Monthly Archives: January 2022

People Building 'Blockchain City' in Wyoming Scammed by Hackers

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CityDAO — the group that bought 40 acres of Wyoming in hopes of “building a city on the Ethereum blockchain” — announced this week that its Discord server was hacked and members’ funds were successfully stolen as a result. From a report: “EMERGENCY NOTICE. A CityDAO Discord admin account has been hacked. THERE IS NO LAND DROP. DO NOT CONNECT YOUR WALLET,” the project’s Twitter account declared. CityDAO is a “decentralized autonomous organization” that hopes to collectively govern a blockchain city, offering citizenship and governance tokens in exchange for the purchase of a “land NFT” bestowing ownership rights to a plot of land. Like many other cryptocurrency, NFT, and DAO projects, CityDAO’s community lives on Discord, a popular service chiefly designed for gamers but which has become an indispensable part of the crypto ecosystem. On Discord, CityDAO issues announcements, updates, answers questions, hosts a community, and issues alerts for “land drops,” or opportunities to buy NFTs that represent parcels of land.

The attack worked by compromising the Discord account of a moderator, a core-team member and early investor who goes by Lyons800. They detailed the angle of attack in a Twitter thread the following day. First, the attacker posted a doctored screenshot showing a conversation with Lyons800 in another Discord server, claiming that he was scamming people there. Lyons800 offered to prove it wasn’t him and got on a voice call with the scammer, who convinced the moderator to let them inspect their console. From there, the scammer obtained Lyons800’s Discord authentication token that let them hijack the account. In a tweet, Lyons800 described this as “a ridiculous security breach from Discord.” From here, the scammer launched a webhook attack to exploit CityDAO and BaconDAO — a group that describes itself as an “investors guild” that educates its members — where Lyons800 is a co-founder. Webhooks are best thought of as tools that connect Discord servers to other websites, and are often used to send automated messages and updates.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – People Building ‘Blockchain City’ in Wyoming Scammed by Hackers

How to Check MySQL User Permissions in Linux

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The first installation of MySQL on any operating system only considers the root user as the default database user. The first database transactions are performed by the root user only. In this tutorial, learn how to check MySQL user permissions in Linux.

The post How to Check MySQL User Permissions in Linux appeared first on Linux Today.



Source: Linux Today – How to Check MySQL User Permissions in Linux

Spotify Will Never Do Anything About Joe Rogan

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Wildly popular podcaster Joe Rogan is just asking questions. The wrong questions, and an awful lot of them—especially when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. He’s discouraged young people from getting vaccinated, promoted theories that unsupported covid treatment ivermectin isn’t in broader use to protect vaccine…

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Source: Gizmodo – Spotify Will Never Do Anything About Joe Rogan

PUBG Mobile Dev Slaps Garena, Apple And Google With Copyright Lawsuit

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PUBG Mobile Dev Slaps Garena, Apple And Google With Copyright Lawsuit
Cloned apps can be a serious problem as developers try to protect their copyrights and revenue streams. The makers of PUBG Mobile are embroiled in that sort of struggle. Krafton and PUBG Santa Monica are suing Apple and Google over a copycat game, along with the maker of the clone and YouTube.

In 2017, the companies brought a suit against

Source: Hot Hardware – PUBG Mobile Dev Slaps Garena, Apple And Google With Copyright Lawsuit

Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli Banned For Life From Drug Industry in Monopoly Case, Ordered To Pay $64.6 Million

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fahrbot-bot writes: A federal judge on Friday ordered notorious “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli banned for life from the pharmaceutical industry and also ordered him to pay $64.6 million in profits he earned from hiking the price of the life-saving drug Daraprim by more than 5,000% overnight. The ruling in U.S. District Court in Manhattan came in response to a lawsuit alleging illegal and monopolistic behavior connected with Daraprim by the incarcerated securities fraudster Shkreli.

The plaintiffs in the case were the Federal Trade Commission, and seven states, including New York and California. Those same plaintiffs last month obtained a $40 million settlement for the same claims from Vyera Pharmaceuticals, the company that Shkreli had founded. “Americans can rest easy because Martin Shkreli is a pharma bro no more,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. Shkreli is serving a seven-year federal prison term for financial crimes unrelated to his controversial price increase of Daraprim, a drug used to treat parasitic infections in pregnant women, babies, HIV patients, and others. Shkreli controversially raised the drug’s price from $13.50 per pill to a whopping $750 per pill in 2015.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli Banned For Life From Drug Industry in Monopoly Case, Ordered To Pay .6 Million

The FTC is reportedly investigating Meta's VR unit for anticompetitive practices

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as well as several states, including New York, Tennesse and North Carolina, are reportedly investigating Meta’s virtual reality division in relation to potential anti-competitive behavior. According to Bloomberg, the FTC and involved state attorneys general began interviewing third-party developers last year to find out if the company has put them at a disadvantage when they’ve tried to compete against its own software.

Some third-party developers claim Meta frequently copies their best ideas and then makes it harder for their apps to function on its headsets. Among other developers, the outlet points to the experience of Virtual Desktop creator Guy Godin. In 2019, he added a feature to his app that allowed Oculus Quest owners to stream PC games to their headsets. Meta, then known as Facebook, reportedly threatened to delist the app if Godin didn’t remove the feature. That same year, the company released Oculus Link, a feature that allows Quest users to connect the headset to their PC via a USB-C cable.

It’s unclear how close the FTC may be to filing formal charges against Meta. The agency declined to comment on the matter for Bloomberg. However, what is clear is that Meta is firmly in the FTC’s crosshairs over its various acquisitions. In December, The Information reported the agency had opened a probe into its proposed $400 million deal to buy Supernatural studio Within. Separately, this week a federal judge allowed the FTC to proceed with an amended antitrust lawsuit that seeks to undo the company’s acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram.



Source: Engadget – The FTC is reportedly investigating Meta’s VR unit for anticompetitive practices

The Final Moments Of Halo 3 Online, 2007 – 2022

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It’s the end of an era. On Thursday, Microsoft and 343 Industries turned off all the matchmaking servers for classic games Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo Reach, and Halo 4. And while you can still play versions of these games online via the fantastic Master Chief Collection, many players took time in the final days before…

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Source: Kotaku – The Final Moments Of Halo 3 Online, 2007 – 2022

Extreme Cold, Snow, and Rain Is Coming to the East Coast to Ruin Your Long Weekend

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Hope you weren’t planning to enjoy your long weekend if you live in the Northeast. Some of the coldest weather in years is set to descend on the region on Friday night, only to be followed by a storm that will sweep up the Eastern Seaboard.

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Source: Gizmodo – Extreme Cold, Snow, and Rain Is Coming to the East Coast to Ruin Your Long Weekend

New Analysis of Famous Martian Meteorite Finds No Evidence of Alien Life

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Apparent fossils on the Allan Hills 84001 meteorite—a chunk of rock that formed on Mars some 4 billion years ago—were produced by water and not microbial Martians, according to new research. But the scientists behind the original fossil claim aren’t convinced.

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Source: Gizmodo – New Analysis of Famous Martian Meteorite Finds No Evidence of Alien Life

US residents can order free, at-home COVID-19 tests starting on January 19th

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One year, 10 months and eight days after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans will be able to order free, at-home tests from the government. Starting on January 19th, you’ll be able to visit COVIDTests.gov and request tests, which will be mailed to your home.

For now, the website only has a landing page in English and Spanish. It notes that the shipping costs will be covered too.

The Biden administration is buying one billion at-home, rapid tests to give to US residents for free. The hope is to make sure everyone has a test on hand when they need it. The White House said 500 million of those tests will be available on January 19th. At the outset, you’ll be able to order four per residential address.

A phone line is being set up so those who can’t access the website can place an order. The administration says it’s working with national and local organizations to help people in at-risk and hard-hit communities to secure tests.

One important thing to note: the tests will usually ship within 7-12 days of ordering. That timeline won’t be incredibly useful for people who show symptoms of COVID-19 or have a close contact with a positive case and don’t have an at-home test handy. 

Still, it’s worth stocking up on these free tests, especially given how in-demand they are. Even Twitter accounts known for helping people secure new gaming consoles are providing stock alerts for COVID-19 tests these days.



Source: Engadget – US residents can order free, at-home COVID-19 tests starting on January 19th

Belle Is a Sumptuous, Unflinchingly Optimistic View of Our Digital Future

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It’s hard not to be pessimistic about the internet these days. From big tech companies’ capitalistic stranglehold on its structure to toxic online harassment, from adjacent ideas like the depressingly corporate metaverse trend to NFTs burning away the planet in the name of some ugly cartoon apes—it all feels like the…

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Source: Gizmodo – Belle Is a Sumptuous, Unflinchingly Optimistic View of Our Digital Future

Netflix Raises Monthly Subscription Prices in US, Canada

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Netflix has raised its monthly subscription price by $1 to $2 per month in the United States depending on the plan, the company said on Friday, to help pay for new programming to compete in the crowded streaming TV market. From a report: The standard plan, which allows for two simultaneous streams, now costs $15.49 per month, up from $13.99, in the United States. Prices also went up in Canada, where the standard plan climbed to C$16.49 from C$14.99. The price increases, the first in those markets since October 2020, took effect immediately for new customers. Existing members will see the new prices in the coming weeks when they receive their monthly bills.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Netflix Raises Monthly Subscription Prices in US, Canada

Netflix is about to get more expensive for North American customers

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It’s that time again: Netflix is raising prices for customers in the US and Canada. Monthly prices are slated to increase a buck or two, depending on your subscription tier. 

Reuters first reported that in the US, standard plans would go from $13.99 monthly up to $15.49; Netflix’s own help site confirmed the change, as well as a bump to the premium tier from about $18 to $19.99 monthly. 

The change is essentially mirrored up north, where standard plans were hiked from 15.99 Canadian to 16.49. (Standard plans only cover the use of two screens simultaneously, while premium allows for up to four, as well as Ultra HD picture quality.)

If this all sounds familiar, it’s because this is more or less what Netflix does every few years. An extra dollar or two was tacked on near the tail end of 2020. The same was true in January of 2019, October 2017, October 2015, May 2014, you get the idea. You start to forget that this service used to cost $8 a month a decade ago, albeit the company’s original content ambitions have grown in parallel to the price, for better or worse.  



Source: Engadget – Netflix is about to get more expensive for North American customers

Despite Pandemic, Gaming CEOs Made An Obscene Amount Of Money In 2020

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In 2020, as the world grappled with a paradigmatic societal shift in the form of a globe-spanning pandemic, chief executives of the biggest gaming companies collectively brought home close to $1 billion. That’s according to a new report from market intelligence firm Games One, which collates a handful of key metrics…

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Source: Kotaku – Despite Pandemic, Gaming CEOs Made An Obscene Amount Of Money In 2020

3 Best Free Hard Disk Imaging Software Options

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The hard disk and partition imaging software take a snapshot of your hard disk so that you can restore your system at a later time to the exact same state the system was when you imaged the disk or partition.

There are so many disk imaging apps available online and selecting one can indeed be a challenge. To save your time, we picked the best 3 FREE disk imaging apps you can rely on.

The post 3 Best Free Hard Disk Imaging Software Options appeared first on Linux Today.



Source: Linux Today – 3 Best Free Hard Disk Imaging Software Options