant them their distinctive hues, scents and tastes. These reactions are slow, and aging high-quality brandy currently takes several years.

Previous research found that ultrasound waves can help extract chemicals from plant tissues. Ultrasounds are pressure waves that cause tissues to rupture, releasing bioactive compounds stored within cells at a higher rate. As such, researchers wanted to see if ultrasound waves could help accelerate the aging of brandy.

The scientists flowed distilled wine through American oak chips. As the wine seeped past the wooden chips, the researchers blasted it with ultrasound waves. The researchers found that after only three days of ultrasound treatment, they produced spirits that were similar to brandies aged for years. The scientists will detail their findings in the May issue of the journal Ultrasonics Sonochemistry.

"Obtaining, in three days, a spirit with characteristics near to two-years-aged brandies was something really unexpected for us," says study co-author Valme García, a professor at the University of Cádiz in Spain.

Eight trained judges, including some of the researchers, deemed the resulting spirits nearly as good as traditional brandies. "They tasted surprisingly well, with good fruity and sweet flavors and a high aromatic intensity," García said.

Source: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2017/02/03/ultrasound-waves-wine-brandy/

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

In the end of 2015, China had 170.000 of the 173.000 ebuses circulating in the World. That's right, 98% of them were in zooming in The Big Red Giant, which i think says it all about the role of that country on the change happening towards eMobility.

[...] Just focusing on all-electric Buses, sales grew to 115.700 units in 2016, which represents some 20% market share, with Yutong still in the lead, followed by BYD and Nanjing.with the first growing 36% YoY and the second more than 50%.

With this kind of growth and market share, it is expected that China goes all-electric in this category in less than 10 years, maybe five, so it is no wonder that large cities like Shenzen are already envisioning an all-electric 15.000 fleet of Buses...In 2017.

https://ev-sales.blogspot.com/2017/01/china-buses-2016.html

Original Submission

NewNic writes:

In a case that should have the Founders of the USA spinning in their graves, The Intercept has got hold of documents relating to Peter Thiel's NZ citizenship. These documents reveal that Thiel would not normally qualify for citizenship, which requires the holder to actually reside in New Zealand. NZ law provides for citizenship under "exceptional circumstances and public interest" for people who don't plan to live in NZ.

Thiel's extreme wealth was the exceptional circumstance that allowed for citizenship and which in turn allowed Thiel to avoid certain administrative protocols that a non-citizen would have had to follow relating to the purchase of his large estate in NZ.

As part of taking up citizenship, Thiel had to pledge an oath of loyalty to HM Queen Elizabeth II (in her role as Queen of New Zealand), which certainly raises questions about either his sincerity or his fitness to be an advisor to the President.

Original Submission