“Firmware attacks are not common on a day-to-day basis, but that’s because people don’t realise they’re being infected by such an attack,” says Mr Boyd. “It’s like when ransomware first came onto the scene – people didn’t know of anyone who was infected by it, and if big organisations were, they wouldn’t tell anyone about […]
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Tool checks phone numbers from Facebook data breach
People can now enter their phone numbers into a website to see if they appeared in a recent Facebook data breach. Details of more than 530 million people were leaked in a database online, largely consisting of mobile numbers. People can use the Have I Been Pwned online tool to check if their numbers or […]
Amazon v the union: The vote the online giant fears
Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, have voted in a historic poll to decide whether they want to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. The results are not expected until next week – but if they say yes, it will become Amazon’s first US union. Amazon argues its wages and benefits are […]
Facebook leak: Irish regulator probes ‘old’ data dump
A data leak involving personal details of hundreds of millions of Facebook users is being reviewed by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC). The database is believed to contain a mix of Facebook profile names, phone numbers, locations and other facts about more than 530 million people. Facebook says the data is “old”, from a previously-reported […]
Google rejigs remote working as it reopens offices
Google is changing its work-from-home policy as it looks to get more people back into its US offices. The tech firm will only allow employees to work from home for more than 14 days a year if they apply for it. Google will continue its current work-from-home arrangements until 1 September but will allow people […]
VW rebrand turns out to be April Fool’s joke
German carmaker Volkswagen will not change its name to “Voltswagen” in the US despite earlier saying it would in a press release. The name change was in fact an April Fool’s joke that was leaked to the media several days early by mistake. It was initially said to mark VW’s shift to electric vehicles, and […]
Child tweets gibberish from US nuclear-agency account
A young child inadvertently sparked confusion over the weekend by posting an unintelligible tweet to the official account of US Strategic Command. The agency is responsible for safeguarding America’s nuclear weapons. Some social-media users feared the account may have been hacked. But it has since been revealed a young member of the account’s social-media manager’s […]
Union creates hotline for disgruntled Amazon staff
The trade union Unite is setting up a hotline for Amazon staff to complain about their treatment at work. Organiser Sharon Graham told the BBC it was time the internet retail giant shared its “bonanza profits with the workers who help make them”. Amazon had its most lucrative year ever in 2020, helped by a […]
Facebook removes accounts of ‘China-based hackers’ targeting Uighurs
Facebook has removed a group of China-based hackers it says targeted members of the Uighur community living abroad. It said hackers used malicious websites and apps to infect devices and allow for remote surveillance, with journalists and activists targeted. A majority of the cyber attacks didn’t happen directly on Facebook but used the social media […]
AI at work: Staff ‘hired and fired by algorithm’
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned about what it calls “huge gaps” in UK employment law over the use of artificial intelligence at work. The TUC said workers could be “hired and fired by algorithm”, and new legal protections were needed. Among the changes it is calling for is a legal right to have […]