VLC 3.0.7 includes more security fixes than ever thanks to the European Commission
Version 3.0.7 of VLC has been released, and while it may seem like a minor x.x.x update, it includes more security fixes than any other previous release -- including two high security issues.
Jean-Baptiste Kemp, the president of VLC-maker VideoLAN, says the number of fixes included in this version is due to the EU-FOSSA bug bounty program, funded by the European Commission.
US Customs and Border Protection says photos of thousands of travelers were stolen in a data breach
Hackers have stolen the photographs of travellers entering and leaving the US, as well as photos of their license plates, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has said.
The cyberattack was carried out on the network of a federal subcontractor, and the images were taken as part of a "malicious cyberattack". Although the hack attack has only just been revealed publicly, CBP first learned of it on May 31.
Microsoft reveals Project Scarlett, its powerful next-gen Xbox console with 8K graphics coming in 2020
At E3, Microsoft has revealed details of its next-generation Xbox, dubbed Project Scarlett, which is scheduled for release in late 2020.
It's not yet known what the follow-up to the Xbox One will be called, but among the launch titles is Halo Infinite. As for the console hardware, Project Scarlett will feature an AMD Zen 2 chip, Radeon RDNA graphics architecture, GDDR6 memory, SSD, and support for 120 fps, 8K graphics along with real-time ray tracing.
Microsoft takes down huge MS-Celeb-1M facial recognition database
Microsoft has deleted a database containing around 10 million photographs that was being used to train facial recognition systems.
Known as MS-Celeb-1M, the database was created in 2016, and originally contained photos of celebrities. Over time, however, images of writers, journalists and others crept in, and ultimately 100,000 individuals were to be found in it. Microsoft has not made much noise about the deleted content, but has said that the database was wiped as the person maintaining it was no longer a company employee.
Apple explains what the closure of iTunes means for you and your music
At WWDC this week, Apple not only unveiled the new Mac Pro and an insanely expensive monitor stand, but also confirmed that iTunes is going away -- for Mac users, at least.
This did not come entirely as a surprise, but it has left iTunes users wondering just how the transition to the new Apple Music app will work, and what will happen to their music, playlists, credit and so on. Now Apple has explained how the whole process will work.
Google's streaming game service, Stadia, launches in November with an impressive line-up of games
Google's much-anticipated cloud gaming service, Stadia, is due to launch in November. The company has revealed the launch date, as well as details of pricing and the games you can expect to play -- including Baldur's Gate III.
In all, there are over 30 games confirmed for Stadia, and Google is ramping up the hype by giving gamers the chance to pre-order right now. Anyone placing an order for the Stadia Founder's Edition can enjoy a number of benefits including a limited edition controller and three months of Stadia Pro, the subscription option that gives access to some games.
YouTube clamps down on hate speech by banning supremacism, Holocaust denial and more
YouTube's on-going battle against hate speech on its platform continues, and the site has just announced new policies that it hopes will help to further curb the problem.
As part of its new rules, YouTube is now taking a tougher stance against discriminatory material, banning supremacist videos such as those that promote Nazism. Also banned are videos that seek to spread misinformation by denying that "well-documented violent events", such as the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, ever occurred. Holocaust denial is also banned.
BlueKeep Windows vulnerability is so serious, even the NSA wants you to patch your system
It's around three weeks since Microsoft first urged Windows users to patch their systems against the BlueKeep (CVE-2019-0708) vulnerability. Concerned that not enough people were taking notice, the company then issued a further warning stressing the importance of installing a patch.
Now the NSA has got involved, joining Microsoft in begging users to secure their Windows XP and Windows 7 computers. The agency says that is "concerned that malicious cyber actors will use the vulnerability in ransomware and exploit kits containing other known exploits, increasing capabilities against other unpatched systems".
BlueStacks Inside SDK brings mobile games to Windows
BlueStacks, the company whose software makes it possible to run Android games on Windows and macOS, has great news for gamers. It has announced a new BlueStacks Inside SDK which will make it easy for developers to bring their mobile games to Windows and deliver them through Steam.
Just as with the main BlueStacks software, this is not about emulating mobile devices. It's also not about porting games -- mobile games effectively become native PC games.
Medical and financial details of 12 million Americans exposed in Quest Diagnostics data breach
Medical testing firm and clinical laboratory Quest Diagnostics has revealed that a data breach has led to the records of nearly 12 million of its customers being exposed. The data includes financial data, Social Security numbers and medical information.
Quest Diagnostics was itself not the target of hackers, but the American Medical Collection Agency (AMCA) was. The company is used by Optum360 for billing collections services, and Optum360 is used by Quest Diagnostics.
Microsoft is closing all of its speciality stores in the US
Microsoft is refocusing its retail presence, taking the decision to close all of its remaining "speciality stores".
The last 17 in-mall kiosks have been closed with immediate effect, and Microsoft will now put its efforts into its growing chain of bricks-and-mortar retail stores around the world.
'Sign in with Apple' neatly balances privacy and convenience
At WWDC yesterday, Apple made numerous announcements and one of the more interesting was the company's new alternative to social sign-in buttons. Endless apps and website let you sign in with your Facebook, Twitter or Google account for the sake of convenience, but it comes at the cost of privacy -- which is precisely why Apple came up with "Sign in with Apple".
The basic idea is the same as existing social sign-in options -- it's a quick and easy way to sign into various services without the need to create a dedicated account. The difference is that "Sign in with Apple" protects your privacy and avoids the tracking of the current crop of alternatives.
Applying for a US visa? Prepare to hand over your social media account details
As announced a little over a year ago, US visa applicants should now expect to be asked for details of their social media accounts. Only certain types of diplomatic and official visa applications are exempt.
As of Friday, the US State Department started to use social media usernames, email addresses and phone numbers as part of its screening process. The use of "social media identifiers" for vetting purposes will apply to almost everyone applying for a US visa, raising all manner of privacy concerns.
Bye bye, iTunes -- we never really loved you anyway
Apple is due to kick off its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, and at the event the company is expected to kill off iTunes.
Having been with us for nearly two decades, it seems that the software everyone (well, a lot of people) loves to hate is finally being put out to pasture. At WWDC we should see Apple kill off iTunes, breaking it up into a number of individual apps for macOS, just as has happened on iOS.
Microsoft releases first preview of PowerShell 7 and sets out feature roadmap
Having already announced that PowerShell 7 will be the next version of PowerShell, Microsoft has released the first public preview. For the first time, PowerShell is based on .NET Core 3.0.
The command-line shell and scripting language is set to be updated on a monthly basis, so we can expect a few more preview versions before it hits general availability around a month after .NET Core 3.0. As well as releasing this first preview, Microsoft has also shared details of the PowerShell 7 roadmap.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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