Tag Archive for: Extreme

Mountains on neutron stars are not even a millimetre tall due to extreme gravity • The Register

/in


The gravitational field of neutron stars is so strong that so-called mountains poking out from their surfaces only grow to a fraction of a millimetre in height in simulations.

When certain massive stars finish burning all their fuel and go supernova, the leftover core matter collapses in on itself to form a neutron star. These bodies are compressed to such a degree that their electrons and protons combine into neutrons. Their mass – typically about 1.4 times the mass of our Sun – is squeezed into a sphere just 20km or so across. Our star has a diameter of 1.4 million km, for comparison.

Neutron stars are thus among the densest objects in the known universe, and have extreme gravitational fields, so much so that mountains on their surfaces may only be a fraction of a millimetre tall. This would make their surface smoother and more uniform than previously thought, according to Nils Andersson, professor of applied mathematics at England’s University of Southampton. These conclusions were presented this week at 2021’s National Astronomy Meeting hosted by the Royal Astronomical Society.

“Colloquially, ‘mountain’ is taken to mean ‘quadrupole deformation,’ basically stretching a spinning star in such a way that it becomes optimal at emitting gravitational waves,” Prof Andersson explained to The Register. “Perhaps the word is also ironic given that these ‘mountains’ are tiny.’

The gravitational wave aspect is interesting. Spinning neutron stars should produce these waves, which are basically ripples in the fabric of spacetime, from their surface deformations. If neutron stars’ mountains, if you will, truly are so small, it may be more difficult than some anticipate to detect their gravitational waves.

Unlike mountains on Earth, these minuscule structures on neutron stars aren’t formed by geological processes. Instead, mountains on these dead stars are forged by how much material is pulled outward when they…

Source…

The Colonial Pipeline Hack Is a New Extreme for Ransomware 

/in


For years, the cybersecurity industry has warned that state-sponsored hackers could shut down large swathes of US energy infrastructure in a geopolitically motivated act of cyberwar. But now apparently profit-focused cybercriminal hackers have inflicted a disruption that military and intelligence agency hackers have never dared to, shutting down a pipeline that carries nearly half the fuel consumed on the East Coast of the United States.

On Saturday, the Colonial Pipeline company, which operates a pipeline that carries gasoline, diesel fuel, and natural gas along a 5,500 mile path from Texas to New Jersey, released a statement confirming reports that ransomware hackers had hit its network. In response, Colonial Pipeline says it shut down parts of the pipeline’s operation in an attempt to contain the threat. The incident represents one of the largest disruptions of American critical infrastructure by hackers in history. It also provides yet another demonstration of how severe the global epidemic of ransomware has become.

“This is the largest impact on the energy system in the United States we’ve seen from a cyberattack, full stop,” says Rob Lee, CEO of the critical-infrastructure-focused security firm Dragos. Aside from the financial impact on Colonial Pipeline or the many providers and customers of the fuel it transports, Lee points out that around 40 percent of US electricity in 2020 was produced by burning natural gas, more than any other source. That means, he argues, that the threat of cyberattacks on a pipeline presents a significant threat to the civilian power grid. “You have a real ability to impact the electric system in a broad way by cutting the supply of natural gas. This is a big deal,” he adds. “I think Congress is going to have questions. A provider got hit with ransomware from a criminal act, this wasn’t even a state-sponsored attack, and it impacted the system in this way?”

Colonial Pipeline’s short public statement says that it has “launched an investigation into the nature and scope of this incident, which is ongoing.” Reuters reports that incident responders from security…

Source…

Huge rise in ransomware cyberattacks on Japan firms an extreme threat: police

/in






This partially altered screenshot shows a message demanding a ransom payment that appeared on a computer attacked by ransomware. (Image courtesy of Trend Micro Inc.)


TOKYO — Cases involving ransomware viruses that demand payments from the users of computers they infect have risen so sharply in Japan that the National Police Agency (NPA) has begun referring to the threat they pose as “extremely serious.”


According to major cyber security software company Trend Micro Inc., in 2020 93 ransomware infections were reported by corporations in Japan — an 80% increase on the previous year. The NPA also received 23 consultations from affected firms and others.


In ransomware attacks, cybercriminals encrypt without warning the internal data of corporations and other entities. They then demand virtual currency or other payment to restore the data. Trend Micro said the quarterly number of reported infections saw a constant rise in 2020, with 23 cases in the April-June period, 24 in July-September, and 32 in October-December.


One major route for attacks is virtual private networks (VPN), which are said to be especially vulnerable. VPNs are often used for teleworking, which has seen a greater uptake amid the coronavirus pandemic.


Katsuyuki Okamoto, a security expert at Trend Micro, explained, “In many past cases, cybercriminals attacked by disseminating viruses via email, but now they’ve come to perform targeted hits from the start.” He said hacking methods are sold on the darknet too, adding, “Attack techniques have spread widely.”





This partially altered screenshot shows a website where information stolen by ransomware was posted. (Image courtesy of Trend Micro Inc.)


The NPA, meanwhile, began keeping totals of ransomware damages from April 2020, and had received 23 consultations from victims in 10 prefectures by December. Police have been investigating the cases on suspicion that electromagnetic records containing unauthorized commands were used — which are actions consistent as crimes using computer viruses — among other charges.


Nine of the cases that have taken place in five prefectures since…

Source…

‘Extreme’ Wolverhampton stalker jailed after hacking into victim’s home CCTV

/in


George Coughlan
George Coughlan

George Coughlan created 19 fake Instagram accounts, plus other bogus social media profiles, to bombard the woman with abuse from December last year.

One of the messages he sent contained a video showing her relaxing at home in the lounge – and it quickly became evident he had hacked into her home security camera system to seize footage.

Police arrested the 33-year-old on February 29 after the victim – who is known to Coughlan – disclosed the stalking and harassment to officers.

His phone was seized for examination and revealed internet searches on the woman’s name and her partner, plus phrases including “log into iCloud without verification” and “free mobile phone tracker without user knowing”.

Coughlan created lots of bogus social media accounts to continue harassing the victim

And he had researched phone spyware to track SMS messages, calls, social apps and GPS movements.

Police also found a total of 61 social media accounts linked to his phone – which he used to contact the victim – and 67 video files he had downloaded after hacking into the CCTV system.

Coughlan, from St Chads Road in Bilston, Wolverhampton, initially denied one count of stalking involving serious alarm and distress but in the face of evidence presented to the court later admitted the charge.

And on Friday at Wolverhampton Crown Court he was jailed for 21 months.

He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order in order to protect the victim.

One of the messages George Coughlan sent to the victim

Inspector Cate Webb-Jones from the Public Protection Unit said: “Stalking is a serious crime, an invasion of someone’s privacy, and as we’ve seen with this case can result in a significant jail term.

“Coughlan went to extreme lengths to exert control and intrude on his victim’s life. It was hugely upsetting and she was living day by day in fear. It’s simply not acceptable.

“Social media and easily accessible technology, such as spyware to track mobile phones, is giving stalkers more tools to harass victims and potentially put them in more danger.

“In the last year (April 19 to March 20) we saw reports of stalking and harassment rise by almost a third.

“Much of that is…

Source…