Security researchers have discovered a USB propagating “worm” developed by state-backed Russian hackers to infect Ukrainian targets, which they warn is now spreading globally. The LitterDrifter worm automatically spreads malware via a hidden file within USB drives, with a victim’s data then transmitted back to the attackers. Cyber security firm Check Point Software described the malware as “a unique player in the Russian espionage ecosystem”, designed to collect data and spy on communications. The method of its distribution via removable USB drives means it is difficult to contain the worm to just the intended targets, according to the researchers. “Due to the nature of the USB worm, we see indications of possible infection in various countries like the US, Vietnam, Chile, Poland and Germany,” Check Point researchers wrote in a blog post detailing the threat. “In addition, we’ve observed evidence of infections in Hong Kong. All this might indicate that much like other USB worms, LitterDrifter have spread beyond its intended targets.” The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) said the campaign had been identified as originating from personnel within Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, the Ukrainian government has been under “near-constant digital attack”, according to Google’s Shane Huntley, who is a senior director at the tech giant’s threat analysis group. “Russian government-backed attackers have engaged in an aggressive, multi-pronged effort to gain a decisive wartime advantage in cyberspace, often with mixed results,” Mr Huntley wrote in a July post. Cyber attacks have also been perpetrated against Nato partners and Ukraine’s allies, witch such attacks increasing in 2023. Ukraine’s National Cybersecurity Coordination Center (NCSCC) recently revealed that Russian-backed hackers have been targeting European embassies. The latest discovery demonstrates how targeted attacks can easily spread globally when distributed in such a manner. “It leverages simple, yet effective techniques to ensure it can reach the widest possible set of targets in the region,” the Check Point researchers noted. “It’s clear that LitterDrifter was designed to support a large-scale collection operation.” Read More Tiny solar-powered van unveiled in Japan Democrats accuse Elon Musk and X of profiting from Hamas propaganda OpenAI reaches deal with Sam Altman to return as chief executive Tiny solar-powered van unveiled in Japan Democrats accuse Elon Musk and X of profiting from Hamas propaganda OpenAI reaches deal with Sam Altman to return as chief executive

Here's the latest update regarding the ongoing feud between Adin Ross and HasanAbi

MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 9, 2023--

Elon Musk said Twitter's cash flow remains negative because of a nearly 50% drop in advertising revenue and

It took a while, but new midrange PC graphics cards from AMD are on the

Life forms could potentially be able to survive in the conditions in the clouds above Venus – although, to be honest, we don’t want to be the ones who go there and have to test this theory out. Venus has fascinated scientists for years due to the relative similarities between the planet and Earth. The surface of Venus now is around 475 degrees Celsius, but its geology resembled Earth’s before the greenhouse effect took hold over millions of years. To add to that, the surface is also covered in sulphuric acid, so the chances of it being able to foster life is slim to say the least. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, new research has looked into the conditions in the clouds above the surface and the findings have been published in the journal Astrobiology. The key point revolves around the presence of the biosignature gas phosphine, which is often identified as a sign of life. It also posits the idea that potential life forms on the planet could use sulphuric acid the way life forms on Earth use water. The paper reads: "Although we consider the prospects for finding life on Venus to be speculative, they are not absent. "The clouds can support a biomass that could readily be detectable by future astrobiology-focused space missions from its impact on the atmosphere." It goes on: “We conclude that Venus' aerial biosphere must be much smaller than the Earth's. However, even such scarce, strictly aerial life could leave a detectable mark on the chemistry of the atmosphere in the clouds… “We conclude that terrestrial precedent exists for mechanisms that could keep at least some life-containing cloud particles aloft on Venus, and it prevents the entire ecology from inevitably falling to its doom in the hot, lower layers of the atmosphere.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 7, 2023--

Avangrid Inc. agreed to pay $16 million to exit contracts for a New England offshore wind farm that

The Atari home video game system took the late1970s and early 1980s by storm, complete with faux wood paneling and a classic joystick with a big red button. Rival systems eventually surpassed the video-game pioneer but its iconic status, and fans, remained.

Nasa has received a “heartbeat” signal from its Voyager 2 spacecraft – but it is still lost in space. Over the weekend, Nasa announced that it had lost contact with Voyager 2, which was launched in 1977 and is now hovering on the edge of the solar system. The space agency had inadvertently sent a message to the craft that instructed it to turn its antenna two-degrees from Earth. That in turn meant that it lost contact with the Deep Space Network, or DSN, a collection of ground-based antennas that allow for contact with distant spacecraft. Engineers feared that they would not hear from Voyager 2 until October at the earliest. Then, it will automatically adjust itself, resetting its orientation and pointing the spacecraft back towards the Earth, when the space agency hoped it would make contact. But Nasa has now heard a “carrier signal” from Voyager 2, sent back as the Deep Space Network scanned the sky. The space agency compared the signal to a “heartbeat”, in that it confirms that the probe is still safe and sending messages back down to Earth. Engineers will now try and send commands to Voyager 2, instructing it to re-orient itself and point back at Earth. If that happens then it will be able to continue on again as normal, flying out into interstellar space and providing scientists with information as it goes. The instructions might not get through, however. If that happens then engineers will be powerless to correct their mistake. That will mean they will be back to waiting until October, which will bring the point at which the spacecraft’s software will automatically tell it to reset its direction. Read More Giant space ‘umbrella’ tethered to asteroid could protect Earth from climate crisis Songs, books and films inspired by the blue moon ESA’s Euclid space telescope captures glittering galaxies and stars in first images

HANOI Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast is recalling all of its first batch of vehicles it shipped to

LAUSANNE, Switzerland & SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 29, 2023--