Section: The Conversation (USA)
Russian in Trump national security scandal to be UN’s new anti-terror chief – just how murky can things get?
The UN building … but what’s really going on inside? ShutterstockAs if there wasn’t enough controversy surrounding Sergey Kislyak. The Russian ambassador to the US at the centre of the Trump national security storm is set to become the United Nations head of counter-terrorism, probably at Under Secretary-General level. The irony...
WannaCry hackers had no intention of giving users their files back even if they pay
WannaCry Ransomware Demands AvastAs the effects of the WannaCry global ransomware attack continue to be felt, there is evidence emerging that the hackers are not decrypting the files of victims who decided to pay the US $300 ransom. A commenter on cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt’s blog recounted that one of his customers had paid the ransom...
Fireworks, feelings, and fraught relations at Eurovision 2017
For one week in May, the bleary-eyed in our workplaces are not the sports fans following northern hemisphere leagues, nor are they the new parents. They are Eurovision fans. And we are legion. The Eurovision Song Contest offers its fans glitz (or at least glitter), glamour, politics, intrigue, increasingly limited lessons in how to count in...
Massive global ransomware attack highlights faults and the need to be better prepared
Wana Decrypt0r 2.0 Ransomware Screen AvastA massive malware attack was launched on Friday, affecting at least 75,000 computers in 99 countries. Computers running Microsoft Windows were infected with “WanaCrypt0r 2.0 or WannaCry” ransomware. Once infected, all of the files on the computer are encrypted by the malware, which then displays a ransom...
New executive order on cybersecurity highlights need for deterrence, protection of key industries
Locking down the federal government. NicoElNico via shutterstock.comPresident Trump’s new executive order on cybersecurity for federal computer networks and key elements of the country’s infrastructure – such as the electricity grid and core communications networks – builds meaningfully on the work of the Obama administration. It...
Why we need an international freedom movement
France’s election of a centrist pro-Europe president has offered us all some respite, but, in many respects, the world still seems headed for dark times. There’s bloodshed in Syria with no end in sight, massacres in Yemen, South Sudan and Myanmar and a recent resumption of intense fighting in Ukraine. It also hints at a deeper...
Why daredevil skyscraper climbing videos give you sweaty palms
Have you ever watched a video of someone dangling far above the ground and found that your own hands started sweating? If not, watch this: That’s an infamous Ukrainian urban climber known as “Mustang Wanted”. He’s part of a global “rooftopping” craze that has seen daredevils scale everything from The Shard in London, to...
World Trade Organisation gives Australia’s plain tobacco packs the (draft) thumbs up
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has reportedly backed Australia’s laws on plain tobacco packaging implemented from December 2012. The apparent decision marks the end of the last of three cases brought against Australia’s plain packaging; it will almost certainly open the floodgates and see other nations implementing the measure....
The internet is enabling scientists to understand how ‘collective memory’ works
Our memory of the twin towers attack has been strengthened by events that happened much later. Michael Foran/Flickr, CC BY-SAThe internet has brought change to almost everything in our lives. In particular, the ways we acquire knowledge have significantly changed, partly due to online knowledge repositories such as Wikipedia. In fact, it has even...
Cyber attacks ten years on: from disruption to disinformation
The solider of Tallinin, a bronze statue that triggered the first recognised cyber attack. 65817306@N00/flickr , CC BY-NCToday is the tenth anniversary of the world’s first major coordinated “cyber attack” on a nation’s internet infrastructure. This little-known event set the scene for the onrush of cyber espionage, fake news and...
