BATTERYFORPC BLOG
China accused of cyber-attack on Microsoft Exchange servers
The UK, US and EU have accused China of carrying out a major cyber-attack earlier this year. The attack targeted Microsoft Exchange servers, affecting at least 30,000 organisations globally. Western security services believe it signals a shift from a targeted espionage campaign to a smash-and-grab raid, leading to concerns Chinese cyber-behaviour is escalating. The Chinese Ministry of State Sec ... Read more
2021-07-19 20:03:25
AI narration of chef Anthony Bourdain's voice sparks row
A new documentary about Anthony Bourdain has ignited a debate, after film-makers revealed they had used an AI simulation of the late chef's voice. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain was narrated using archive material supplemented by a synthetic voice reading short extracts of writing by Mr Bourdain, who died in 2018. Director Morgan Neville called it a modern storytelling technique. But ... Read more
2021-07-18 20:58:51
Pegasus: Spyware sold to governments 'targets activists'
Rights activists, journalists and lawyers around the world have been targeted with phone malware sold to authoritarian governments by an Israeli surveillance firm, media reports say. They are on a list of up to 50,000 phone numbers of people believed to be of interest to clients of the company, NSO, leaked to major news outlets. It is not clear where the list came from - or whose phones had actu ... Read more
2021-07-18 20:58:29
Clippy returns - as an emoji
Microsoft's much-maligned mascot Clippy is coming back from the dead - but only as an emoji. Clippy the paperclip was a simplistic virtual assistant who offered tips and advice to Microsoft Office users, from 1997 and until the mid-2000s. Its constant pop-ups to suggest help with the simplest of tasks - such as writing a letter - annoyed many. But Microsoft says it is now bringing back the desi ... Read more
2021-07-15 20:02:23
Instagram admits moderation mistake over racist comments
Instagram has admitted a mistake in its technology meant racist comments and emojis were not removed. It comes after a flood of racist abuse was directed at England footballers Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho following the men's Euro 2020 final. Instagram boss Adam Mosseri said content had "mistakenly" been identified as within guidelines instead of referred to human mode ... Read more
2021-07-15 19:59:10
REvil: Ransomware gang websites disappear from internet
Websites for a Russian-linked ransomware gang blamed for attacks on hundreds of businesses worldwide have gone offline. Monitors say a payment website and a blog run by the REvil group became suddenly unreachable on Tuesday. The reason behind the disappearance is unknown, but has sparked speculation that the group may have been targeted deliberately by authorities. It comes amid growing pressur ... Read more
2021-07-14 20:07:27
Microsoft announces Windows 365, a subscription cloud PC
Microsoft has announced a new "cloud PC" product where users can stream a Windows device from anywhere. Windows 365 will work similarly to game streaming - where the computing is done in a data centre somewhere remotely and streamed to a device. That means all sorts of devices - including tablets or Apple Macs - can stream a full Windows desktop PC. It is being sold to businesses to b ... Read more
2021-07-14 20:07:03
Amazon rolls out encryption for Ring doorbells
Amazon is to offer end-to-end encryption for videos captured by the Ring doorbell worldwide, following a successful trial in the US. It means that only the smartphone on which the video is received will be able to view the files. End-to-end encryption is a security feature favoured by privacy-focused messaging services such as WhatsApp. However, some governments, including the UK, say it makes ... Read more
2021-07-13 19:37:51
Google fined €500m by French competition authority
Google has been hit with a €500m (£427m) fine by France's competition authority for failing to negotiate "in good faith" with news organisations over the use of their content. The authority accused Google of not taking an order to do so seriously. Google told the BBC the decision "ignores our efforts to reach an agreement". The fine is the latest skirmish in a global copyrig ... Read more
2021-07-13 19:37:36
Euro 2020: Why abuse remains rife on social media
Once again, social-media companies are facing criticism as their platforms are used to racially abuse football players, following the dramatic conclusion of the Euro 2020 men's tournament on Sunday night. And make no mistake, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the technology giants to defend these incidents. How can they not be held more responsible for the content they share to millions? ... Read more
2021-07-12 19:42:21