Chinese Hackers Responsible for Marriott Data Breach

Chinese hackers carried out the massive cyber attack against Marriott hotels that was revealed last month. The New York Times reported that the perpetrators are thought to work for the country’s civilian spy agency, the Ministry of State Security. In total, 500 million records were stolen over a four year period, making it one of the biggest data breaches in history. The stolen data included customers’ personal details such as credit card and passport number.

The hackers…are suspected of working on behalf of the Ministry of State Security, the country’s Communist-controlled civilian spy agency. The discovery comes as the Trump administration is planning actions targeting China’s trade, cyber and economic policies, perhaps within days. Those moves include indictments against Chinese hackers working for the intelligence services and the military, according to four government officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

 

Sundar Pichai Did Not Deny Development of Censored Chinese Version of Google

Google CEO Sundar Pichai endured a grueling 3.5 hours of questioning by the House Judiciary Committee on Monday. At one point he even had to explain that his company doesn’t make iPhones. However, as Re/Code reported, Mr. Pichai did not use the hearing to deny that Google will make a version of its search tool for China that censors information.

Pichai could have used the opportunity to publicly scrap plans to build a version of his company’s core tool, code-named Dragonfly, that would block terms such as “human rights,” “Nobel Prize,” and “student protest” from search results in China. But when House Rep. David Cicilline asked Pichai point blank if, as CEO, he would rule out launching a “tool for surveillance and censorship in China,” Pichai deflected.

Scout FM Launches Station Creator Personal FM

Scout FM is a podcast radio service for iOS, and yesterday it released a feature called Station Creator. It lets users create their own personalized FM stations.

Once you have created a station, Scout FM does all the work for you. The station will automatically pick up new episodes and then play them in the order of your fondness to the show based on your listening habits. You can add or remove shows at any time.

I think it’s a cool concept, and it works differently than traditional podcast apps where you do everything manually.

How to Find Stalkerware Apps on Your Phone

Stalkerware is a term given to apps that let someone spy on your smartphone activity. They’re also called “spouseware” because they tend to be used by abusers to spy on their partners.

Most of this software ends up on a device through one of two ways: A phishing attack (email or text links that contain viruses and trick you into clicking on them by pretending to be something/someone else), or physical access to the device.

The article is a good read with tips for people in abused relationships.

ISPs Say That Poor People Don't Deserve Fast Internet Speeds

ISPs tell the FCC that poor people don’t deserve fast internet speeds. It wouldn’t be fair on these corporations otherwise.

In a letter [PDF] recording a meeting between the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) and the legal advisors to two FCC commissioners, the industry group “emphasized that the Commission’s goals would be better served by directing support to areas that lack any service at all and those that have access only below 10/1 Mbps.”

I’m continually amazed at the human capacity to be giant d*cks to each other. The amount of hatred leveled at poor people in this country is also a bit scary.