Welcome to today’s edition of the Spiceworks Snap!
It’s your daily dose of security and tech news, in brief, along with a mix of other odd or interesting things that might come up. We’re glad you came.
Now, let’s jump right in…
Image by Suzanne from Spiceworks (AI-generated)
Flashback: July 1, 1979: Sony Walkman Makes Music Portable (Read more HERE.)
Flashback: July 1, 1991: The movie Terminator 2 was released. (Read more HERE.)
Security News:
• Cloudflare Puts a Default Block on AI Web Scraping (Read more HERE.)
• Scam Centers Expand Global Footprint with Trafficked Victims (Read more HERE.)
• US disrupts North Korean IT worker “laptop farm” scheme in 16 states (Read more HERE.)
• Chrome Zero-Day Under Active Attack — Google Issues Security Update (Read more HERE.)
Something Spacy
The second launch of New Glenn will aim for Mars
According to Ars Technica:
"Blue Origin is making steady progress toward the second launch of its New Glenn rocket, which could occur sometime this fall.
The company already ignited the second stage of this rocket, in a pre-launch test, in April. And two sources say the first stage for this launch is in the final stages of preparation at the company’s facilities in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Publicly, the company has said this second launch will take place no earlier than August 15. This is now off the table. One source told Ars that a mid- to late-September launch date was “realistic,” but another person said late October or November was more likely.
Blue Origin has been mum about the payload that will fly on this rocket, but multiple people have told Ars that the current plan is to launch NASA’s ESCAPADE mission on the second launch of New Glenn. This mission encompasses a pair of small spacecraft that will be sent to Mars to study the red planet’s magnetosphere."
Learn more HERE.
Something Odd
Thousands in Norway mistakenly told they won the lottery due to conversion error
According to TechSpot:
"A wave of euphoria swept across Norway last Friday night as tens of thousands of lottery players logged into their Norsk Tipping accounts and saw what appeared to be life-changing Eurojackpot winnings. For a brief moment, dreams of new homes, exotic vacations, and financial freedom felt within reach. But by Saturday morning, those dreams had vanished – replaced by confusion, disappointment, and a public apology from Norway’s state-owned lottery operator.
The incident stemmed from a manual coding error during the conversion of lottery winnings from euros to Norwegian kroner. Norsk Tipping, which administers Eurojackpot in Norway, receives the official results from Germany in eurocents. The company’s system is supposed to convert these amounts into kroner by dividing by 100. However, a mistake in the code caused the amounts to be multiplied by 100 instead, inflating the displayed winnings by a factor of 10,000. For example, a €10 prize – 1,000 eurocents – was displayed as if it were €100,000, making modest wins appear like life-changing fortunes.
The error was quickly noticed. On Friday evening, thousands of players received SMS and push notifications alerting them to their supposed jackpots, and many rushed to make plans for how they would spend their newfound wealth. Some even began arranging holidays, home purchases, or renovations before the mistake was corrected. . . .
Despite the swift correction, the fallout was significant. Tonje Sagstuen, the CEO of Norsk Tipping, publicly apologized for the distress caused, acknowledging the frustration and disappointment experienced by thousands of hopeful winners. . . . Sagstuen announced her resignation just a day after the incident became public, citing the breach of public trust as her responsibility. . . .
The company is now conducting a comprehensive review of its systems to prevent similar errors in the future."
Learn more HERE.
Something Interesting
Quantum switch breakthrough promises 1,000x faster electronics
According to Interesting Engineering:
"Researchers have found a way to make electronics 1,000 times faster. This was made possible by changing the “electronic state of matter on demand” through a technique known as thermal quenching. The technique allows a quantum material to switch between a metal conductive state and an insulating state on demand — simply by controlled heating and cooling.
The Northeastern University developers believe this work could lead to replacing silicon components in electronics with quantum materials. This shift would enable devices that are both exponentially smaller and significantly faster.
“Processors work in gigahertz right now. The speed of change that this would enable would allow you to go to terahertz,” said Alberto de la Torre, assistant professor of physics and lead author. . . .
“Everyone who has ever used a computer encounters a point where they wish something would load faster. There’s nothing faster than light, and we’re using light to control material properties at essentially the fastest possible speed that’s allowed by physics,” said Gregory Fiete, a professor of physics.
Current electronics need both conductive and insulating materials, along with complex interfaces between them. This discovery allows just one material to do both jobs, controlled simply with light. It eliminates complex engineering challenges, opening doors to radically smaller and more powerful devices."
Learn more HERE.
Did You Know?
Physicists at Loughborough University have now made what they claim really is the world’s smallest violin, just 35 microns long and 13 microns wide.
(Read more HERE.)
IT Zodiac Sign of the Day
Sign of the Rocket
(Read more HERE.)
What was the most interesting story today? Vote in our poll below.
- Flashback 1979: Sony Walkman Makes Music Portable
- Flashback 1991: The movie Terminator 2 released
- Cloudflare Puts a Default Block on AI Web Scraping
- Scam Centers Expand Global Footprint with Trafficked Victims
- US disrupts North Korean IT worker “laptop farm” scheme in 16 states
- Chrome Zero-Day Under Active Attack — Google Issues Security Update
- The second launch of New Glenn will aim for Mars
- Thousands in Norway mistakenly told they won the lottery
- Quantum switch breakthrough promises 1,000x faster electronics
- Did You Know? World’s smallest violin
- IT Zodiac: Sign of the Rocket
- None: leave suggestions below
Missed a day? If so, check out previous editions of Snap! HERE.
