Let’s imagine it’s Saturday morning. You drive up to your local Aldi parking lot, you get out of your car, you walk inside. Mostly to get some cheap groceries, but also partially so you can saunter up and down the middle aisles, perusing the special buys that are currently on rotation. Maybe you’ll see some house…
Source: Kotaku – Sonic The Hedgehog 2’s Official Sneaker Collab Is Not Great
An obnoxious security bug was discovered in Linux’s IPSec secure networking program.
The post Linux Secure Networking Security Bug Found and Fixed appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – Linux Secure Networking Security Bug Found and Fixed
Dungeons & Dragons actual play shows have been popular for years, but the phenomenon really kicked off seven years ago when the McElroy brothers started The Adventure Zone podcast using the newly released Fifth Edition (5e) of the incredibly popular role-playing game as a basis for their comedy storytelling. As the…
Source: Gizmodo – 6 Dungeons & Dragons Actual Plays That Are Easy to Start Listening To
Blocking access to internet resources requires lots of hardware but due to sanctions, there are fears in Russia that a breakdown in systems operations may be just months away. Andy Maxwell, reporting for TorrentFreak: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been going on for more than a month. It isn’t going to plan. In parallel with the terrible images being shared around the world, Russia is using its infamous site-blocking systems to deny access to websites that dare to challenge the Kremlin’s narrative of Putin’s ‘Special Operation.’ Telecoms regulator Roscomnadzor is working harder than ever to maintain its blockades against everything from Google News, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, to the thousands of pirate sites and other resources on the country’s blacklists. But, like the invasion itself, things aren’t going to plan here either.
A little over a week ago, local telecoms operators supplying internet access to Russian citizens were ordered to carry out “urgent checks” on their ability to continue blocking sites deemed illegal by the state. ISPs were required to carry out an audit and liaise with telecoms regulator Roscomnadzor. Today is the reporting deadline but according to several sources, problems are apparent in the system. With accurate and critical reporting being all but strangled by the state, it is not absolutely clear who or what ordered the review but the consensus is that prescribed blocking standards aren’t being met. As previously reported, local torrent site RuTracker suddenly found itself unblocked earlier this month, reportedly due to issues at an ISP. Problems are also reported with the Roscomnadzor-controlled ‘TSPU’ Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) system embedded into the networks of around 80 local ISPs and recently used to restrict Tor, VPNs and Twitter traffic.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Russia’s Site-Blocking System Isn’t Performing and Could Even Collapse
A training document used by Facebook’s content moderators raises questions about whether the social network is under-reporting images of potential child sexual abuse, The New York Timesreports.The document reportedly tells moderators to “err on the side of an adult” when assessing images, a practice that moderators have taken issue with but company executives have defended.
At issue is how Facebook moderators should handle images in which the age of the subject is not immediately obvious. That decision can have significant implications, as suspected child abuse imagery is reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which refers images to law enforcement. Images that depict adults, on the other hand, may be removed from Facebook if they violate its rules, but aren’t reported to outside authorities.
But, as The NYT points out, there isn’t a reliable way to determine age based on a photograph. Moderators are reportedly trained to use a more than 50-year-old method to identify “the progressive phases of puberty,” but the methodology “was not designed to determine someone’s age.” And, since Facebook’s guidelines instruct moderators to assume photos they aren’t sure of are adults, moderators suspect many images of children may be slipping through.
This is further complicated by the fact that Facebook’s contract moderators, who work for outside firms and don’t get the same benefits as full-time employees, may only have a few seconds to make a determination, and may be penalized for making the wrong call.
Facebook, which reports more child sexual abuse material to NCMEC than any other company, says erring on the side of adults is meant to protect users’ and privacy and to avoid false reports that may hinder authorities’ ability to investigate actual cases of abuse. The company’s Head of Safety Antigone Davis told the paper that it may also be a legal liability for them to make false reports. Notably, not every company shares Facebook’s philosophy on this issue. Apple, Snap and TikTok all reportedly take “the opposite approach” and report images when they are unsure of an age.
Source: Engadget – Leaked document indicates Facebook may be underreporting images of child abuse
Server management is an exciting concept for all Linux users whether they are beginners, still learning their ways around the Linux OS architecture, or expert users that can manage and administer different Linux operating system distributions.
The post How to Install Webmin on Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – How to Install Webmin on Ubuntu 20.04/22.04
Containers may be like “sandboxes,” but libraries and applications still run inside of them, and like everything else, those components need to be monitored for vulnerabilities. The Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security (RHACS) module monitors runtime data on containers to look for known vulnerabilities and to verify Kubernetes clusters for policy enforcement.
Source: LXer – How to get started with Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes
Invite-only social audio platform Clubhouse will let users limit who can see their full profiles due to increased security threats related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a company blog post. Users can now change their profile settings to “protected”, which will only allow pre-approved followers to view the rooms and clubs they’ve visited, as well as replays. Unapproved followers won’t be able to see when a user is online. Clubhouse also won’t recommend protected profile holders to other users they don’t know.
“We’re grateful we’ve become a meeting place for people around the world to connect during this time, but we also know that times of conflict and upheaval make it increasingly important to be mindful of your presence online and what you share,” wrote the platform in its post.
The nearly two-year-old platform has been slow to roll out moderation and safety features for its many users, despite regular instances of harassment and abuse on the app. A number of Clubhouse users have faced targeted harassment on the platform, including doctors giving advice on the Covid-19 pandemic, Jews, Palestinians, women and people of color. It’s also very hard to remain anonymous on the platform. Clubhouse requires a phone number to join, and (unless you opt out) will recommend other Clubhouse users in your phone’s contact list. It also requires you to use your real first and last name in order to create a profile.
Clubhouse remains one of the few Western tech companies that hasn’t temporarily restricted services for Russian users, or been banned in Russia. For many anti-war Russians, Clubhouse remains one of few viable options for relaying information to the outside world. Meanwhile, many users from Ukraine have flocked to Clubhouse to discuss the ongoing invasion. Given the app’s lack of anonymity, it’s likely such users would need an extra security measure.
But as far as privacy goes, Clubhouse only offers the bare minimum, even with protected profiles. Users will still be able to see the names, usernames, bios and any linked social media on protected profiles. The platform also turned off its “Replay” feature for all users in Ukraine, meaning that conversations will no longer be recorded by default. Besides that, Clubhouse users are left to use their best judgment when it comes to expressing views that could get them in trouble with their government or disclosing personal information.
The Biden administration is divided over whether to impose sanctions on Kaspersky Lab, a Russian cybersecurity giant that officials warn could be used by the Kremlin as a surveillance tool against its customers, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. From the report: The White House’s National Security Council has pressed the Treasury Department to ready the sanctions as part of the broad Western campaign to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, according to officials familiar with the matter. While Treasury officials have been working to prepare the package, sanctions experts within the department have raised concerns over the size and scope of such a move. The company’s software is used by hundreds of millions of customers across the world, making it difficult to enforce the sanctions. In addition, some officials in the U.S. and Europe fear sanctioning Kaspersky Lab will increase the likelihood of triggering a cyberattack against the West by Moscow, even potentially leveraging the software itself. It wasn’t clear whether the sanctions would go forward, and one official said the idea had been put on hold for now. The debate reflects how agencies within the Biden administration are weighing in real time options to deliver more economic pain to the Russian economy in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Proposal To Sanction Russian Cybersecurity Firm Over Ukraine Invasion Splits Biden Administration
Enlarge / A box of Ivermectina medicine manufactured by Vitamedic in Brazil. (credit: Getty | SOPA Images)
The largest clinical trial to date on the use of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin against COVID-19 concluded that the drug is completely ineffective at treating the pandemic disease, according to results published in The New England Journal of Medicine late Wednesday.
The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was primarily designed to test if ivermectin could reduce the need for hospitalization among 1,358 COVID-19 patients who were at high risk of severe disease. Ivermectin did not, according to the international team of researchers behind the trial, dubbed TOGETHER. “We did not find a significantly or clinically meaningful lower risk of medical admission to a hospital or prolonged emergency department observation with ivermectin,” the researchers reported.
The folks with TOGETHER also found that the drug failed to reduce all other secondary outcomes of COVID-19, including the time to recovery, time to viral clearance on PCR test, time spent in the hospital, the need for mechanical ventilation, the duration of mechanical ventilation, death, or the time to death. “We found no important effects of treatment with ivermectin on the secondary outcomes,” the researchers wrote.
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Source: Ars Technica – Largest trial to date finds ivermectin is worthless against COVID
Linux Mint has launched a new Linux Mint Debian Edition operating system. In short it is also known as LMDE. Code name for LMDE 5 is ‘Elsie’, it similar to Linux Mint but in place of Ubuntu. It is using Debian and its packages are provided by Debian instead of Ubuntu.
The post How to Install Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 5 appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – How to Install Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 5
Marvel’s latest streaming show Moon Knight is only six episodes long, and though everyone expects the character to show up and showdown with the likes of Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Ant-Man, and Spider-Man, there’s no guarantee that’s going to happen.
Source: Gizmodo – Oscar Isaac’s Marvel Contract Ends With Moon Knight
The post Beginner’s Guide to Syslogs in Linux appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – Beginner’s Guide to Syslogs in Linux
Enlarge / The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is now in its seventh generation. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)
When it comes to building luxury cars, few do it better than Mercedes-Benz. The carmaker has come a long way since Carl Benz’s 1886 patent and has put out a string of sedans fit for kings, kingpins, more than few dictators, and the occasional rock star. The current S-Class is the seventh sedan to bear the nameplate, and each vehicle has been more advanced and luxurious than the model that it replaced.
The W223 (as Benzophiles will know this generation) may be the flashiest S-Class to date, with big displays and a rainbow of colors on tap from the interior lighting. Yet its MBUX infotainment system allows you to control just about every function of the car without ever touching a screen, proving that sometimes technology is the answer to driver distraction. And an aero-efficient shape means the W223 is quiet and efficient, with an effective mild-hybrid system.
Mercedes isn’t saying whether the W223 will be the last generation of S-Class to come with an internal combustion engine—for now, the all-electric EQS is a separate model—although it very well might be. We tested the $111,100 S500 4Matic: in this case, 500 refers to the capacity of each cylinder, which means you’ll find a turbocharged 3.0 L inline six-cylinder engine under the hood.
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Source: Ars Technica – Tech works with you, not against you, in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class
European Union lawmakers were set on Thursday to back tougher safeguards for transfers of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, in the latest sign that regulators are tightening up on the freewheeling sector. From a report: Two committees in the European Parliament have thrashed out cross-party compromises to be voted on. Crypto exchange Coinbase has warned the rules would usher in a surveillance regime that stifles innovation. The $2.1 trillion crypto sector is still subject to patchy regulation across the world. Concerns that bitcoin and its peers could upset financial stability and be used for crime have accelerated work by policymakers to bring the sector to heel. Under the proposal first put forward last year by the EU’s executive European Commission, crypto firms such as exchanges would have to obtain, hold, and submit information on those involved in transfers. That would make is easier to identify and report suspicious transactions, freeze digital assets, and discourage high-risk transactions, said Ernest Urtasun, a Spanish Green Party lawmaker helping to steer the measure through the parliament. The Commission had proposed applying the rule to transfers worth 1,000 euros ($1,116) or more, but under the cross-party agreement this ‘de minimis’ rule has been scrapped — meaning all transfers would be in scope.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – EU Lawmakers Set To Tighten Up on Crypto Transfers
The growth of SiFive and other companies focused on open source RISC-V-based processors will eventually bring the possibility of completely free and open computing to free and open source software advocates.
The post SiFive Becomes Open Source RISC-V’s First Unicorn Company appeared first on FOSS Force.
Source: FOSS Force – SiFive Becomes Open Source RISC-V’s First Unicorn Company
SerenityOS, which started out as a one-man project in 2018, has now got to the point where its creator proudly announced that its web browser passes the Acid3 browser test. This is a remarkable achievement for a very small, hobbyist project. Acid3 is relatively old now – it dates back to 2008. However it was and is quite demanding, testing Javascript, the Document Object Model and more.
Source: LXer – SerenityOS: Remarkable project with its own JS-capable web browser
We’ve known from the get-go that Halo The Series would split apart from the established lore of the beloved Microsoft gaming franchise to offer its own spin on familiar beats and ideas that have been touched upon in over 20 years of games, tie-in books and comics, and more. But one of its most fascinating differences…
Source: Gizmodo – The Halo Show’s Best, Weird Thing Is Stripping Master Chief Down
Despite the United States and Russia’s deteriorating relationship here on Earth, Russia is still considering extending its participation on the International Space Station through 2030, according to NASA. However, it could be a few months before there is a solid update on Russia’s official stance. From a report: NASA and Russia’s state space corporation, Roscosmos, have been the two largest partners on the International Space Station for the last three decades. The two organizations have agreed to work together on the ISS through 2024, but at the end of last year, the Biden administration announced its intentions to extend the space station program through 2030. Russia has not formally agreed to the extension yet.
Roscosmos’s participation in the extension started to seem unlikely after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. In response to the war, the United States sanctioned Russia’s major industries, which triggered outrage from the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin. On Twitter, Rogozin made wild threats about the future of the ISS, insinuating that the station could come crashing down on the United States if Russia withdrew prematurely from the program. He has also hinted at revisiting the partnership with the US in light of the sanctions.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – NASA Says Russia is Still ‘Moving Toward’ Extending the Space Station Through 2030
Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson)
Four U.S. Senators have sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Lina Khan expressing concern about Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
In the letter, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) express worry that the merger could hurt efforts to hold Activision management accountable for widespread allegations of abuse, sexual harassment, and discrimination at Activision Blizzard. The letter also takes specific issue with reports that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick will be allowed to stay until the merger is finalized, and that the embattled executive might have negotiated a “graceful exit” as part of the merger talks.
“This lack of accountability, despite shareholders, employees, and the public calling for Kotick to be held responsible for the culture he created, would be an unacceptable result of the proposed Microsoft acquisition,” the letter reads in part, according to the report. The Senators also expressed general concern about “consolidation in the tech industry and its impact on workers.”
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Source: Ars Technica – Report: US Senators urge FTC to scrutinize Microsoft/Activision merger
