WordPress blogs defaced in hack attacks

A security flaw in the WordPress blogging software has let hackers attack and deface tens of thousands of sites.

One estimate suggests more than 1.5 million pages on blogs have been defaced.

The security firm that found the vulnerability said some hackers were now trying to use it to take over sites rather than just spoil pages.

WordPress urged site owners to update software to avoid falling victim.
Feeding frenzy

Apple’s iCloud saved deleted browser records, security company finds

Apple’s iCloud appears to have been holding on to users’ deleted internet browsing histories, including records over a year old.

Moscow-based forensics firm Elcomsoft noticed it was able to pull supposedly deleted Safari browser histories from iCloud accounts, such as the date and time the site was visited and when the record was deleted.

“In fact, we were able to access records dated more than one year back,” wrote Elcomsoft’s CEO Vladimir Katalov in a Thursday blog post.

A look back at Y2K in cartoons

In Computerworld’s first 50 years covering the tech industry, it’s possible that no single IT topic got as much attention as the so-called “Y2K crisis.”

In the second half of the 1990s, IT organizations spent billions patching systems and replacing hardware and software that had been designed to support only a two-digit year format. Because of the unprecedented scope of the work required to address the problem, what became known in industry shorthand as “Y2K remediation” projects turned out to be the biggest challenges many IT leaders faced in their careers.

PHP vs. Node.js: An epic battle for developer mind share

It’s a classic Hollywood plot: the battle between two old friends who went separate ways. Often the friction begins when one pal sparks an interest in what had always been the other pal’s unspoken domain. In the programming language version of this movie, it’s the introduction of Node.js that turns the buddy flick into a grudge match: PHP and JavaScript, two partners who once ruled the internet together but now duke it out for the mind share of developers.

Data breaches affect all parts of business, Verizon report shows

Data breaches are an enterprise problem involving legal counsel, human resources, corporate communications and other incident response (IR) stakeholders, the report said.

The DBD is based on Verizon’s case files that provide most of the data for its Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), and the 2017 report lists the 16 most common or lethal data breach scenarios from the point of view of IR stakeholders.

Each scenario is based on anonymised real-world data breach responses and is designed to resonate with IR stakeholders to help them improve their future contributions to data breach responses.

Mark Zuckerberg reveals Oculus’ glove-like VR controller prototypes

On a trip to Oculus’ research lab in Redmond, Washington, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg tried out the company’s prototypes for glove-like controllers that are designed to be used in VR and AR experiences with the Rift headset, and shared a photo of them which you can see above.

Zuck described the controllers’ functionality in the photo’s caption:

“We’re working on new ways to bring your hands in virtual and augmented reality. Wearing these gloves, you can draw, type on a virtual keyboard, and even shoot webs like Spider Man. That’s what I’m doing here.”

Apple reportedly going all in with wireless charging for the iPhone 8

Apple has been long-rumored to bring wireless charging with the upcoming iPhone overhaul and it seems the electronics titan is finally pulling the trigger on the new tech.

Esteemed KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested we can expect all three rumored iPhone 8 models to feature inductive charging. Kuo further notes wireless charging is also likely to land on the refreshed iPhone 7 versions slated to arrive this fall.

Microsoft allowed to sue US government over gag orders, court decides

Microsoft can pursue its legal challenge against the US government, a federal court has ruled, in a case that the software giant argues that government gag orders are unconstitutional.

The judge said Microsoft made a reasonable argument that gag orders, issued by government agencies to prevent the company from telling the customer of an investigation, violates its constitutional rights to free speech.

Judge James Robart upheld those First Amendment rights in his ruling Thursday, but declined its Fourth Amendment argument against unreasonable searches and seizures, saying that overturning the precedent would need to go to a higher court.