Tea

Tasks scam are surging, with a year over year increase of 400%. So I guess it should have been no surprise when I was contacted by a task scammer on X recently.

Task scammers prey on people looking for remote jobs by offering them simple repetitive tasks such as liking videos, optimizing apps, boosting product interest, or rating product images. These tasks are usually gamified—organized in sets of 40 tasks that will take the victim to a “next level” once they are completed. Sometimes the victim will be given a so-called double task that earns a bigger commission.

The scammers make the victim think they are earning money to raise trust in the system. But, at some point, the scammers will tell the victims they have to make a deposit to get the next set of tasks or get their earnings out of the app. Victims are likely to make that deposit, or all their work will have been for nothing.

So when the task scammer contacted me on X to offer me a nice freelance job, I was keen to see where it would take me.

Apple today announced the new MacBook Air, featuring the blazing-fast performance of the M4 chip, up to 18 hours of battery life,1 a new 12MP Center Stage camera, and a lower starting price. It also offers support for up to two external displays in addition to the built-in display, 16GB of starting unified memory, and the incredible capabilities of macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence — all packed into its strikingly thin and light design that’s built to last. The new MacBook Air now comes in an all-new color — sky blue, a metallic light blue that joins midnight, starlight, and silver — giving MacBook Air its most beautiful array of colors ever. It also now starts at just $999 — $100 less than before — and $899 for education, making it an incredible value for students, business professionals, or anyone looking for a phenomenal combination of world-class performance, portability, design, and durability. With two sizes to choose from, the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air are available to pre-order today, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 12.

Members of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) filed two separate copyright infringement lawsuits yesterday, targeting the alleged operators of IPTV services including 'Outer Limits IPTV', 'Shrugs' and 'Zing'. Amazon, Netflix and several major Hollywood studios demand an end to the infringing activity and an award for damages, which could run to millions of dollars.

I think those websites are over using trackers in their websites for extra profit with no care for the privacy of their users, I highly recommend avoiding them.

• The Guardian.
• The Verge.
• Wired.

For comparsion:

• Associated Press(AP).
• Al Jazeera.
• ABC.
• BBC.
• CBC.
• DW.
• France24.
• Sky News.
• The Register.
• Tech Policy Press.

Update: added Wired and more websites for comparison.

I think those websites are over using trackers in their websites for extra profit with no care for the privacy of their users, I highly recommend avoiding them.

• The Guardian.
• The Verge.
• Wired.

For comparsion:

• Associated Press(AP).
• Al Jazeera.
• ABC.
• BBC.
• CBC.
• DW.
• France24.
• Sky News.
• The Register.
• Tech Policy Press.

Update: added Wired and more websites for comparison.

I think those websites are over using trackers in their websites for extra profit with no care for the privacy of their users, I highly recommend avoiding them.

• The Guardian.
• The Verge.
• Wired.

For comparsion:

• Associated Press(AP).
• Al Jazeera.
• ABC.
• BBC.
• CBC.
• DW.
• France24.
• Sky News.
• The Register.
• Tech Policy Press.

Update: added Wired and more websites for comparison.

I think those websites are over using trackers in their websites for extra profit with no care for the privacy of their users, I highly recommend avoiding them.

• The Guardian.
• The Verge.
• Wired.

For comparsion:

• Associated Press(AP).
• Al Jazeera.
• ABC.
• BBC.
• CBC.
• DW.
• France24.
• Sky News.
• The Register.
• Tech Policy Press.

Update: added Wired and more websites for comparison.

I once believed university was a shared intellectual pursuit. That faith has been obliterated

• Scammers are relentless and continuously evolve their tactics to try to evade detection, so we’re building on our existing defenses by testing new ways to protect people and make it harder for scammers to deceive others.
• We’re testing the use of facial recognition technology to detect and prevent celeb-bait ads on our platforms.
• We’re also testing this technology as a means for people to verify their identity and regain access to compromised accounts.

In recent months, we’ve seen an increase in the use of Windows Packet Divert drivers to intercept and modify network traffic in Windows systems. This technology is used in various utilities, including ones for bypassing blocks and restrictions of access to resources worldwide. Over the past six months, our systems have logged more than 2.4 million detections of such drivers on user devices.

The growing popularity of tools using Windows Packet Divert has attracted cybercriminals. They started distributing malware under the guise of restriction bypass programs and injecting malicious code into existing programs.

Such software is often distributed in the form of archives with text installation instructions, in which the developers recommend disabling security solutions, citing false positives. This plays into the hands of attackers by allowing them to persist in an unprotected system without the risk of detection. Most active of all have been schemes for distributing popular stealers, remote access tools (RATs), Trojans that provide hidden remote access, and miners that harness computing power to mine cryptocurrency. The most commonly used malware families were NJRat, XWorm, Phemedrone and DCRat.

Microsoft Threat Intelligence identified a shift in tactics by Silk Typhoon, a Chinese espionage group, now targeting common IT solutions like remote management tools and cloud applications to gain initial access. While they haven’t been observed directly targeting Microsoft cloud services, they do exploit unpatched applications that allow them to elevate their access in targeted organizations and conduct further malicious activities. After successfully compromising a victim, Silk Typhoon uses the stolen keys and credentials to infiltrate customer networks where they can then abuse a variety of deployed applications, including Microsoft services and others, to achieve their espionage objectives. Our latest blog explains how Microsoft security solutions detect these threats and offers mitigation guidance, aiming to raise awareness and strengthen defenses against Silk Typhoon’s activities.