This Week’s [in]Security – Issue 148 | insecurity | Control Gap

Written by CG Blogger | Feb 3, 2020 3:07:00 AM

Welcome to This Week’s [in]Security. Recent Wawa breach hit 30M cards. PCI and NIST updates. Wuhan coronavirus updates and other diseases. The new ransomware. Breaches at Sprint, NEC, Trello, the UN, PIH, SpiceJet, and Cineplanet. The briefest leak. Equifax's $1B security bill. Collating Hacked Data. Modern Mass Surveillance. Privacy violations by Avast and Ring (nicky nicy nine trackers?). Facebook OS? Facial recognition and smart camera networks. Tool shows what third party sites tell Facebook. Data Privacy Day. $550M Facebook fine. Warrantless search law. Do PCI and CCPA align? War on encryption. Banning ransomware payouts? IoT Security Regs. NIST updates.Fighting ransomware. Firmware attacks and patches. Attacking factories. Airport insecurity. Sonos blinked. Hunting down ransom groups. NFL social media hijack. Sim Swapping Uping cyber-prosecutions. Fake news is very potent. Tech pushing Opiods. Audio deepfakes. Drones Border Security. And more.

Now here's this week’s selection of news, opinions, and research. Quickly skim annotated links organized by topic: compliance and payment security, breaches, regulation, bugs, privacy, hacking/malware, other security & risk, and more. We hope you enjoy and find them useful.

PCI Compliance and Payments

News and announcements relating to Payment Security, PCI, Card Brands, Payments, Payment Malware and Fraud.

Wawa Breach May Have Compromised More Than 30 Million Payment Cards https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/01/wawa-breach-may-have-compromised-more-than-30-million-payment-cards/
PCI PTS v6 Updates Request for Comments https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/getinvolved/requestfor_comments
Request for Comments: PCI PTS Point of Interaction (POI) v6 https://blog.pcisecuritystandards.org/request-for-comments-pci-pts-point-of-interaction-poi-v6
PCI SSC in Brazil: New Regional Engagement Board for 2020 https://blog.pcisecuritystandards.org/pci-ssc-in-brazil-new-regional-engagement-board-for-2020
January 2020 Community Newsletter: Payments 101 Resources and more https://community.developer.visa.com/t5/Blogs/January-2020-Community-Newsletter-Payments-101-Resources-and/ba-p/14209
Mastercard commits $510 million for new global cybersecurity centre in Vancouver https://betakit.com/mastercard-commits-510-million-for-new-global-cybersecurity-centre-in-vancouver/

Breaches / Leaks

Covering breaches, leaks, data exposures, ransomware (as potential breach), and their fallout.

Dozens of companies have data dumped online by ransomware ring seeking leverage https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/01/dozens-of-companies-have-data-dumped-online-by-ransomware-ring-seeking-leverage/
New Snake Ransomware Targets ICS Processes https://www.securityweek.com/new-snake-ransomware-targets-ics-processes
Sprint Exposed Customer Support Site to Web https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/01/sprint-exposed-customer-support-site-to-web/
Japanese company NEC confirms 2016 security breach https://www.zdnet.com/article/japanese-company-nec-confirms-2016-security-breach/
Trello exposed! Search turns up huge trove of private data https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/01/30/trello-exposed-search-turns-up-huge-trove-of-private-data/
UN Kept Attacks Under Wraps https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/un-kept-hack-attacks-under-wraps-a-13664
U.N. Hack Stemmed From Unpatched Microsoft SharePoint Flaw https://threatpost.com/un-hack-microsoft-sharepoint-flaw/152378/
Health Data Breach at PIH Not Reported for Seven Months https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/health-data-breach-reported-for-seven-months-a-13652
Breach Exposes Personal Data Of 1.2M SpiceJet Passengers In India https://www.pymnts.com/news/security-and-risk/2020/breach-exposes-spicejet-airline-passenger-data-india/
Unsecured Database Leaks Peruvian Movie Chain, Cineplanet, Customer Info https://www.cnet.com/news/unsecured-database-reveals-sensitive-info-about-movie-chain-customers/
Amazon Engineer Leaked Private Encryption Keys. Outside Analysts Discovered Them in Minutes https://gizmodo.com/amazon-engineer-leaked-private-encryption-keys-outside-1841160934
DailyObjects - 464,260 breached accounts added to HIBP https://haveibeenpwned.com/PwnedWebsites#DailyObjects
Equifax Ordered to Spend $1 Billion on Data Security https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/equifax-ordered-to-spend-1-billion-on-data-security
Why Was Electronic Health Records Vendor Fined $145 Million? https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/was-electronic-health-records-vendor-fined-145-million-a-13657

Privacy

Articles about privacy related news, risks, and trends.

Collating Hacked Data Sets https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2020/01/collating_hacke.html
Modern Mass Surveillance: Identify, Correlate, Discriminate https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2020/01/modernmasssur.html
This is how a popular free antivirus program sells your data https://www.technologyreview.com/f/615096/this-is-how-a-popular-free-antivirus-program-sells-your-data/
Avast Is Going To Stop Selling Your Web Habits https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/01/30/avast-is-going-to-stop-selling-your-web-habits/
Ring Doorbell App Packed with Third-Party Trackers https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/ring-doorbell-app-packed-third-party-trackers
Ring doorbell 'gives Facebook and Google user data' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51281476
Amazon engineer calls for Ring to be 'shut down immediately' over privacy concerns https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-engineer-says-ring-should-be-shut-down-immediately-2020-1
(Really?! Frankly, we don't even know where to start with this one. Umm ... just run?) Facebook Plans To Build Its Own Operating System To Avoid Android https://www.forbes.com/sites/ilkerkoksal/2020/01/30/facebook-plans-to-build-its-own-operating-system-to-avoid-android/
Facial recognition startup, Clearview AI, fends off accuracy doubts and legal claims after NYT report https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/24/21079354/clearview-ai-nypd-terrorism-suspect-false-claims-facial-recognition
Clearview’s Face Surveillance Shows Why We Need a Strong Federal Consumer Privacy Law https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/clearviews-face-surveillance-shows-why-we-need-strong-federal-consumer-privacy-law
London to deploy live facial recognition to find wanted faces in crowd https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/01/london-to-deploy-live-facial-recognition-to-find-wanted-faces-in-crowd/
EFF and Other Groups to PCLOB: Urge the Ban of Face Recognition https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/eff-and-other-groups-pclob-urge-ban-face-recognition
The Rise of Smart Camera Networks, and Why We Should Ban Them https://theintercept.com/2020/01/27/surveillance-cctv-smart-camera-networks/
Facebook’s New Privacy Tool Is a Data Landfill https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/01/off-facebook-activity-tool-download-website-data/605680/
Facebook’s Clear History tool is now available to everyone https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/28/21111981/facebooks-clear-history-tool-now-available-to-everyone
Facebook launches new tool allowing users to see what it has learnt about them from the rest of the internet https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-off-tool-data-privacy-day-update-new-feature-a9305726.html
How to Clear Data Facebook Collects About You from Other Sites and Apps https://thehackernews.com/2020/01/off-facebook-activity-data.html
One Small Fix Would Curb Stingray Surveillance https://www.wired.com/story/stingray-surveillance-cell-tower-pre-authentication/
Data Privacy or Data Protection Day? It’s a Human Right, Either Way https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/data-privacy-or-data-protection-day-its-human-right-either-way
Happy “Data Privacy Day” – Now Read The New York Times Privacy Project About Total Surveillance https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveandriole/2020/01/28/happy-data-privacy-day--now-read-the-new-york-times-privacy-project-about-total-surveillance/
Are Companies Adhering to CCPA Requirements? https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/are-companies-adhering-to-ccpa-requirements-a-13653
Facebook to pay $550 million to settle privacy lawsuit over facial recognition tech https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/29/21114358/facebook-550-million-settle-lawsuit-facial-recognition-technology-illinois
How worried should we be about 'Big Brother' technology? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50673770

Laws & Regulations / Standards

News about laws, regulations, and standards affecting security, privacy, technology, and public interest.

U.K. Police Will Soon be able to Search Through U.S. Data Without Asking a Judge https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/uk-police-will-soon-be-able-search-through-us-data-without-asking-judge
CCPA: Cut From the Same Cloth as PCI DSS https://www.darkreading.com/risk/ccpa-cut-from-the-same-cloth-as-pci-dss/a/d-id/1336868
A new bill could punish web platforms for using end-to-end encryption https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/31/21116788/earn-it-act-section-230-lindsey-graham-draft-bill-encryption
Congress Must Stop the Graham-Blumenthal Anti-Security Bill https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/congress-must-stop-graham-blumenthal-anti-security-bill
Remember the Clipper chip? NSA's botched backdoor-for-Feds from 1993 still influences today's encryption debates https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/27/clipperlessonslearned/
Sen. Wyden Asks NSA About Trump Administration Device Security https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/wyden-asks-nsa-about-trump-administration-device-security-a-13651
All charges dropped against penetration testers https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/01/iowa-prosecutors-drop-charges-against-men-hired-to-test-their-security/
New Bill Would Make Needed Steps Toward Curbing Mass Surveillance https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/new-bill-would-make-needed-steps-toward-curbing-mass-surveillance
EPIC to Maryland State Senate: Protect Drivers License Data https://epic.org/2020/01/epic-to-maryland-state-senate-.html
N.Y. Could Ban Cities from Paying Ransomware Attackers https://threatpost.com/new-york-ban-cities-paying-ransomware/152233/
DOJ, State AGs Could Combine Google Investigations https://www.pymnts.com/antitrust/2020/doj-state-ags-could-combine-google-investigations/
Mandatory IoT Security in the Offing with U.K. Proposal https://threatpost.com/mandatory-iot-security-uk-proposal/152217/
NIST DRAFT NISTIR 8278, National Cybersecurity Online Informative References (OLIR) Program: Guidance for OLIR Users and Developers is available for public comment until February 24. See https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/nistir/8278/draft
Google Receives Geofence Warrants https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2020/01/google_receives.html
France Tax Authorities Demand Data From Airbnb https://www.pymnts.com/news/international/2020/france-tax-authorities-demand-data-from-airbnb/
Russia Blocks Swiss-based ProtonMail Over Wave of Bomb Threats https://www.securityweek.com/russia-blocks-swiss-based-protonmail-over-wave-bomb-threats
Judge Rules Insurer Must Pay for Ransomware Damage https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/judge-rules-insurer-must-pay-for-ransomware-damage-a-13673

Defense / Techniques / Solutions

Covering developments and opportunities that may help improve security.

RiskSense working on AI to predict if vulnerabilities will turn into ransomware https://www.zdnet.com/article/risksense-working-on-ai-to-predict-if-vulnerabilities-will-turn-into-ransomware/
How To Reduce Your Chances Of Getting Hit With Ransomware https://www.forbes.com/sites/waynerash/2020/01/29/how-to-reduce-your-chances-of-getting-hit-with-ransomware/
Forensics detective says Android encryption now superior to iPhones https://www.androidauthority.com/android-encryption-forensics-1078668/
How encryption could stop personal data exposures on the cloud (field level encryption isn't a new idea) https://www.cnet.com/news/how-encryption-could-stop-personal-data-exposures-on-the-cloud/
Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional Exam Updates https://blog.isc2.org/isc2_blog/2020/01/certified-secure-software-lifecycle-professional-exam-updates.html
IoT security: Your smart devices must have these three features to be secure https://www.zdnet.com/article/iot-security-your-smart-devices-must-have-these-three-features-to-be-secure/
MTTD and MTTR: Two Metrics to Improve Your Cybersecurity Detection and Response https://threatpost.com/mttd-and-mttr-two-metrics-to-improve-your-cybersecurity/152149/
AI-based Document Classification Firm Concentric Emerges From Stealth https://www.securityweek.com/ai-based-document-classification-firm-concentric-emerges-stealth
Researchers showcase all-optical encryption tech to keep data hidden and safe https://www.timesofisrael.com/researchers-showcase-all-optical-encryption-tech-to-keep-data-hidden-and-safe/
Scientists Solve a Deadly TB Mystery https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-solve-a-deadly-tb-mystery/

Bugs / Design Flaws / Vulnerabilities / Research

Articles about newly discovered vulnerabilities and research.

Intel is patching its Zombieload CPU security flaw for the third time https://www.engadget.com/2020/01/27/intel-third-mds-patch/
CacheOut/L1DES: New Speculative Execution Attack Affecting Intel CPUs https://www.securityweek.com/cacheoutl1des-new-speculative-execution-attack-affecting-intel-cpus
Fake Factory Experiment Illustrates Attackers' Tactics https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/fake-factory-experiment-illustrates-attackers-tactics-a-13661
97 of the world's 100 largest airports have massive cybersecurity risks https://www.techrepublic.com/article/97-of-the-worlds-100-largest-airports-have-massive-cybersecurity-risks/
Long-Range WAN Network (LoRaWAN ) Encryption Keys Easy to Crack, Jeopardizing Security of IoT Networks https://threatpost.com/lorawan-encryption-keys-easy-to-crack-jeopardizing-security-of-iot-networks/152276/ and https://www.darkreading.com/iot/emerging-long-range-wan-networks-vulnerable-to-hacking-compromise/d/d-id/1336899
Why Public Wi-Fi is a Lot Safer Than You Think https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/01/why-public-wi-fi-lot-safer-you-think
Cisco Patches Two High-Severity Bugs in its Small Business Switch Lineup https://threatpost.com/cisco-patches-high-severity-bugs-in-switch-lineup/152392/
Bad news: Windows security cert SNAFU exploits are all over the web now. Also bad: Citrix gateway hole mitigations don't work for older kit https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/16/windowscitrixpatch_update/
Webex Bug Allowed Password Bypass https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/27/ciscowebexbugletanyonejoinapasswordprotectedmeeting/
Anatomy of OpenBSD's OpenSMTPD hijack hole: How a malicious sender address can lead to remote pwnage https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/30/openbsdmailbug/
Magento 2.3.4 Patches Critical Code Execution Vulnerabilities https://www.securityweek.com/magento-234-patches-critical-code-execution-vulnerabilities
Security Analysis of Devices That Support SCPI and VISA (not payments) Protocols https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/security-analysis-of-devices-that-support-scpi-and-visa-protocols/
(Someone blinked) Internet-of-Things speaker biz Sonos to continue some software support for legacy kit after all https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/24/sonossupportlegacy_speakers/
Bulletproof TLS Newsletter #61 covering the recent Windows certificate forgery and much more https://www.feistyduck.com/bulletproof-tls-newsletter/issue61vulnerabilityinwindowsallowscertificateforgerywithellipticcurves
Zero Day Initiative Bug Hunters Rake in $1.5M in 2019 https://threatpost.com/zero-day-initiative-bug-hunters-15m-2019/152435/

Hacking / Malware / Cybercrime / Exploitation

News covering active trends and events.

Canadian insurer paid for ransomware decryptor. Now it's hunting the scum down - British Court freezes $860,000 in Bitcoin linked to payout https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/29/canadianinsurerpaidransomwarehunt/ and https://www.coindesk.com/british-court-freezes-860000-in-bitcoin-linked-to-ransomware-payou
Only 6 ransomware attacks on the UK's NHS since WannaCry worm hit in 2017 https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/29/ransomwareinthenhssurvey/
1 in 10 Macs hit by crude malware that poses as Flash Player update (don't trust websites that want you to update software) https://www.grahamcluley.com/mac-malware-flash-player/
Hackers hijack social media accounts for the NFL and 11 teams https://www.zdnet.com/article/hackers-hijack-twitter-accounts-for-chicago-bears-and-green-bay-packers/
Android Users Beware: This Dangerous Menace Is Already Hiding On 43 Million Phones https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2020/01/29/android-users-beware-this-dangerous-menace-is-already-hiding-on-43-million-phones/
Trolls-For-Hire Pave Way For Sophisticated Social Media Hacks https://threatpost.com/trolls-for-hire-pave-way-for-sophisticated-social-media-hacks/152304/
Rogers Customer Falls Victim to New Cellphone Number Porting Scam https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/carriers/rogers/rogers-customer-victim-cell-number-porting-scam/
SIM Swappers Are Phishing Telco Employees To Get Access https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/v74b4d/sim-swappers-phishing-verizon-sprint-tmobile-to-access-internal-tools
Hackers are hijacking smart building access systems to launch DDoS attacks https://www.zdnet.com/article/hackers-are-hijacking-smart-building-access-systems-to-launch-ddos-attacks/
Thieves steal over $50K in ATM hacks north of Montreal https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/atm-thieves-1.5442698
If only 3 in 100,000 cyber-crimes are prosecuted, why not train cops to bring these crooks to justice once and for all https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/30/copscrimefailure/
NY Times Reporter Targeted by Spyware: Report https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/ny-times-reporter-targeted-by-spyware-report-a-13662
The FBI is reportedly probing a notorious Israeli spyware company that was linked to the Jeff Bezos phone hack https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-probes-israeli-spyware-company-nso-group-jamal-khashoggi-reuters-2020-1
Raytheon engineer arrested for taking US missile defense secrets to China https://qz.com/1795127/raytheon-engineer-arrested-for-taking-us-missile-defense-secrets-to-china/
Net neutrality, digital tax in spotlight as broadcasting review report set for release https://globalnews.ca/news/6477105/broadcasting-review-panel-net-neutrality-netflix-tax/
Russian Cybercrime Boss Burkov Pleads Guilty https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/01/russian-cybercrime-boss-burkov-pleads-guilty/
How did this man cause a $1tn stock market crash? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-51265169

Other Security / Risk

Articles covering other types of risks.

The Grim Conclusions of the Largest-Ever Study of Fake News https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/03/largest-study-ever-fake-news-mit-twitter/555104/
Wuhan coronavirus update - facts and some really dangerous misinformation (there is no truth to the rumor it's connected to a certain beer sigh) ….
- Here's The Science on How Serious The Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak Actually Is https://www.sciencealert.com/how-worried-should-we-be-about-the-wuhan-coronavirus-outbreak
- Coronavirus map: Tracking the spread across borders and flight paths https://globalnews.ca/news/6483409/map-coronavirus-spread-borders/
- The New Coronavirus Is Scary—But This Year’s Flu Is Much Scarier! https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2020/01/coronavirus-infection-get-your-flu-shot-much-deadlier/
- 50+M quarentined, Coronavirus prompts CDC to expand travel warning to all of China; top U.S. health official urges Beijing to admit disease experts https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/coronavirus-china-latest-updates/2020/01/27/3634db9a-40a7-11ea-aa6a-083d01b3ed18_story.html and https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-27/worried-angry-and-isolated-life-under-wuhan-s-lockdown
- New Research Estimates 75,000 People in Wuhan Are Infected With Coronavirus https://www.sciencealert.com/new-study-estimates-75-000-people-in-wuhan-infected-with-coronavirus
- New coronavirus death toll jumps to 106 as China announces 25 more deaths https://globalnews.ca/news/6470807/china-coronavirus-death-toll-raises/
- German man who never visited China catches coronavirus through human-to-human transmission https://globalnews.ca/news/6472303/german-coronavirus-human-to-human-transmission/
- The number of people who've gotten the Wuhan coronavirus just surpassed the worldwide total of the entire SARS pandemic https://www.businessinsider.com/wuhan-coronavirus-cases-total-sars-pandemic-cases-2020-1
- 5 million people left Wuhan before China quarantined the city to contain the coronavirus outbreak https://www.businessinsider.com/5-million-left-wuhan-before-coronavirus-quarantine-2020-1
- China's coronavirus quarantine like using an 'atomic bomb' to deal with outbreak https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/coronavirus-symptoms-travel-quarantine-china-1.5441010
- Two hundred Americans to face quarantine in California https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51299635
- Ontario health officials monitoring 27 people for possible coronavirus, no new cases confirmed https://globalnews.ca/news/6484247/ontario-health-officials-coronavirus/
- US passenger from Wuhan 'attempted to leave' California military base, put on quarantine https://www.businessinsider.com/us-passenger-from-wuhan-tried-leaving-military-base-2020-1
- 6,000 passengers trapped on cruise ship amid fear of coronavirus cases in Italy https://globalnews.ca/news/6482988/coronavirus-cruise-ship-quarantine/
- The Countries Best And Worst Prepared For An Epidemic https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2020/01/27/the-countries-best-and-worst-prepared-for-an-epidemic-infographic/
- Coronavirus: Whole world 'must take action', warns WHO https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-51299195
- The Coronavirus Is A Black Swan Event That May Have Serious Repercussions For The U.S. Economy And Job Market https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/01/27/the-coronavirus-is-a-black-swan-event-that-may-have-serious-repercussions-for-the-us-economy-and-job-market/
- Gauging The Coronavirus Effect On Supply Chains — And The Last Mile https://www.pymnts.com/news/international/2020/gauging-the-coronavirus-effect-on-supply-chains-and-the-last-mile/
- Why The Wuhan Coronavirus May Pose More Risks To Aviation Than SARS Did https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverwyman/2020/01/31/why-the-wuhan-coronavirus-may-pose-more-risks-to-aviation-than-sars-did/
- The Gates Foundation is spending $10 million to fight the coronavirus outbreak in China and Africa. https://www.businessinsider.com/gates-foundation-10-million-to-fight-wuhan-coronavirus-2020-1
- Facebook and Instagram to remove coronavirus misinformation https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/31/21116500/facebook-instagram-coronavirus-misinformation-false-cures-prevention
- Some Ontario universities, colleges warn of fake coronavirus alerts circulating online https://globalnews.ca/news/6470424/fake-coronavirus-alerts-ontario-universities-colleges/
- These Lies And Conspiracies About The Wuhan Coronavirus Are Totally False https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-all-the-nonsense-people-are-spreading-about-the-wuhan-coronavirus
- Fake Coronavirus Messages Spreading Emotet Infections https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/fake-coronavirus-messages-spreading-emotet-infections-a-13675
- Highly pathogenic strain' of H5N1 bird flu reported in China (not infecting people so far) https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-flu-china-coronavirus-pathogenic-strain-of-h5n1-highly-2020-2
These Are The Cities Most People Will Move To From Sea-Level Rise https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2020/01/27/these-are-the-cities-most-people-will-move-to-from-sea-level-rise/
The 34 deadliest jobs in America https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-dangerous-jobs-in-america-2018-7
A tech company gave doctors free software — rigged to encourage them to prescribe opioids https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/28/opioid-kickback-software/
The Worst Climate Scenarios May No Longer Be the Most Likely https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-worst-climate-scenarios-may-no-longer-be-the-most-likely/
Toronto police search for man accused of tampering with food in west-end store https://globalnews.ca/news/6466307/food-tampering-toronto/
Is Red Meat Killing Us or Making Us Stronger? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-red-meat-killing-us-or-making-us-stronger/
FTC says the tech behind audio deepfakes is getting better https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/29/21080553/ftc-deepfakes-audio-cloning-joe-rogan-phone-scams
Electric Vehicle Batteries Will ‘Dwarf’ The Grid’s Energy-Storage Needs https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2020/01/29/electric-vehicle-batteries-could-dwarf-the-grids-energy-storage-needs/
(Y2K never really went away) Linux 5.6 Is The First Kernel For 32-Bit Systems Ready To Run Past Year 2038 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Linux-5.6-32-bit-Past-Y2038
Two dead satellites passed within 15m of each other 900km above Pittsburg last Wednesday. At 14.7 km/s and over 1100 kg the impact would have been equivalent to about 30 KiloTons https://www.salon.com/2020/01/29/two-space-satellites-may-collide-above-pittsburgh-tonight-heres-what-that-would-mean/
Two Satellites Might Collide in Earth Orbit This Week. Here's Why That's a Problem https://www.sciencealert.com/two-old-satellites-might-crash-in-earth-orbit-this-week-here-s-why-that-s-a-problem
Trump is heading for a major clash with Boris Johnson over Huawei as Republican allies warn 5G deal would rupture UK-US relations https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-clash-boris-johnson-over-planned-huawei-5g-deal-2020-1
5G: EU issues guidance on 'high-risk' suppliers https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51294691
Opinion on IoT planned obsolesce https://www.androidcentral.com/editors-desk-throw-away-your-smart-home-dummy
Google Now Charges The Government For User Data Requests https://www.cnet.com/news/google-now-charges-government-for-user-data-requests-report-says/
Google says it will try to fix search results after outcry over new look https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/google-search-results-look-different-change-icon-update-a9303896.html
Interior Dept. Grounds Its Drones Over Chinese Spying Fears https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/technology/interior-chinese-drones.html
Major earthquake hits between Cuba and Jamaica, but no injuries reported https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/earthquake-cuba-jamaica-1.5443455
Tunnel discovered on US-Mexico border is longest ever, authorities say https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/29/drug-tunnel-discovered-us-mexico-border
High winds blow over section of US-Mexico border fence https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51307868
Fully Autonomous Weapons Pose Unique Dangers to Humankind https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fully-autonomous-weapons-pose-unique-dangers-to-humankind/
Automation Anywhere, But Should It Be Automation Anything? https://www.forbes.com/sites/adrianbridgwater/2020/01/27/automation-anywhere-but-should-it-be-automation-anything/
Vermont could be the first state with emoji license plates https://www.businessinsider.com/vermont-emoji-vanity-license-plates-bill-2020-1
U.S. House passes measures to curb Trump’s war powers after attack on Iranian general https://globalnews.ca/news/6485308/trump-war-powers-iran-us-house/
Negative Rates: Economists Explain What Happens If The Fed Gives Trump What He Wants https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/01/28/negative-rates-economists-explain-what-happens-if-the-fed-gives-trump-what-he-wants/
Grubhub is faking which restaurants it actually partners with https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/29/21113876/grubhub-seamless-fake-restaurant-listings-no-permission-postmates-doordash

Off-Topic / Science & Tech / Lighter Side

A variety of scientific, technical, historical, and more light-hearted news.

A sustainable alternative to crude oil https://scienmag.com/a-sustainable-alternative-to-crude-oil/
A New Bioplastic Made From Fish Waste Is Here https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariellasimke/2020/01/27/a-new-bioplastic-made-from-fish-waste-is-here/
New Process Turns Carbon-Based Trash (think spoiled food and plastics) Into 'Wonder Material' Graphene https://www.sciencealert.com/new-method-turns-virtually-any-carbon-containing-trash-into-high-quality-graphene
British carbon tax leads to 93% drop in coal-fired electricity https://scienmag.com/british-carbon-tax-leads-to-93-drop-in-coal-fired-electricity/
The British Wind Market Keeps Breaking Its Own Record https://www.forbes.com/sites/emanuelabarbiroglio/2020/01/28/the-british-wind-market-keeps-breaking-its-own-record/
Safe potassium-ion batteries https://scienmag.com/safe-potassium-ion-batteries/
Nanoparticle chomps away plaques that cause heart attacks https://scienmag.com/nanoparticle-chomps-away-plaques-that-cause-heart-attacks/
Here’s how robots could repair or dispose of broken satellites in orbit https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/28/21092089/satellite-servicing-repair-orbit-destroy-robot-collision-space
The Apollo 1 Fire: Excerpt from “Eight Years to the Moon” https://www.universetoday.com/144752/the-apollo-1-fire-excerpt-from-eight-years-to-the-moon/
NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded 34 years ago today, killing its 7-person crew https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-challenger-space-shuttle-explosion-anniversary-2020-1
Frank Lloyd Wright Turns In His Grave As The Architecture School He Founded Closes After 88 Years https://www.forbes.com/sites/reginacole/2020/01/30/frank-lloyd-wright-turns-in-his-grave-as-the-architecture-school-he-founded-closes-after-88-years/
Why this man is using a machine to grow icicles in his backyard https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/icicle-machine-toronto-1.5439862
Have We Solved the Black Hole Information Paradox? https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/have-we-solved-the-black-hole-information-paradox/
Today is the first global palindrome day in 909 years. Another one won't happen for 101 years. https://mashable.com/article/palindrome-day-02022020/

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