BATTERYFORPC BLOG


Apple puts Indian iPhone factory 'on probation'

Apple has placed an iPhone factory in southern India "on probation" following protests over food poisoning and living conditions. An audit by Apple found that remote dining rooms and dormitories used by workers did not meet requirements. Around 250 women who worked at the Foxconn plant were affected by food poisoning, with more than 150 ending up in hospital, local media reported. Fox ... Read more

2021-12-29 18:46:48


La double authentification a-t-elle atteint sa limite ? C’est en tout cas la question que pose une récente étude menée par des chercheurs de l’université de Stony Brook. Ces derniers ont découvert pas moins de 1200 kits de piratage en libre accès sur Internet, permettant de contourner cette mesure de sécurité pourtant autrefois considérée comme imparable.

Lorsqu’elle est arrivée auprès du grand public, la double authentification a été présentée comme la solution à — presque — tous les problèmes du web. À l’aide d’un simple SMS envoyé sur le téléphone de l’utilisateur ou d’un code sur son adresse mail, le dispositif a mis un énorme bâton dans les roues des pirates. Finie l’époque où il suffisait de récupérer un mot de passe pour avoir accès à un compte. Il faut désormais également obtenir ce précieux sésame qui, bien souvent, parvient à rester confidentiel.

Avec le temps, des méthodes pour contourner cet obstacle imposant ont bien évidemment vu le jour. Cette année, un dangereux malware bancaire capable d’espionner les SMS de ses victimes, pour ne citer que lui, a fait trembler les chercheurs en cybersécurité. Mais jusqu’à maintenant, ces techniques sont restées relativement confidentielles. Jusqu’à maintenant. En effet, une étude de l’université de Stony Brook, en partenariat avec Palo Alto Networks, démontre que ces outils se démocratisent de plus en plus.

LA DOUBLE AUTHENTIFICATION BIENTÔT INUTILE ?
Ainsi, il est beaucoup moins difficile qu’avant de mettre la main sur un kit de piratage, le plus souvent mis en vente par des individus malintentionnés. Là où il fallait autrefois explorer le dark web pour trouver de tels outils, ces derniers s’exposent désormais sans gêne sur Internet. Ces kits permettent, sans effort ou presque, de subtiliser le cookie d’authentification créé par le dispositif de sécurité et sauvegardé par le navigateur.

Sur le même sujet : Apple veut rendre la double authentification plus sûre avec des SMS liés à un domaine

Il existe deux moyens pour réaliser cet exploit. Le pirate peut, au choix, infiltrer l’appareil de sa victime avec un malware capable de voler les données souhaitées, ou bien lancer une attaque de type homme du milieu pour intercepter l’information avant qu’elle n’arrive auprès du site concerné. Selon les chercheurs, ces kits sont efficaces sur la plupart des plus gros sites et applications. Ils en ont compté pas moins de 1200 au cours de leur étude.

Comme dit plus tôt, les pirates peuvent déjà depuis plusieurs années contourner la double authentification. En revanche, une telle distribution des kits de piratage, qui plus est avec une telle simplicité d’obtention, a de quoi inquiéter les chercheurs. À l’image d’Instagram qui a récemment activé le dispositif, les prochains sites et applications rejoignant le mouvement pourraient bien le faire avec un certain train de retard.

A former TikTok moderator is suing the company, claiming it failed to protect her mental health after "constant" exposure to traumatic video content. Candie Frazier says she reviewed videos that featured "extreme and graphic violence" for up to 12 hours a day. She says she suffers from "significant psychological trauma", including anxiety, depression, and post-traum ... Read more

2021-12-29 18:46:21


Elon Musk criticised after China space complaint to UN

Elon Musk is facing a social media backlash after China complained that its space station was forced to avoid collisions with satellites launched by his Starlink Internet Services project. The country's space station had two "close encounters" with Starlink satellites this year, Beijing claimed. The incidents behind the complaints, lodged with the UN's space agency, have not yet been i ... Read more

2021-12-28 18:54:21


Alexa tells 10-year-old girl to touch live plug with penny

Amazon has updated its Alexa voice assistant after it "challenged" a 10-year-old girl to touch a coin to the prongs of a half-inserted plug. The suggestion came after the girl asked Alexa for a "challenge to do". "Plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs," the smart speaker said. Amazon said it fixed the err ... Read more

2021-12-28 18:53:59


Riot Games to pay $100m in discrimination case

Riot Games, the studio best known for League of Legends, has agreed to pay $100m (£74.3m) to settle a 2018 class-action gender discrimination case. The settlement will "remedy violations against approximately 1,065 women employees and 1,300 women contract workers", California's Department of Fair Employment & Housing (DFEH) wrote. DFEH said the firm engaged in "systemic sex di ... Read more

2021-12-28 18:53:35


Covid in Scotland: Boxing Day cases highest on record

Scottish Covid cases hit record numbers over the Christmas weekend. The daily case figures recorded over the 25, 26 and 27 December were the highest totals seen throughout the entire pandemic. Christmas Day saw 8,252 cases confirmed. Boxing Day registered 11,030 cases and Monday's total was 10,562. The Scottish government warned that due to a lag in reporting results, the actual number of Covid ... Read more

2021-12-27 18:48:53


No new Covid rules in England before new year - Javid

There will be no further Covid restrictions in England before the new year, Sajid Javid has said. But the health secretary said people should "remain cautious" and celebrate outside on New Year's Eve if possible. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ministers would continue to monitor the data and urged people to get their "first, second or booster jab without delay". Meanwhile ... Read more

2021-12-27 18:47:53


Covid-19: New rules in force for three UK nations

New Covid restrictions have come into force in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as the nations try to halt the surge in infections. All three nations have introduced curbs on the hospitality and leisure industry, resumed social distancing rules and put limits on the size of gatherings. Boris Johnson has not announced any further restrictions in England. But the prime minister said he would ... Read more

2021-12-26 19:36:08


Christmas Day TV: Nine million tune in for Queen's message

The Queen's Christmas message, in which she spoke movingly about her late husband and empathised with families missing loved ones, was the most-watched TV show on Christmas Day. An audience of 8.96 million saw the festive address on BBC One, ITV and Sky News, according to overnight ratings. The BBC's Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and Call the Midwife were the next two most popular show ... Read more

2021-12-26 19:35:42


Russia fines Google over illegal content breach

A Moscow court has fined Google 7.2bn roubles ($98m; £73m) for repeated failure to delete content deemed illegal in Russia. Details of the offending content were not specified in the announcement by the court's press service. This is the first time in Russia that a technology giant has been hit with a fine based on their annual turnover. Google told AFP news agency that it would study the court ... Read more

2021-12-24 18:53:57