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Links 12/07/2023: Microsoft Layoffs in California This Week and KPhotoAlbum 5.11.0 Released



  • GNU/Linux

    • Desktop/Laptop

    • Audiocasts/Shows

    • Kernel Space

      • 9to5LinuxLinux Kernel 6.3 Reaches End of Life, Users Urged to Upgrade to Linux 6.4

        Earlier today, renowned Linux kernel maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman announced the release of Linux kernel 6.3.13 as the thirteenth maintenance update to the Linux 6.3 kernel series, an update that brings quite a lot of changes (481 files changed, 4919 insertions, and 2870 deletions).

        However, Greg Kroah-Hartman also marked the Linux kernel 6.3 series as EOL (End of Life) on the kernel.org website, noting the fact that Linux kernel 6.3.13 is the last update in the series and urging users to upgrade their Linux systems to the latest Linux 6.4 kernel as soon as possible.

    • Applications

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • Red HatHow to create an instance on GCP using the Ansible CLI

        This series covers the end-to-end process of creating an instance on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) using Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. This 3-part series includes:

      • Linux CapableStep-by-Step Guide: Install phpBB with LEMP on Debian 12/11/10

        phpBB in the Context of Other Forum Software Compared to other forum software, phpBB offers a unique blend of features that sets it apart: The Power of phpBB on Debian Debian, known for its stability and security, serves as an excellent platform for hosting phpBB.

      • Trend OceansHow to Install Metasploit Framework with GUI Method on Linux

        If you are thinking that installation of Metasploit framework is limited to the terminal, you must check out this article to learn how to install Metasploit with the GUI method on Linux. Rapid7 and the open-source community manage the widely used penetration testing framework, Metasploit.

      • Red HatHow to create a GCP instance via workflow and Ansible

        In our previous article, we explored how to use the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform to create an instance in Google Compute Engine. We saw how Ansible Automation Platform can streamline the process of deploying instances in GCP, making it more efficient and less error-prone.

        In this article, we'll explore how to simplify the process of creating Instances in GCP by using workflow templates with Ansible Automation Platform. Workflow templates can help us to standardize the process of creating VMs and reduce the amount of manual intervention required.

      • Linux JournalRunning HIP VPLS on a NanoPI R2S

        In our previous article we have demonstrated a working prototype of Host Identity Based Virtual Private Service or HIP-VPLS. Back then we used the Mininet framework. Here we are going to demonstrate how to deploy this system on a real hardware. We are going to use NanoPi R2S as the platform for HIP-VPLS. Just a reminder. Virtual Private LAN Services (VPLS) provide means for building Layer 2 communication on top of an existing IP network. VPLS can be built using various approaches. However, when building a production-grade VPLS solution one needs to have a clear picture of how such aspects as security, mobility, and L2 issues will be solved.

      • Red HatHow to create a GCP instance using Ansible Automation

        This series covers the end-to-end process of creating an instance on GCP using Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. This 3-part series includes:

        Part 2: How to create a GCP instance using Ansible Automation

      • Own HowToHow to Install Slackware 15.0

        Slackware 15.0 is a stable release of Slackware, and it is based on kernel 5.15.19, the new version comes also with KDE and XFCE Desktop environment.

        Slackware was founded on 1993, and it's the oldest Linux distro.

      • GhacksChromium based browsers are not loading pages properly on Linux, here's how to fix it

        Several users have said that their Chromium-based browsers are not rendering pages on some Linux distros.

      • ID RootHow To Install Django on Fedora 38

        In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Django on Fedora 38. For those of you who didn’t know, Django is a powerful and popular Python-based web framework that simplifies the process of building robust web applications.

      • How to Install Crack Attack on OpenSUSE, Fedora and Debian

        To install Crack Attack on OpenSUSE, Fedora, and Debian, you can follow these general steps: For Fedora, use the following command instead: Note: If you encounter any errors during the build process, it may be due to missing dependencies.

      • Linux HintHow to Add Users to a Group in Fedora Linux

        Guide on the various ways of adding a user to a user group in Fedora Linux and how to list all the groups in the system and remove the users from a user group.

      • Linux HintHow to Fix- zsh command not found nvm error in Mac – Reason and Solution [Ed: Linux Hint covering Windows and "Mac" lately, instead of... Linux. Linux HintAnd again here. Take the hint. Linux Hint is not about Linux anymore.]

        ZSH command not found nvm error in Mac can be fixed by installing the nvm through brew and adding the path zshrc file.

      • Linux CapablecURL Command in Linux: 30 Powerful Examples Unveiled

        In the vast landscape of Linux, there exist tools that, once mastered, can unlock a new level of productivity and understanding. One such tool is cURL, a command-line utility designed for data transfer across a multitude of protocols.

      • Linux CapableWget Command: 30 Practical Examples

        In the realm of UNIX and Linux-based systems, the wget command stands as a powerful utility for downloading files from the internet. Its versatility allows it to handle a variety of tasks, from downloading single files to mirroring entire websites. This guide aims to provide an in-depth exploration of wget’s full potential.

      • How to Install XRDP (Remote Desktop) Server on Ubuntu 22.04

        In this blog, you will learn the step-by-step procedure for installing and configuring an RDP server using XRDP on your Ubuntu 22.04.

      • It's FOSSUsing cp Command in Linux

        get familiar with the cp command for copying files and directories in the Linux command line.

      • TecMint8 Parted Commands to Manage Disk Partitions in Linux

        Parted is a renowned command-line utility designed to facilitate the management of hard disk partitions in a user-friendly manner.

    • Desktop Environments/WMs

      • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

        • KPhotoAlbum 5.11.0 released

          We're happy to announce the new release 5.11.0 of KPhotoAlbum, the KDE photo management program!

          Most notably, this release can be built against Exiv2 0.28, which introduced some breaking changes. Older versions are still supported as before.

          Other things that have been changed and fixed (as listed in the ChangeLog) are...

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

    • SUSE/OpenSUSE

      • The Register UKSUSE announces its own RHEL-compatible distro... again
        SUSE is reconsidering the change of course it made at the beginning of last year: it is launching its own RHEL-compatible distro, or as it puts it, a fork of RHEL.

        The company's recently appointed CEO Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen has made his first big announcement: that the German enterprise Linux vendor will launch its own Red Hat Enterprise Linux compatible distro soon.

        In the announcement, a quote from Linux pro Greg Kurtzer reveals with whom SUSE is working: Kurtzer is the founder and CEO of CIQ, the company that sponsors Rocky Linux. The announcement comes soon after the claims from the Rocky Linux project that it has found a way around the new restrictions on Red Hat sharing the RHEL source code. It also, of course, follows even more closely upon Oracle's chutzpah-laden article on this subject.

      • Linux Magazine SUSE Goes for the Fork after Red Hat's RHEL Announcement
        SUSE, the company behind Rancher and SUSE Enterprise Linux, has announced it will invest $10 million to fork publicly available Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and develop a RHEL-compatible distribution.

        Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen, CEO of SUSE, says, "For decades, collaboration and shared success have been the building blocks of our open-source community. We have a responsibility to defend these values."

        He then speaks to the investment SUSE has committed to this effort by saying, "This investment will preserve the flow of innovation for years to come and ensures that customers and community alike are not subjected to vendor lock-in and have genuine choice tomorrow as well as today.”

        This all started when Red Hat declared that CentOS Stream would be the sole repository for public RHEL source code. However, with CentOS Stream being a rolling release distribution, it's not exactly suitable for business needs.

      • LinuxiacSUSE Gets Momentum, Fork Red Hat Enterprise Linux
        Who would have expected at the beginning of the year that this summer would be so “hot” for the open-source community?

        But after Red Hat, to eliminate the competition in the face of Alma and Rocky, announced last month the limiting of access to their source code, the news hasn’t stopped pouring in.

        Two weeks ago, SUSE was the first company to disagree with Red Hat’s decision publicly. Now, they come out with unexpected news that is literally about to shake the Linux world, with the potential to redraw the map of the Enterprise Linux segment.

      • ZDNetSUSE will fork Red Hat Enterprise Linux

        First came AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux. Then Oracle. Now SUSE is coming after Red Hat for changing the rules on RHEL source code. What's next? Microsoft RHEL!?

      • SUSE's Corporate BlogAt SUSE We Make Choice Happen

        For over 25 years, open source has revolutionized our world. From the growth of Linux to virtualization, to the move to the cloud, and more – many, if not most major advances in technology have had open source innovation as a driving force. For me, it’s obvious why.

    • Fedora Family / IBM

      • IT Pro Can Oracle really be Linux's knight in shining armor?
        Oracle has waded into the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) source code furor in a stunning turn of events, claiming it’s “committed to Linux freedom”.

        Oracle’s words will doubtless cause users who remember OpenSolaris to raise an eyebrow or two. Organizations dealing with the pain arising from Oracle’s changes around Java licensing – the introduction of the Java SE Universal Subscription – will also be taken aback by the company’s championing of open and free principles.

      • Joe Brockmeier Red Hat and the Clone Wars V: Oracle Linux Origins
        Since Oracle has weighed in about Red Hat’s source changes, it’s time to take a look at the history of Oracle Linux. That takes us back to 2006, the world of enterprise computing, and into new markets. Specifically, Java and middleware.

        In the early days of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Oracle was a boon for Red Hat. Being able to run Oracle’s stack on RHEL meant Red Hat could expand with existing customers, and opened doors to business for Red Hat that wouldn’t have been open in the first place.

        Heading into 2006, Red Hat was doing pretty well for a company that sold free software. Its annual revenue for FY2006 was $278.3 million, growth of 53% from FY2005. (Note: Red Hat’s fiscal year 2006 started in March 2005 and ran through February 2006. As part of IBM, its fiscal year is now tied to the calendar year.)

      • ZDNetOracle takes on Red Hat in Linux code fight

        Now, it's Oracle's turn to jump into the Red Hat open-source Linux code kerfuffle.

      • GNOMEAlexander Larsson: Composefs state of the union

        I can’t belive its been more than a year since my last composefs blog. So much has changed, yet the goal is the same. However, finally things are starting to settling down, so I think it is time to do an update on the current state.

      • Fedora ProjectFedora Community Blog: Community Blog monthly summary: June 2023 [Ed: Fedora's weekly reports became very short or altogether absent. Not a good sign from IBM. They even fired some leadership people/roles, without seeking a replacement.]

        This is the latest in our monthly series summarizing the past month on the Community Blog. Please leave a comment below to let us know what you think.

      • Weekly status of Packit Team: July 2023

        Week 27 (July 4th – July 10th) # Packit now correctly reloads upstream specfile after running pre-sync action. (packit#2006)

    • Debian Family

      • Daniel Pocock In defence of Albanian women: Outreachy & Debian favoritism scandal
        In my last blog, I looked at the way some extraordinary women were excluded from Outreachy & Debian internships.

        Many people simply assumed that there was only one explanation for the Albanian woman dining with the Debian leader, Chris Lamb, two months before the award of Outreachy internships.

        Both men and women look at the DebConf19 photos and reach the same conclusion. People assume it is simply an inappropriate romance. In fact, they may all be wrong.

        There are at least two other explanations.

    • Canonical/Ubuntu Family

    • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • Events

      • Unicorn MediaCarlos Santana Will Speak but Not Play Guitar at All Things Open

        OK, it’s a clickbait headline. While it’s true that Carlos Santana will speak at this year’s ATO, it won’t be the Carlos Santana whose performed at Woodstock and who’s still putting out great albums nearly 55 years later.

        The Carlos Santana who will speak at this year’s All Things Open is pretty cool though. He’s a senior Kubernetes Solutions Architect at AWS, leading Amazon EKS Solutions in the Worldwide Application Modernization. He also comes to the table with plenty of speaking experience before a wide range of audiences, and has more than 20 years of experience in distributed systems, open source, containers, serverless, and devops. Also, he is a CNCF Ambassador and contributor to CNCF projects Kubernetes, ArgoCD, Crossplane, and Knative.

      • Creative CommonsIntroducing Open Culture Live: A Webinar Series

        As a first session, we wanted to introduce folks to the basics of open culture – how our licenses work, and how they can be harnessed by cultural heritage institutions or GLAMs (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) to responsibly share the world’s cultural heritage.€ 

    • Programming/Development

  • Leftovers

    • Education

    • Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

      • Ruben SchadeProving you don’t need an office

        Someone I spend my life with has worked remote, every day, for the last six months. I won’t name her specifically, but you can guess.

        Now let’s imagine, hypothetically, why this might be. Was she sick with COVID this whole time? Does she work for a forward-thinking company that recognised office space as a huge and wasteful operational expense that could be put towards salaries and extra workers? Did she get a special arrangement from her manager? Does she enjoy listening to me on client calls while she tries to listen in on hers?

      • New York TimesCoronavirus Spread Widely in Deer, and Perhaps Back to People, U.S.D.A. Says

        From late 2021 to early 2022, humans transmitted the coronavirus to white-tailed deer more than 100 times, research suggests.

    • Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

      • The Motley FoolAre Microsoft Layoffs Bad News for Investors? [Ed: Truly absurd, obtuse, and offensive question, from a Microsoft site (Motley)]

        Tech company Microsoft (MSFT 1.65%) initiated a round of layoffs on Monday, just after the company's new fiscal year started. The news is interesting following a surge in the prices of many tech stocks, evidenced by the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite's 31 % year to date gain. Microsoft's gains have been even stronger, with shares rising an incredible 39%. Could Microsoft's latest round of layoffs suggest that hype in the sector has gone too far?

      • Another 250+ layoffs at Microsoft as company starts new fiscal year [Ed: This title is misleading. This sum refers to only 2 cities.]

        In yet another round of cost-cutting, Microsoft laid off 276 employees Monday evening as the company enters a new fiscal year.

      • Chinese hackers raided US government email accounts by exploiting Microsoft cloud bug

        Chinese hackers exploited a flaw in Microsoft’s cloud email service to gain access to the email accounts of U.S. government employees, the technology giant has confirmed.

        The hacking group, tracked as Storm-0558, compromised approximately 25 email accounts, including government agencies, as well as related consumer accounts linked to individuals associated with these organizations, according to Microsoft. “Storm” is a nickname used by Microsoft to track hacking groups that are new, emerging or “in development.”

      • QuartzMicrosoft started a new round of layoffs in the US and abroad

        Microsoft announced a new round of layoffs yesterday (July 10), adding to€ the 10,000 jobs cut at the start of the year.

      • Tech Giants Are Slashing Jobs in the Bay Area [Ed: Microsoft layoffs in Mountain View (California) this week]

        Several prominent tech firms, including Sumo Logic, Intel, and Microsoft, have recently informed the EDD of their intention to lay off employees. There will be a total of seventy-nine layoffs at Sumo Logic in Redwood City, twenty-one at Intel in Santa Clara, and two at Microsoft in Mountain View. Most of these layoffs were announced this week, but they had actually been planned for some time before that. According to the EDD entries, all layoffs were described as permanent.

      • IT WireUK regulator to consider fresh proposal from Microsoft on Activision deal

        In a statement sent to iTWire on Wednesday, a CMA spokesperson said: "We stand ready to consider any proposals from Microsoft to restructure the transaction in a way that would address the concerns set out in our Final Report.

        "In order to be able to prioritise work on these proposals, Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that a stay of litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and all parties have made a joint submission to the Competition Appeal Tribunal to this effect."

        The CMA announcement followed a decision by Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco which said the FTC had not shown that Microsoft’s merger with Activision would harm competition for gaming.

        Her decision means 38 jurisdictions have green-lighted the deal, which has an 18 July deadline for closing.

      • Hollywood ReporterFTC Appeals Microsoft-Activision Blizzard Antitrust Court Loss [Ed: This time make sure the judge is not the mother of a MICROSOFT EMPLOYEE]

        The court's temporary restraining order prohibiting Microsoft from closing the transaction is set to expire on Friday unless a federal appeals court grants an emergency stay.

      • Layoffs Hit Microsoft: Hundreds of Employees Let Go, Organizational Changes Underway [Ed: Misleading. Why count people only in two cities?]

        More than 2,700 Seattle-area employees were affected by layoffs announced earlier this year, according to the report. Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella announced in January that the company would make changes that would result in a reduction of 10,000 jobs across its workforce by the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2023.

      • TechRadarSalesforce is hiking prices for some of its top cloud products

        Salesforce has announced average price rises of 9% across much of its range, including Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Industries, and Tableau - but all is perhaps not entirely what it seems.

        While there could be an element of truth in rumors that the CRM giant is doing this to tackle the current economic pressure, the company also noted that this is the first time it has raised prices in seven years - so many observers perhaps saw it coming.

    • Pseudo-Open Source

      • Openwashing

        • OSI BlogModern EU policies need the voices of the fourth sector [Ed: Well, fourth sector or not, OSI is bribed by Microsoft, infiltrated by Microsoft (staff and board) and basically fronts for criminal Microsoft]

          The European Commission needs to extend its consultations, Expert Groups and other work to include and consider the fourth sector.

    • Linux Foundation

      • Linux Foundation's Site/BlogOpen Source Symbolism: Exploring the Stories Behind Project Mascots and Logos [Ed: Linux.com is supposed to be for Linux, the kernel, but here is LF using it to promote totally unrelated stuff again]

        In the vibrant world of open source communities, collaboration, innovation, and shared values are defining traits. One fascinating aspect that encapsulates these principles is using mascots and symbols. Mascots serve as narrative devices and symbols of a project's mission, reflecting core values and fostering community spirit. This article delves into the stories behind mascots and symbols of open source projects, emphasizing their contribution to organizational symbolism. Each is crucial in embodying and conveying the project's mission, values, and ethos, making abstract concepts relatable and engaging. The community's involvement in their design process fosters a sense of identity and belonging while humanizing technology.

    • Security

      • Krebs On SecurityApple & Microsoft Patch Tuesday, July 2023 Edition

        Microsoft Corp. today released software updates to quash 130 security bugs in its Windows operating systems and related software, including at least five flaws that are already seeing active exploitation. Meanwhile, Apple customers have their own zero-day woes again this month: On Monday, Apple issued (and then quickly pulled) an emergency update to fix a zero-day vulnerability that is being exploited on MacOS and iOS devices.

      • IT WireMicrosoft warns of unpatched holes in Windows, Office on bumper Patch Tuesday

        "An attacker could create a specially crafted Microsoft Office document that enables them to perform remote code execution in the context of the victim. However, an attacker would have to convince the victim to open the malicious file.

        {loadposition sam08}"Upon completion of this investigation, Microsoft will take the appropriate action to help protect our customers. This might include providing a security update through our monthly release process or providing an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs.”

        Microsoft also warned of a phishing campaign using Office zero-dat exploits to attack European and North American government and defence agencies.

        iTWire's regular Patch Tuesday commentator Satnam Narang said: “Two security feature bypass zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft Outlook (CVE-2023-35311) and Windows SmartScreen (CVE-2023-32049) were exploited in the wild by attackers.

        "Details about exploitation were not available at the time Patch Tuesday updates were released, but it appears that the attackers were able to use social engineering to convince a target to click on a malicious URL. In both instances, security warning prompts that are designed to help protect users were bypassed."

      • TechCrunchChinese hackers raided US government email accounts by exploiting Microsoft cloud bug | TechCrunch

        The White House confirmed that unclassified U.S. government email accounts were accessed in the raids by Chinese hackers.

      • Security WeekFormer Security Engineer Arrested for $9 Million Crypto Exchange Hack

        Former security engineer Shakeeb Ahmed has been arrested on charges related to the defrauding of decentralized crypto exchange Crema Finance.

      • Matthew GarrettMatthew Garrett: Roots of Trust are difficult [Ed: Yes, never trust a man who wants to stab his colleagues (like Matthew Garrett desired) as it leads to actual stabbings]

        The phrase "Root of Trust" turns up at various points in discussions about verified boot and measured boot, and to a first approximation nobody is able to give you a coherent explanation of what it means[1].

      • Security WeekApple’s Rapid Security Response Patches Causing Website Access Issues

        Apple has pulled its latest Rapid Security Response updates for iOS and macOS after users complained that they can no longer access websites.

      • Security WeekAdobe Patch Tuesday: Critical Flaws Haunt InDesign, ColdFusion

        Software maker calls special attention to CVE-2023-29300, a deserialization of untrusted data bug with a CVSS severity score of 9.8/10.

      • Security WeekPersonal Information of 11 Million Patients Stolen in Data Breach at HCA Healthcare

        HCA Healthcare says the personal information of roughly 11 million patients was stolen in a data breach.

      • Bruce SchneierPrivacy of Printing Services

        The Washington Post has an article about popular printing services, and whether or not they read your documents and mine the data when you use them for printing:

        Ideally, printing services should avoid storing the content of your files, or at least delete daily. Print services should also communicate clearly upfront what information they’re collecting and why. Some services, like the New York Public Library and PrintWithMe, do both.

        Others dodged our questions about what data they collect, how long they store it and whom they share it with. Some—including Canon, FedEx and Staples—declined to answer basic questions about their privacy practices...

      • Silicon AngleTen years on, Snowden has had tremendous impact – good and bad – on corporate security

        Ten years ago, a young man left a nice job, his girlfriend and his home with just his laptops. His fantastic story changed the world and the way we think about our internet privacy.

      • Silicon AngleNew ‘PyLoose’ fileless malware attacks target cloud workloads

        Researchers at cybersecurity firm Wiz Inc. today detailed a newly discovered Python-based fileless malware that’s targeting cloud workloads. Dubbed “PyLoose,” the€ attack is said to be€ the first publicly documented Python-based fileless attack targeting cloud workloads in the wild.

      • Scoop News GroupGrowing reliance on satellites requires new approach to cybersecurity in space, expert says

        Experts call for improvements to space cybersecurity as sectors such as energy, agriculture and finance rely more on satellite networks.

      • Security WeekVerifying Software Integrity With Sigstore [Ed: Sigstore's mission is actually dangerous as it will facilitate censorship of software, not improve real security]

        Signing code is very important to defend against supply chain attacks, but it’s also one of the most cumbersome to implement for internal development.

      • Security WeekICS Patch Tuesday: Siemens, Schneider Electric Fix 50 Vulnerabilities

        ICS Patch Tuesday: Siemens and Schneider Electric release nine new security advisories and fix 50 vulnerabilities in their industrial products.

      • IT WireMicrosoft blithely signing malicious drivers with legitimate certificates

        The security firm pointed out that the other drivers — 32 of which were signed by WHCP — were rootkits. "Many of these rootkits were designed to stealthily monitor sensitive data sent over the Internet," it said.

        "Upon discovering these malicious drivers, X-Ops immediately reported the issue to Microsoft, who resolved the issue in their most recent Patch Tuesday.

        Christopher Budd, director, threat research, Sophos X-Ops, said: “Since October last year, we’ve noticed a concerning rise in threat actors taking advantage of malicious signed drivers to carry out various cyber attacks, including [the use of] ransomware.

        "We believed that attackers would continue to leverage this attack vector, and that has indeed been the case. Because drivers often communicate with the ‘core’ of the operating system and load before security software, when they are abused, they can be particularly effective at disabling security protections — especially when signed by a trusted authority.

        "Many of the malicious drivers we’ve discovered were specifically designed to target and ‘take out’ EDR products, leaving the affected systems vulnerable to a range of malicious activity.

        "Obtaining a signature for a malicious driver is difficult, so this technique is primarily used by advanced threat actors in targeted attacks.

      • Bleeping ComputerMicrosoft: Unpatched Office zero-day exploited in NATO summit attacks

        Microsoft disclosed today an unpatched zero-day security bug in multiple Windows and Office products exploited in the wild to gain remote code execution via malicious Office documents.

      • SANSJuly 2023 Microsoft Patch Update, (Tue, Jul 11th)
      • TechRepublicCisco Talos Reports Microsoft Windows Policy Loophole Being Exploited by Threat Actor

        Learn how a malicious driver exploits a loophole in the Windows operating system to run at kernel level.

      • New York TimesChinese Hackers Breached Government Email Accounts, Microsoft Says [Ed: File under, "MICROSOFT BLAMES"]

        The hack, by a Chinese group that the company said was intent on conducting espionage, went undetected for a month.

      • Privacy/Surveillance

        • EDRIOpen letter: Hundreds of scientists warn against EU’s proposed CSA Regulation

          Over 300 security researchers & academics warn against the measures in the EU's proposed Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR), citing harmful side-effects of large-scale scanning of online communications which would have a chilling effect on society and negatively affect democracies. The letter remains open for signatures.

        • Michael West MediaTikTok data gathering behind federal ban: cyber agency

          The country’s peak cyber security agency says TikTok’s ability to gather large amounts of user information was in part the reason for the app’s ban from government devices.

          Officials from the Australian Signals Directorate on Wednesday told a parliamentary inquiry into foreign interference through social media the app could form a picture of information about those with profiles on the platform.

        • OpenRightsGroupSmart meter data collection: Government reverses course after ORG raises concerns

          Last year, on 1 October 2022 the Government quietly announced that smart meter data would be collected in order to assess the bills reduction scheme following energy price hikes last year.

        • The Washington PostA senator had trouble saying no to TSA's voluntary facial recogntion - The Washington Post
        • The Register UKFunnily enough, AI models must follow privacy law – including right to be forgotten

          In order to comply with data protection regimes, AI chatbots and associated machine learning applications will have to be capable of forgetting what they've learned.

          It's not yet evident they can handle that requirement.

          Researchers affiliated with Australia's National Science Agency (CSIRO’s Data61), and Australian National University – Dawen Zhang, Pamela Finckenberg-Broman, Thong Hoang, Shidong Pan, Zhenchang Xing, Mark Staples, and Xiwei Xu – recently issued a paper on the subject.

          Citing the "right to be forgotten" or right to erasure under Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the academics argue that large language models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Flan-T5, Meta’s LLaMA, and Anthropic’s Claude, and the applications integrating these models (Microsoft Bing, GitHub Copilot, Google Bard, and third-party apps linked via API) will find compliance challenging because they process and store information in a way that's different from search engines.

          It's not just the EU's GDPR that promises this limited right. The

    • Defence/Aggression

    • Environment

    • Finance

      • Yahoo NewsJPMorgan plans to lay off 63 employees in Jersey City

        JPMorgan Chase plans to lay off 63 employees in Jersey City, New Jersey, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) issued on Tuesday.

        The job cuts will take place in September, according to the notice.

        The total workforce of JPMorgan, the largest U.S. lender, stood at 296,877 at the end of the first quarter, up 8% from a year earlier, according to a filing.

      • MoneyControl'Being an immigrant on H1B': Indian techie laid off by Qualcomm seeks help finding new job



        An Indian senior engineer with Qualcomm, who was laid off recently has sought help finding a new job in the US before he runs out of time granted by his H1B visa.

        Tushar Trehon, a former senior performance managing engineer with the multinational chip manufacturing company, took to LinkedIn recently after failing to secure a job.

        "A little over a month ago, I was unfortunately impacted by a round of layoffs at Qualcomm," Trehon wrote on LinkedIn. He had previously also worked with Microsoft Innovation Lab in Bengaluru, as per his LinkedIn profile, and added that he was laid off by Qualcomm within a year of being hired.

      • AxiosStablecoin issuer Circle announces layoffs

        Why it matters: The company is best known for its usd coin (USDC) cryptocurrency. Stablecoins have been one of the most successful segments of the crypto economy, enabling traders across the world to quickly close out positions without leaving blockchains or paying expensive fees to return to fiat.

        What they're saying: "To maintain our strong balance sheet, Circle is redoubling its focus on core business activities and execution," a statement from the firm said. To that end, it is reducing its financial exposure to what it calls "non-core activities."

      • ScheerpostThe New York Times Has Decided We Need to Cut Social Security and Medicare

        The New York Times editorial board came to a shocking realization this week: we are living on borrowed money. That was the headline of an€ editorial€ it ran calling for deficit reduction.

      • Survey: 62% of Workers Say Employers Aren’t Combating Stress

        Over a third of respondents said that stress symptoms affected them "very often," citing high workloads and low pay.

    • Censorship/Free Speech

    • Civil Rights/Policing

    • Monopolies

      • Patents

      • Trademarks

        • TTAB BlogProfessor McCarthy: "Some Thoughts on the Supreme Court Jack Daniel's Case"

          Professor J. Thomas McCarthy shares his thoughts (below) on the Supreme Court's "Bad Spaniels" decision (pdf here), in the hope of stimulating discussion (in the comments) as to what readers think will be the impact of the case on the use of marks in "expressive" works. As you will recall, the Court vacated the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that had deemed the "Bad Spaniels" dog toy immune to claims of infringement and dilution of various Jack Daniel’s trademarks. The Supreme Court, however, ruled that the Ninth Circuit was wrong in concluding that the toy was entitled to First Amendment protection under Rogers v. Grimaldi because of the humorous messaging on the toy. The Court held that (1) the Rogers test does not apply when the defendant uses the challenged matter as a mark, and (2) the Ninth Circuit’s interpretation of the noncommercial exemption to dilution claims was overbroad.

      • Copyrights

        • Digital Music NewsYouTube Content ID Claims Reach All-Time High — 826 Million Claims In Just 6 Months

          YouTube’s recent transparency report shows the number of Content ID copyright system claims has reached a new high — 826 million claims in just six months. YouTube’s latest€ transparency report€ reveals that the number of Content ID system claims has hit a new high during the latter half of 2022.

        • TechdirtA Bunch Of Authors Sue OpenAI Claiming Copyright Infringement, Because They Don’t Understand Copyright [Ed: TechDirt shilling for Microsoft's side]

          You may have seen some headlines recently about some authors filing lawsuits against OpenAI. The lawsuits (plural, though I’m confused why it’s separate attempts at filing a class action lawsuit, rather than a single one) began last week, when authors Paul Tremblay and Mona Awad sued OpenAI and various subsidiaries, claiming copyright infringement in how OpenAI trained its models. They got a lot more attention over the weekend when another class action lawsuit was filed against OpenAI with comedian Sarah Silverman as the lead plaintiff, along with Christopher Golden and Richard Kadrey. The same day the same three plaintiffs (though with Kadrey now listed as the top plaintiff) also sued Meta, though the complaint is basically the same.

        • Torrent FreakTop 10 Most Pirated Movies of The Week – 07/10/2023

          Every week we take a close look at the most pirated movies on torrent sites. What are pirates downloading? 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3John Wick: Chapter 4' tops the chart, followed by 'Knights of the Zodiac'. ‘Fast X' completes the top three.

        • Torrent FreakAmateur Anti-Piracy Professionals Make Bank Sending DMCA Notices

          Anti-piracy company claims that online pirates make huge amounts of money is supposed to have negative connotations but for some it sounds more like an opportunity. There are drawbacks, of course, like not making any money at all or getting arrested. But what if there was a way to make a considerable amount of money from piracy, with almost zero risk?

        • Creative CommonsCC’s #BetterSharing Collection | July: Better Sharing For Brighter Future

          As part of our #20CC anniversary, last year we joined forces with Fine Acts to spark a global dialogue on what better sharing looks like in action. Our #BetterSharing collection of illustrations was the result — we gathered insights from 12 prominent open advocates around the world and tasked 12 renowned artists who embrace openness with transforming these perspectives into captivating visual pieces available under a CC license.

        • The NationWriters’ Strike


Recent Techrights' Posts

The Free Software Foundation is Looking to Raise Nearly Half a Million Dollars by Year's End
And it really needs the money, unlike the EFF which sits on a humongous pile of oligarchs' and GAFAM cash
 
Links 19/11/2024: War on Cables?
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/11/2024: Private Journals Online and Spirituality
Links for the day
Drew's Development Mailing Lists and Patches to 'Refine' His Attack Pieces Against the FSF's Founder
Way to bury oneself in one's own grave...
What IBMers Say About IBM Causing IBMers to Resign (by Making Life Hard/Impossible) and Why Red Hat Was a Waste of Money to Buy
partnering with GAFAM
In Some Countries, Desktop/Laptop Usage Has Fallen to the Point Where Microsoft and Windows (and Intel) Barely Matter Anymore
Microsoft is the next Intel basically
[Meme] The Web Wasn't Always Proprietary Computer Programs Disguised as 'Web Pages'
The Web is getting worse each year
Re-de-centralisation Should Be Our Goal
Put the users in charge, not governments and corporations in charge of users
Gemini Links 19/11/2024: Rain Music, ClockworkPi DevTerm, and More
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, November 18, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, November 18, 2024
Links 18/11/2024: Science News and War Escalations in Ukraine
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/11/2024: Degrowth and OpenBSD Fatigue
Links for the day
Technology: rights or responsibilities? - Part VII
By Dr. Andy Farnell
BetaNews is Still 'Shitposting' About Trump and Porn (Two Analysers Say This 'Shitposting' Comes From LLMs)
Probably some SEO garbage, prompted with words like "porn" and "trump" to stitch together other people's words
Market Share of Vista 11 Said to be Going Down in Europe
one plausible explanation is that gs.statcounter.com is actually misreporting the share of Vista 11, claiming that it's higher than it really is
Fourth Estate or Missing Fourth Pillar
"The term Fourth Estate or fourth power refers to the press and news media in explicit capacity of reporting the News" -Wikipedia on Fourth Estate
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, November 17, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, November 17, 2024
LLMs Are Not a Form of Intelligence (They Never Will Be)
Butterflies are smarter than "chatGPT"
Business Software Alliance (BSA), Microsoft, and AstroTurfing Online (Also in the Trump Administration Groomed by BSA and Microsoft)
Has Washington become openWashington? Where the emphasis is openwashing rather than Open(Source)Washington?
Windows at 1%
Quit throwing taxpayers' money at Microsoft, especially when it fails to fulfil basic needs and instead facilitates espionage by foreign and very hostile nations
Links 17/11/2024: Pakistan Broke, Tyson 'Crashes' or Knocks Over Netflix
Links for the day
Gemini Links 17/11/2024: Nachtigall Planned, Exodus at Twitter
Links for the day
Links 17/11/2024: China's Diplomacy and Gazprom Setback
Links for the day
Sudan Has Reached a State of Android Domination (93% Market Share, All-Time High According to statCounter)
countries at war buy fewer laptops?
[Meme] Just Do It?
'FSF' Europe (Microsoft) and FSF
Microsoft Front Groups Against the FSF, Home of GPL, GNU, and Free Software
Much of the money (not all of it) comes from the criminals at Redmond
Centralisation is Dooming the Web, RSS is One Workaround (But Not "Planets")
At least Gemini Protocol rejects centralisation
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, November 16, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, November 16, 2024
Links 17/11/2024: Wars, Bailouts, and Censorship
Links for the day
Gemini Links 17/11/2024: Changing Interests and HamsterCMS
Links for the day