Every day we wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and get ready for work. Following are a handful of stories from around the tech world condensed to fit into one single cup of coffee. These are the things you need to know before you step foot out of your door (or in front of a webcam) and into the real world this morning.
So sit back, grab a cup, and start your morning off right with a few “Quick Bytes” from Innovation & Tech Today.
Uber Silent on User Data Status After Major Security Breach
Uber was hacked Thursday, affecting internal tools and potentially compromising user data.
The attacker, who identified himself as an 18-year-old male, bragged about the simplicity of breaching the ride-hailing giant’s security systems in a Slack post. The post also listed a number of Uber databases and cloud services that the hacker claimed to have breached.
The hack, which seems to have allowed extensive access to internal systems, is still being investigated.
Uber stated it is responding to the “cybersecurity incident” and has contacted law enforcement. As of Monday, Uber has made no further comments as to the status of sensitive user data.
Twitter Whistleblower Voices Security, Regulatory Concerns
The cybersecurity bug is making the rounds in the major tech sphere, and Twitter is not immune.
Twitter whistleblower Peiter “Mudge” Zatko alleged in a Senate hearing last week that Twitter had serious, undisclosed security and privacy vulnerabilities that have put users and national security at risk.
However, Zatko shifted the blame, at least in part, to the regulatory body tasked with overseeing social media companies.
Critics believe the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is under-resourced and ill-equipped to take on multi-billion dollar tech giants.
During the hearing, Zatko described how Twitter — which had committed to protecting user data and maintaining a strong information security program under its FTC consent order — allegedly did not take US regulators seriously and actively misled them.
The eye-opening remarks from Zatko may be the catalyst for major changes in the regulatory body.
Hacker Leaks GTA VI Data
After making its way around the internet last week, video game publisher Rockstar Games has confirmed a Grand Theft Auto VI leak is authentic.
In a tweet, Rockstar stated a hacker stole confidential information including early game development footage.
The hacker also leaked information on Bully 2 plans. Code for multiple GTA titles may also have been included. The hacker’s original Telegram channel has disappeared.
The statement continued to say online content would not be affected and plans for the sixth installment of the popular game series will continue as planned.
Biden Declares Pandemic Over
After over two years of the U.S. and the world fighting COVID, President Biden said the pandemic is finally over in a 60 Minutes interview Sunday.
As of September 2022, there have been about 612 million cases of coronavirus. The number of new daily cases peaked in January for many countries, including the U.S. (806,987), France (366,554) and India (311,982), according to Our World in Data, an international organization of scientists.
That number is likely even higher due to non-reported cases.
Now, with cases declining all over the world and many restrictions lifted, Biden feels confident in declaring the latest worldwide epidemic has reached its end.
However, the timing of his statement may be politically ill-considered. His remarks came as Biden’s own administration seeks an additional $22.4 billion from Congress to keep funding the fight against COVID, and as the United States continues to see hundreds of related deaths every day.
