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This week has hard for a lot of people, for a lot of reasons, but at least it's over. However, Facebook has announced a security breach affecting at least 50 million people, or even 90 million. Or who knows! Maybe more. It is still early.
Facebook has not yet determined who the hackers are – and never will be – nor to what extent the extent of the damage, although the attackers could have gained full access to the affected accounts. Oh, and apparently also to any account with which you used Facebook to connect. Not great!
Other worrying news, new research shows how mobile sites access some of your smartphone's sensors, including motion and light sensors, without asking for permission or notifying you at all. ESET security researchers have surprised Russian hackers with the help of an intelligent technique called UEFI rootkit, which does not even solve the exchange of a new hard drive. And while Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has retained his position this week, the status quo of the Mueller Inquiry can not be expected to last long beyond the mid-term elections.
There was at least some good news to find. The new series of YubiKey hardware authentication tokens will support the FIDO2 standard, which is a very heavy jargon to say that you can plug them into your computer instead of using a password one day. And while Google introduced a very confusing change in Chrome that made users feel like they were connected, they ended up making it optional. What is a partial victory?
By the way, Cody Wilson, a DIY evangelist, resigned from the company he founded, Distributed Defense, amid unrelated legal troubles. Do not expect this to slow down the progression of 3D-printed firearms, however. And remember how the safety of voting machines was a mess before the 2016 elections? Surprise! It's still a real mess.
And there's more! As always, we gathered all the news that we did not discuss in detail this week. Click on the titles to read the complete stories. And stay safe outside.
Facebook wins a showdown in front of Messenger
In recent weeks, Facebook has been fighting in front of the US government to ask if it should use wiretapping of an alleged gang member's account. This was considered an important test for the preservation of strong encryption; Authorities hoped that Facebook's help would allow them to access Messenger calls, which they could not otherwise. On Friday, a judge ruled in favor of Facebook, maintaining the status quo on confidentiality, at least for now.
Facebook targets ads with the help of your secret security information
And then more bad news on Facebook. What a roller coaster! Gizmodo reporter Kashmir Hill confirmed this week that Facebook has access to "fictitious contact information" to target ads. Specifically, in this case, the email addresses and phone numbers that you provide in response to security questions to secure your account (think of your two-factor phone number), as well as any contact information that Facebook could find by your friends. Using only this phantom data, Hill was able to target a single security researcher with an advertisement for his eyes only. Hill reported that Facebook had denied making it last year when she had questioned the company about it. When he was confronted with Hill's testimony, Facebook finally acknowledged that it was the case.
Uber has to pay. Highligths.
Remember in 2016, when Uber had a huge data breach affecting 25 million customers, but had not told anyone about it for more than a year? Of course, you do it. This was a huge scandal, especially because it comes just two years after a large-scale violation and because instead of warning their customers, Uber paid the hackers for the breach to not be disclosed. The company must now pay a fine of $ 148 million, the largest ever imposed for a data breach.
Broadway puppet master arrested for attempting to make a 3D firearm in theater
A puppet master for Broadway's longtime and beloved show, "The Lion King" was recently arrested at the Minskoff Theater. Ilya Vett was charged with "attempted criminal possession of a firearm" after theater staff found at least one part of a three-dimensional firearm printed in her office. In New York State, it is illegal to print a revolver, an assault rifle or a pistol without a license. When a police officer from New York arrived at the theater, the officer wrote in the criminal complaint that he had seen the 3D printer in the theater's theatrical room printing a revolver. Vett told the police that he was making the gun for his brother who lives in the north of the state and who, he said, had a license. He found the fingerprints online. It is unclear whether Disney will allow Vett to return to Mufasa and Pumba puppetry.
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