Europol launches taskforce to fight world’s top cybercriminals

Europol launches taskforce to fight world’s top cybercriminals

Tom Brewster

The Guardian

Cybercrime experts from police forces around the world are coming together to form a new body, the Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce (J-CAT), aiming to tackle the smartest online criminals.
Andy Archibald, deputy head of the National Cyber Crime Unit with the UK’s National Crime Agency, has been placed in charge of the team, which will be based in the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol.

Cybercrime police from Austria, Canada, Colombia, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and the US have already committed to taking part in the six-month pilot for J-CAT.
The team will coordinate investigations into widespread threats, including viruses that steal banking logins, and high-profile criminals, such as those dealing hacker tools and selling personal data on underground forums.

As many as 18 individuals from the respective global law enforcement agencies will be relocated to the Hague where the EC3 is based. They will gather and share intelligence on cybercriminal activity before building cases, which will be presented to the J-CAT board headed by Archibald. That board will then decide on which cases to pursue.

Troels Oerting, head of the EC3, told the Guardian that J-CAT would be able to get investigations into “top-level criminals” moving far quicker than before. “It’s not a talk shop, it’s an operational entity. This has to lead to more arrests… we have already identified a number of good cases,” said Oerting.
“By having the member states here with access to the majority of their own intelligence and information at their fingertips, we will able to prioritise much earlier. They will be able to make a decision immediately to start an investigation.”

In a previous interview with the Guardian, Oerting expressed frustration at the lack of cooperation from Russia, a known hotbed of cybercriminal activity. He said today the task force would also seek to form ties with those in the Eastern Bloc, where much of today’s online crime originates.

“The majority of the crime we see now is Russian-speaking crime. That might not be Russian from the Federation of Russia… we need to have someone engaged at the other end doing something.”
As the recent investigations into the Cryptolocker and Gameover Zeus malware showed, tracking and arresting Russian cyber crooks has proven tricky. The alleged perpetrator, Evgeniy Bogachev, remains at large despite a global law enforcement effort to apprehend him.

“There are a number of countries that will still provide online criminals with a relatively safe haven. These may be countries which do not have any cybercrime laws in place, do not have the expertise and capabilities to deal with online criminals, where corruption enables online criminals to operate, or indeed where political motives prevent international cooperation from happening,” said Brian Honan, independent security consultant and founder of Ireland’s first Computer Emergency Response Team.

“But as more and more countries start to take online crime seriously and become more cooperative the number of these ‘safe havens’ should reduce also.”

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Why Apple Should Delay The iWatch To 2015 — Summed Up In One Word (AAPL)

Why Apple Should Delay The iWatch To 2015 — Summed Up In One Word (AAPL)

Dave Smith

Business Insider

 

According to Re/code, Apple’s first wearable device will be shown off at the company’s Sept. 9 event, but it won’t be available to purchase until 2015.

There’s one very good reason for that, and it can be summed up in one word: Apps.

When the iPhone first launched, many were skeptical of its high-end starting price of $500, particularly for an untested product with a measly 4 GB of storage space. Many are similarly skeptical of the iWatch's alleged $400 price tag.

That phone was a success anyway, but iPhone sales didn't really take off — or become the iPhone experience we’re all familiar with today — until the iPhone 3G, which was the first phone to ship with the iOS App Store.

The App Store, which first launched in an iTunes update in July 2008, answered the big unanswered question at the time: "What makes a smartphone so special?"

Third-party apps — software that allowed users to navigate their surroundings, order food, hail a cab, or read the news — made the iPhone into a monumental success. The iOS App Store inspired others like Google and Amazon to make their own stores, and the rest is history.

Well, Apple is ready to launch another untested product — but like the iPhone and iPad, it will take time for developers to grasp and build apps specifically for the new screen and interface.

If Apple launched the iWatch in October, as earlier reports said it would, developers would only have about 30-50 days to reconfigure their apps for the iWatch or build new apps from scratch. That's not a lot of time, especially since Apple will reportedly introduce two new iPhone screen sizes this year, which ought to send developers scrambling to optimize those apps.

By pushing the release of the iWatch to 2015, developers will have more time to build apps first for the new iPhones, and then for the iWatch, which is expected to be closely tied to the iPhone anyway. Of course, development for the iWatch will really open up once it's available to the public, so we might not see any boundary-pushing apps for some time. We’ll likely learn more about Apple's timetable for the wrist wearable on Sept. 9.

Nobody has seen Apple’s wearable device yet, but we have a good idea of what it can do. Based on iOS 8, the company’s forthcoming software release for mobile devices, Apple’s rumored wearable will be able to talk to the company’s other devices — like iPhones, Mac computers and Apple TV — but also be able to control home electronics, and accurately measure your health for the sake of preventative care, among other features.

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This university's library doesn't have a single paper book

This university's library doesn't have a single paper book

Dante D'Orazio

The Verge 

Bookless libraries aren't quite so far-fetched as they used to be. Florida Polytechnic University, opening for the first time this fall, features a $60 million, Santiago Calatrava-designed main building with a library that doesn't hold a single paper book within its walls. Instead, the library has space for reading, desks for doing work, and a number of desktops, laptops, and tablets readily available. It joins a small handful of universities that have opened such libraries in recent years. Instead of books, the library has a deal with publishers that lets students access a title once for free. If any other student "takes out" the ebook of that title, the library automatically purchases it for its collection.

Of course, print still has an extremely important place in education and libraries — Florida Polytechnic University is rather unique in that an all-digital library makes sense for its curriculum. The new university is entirely focused on STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and math degrees.

 Those programs have a much stronger focus on new material that's widely available digitally than a literature course, for instance. That doesn't mean there aren't any paper books available, however. The university has book lending programs with nearby university systems, and it has a collection of roughly 7,000 books it obtained from another recently-closed polytechnic university — though administrators still have to figure out what to do with the paper books.

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China gives Microsoft 20 days to provide explanation in anti-trust probe

China gives Microsoft 20 days to provide explanation in anti-trust probe

Reuters

BEIJING - A Chinese anti-trust regulator said on Monday it has given Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) 20 days to reply to queries on the compatability of its Windows operating system and Office software suite amid a probe into the world's largest software company.
The State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) questioned Microsoft Vice President David Chen and gave the company a deadline to make an explanation, the agency said in a short statement on its website.
SAIC also repeated that it suspected the company has not fully disclosed issues relating to the compatability of the software and the operating system.
"[A] special investigation team conducted an anti-monopoly investigation inquiry with Microsoft Vice President Chen Shi (David Chen), and required that Microsoft make a written explanation within 20 days," the SAIC said in a statement on its website.
In a statement, Microsoft said it was "serious about complying with China's laws and committed to addressing SAIC's questions and concerns".
Microsoft is one of at least 30 foreign companies that have come under scrutiny by China's anti-monopoly regulators, as the government seeks to enforce its six-year old antitrust law. Critics say the law is being used to unfairly target overseas businesses, a charge the regulators deny.
Last month, a delegation from chipmaker Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O), led by company President Derek Aberle, met officials at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) as part of that regulator's investigation of the San Diego-based firm.
NDRC said earlier this year that the U.S. chipmaker is suspected of overcharging and abusing its market position in wireless communication standards.
Microsoft's Satya Nadella is expected to make his first visit to China as chief executive later this month.

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BBC begins push to help kids code

BBC begins push to help kids code

By Leo Kelion

BBC News 

The BBC has published computer programming study guides, quizzes and other support materials on its Bitesize site to coincide with the new computing curriculum's introduction in England.
The broadcaster also revealed several programming-themed children's TV shows will be broadcast in the autumn.
The BBC described the move as an "early start" to a wider coding initiative planned for next year.
That will come 30 years on from its last major programming campaign.
The project's organiser stressed it would be based on a wide range of partnerships. That contrasts with the 1980s' BBC Computer Literacy Project.
The previous initiative centred on the BBC Microcomputer, which was developed by Acorn Computers - a tie-up that was criticised for being detrimental to rivals, including the ZX Spectrum.
"It's about giving the next generation a chance to shape their world, not just be consumers in it," said Jessica Cecil, controller of the BBC's coding and digital creative initiative.
"Clearly this is all about partnerships, this is not about us saying, 'This is the way you do it because the BBC says so'.
"Partnership is absolutely the watchword. We know there is a fantastic landscape out there and we want to play our part in it."
The pledge has been welcomed by existing organisations that teach children coding skills.
"It is the combined knowledge of these groups and individuals, uniquely gained through groundwork and making mistakes then learning, that will provide a strong bedrock upon which the BBC can roll out its year of code," said Emma Mulqueeny, founder of Rewired State.
"Partnerships bring strength and shared learning, prevents avoidable mistakes and unifies an active and committed community. I am hugely encouraged by this move by the BBC, and would counsel everyone to look at collaborative engagement."

Dick and Dom
The new materials on Bitesize cover 40 different elements tailored to the new curriculum, ranging from primary school level up to GCSE exams.
Topics for younger pupils include debugging programs, writing animation code and explaining how the internet works.
Coverage for older children includes algorithms, data representation and binary.
Tech-themed TV shows that will be broadcast later in the year include:
Technobabble - an app and gadget-themed show made by the team behind Newsround, designed to encourage its audience to expand its computer skills
Appsolute Genius - a spin-off of the existing CBBC show Absolute Genius - in which the hosts, Dick and Dom, interview prominent computer programmers, including the creators of Sonic the Hedgehog and Pac-Man. The show will also run a competition in which one child's idea for a video game will be picked and development of the title will be tracked over a 12-week period before it is released for free to PCs and mobile phones
Nina and the Neurons: Go Digital - five episodes of the CBeebies show that will explore 3D printing, coding and driverless cars

Seeking relationships 
Ms Cecil said her team hoped to have signed formal agreements with 10 to 20 third-party organisations by Christmas that would be involved in next year's effort.
There had already been talks with businesses including Microsoft, BT, Google and Samsung, and education groups including Code Club, CoderDojo, De:Coded and Code Academy among other organisations, she added.
Two members of the BBC have been tasked with checking these relationships do not become too close, to prevent them compromising the corporation's commitment to impartiality.
Ms Cecil said her team was "acutely aware" of the risk of being seen to have favourites, but said she hoped to avoid this by securing "a plethora" of partners.
The formal name of 2015's initiative would be announced shortly, a spokesman added.
The BBC needs to be mindful about the scope of its project, given that another venture, BBC Jam, had to be scrapped in 2007 after complaints from the commercial sector that it posed unfair competition to education-themed businesses. The project had been intended to support the government's computer-based "digital curriculum" of the time.
But one tech industry leader is positive about the broadcaster's plans.
"I think it's a fantastic initiative - the BBC is getting back to its roots and advocating for computing education in the same way it did in the 1980s, but with all the advantages of doing it with a modern, internet-enabled platform," said Eben Upton, from the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
"The bits and pieces I've seen so far look very promising. Probably the biggest challenge is to reach people outside the traditional core tech audience. It's only then that coding initiatives will make a difference to the supply of engineers, and to social mobility."

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Google's self-driving cars hit a snag at the DMV

Google's self-driving cars hit a snag at the DMV

by Brad Sams

Neowin 

Earlier this year, Google unveiled a brand new self-driving car that was unlike anything we had seen before. The cars were completely automated and lacked basic features like a steering-wheel and brakes. But for the state of California, this presented a problem.

The concept was simple: Google wanted to create a transportation pod that did all of the work for you. While Google has shown that its cars are quite safe and that they have gotten quite good at building autonomous vehicles, the problem is for the outlier scenarios. The state of California DMV has told Google that its cars must have basic controls so that in the event of a machine going rouge, the occupants are able to take control of the vehicle.

In short, the cars need to have a steering wheel and a brake pedal.
The vehicles that Google showed off were still in the prototype stage which means that the company still has time to comply with these features before the cars start mass-production.

There are few who doubt that the future will likely include autonomous vehicles on the road as you can imagine how much more you could get done if you didn't have to think about driving to work. Not to mention, autonomous vehicles, in theory, should be able to reduce accidents and traffic jams too. While a full-scale deployment of driverless vehicles is still many years away, the day they do hit the roads outside of testing scenarios is not all that far off.

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ABC to Air Special on Making of Disney's 'Frozen'

ABC to Air Special on Making of Disney's 'Frozen'

Kevin Noonan

Variety

ABC will give "Frozen" fans a behind-the scenes-look at its development in a new special, "The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic."
The special is hosted by Josh Gad, who voiced the character Olaf in the film, and will feature interviews with stars Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Gad. Jon Lasseter, chief creative officer for Disney Animated Studios and Pixar, and members of the filmmaking team will also be featured. Additionally, viewers will see footage of the Norwegian villages and landscapes that inspired the film's look and design.
"The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic" will air at 8 p.m. on Sept. 2 on ABC.

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Twitter makes it easier to decide who you'll follow first

Twitter makes it easier to decide who you'll follow first

Jon Fingas

Engadget 

Twitter said early this year that it would do more to help first-timers follow people, and it's now making good on its word. The social network has just revamped its sign-up process to help you tailor those first follows to your interest. Rather than simply toss out a bunch of suggestions, Twitter now asks you to choose topics you like (such as music or technology) and offers recommendations to match. You'll also see recent tweets from those accounts, so you'll have a better sense of whether or not that celebrity or news outlet is really a good fit.
The new sign-up system isn't perfect. By default, it will automatically have you following every suggestion; you have to deselect the people you don't want to watch. Still, it could give you a much gentler introduction to the service by showing people you're more likely to care about -- Twitter is hoping that you'll see enough interesting activity to stick around. The company obviously has some financial incentives for helping you out, but it's hard to object to a bigger, better welcome mat.

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Wind, weather stoke Northern California wildfires

Wind, weather stoke Northern California wildfires

Associated Press 

HAPPY CAMP, Calif. — Two wildfires sparked by lightning nearly three weeks ago were still growing on Saturday while threatening as many as 250 homes in far Northern California.
Low humidity and warm weather helped the fires burning in the Klamath National Forest one mile east of the gold mining and logging town of Happy Camp continue its sweep through steep terrain packed with trees desiccated by the state's extreme drought, Forest Service spokesman Marc Peebles said.

The two fires are the largest among about 20 that broke out in the forest when a thunderstorm moved through the area on Aug. 11. Originally located a few miles apart, they had merged by Saturday morning and together charred more than 90 square miles, about 21 square miles more than a day earlier.

"These trees are very stressed. They are very dry. Firefighters are seeing burning conditions like they have never seen before or for many years," Peebles said.

The threatened homes, which were put an under mandatory evacuation orders on Friday, include cabins and other public structures within the forest and private houses in Siskiyou County, he said.
Nearly 2,000 firefighters and 11 helicopters are assigned to the Happy Camp Complex blazes. As of Saturday, they remained just 15 percent contained.

Cloudy skies, cooler temperatures and lighter winds helped slow the fire on the western flank of the fire, the U.S. Forest Service said. However, the shifting winds forecast for Sunday could increase fire activity on the southern flank.

Meanwhile, another series of fires burning in the Klamath National Forest about 69 miles south of Happy Camp that started with lightning strikes on July 31 remained 73 percent contained.

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Nintendo launching 'amiibo' with 12 characters

Nintendo launching 'amiibo' with 12 characters

DERRIK J. LANG

Associated Press

 

LOS ANGELES — Pikachu and Link will be among the first characters coming to "amiibo."
Nintendo announced Friday that 12 characters will initially be part of its upcoming toy-game franchise set for release later this year. In addition to the "Pokemon" and "Legend of Zelda" leading men, the starting line-up will include Mario, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Samus Aran, Kirby, Fox McCloud, Marth, the "Wii Fit" Trainer and the Villager from "Animal Crossing."

The figures in the "amiibo" toy-game line will each cost $12.99 and work in tandem with several of the Japanese gaming giant's upcoming titles, beginning with "Super Smash Bros."
"We wanted to make sure that the breadth of characters we had for the initial 'amiibo' line-up supported the fan favorites, as well as showcase the variety of people Nintendo speaks to — from kids to adults," Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said in an interview. "For example, you've got a character like Marth from the 'Fire Emblem' series. We thought exposing Marth to a wider collection of consumers through 'amiibo' made a ton of sense, but, of course, we had to have Mario, Princess Peach and Donkey Kong in that initial line-up, as well."

Similar to Activision's "Skylanders" and "Disney Infinity," the characters' virtual histories will be stored on the plastic figures and transmitted through the Wii U GamePad, the controller for the Wii U console that features a touchscreen and near field communication (NFC) capabilities. Unlike the Activision Blizzard Inc. and Walt Disney Co. franchises, the "amiibo" figures will work with several games from different genres and won't be required to play the games.

"Our vision is to have these 'amiibo' figures be your playable friends that allow you to enhance the overall experience," said Fils-Aime. "It's a different approach from Activision and Disney, which is more to unlock something in the game. You're going to want to have your 'amiibo' figure because it's going to allow you to enhance your skills, upgrade your character and take the experience over to a friend's house."
Nintendo first unveiled "amiibo" at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June. The company plans to release more figures over the next year and include "amiibo" functionality in future games, as well as compatibility with its handheld Nintendo 3DS system.

The Kyoto, Japan-based company is hoping the figurines will help boost its bottom line and sales of its beleaguered Wii U console, which has been on the rise since the May release of "Mario Kart 8." Despite the success of the latest installment in the cartoony Nintendo racing series, Wii U sales still trail behind the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles from rivals Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

"Call of Duty" and "Assassin's Creed" publishers Activision and Ubisoft Entertainment recently said they wouldn't bring the new installments of those popular series to the Wii U later this year.
"In the end, I want the very best of every single publisher's content on our platform," said Fils-Aime. "We believe we'll get there as we grow the install base of the system. Make no mistake: The consumer knows they can get high-quality games on the Wii U console. That's why our business is up almost double over last year."

Nintendo will be showing off upcoming games like "Super Smash Bros.," ''Hyrule Warriors" and "Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker" at PAX Prime, a four-day celebration of gaming that kicks off Friday in Seattle.

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China is now using drones to catch 'terrorists' in Xinjiang

China is now using drones to catch 'terrorists' in Xinjiang

Daniel A. Medina

Quartz

The Chinese government announced last week (Chinese) that it had deployed drones to the autonomous western region of Xinjiang, where separatist attacks have been on the rise in recent years. The New York Times’ Sinosphere blog, citing Chinese state media reports, says the drones will be used to track the movements of Muslim Uyghur separatists, who the government calls “terrorists”, in the region’s southwestern county of Yarkant.

The area was the site of the latest attacks that left over 100 people dead.
The Chinese state newspaper, Global Times, reported that the UAVs arrived in the region weeks ago where they surveilled towns across Yarkant for “suspected terrorists,” and helped police arrest 215 people—18 others surrendered to the authorities.
The move, part of Beijing’s year-long anti-terrorism campaign that began in May with an aim of cracking down on “violent terrorist activities,” was celebrated in China but condemned by human rights groups around the world.

The Uyghur American Association issued a statement condemning the decision:
“The use of drones over villages in East Turkestan shows that China treats all Uyghurs as state enemies. China is not singling out alleged ‘terrorists;’ it is intimidating entire communities, including the very people its purported anti-terror campaign is supposed to protect.”

While Beijing maintains that the drones will only be used to hunt “terrorist” suspects, they will likely have the capabilities to track civilians in the area, said David Cenciotti, founder of the blog The Aviationist.
He says it is likely that they are Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) UAVs. These, he explains, would have similar capabilities to the Chinese naval Wing Loong/Chengdu Pterodactyl model that has been deployed to the disputed Senkaku Islands (known as the Diaoyu by China) in the past.

”The Wing Loong, are more persistent on a certain area of operation, hence they are more useful for surveillance purposes as they can search, identify and track ground targets (and individuals) silently loitering in the air for several hours,” Cenciotti tells Quartz.

The drones were developed and manufactured by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the main contractor for the nation’s space program. According to a report in the state-run newspaper, People’s Daily, the Xinjiang regional government ordered the drones last year.

China has increasingly turned to drones in recent years to boost its defense capabilities, both domestically and abroad. Photos emerged in May of what is believed to be China’s first armed military drone, the Lijan or “sharp sword.”

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Labor Day Weekend Stargazing: See Moon, Mars and Saturn Meet Up

Labor Day Weekend Stargazing: See Moon, Mars and Saturn Meet Up

by Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist

Look up this Labor Day weekend to see a lovely celestial tableau in the southwestern part of the evening sky.
About an hour after sunset on Sunday (Aug. 31), skywatchers should be able to see three cosmic bodies gathered together for the final days of summer, if weather permits. Intrepid observers will immediately notice the moon, appearing as a wide crescent phase. Two bright "stars" will also appear, flanking the moon. One will shine with a yellowish-white tint off to the satellite's right and another shining with a yellow-orange color below and a bit to the moon's left.

The yellowish-white object to the moon's right is the planet Saturn, while the one below and slightly to the moon's left is Mars. [Best Stargazing Events of September (Sky Maps)]
In April, Mars was 57.6 million miles (92.7 million kilometers) away from Earth, the Red Planet's closest pass with Earth for the year. At that time, Mars' brightness rivaled that of the star Sirius (the brightest star in the sky). Now, however, Mars has receded to a distance of 127 million miles (204 million km) and shines only about one-seventh as bright as it did in April. Still is a conspicuous object, however, Mars ranks among the top 10 brightest stars. But as Earth continues to move away from the Red Planet, Mars will gradually fade.

The other planet joining the moon, Saturn, is famous for its spectacular ring system, and if you have a telescope then Sunday might just be your night to spot the rings. Use the moon as a benchmark. Just point your telescope to that bright, starlike object just off to the right of the moon, and there you will find the ringed beauty. Right now, the north face of the rings is spectacularly tilted 21.5 degrees toward Earth.
You'll need an eyepiece magnifying at least 30-power to easily discern the rings. If you have a 3-inch (7.6 centimeters) telescope, your best view will be using 75-power; with a 6-inch (15 cm) telescope, use 150-power, and with a 10-inch (25 cm), use 250-power.

Don't bother pointing a telescope toward Mars, however. July was the last month that the Red Planet showed more than a few traces of surface features in medium-size telescopes on good nights. Now, even in moderately large scopes, the planet appears as just a tiny, featureless dot of yellow-orange light.
The moon is always a wonderful sight to see through binoculars and telescopes. Scan especially along the line separating dark and light (the terminator) to catch a view of shadowed craters and mountains appearing in high relief.

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