Hasta La Gadget!

In current Star Wars canon, the plot to steal the Death Star’s technical plans is incredibly straight forward: it’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the tale of Galen Erso’s sacrifice and the ragtag team that swooped down to Scarif and gave their lives to ensure that data fell into Rebel hands. But in the expanded…

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In current Star Wars canon, the plot to steal the Death Star’s technical plans is incredibly straight forward: it’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the tale of Galen Erso’s sacrifice and the ragtag team that swooped down to Scarif and gave their lives to ensure that data fell into Rebel hands. But in the expanded…

Read more…

Video doorbells manufactured by a Chinese company called Eken and sold under different brands for around $30 each come with serious security issues that put their users at risk, according to Consumer Reports. The publication found that these doorbell cameras are sold on popular marketplaces like Walmart, Sears and Amazon, which has even given some of their listings the Amazon Choice badge. They’re listed under the brands Eken, Tuck, Fishbot, Rakeblue, Andoe, Gemee and Luckwolf, among others, and they’re typically linked to a user’s phone via the Aiwit app. Outside the US, the devices are sold on global marketplaces like Shein and Temu. We found them on Chinese website Alibaba and Southeast Asian e-commerce website Lazada, as well. 

Based on Consumer Reports’ investigation, these devices aren’t encrypted and can expose a user’s home IP address and WiFi network name to the internet, making it easy for bad actors to gain entry. Worse, somebody with physical access to the doorbell could easily take control of it by creating an account on the Aiwit app and then pressing down on its button to put it into pairing mode, which then connects it with their phone. And, even if the original owner regains control, the hijacker can still get time-stamped images from the doorbell as long as they know its serial number. If they choose “to share that serial number with other individuals, or even post it online, all those people will be able to monitor the images, too,” Consumer Reports explains. 

Based on the ratings these doorbells’ listings got on Amazon, the platform has sold thousands to people who were probably expecting the devices to be able to provide some form of security for their homes. Instead, the devices pose a threat to their safety and privacy. The doorbells could even put people’s well-being and lives at risk if, say, they have stalkers or are domestic violence victims with dangerous exes who want to follow their every move. 

People who own one of these video doorbells can protect themselves by disconnecting it from their WiFi and physically removing it from their homes. Consumer Reports said it notified the online marketplaces selling them about its findings in hopes that their listings would get pulled down. Temu told the publication that it’s looking into the issue, but Amazon, Sears and Shein reportedly didn’t even respond. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/surprise-this-30-video-doorbell-has-serious-security-issues-130630193.html?src=rss

Video doorbells manufactured by a Chinese company called Eken and sold under different brands for around $30 each come with serious security issues that put their users at risk, according to Consumer Reports. The publication found that these doorbell cameras are sold on popular marketplaces like Walmart, Sears and Amazon, which has even given some of their listings the Amazon Choice badge. They’re listed under the brands Eken, Tuck, Fishbot, Rakeblue, Andoe, Gemee and Luckwolf, among others, and they’re typically linked to a user’s phone via the Aiwit app. Outside the US, the devices are sold on global marketplaces like Shein and Temu. We found them on Chinese website Alibaba and Southeast Asian e-commerce website Lazada, as well. 

Based on Consumer Reports’ investigation, these devices aren’t encrypted and can expose a user’s home IP address and WiFi network name to the internet, making it easy for bad actors to gain entry. Worse, somebody with physical access to the doorbell could easily take control of it by creating an account on the Aiwit app and then pressing down on its button to put it into pairing mode, which then connects it with their phone. And, even if the original owner regains control, the hijacker can still get time-stamped images from the doorbell as long as they know its serial number. If they choose “to share that serial number with other individuals, or even post it online, all those people will be able to monitor the images, too,” Consumer Reports explains. 

Based on the ratings these doorbells’ listings got on Amazon, the platform has sold thousands to people who were probably expecting the devices to be able to provide some form of security for their homes. Instead, the devices pose a threat to their safety and privacy. The doorbells could even put people’s well-being and lives at risk if, say, they have stalkers or are domestic violence victims with dangerous exes who want to follow their every move. 

People who own one of these video doorbells can protect themselves by disconnecting it from their WiFi and physically removing it from their homes. Consumer Reports said it notified the online marketplaces selling them about its findings in hopes that their listings would get pulled down. Temu told the publication that it’s looking into the issue, but Amazon, Sears and Shein reportedly didn’t even respond. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/surprise-this-30-video-doorbell-has-serious-security-issues-130630193.html?src=rss

The two primary fears around AI are that the information these systems produce is gibberish, and that it’ll unjustly take jobs away from people who won’t make such sloppy mistakes. But the UK’s current government is actively promoting the use of AI to do the work normally done by civil servants, including drafting responses to parliamentary inquiries, the Financial Times reports.

UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is set to unveil a “red box” tool that can allegedly absorb and summarize information from reputable sources, like the parliamentary record. A separate instrument is also being trialed that should work similarly but with individual responses to public consultations. While it’s unclear how quickly the AI tool can perform this work, Dowden claims it takes three months with 25 civil servants. However, the drafts would allegedly always be double-checked by a human and include sourcing. 

The Telegraph quoted Dowden arguing that implementing AI technology is critical to cutting civil service jobs — something he wants to do. “It really is the only way, I think, if we want to get on a sustainable path to headcount reduction. Remember how much the size of the Civil Service has grown as a result of the pandemic and, and EU exit preparedness. We need to really embrace this stuff to drive the numbers down.” Dowden’s statement aligns with hopes from his boss, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to use technology to increase government productivity — shockingly, neither person has offered to save money by giving AI their job. 

Dowden does show some restraint against having AI do everything. In a pre-speech briefing, he noted that the government wouldn’t use AI for any “novel or contentious or highly politically sensitive areas.” At the same time, the Cabinet Office’s AI division is set to grow from 30 to 70 employees and to get a new budget of £110 million ($139.1 million), up from £5 million ($6.3 million).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/uk-government-wants-to-use-ai-to-cut-civil-service-jobs-140031159.html?src=rss