Techmeme
December 13, 2021, 5:45 PM

Top News

Tim Starks / CyberScoop:
CISA Director Jen Easterly says the Log4j flaw likely affects hundreds of millions of devices and may be the most serious bug she has seen in her career  —  Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly told industry leaders in a phone briefing Monday that a vulnerability …
Lawrence Abrams / BleepingComputer:
Researchers spot waves of attacks hitting unpatched Apache servers with the Log4j bug, exfiltrating data, expanding botnets, deploying crypto miners, and more  —  Threat actors and researchers are scanning for and exploiting the Log4j Log4Shell vulnerability to deploy malware or find vulnerable servers.
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
Cloudflare and Cisco Talos say Log4j zero-day attacks were first observed on December 1 and December 2, ahead of mass exploitation over the weekend  —  While a public proof-of-concept code was released last Thursday, attacks exploiting the Log4Shell vulnerability started two weeks ago.
Filippo Valsorda / Filippo.io:
Ian Sherr / CNET:
Apple debuts Tracker Detect, an Android app that scans for AirTags and other Find My items that may be traveling with them without their knowledge  —  Apple's following through on a promise to help Android users identify nearby AirTags and Find My trackers that aren't with their owners.
José Adorno / 9to5Mac:
Apple releases iOS 15.2 with App Privacy Report in Settings, Messages safety warnings for kids, Hide My Email, and more; watchOS 8.3 and tvOS 15.2 also released  —  Apple is releasing today iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, watchOS 8.3, tvOS 15.2, and HomePod Software version 15.2 to all users.
Spencer Soper / Bloomberg:
After a deadly warehouse collapse in Illinois, Amazon workers say banning phones at work denies access to emergency alerts and a way to contact first responders  —  - Online retailer is returning to a cell phone ban in warehouses  — Workers say they want access to weather alerts, communication
Daniel Van Boom / CNET:
A trader blames a “fat-finger error” for selling a Bored Ape NFT for 0.75 ETH (~$3,000) instead of 75 ETH (~$300K); the NFT was promptly relisted for 60 ETH  —  “Fat finger” errors occasionally happen in traditional finance, but they're usually stopped or reversed.  Not so with NFTs and cryptocurrency.
Issie Lapowsky / Protocol:
Biden to sign an executive order directing 17 US agencies to modernize services and bring more of them online, including passport photo uploads and taxes  —  The White House is hoping to spur a major technological overhaul of government services with a new executive order President Biden will sign Monday.
Ina Fried / Axios:
In an interview, Meta's Andrew Bosworth says political and COVID-19 misinformation are societal problems rather than issues that social networks magnified  —  Longtime Facebook veteran Andrew Bosworth insists that political and COVID-19 misinformation are societal problems rather than issues that have been magnified by social networks.
Maddison Connaughton / New York Times:
An Australian artist using @Metaverse on Instagram for a decade was blocked from using the handle after Facebook's Meta rebranding; the NYT helped restore it  —  Five days after Facebook changed its name to Meta, an Australian artist found herself blocked, with seemingly no recourse …
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / VICE:
Crypto gaming company VulcanForge says hackers stole ~$135M from users by accessing 96 wallet private keys, as three high-profile hacks net ~$404M this month  —  VulcanForge becomes the third cryptocurrency company to be hit by hackers this month.  In total, hackers have stolen more than $400 million.
Yadarisa Shabong / Reuters:
The UK's CMA opens an investigation into Microsoft's planned $16B acquisition of Nuance, announced in April, arguing that it could reduce competition  —  Britain's antitrust regulator said on Monday it will look into Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) $16 billion purchase of artificial intelligence …

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The Information:
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Hassan Mujtaba / Wccftech:

Earlier Picks

Financial Times:
Sha Hua / Wall Street Journal:
Manish Singh / TechCrunch: