Link

Teen in Canada Arrested Over $36.5 Million Crypto Theft

Andrew Orr ·

Bloomberg reports on a theft involving a Canadian teen stealing US$36.5 million in cryptocurrency from a victim in the U.S.

Police said the victim was targeted through a cell phone scam known as SIM swapping, in which a scammer hijacks a wireless customer’s phone number to intercept two-factor authentication requests and gain access to the victim’s accounts.

The arrest was the result of a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force, the Hamilton Police Service said in a statement. The investigation was launched last year in March.

If you haven’t already done so it’s a good idea to lock your SIM card with a PIN.

Enjoy an Ice Cream Flavor-Inspired iPhone Case
Cool Stuff Found

Enjoy an Ice Cream Flavor-Inspired iPhone Case

Jeff Butts ·

One lifestyle label has decided to take inspiration from popular ice cream flavors for its latest iPhone cases. Urban Sophistication is a clothing and accessory boutique. It “reinterprets everyday objects to offer a unique experience of the ordinary altogether creating a portrait of us”. The boutique’s latest product announcement consists of five new Puffer cases. Different ice cream flavors inspire each of the cases in the new “Flavors” drop. You can choose from Bubblegum, Frozen Sun, Green Tea, Peach Sorbet and Cotton Candy. Urban Sophistication first thought up the Puffer case after photoshopping a picture of a puffer jacket onto an iPhone case. The idea proved so popular that Urban Sophistication designed a new line of cases incorporating the puffiness of the jacket. Dua Lipa, Rosalia, Madelaine Petsch and J Balvin have helped popularize the Puffer cases. These cases fit all models of iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13.

Link

Williston, North Dakota Adds Cryptocurrency ATM to Airport

Andrew Orr ·

The City of Williston announced the addition of a cryptocurrency ATM at Williston Basin International Airport. It supports over 40 coins such as Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Ether, Cardano, and more.

The City of Williston does not act as the fund custodian or manage any crypto transactions. Purchases and withdrawals are handled by the DCM operator, Coin Cloud. This marks the first government-hosted cryptocurrency kiosk and the first Coin Cloud installation in an airport. The DCM is located before security on the first level near the rental car offices and the baggage carousel.

Link

Musicians Call for Concert Venues to Drop Amazon Palm Scanning Technology

Andrew Orr ·

Musicians and activist groups are calling on Red Rocks Amphitheatre to stop its rollout of Amazon’s palm scanning tech.

The letter contributors are worried Amazon might send palm data to government agencies hoping to track activists and marginalized people, particularly in light of its past collaborations with police. They’re also concerned thieves might steal info from the cloud, and see AEG as inconsistent after it condemned the use of facial recognition in 2019.

Link

US Issues Joint Advisory Warning Companies of Iranian Ransomware

Andrew Orr ·

In a joint advisory issued on Wednesday, the U.S. is warning that Iranian state-backed hackers are targeting infrastructure companies with ransomware.

The Iranian government-sponsored APT actors are actively targeting a broad range of victims across multiple U.S. critical infrastructure sectors, including the Transportation Sector and the Healthcare and Public Health Sector, as well as Australian organizations. FBI, CISA, ACSC, and NCSC assess the actors are focused on exploiting known vulnerabilities rather than targeting specific sectors.

Link

Apple Promoting Express Transit in London

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple has been promoting Express Transit inside the Wallet app in London, 9to5 Mac reported on Tuesday. I had a look whilst using public transport on Wednesday, and didn’t notice the ads. However, it’s interesting that some users did have this relatively underused feature highlighted to them, and that not all of them were happy about it.

When you click on it, Apple explains how to get around using the Express Mode feature, which does not require Face ID or Touch ID when paying for public transportation…The weird thing about this activation, which you could call an ad, is that this notification appears even if you have the Express Mode feature already enabled – and it toggles an icon alert on the Wallet app as well. This is not the first time Apple users have complained about the company inserting ads on their devices.

Link

Sharing The Stories of Young Artists From Today at Apple Creative Studios

Charlotte Henry ·

On Wednesday, Apple shared the stories of various artists who have been mentored through Today at Apple Creative Studios. They released the details as the sites in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and Chicago reach various milestones. However, it is the individual stories of the artists themselves that are most eye-catching.

When Hannah Abrahim joined Creative Studios – LA, she’d already been actively pursuing her dreams as a singer-songwriter, but wanted to enhance her skills. Abrahim’s work throughout the program resulted in her final project song, “Fantasy,” which started as a love letter to the city of LA, but soon became a love letter to its people. LA is full of individuals who share multicultural ethnic backgrounds like herself, and she wanted it to be empowering for them. The bridge sung in Spanish not only speaks to the large Latin population living in LA, but also Abrahim’s own Puerto Rican heritage.

Link

Snapchat Adds Memories and Explore Layers to Snap Map

Andrew Orr ·

Snapchat has added two layers to the Snap Map for users called Memories and Explore. Announced earlier this year, Layers bring more interactivity to the Map.

Now, the Memories layer will show you old Snapchats that you sent from particular places. Memories are private and only available to the individual user — you can’t see friends’ memories.

The Explore layer reimagines the heat map, which shows activity by relative volume on the Snap Map. You can tap on highlighted regions to see public photos and videos submitted by Snapchat users around the world.

New App ‘Macro by Camera+’ Aims to Compete With iPhone 13 Pro
Cool Stuff Found

New App 'Macro by Camera+' Aims to Compete With iPhone 13 Pro

Andrew Orr ·

LateNiteSoft is well known for apps such as Camera+, and on Thursday revealed its latest app called Macro by Camera+. The goal of Macro by Camera+ is to take the fuss out of taking amazing-looking close-up photos. The app intelligently chooses the best lens for your shot, and gives you just the right tools to make your subject shine. And there’s no hardware envy required: Macro is compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 15. The controls in Macro by Camera+ are laser focused and powerfully aimed at getting the perfect up-close image in crystal clear focus. It includes manually controlled focus and EV so you can precisely control the focus and brightness of your photo.