Tag Archive for: overhaul

Discord.io Temporarily Shuts Down After Hack, Promises Security Overhaul


A third-party service that let thousands of users create custom invites for Discord is temporarily shutting down following a hack.

Discord.io on Tuesday confirmed it suffered a “major data breach,” which resulted in a hacker downloading its entire database. “We were made aware of the breach later on in the day, and after confirming the content of the breach, we decided to shut down all services and operations,” Discord.io said in an announcement. 

The hacker, who goes by the name “Akhirah,” claims to have stolen data on 760,000 Discord.io users. Akhirah says the hack was motivated in part by the fact that Discord.io allegedly links to child sexual abuse material. The hacker tells Bleeping Computer they would be open to keeping the stolen information private if Discord.io deletes those links, but the stolen data is also currently available for sale on a hacking forum.

Discord.io says it’s “still investigating the breach, but we believe that the breach was caused by a vulnerability in our website’s code, which allowed an attacker to gain access to our database.”

The good news is that affected users don’t need to change their passwords on Discord itself because Discord.io was only storing Discord user IDs, not any Discord authentication tokens. 

Still, the hacker stole email addresses associated with Discord.io users, along with the billing addresses of those who made purchases on the service before it started using the Stripe and PayPal payments platform. 

In addition, a small number of users who signed up with Discord.io prior to 2018 had their password information stolen. However, the stolen password data was salted and hashed. “While your password was encrypted to industry standards, if it was not unique, we urge you to update any other site that might have used this password,” Discord.io adds.  

Although Discord.io has temporarily shut down, the service plans on returning with stronger security in place. “This will include a complete rewrite of our website’s code, as well as a complete overhaul of our security practices,” it says. 

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Israeli protesters block highways, train stations as Netanyahu moves ahead with judicial overhaul


JERUSALEM — Tens of thousands of protesters on Tuesday blocked highways and train stations and massed in central Tel Aviv during a day of countrywide demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul plan.

The protests, now in their seventh month, have taken on a sense of urgency in recent days as Netanyahu and his allies in parliament march ahead with the program. The first bill in the package – a measure that seeks to limit the Supreme Court’s oversight powers – could become law as soon as next week.

The unrest also cast a shadow over a visit to the White House by Israel’s figurehead president, Isaac Herzog, who was invited to Washington to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary.

In a meeting with Biden in the Oval Office, Herzog acknowledged that Israel was “going through a heated debate as a society.” But he said that debate shows that Israeli society is “strong and resilient.” He added that the country should seek an “amicable consensus.”

Biden, who has criticized the overhaul plan, said that the U.S. commitment to Israel was strong and the bond between the two countries was “unbreakable.”

Netanyahu and his allies say the overhaul is needed to rein in the powers of an unelected judiciary – particularly the Supreme Court – that they believe is overly interventionist in government decisions.

Their opponents, representing a wide cross section of Israeli society, say the plan is a power grab by Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies that will destroy the country’s fragile system of checks and balances. They also say the prime minister, who is on trial for corruption charges, and his allies are motivated by various grievances against the justice system.

Late Tuesday, protesters thronged outside the U.S. diplomatic offices, packed the central square of Tel Aviv and crippled the city’s main highway. Police on horseback galloped among the crowds, trying to clear them away.

Earlier, protesters gathered…

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Real-life nonviolent ‘RoboCops’ hitting the streets of NYC in city safety overhaul 


It’s not just science fiction anymore.

Several nonviolent, real-life “RoboCops” are hitting the streets of New York City, as Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD unveiled the latest technological upgrade for New York’s Finest.

The new devices — resembling, in many ways, the bots typically seen in sci-fi classics such as the 1987 action movie — are replete with new GPS gadgets, and include the return of a robot dog that the mayor said is “out of the pound” after being retired in 2021 due to outrage from advocates. 

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced the three new additions on April 11 in what she called a pilot program that includes large security robots that somewhat resemble Daleks from the popular British Television series Doctor Who; a robot dog that officials say will be instrumental in dealing with explosives; and a GPS gun that like a James Bond gadget is used to shoot a tracking device onto the back of a fleeing vehicle. 

“To safeguard our modern city and a forward-looking world it is essential that our officers are equipped with the tools, training and technology necessary to do that job safely and effectively,” Sewell said. “The NYPD has always stepped forward. In every era, we have maximized public and officer safety through emerging technology. And that approach continues today.”

The large, wheeled robot is dubbed the K-5 autonomous security robot and is equipped with a camera. The technology is being leased by the NYPD and will be used inside areas, such as in transit as well as outdoors.

K-five autonomous security robot resembles a Dalek from the TV Show Dr. Who. Photo by Dean Moses
K-five autonomous security robot resembles a Dalek from the TV Show Dr. Who.Photo by Dean Moses

According to Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, these machines are equipped with artificial intelligence to provide real time incident notifications to first responders. These robots are also being used on college campuses and shopping malls throughout the country, he added.

The second and perhaps most controversial piece of kit is the “Digidog,” a four-legged android that police say will be invaluable when dealing with hostage situations, bomb threats, or…

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Britain Plans to Overhaul 32-Year-Old Law


Geo Focus: The United Kingdom
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Geo-Specific
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Legislation & Litigation

Expanded Police Powers Mooted; Cybersecurity Pros Seek White Hat Hacker Safeguards

Computer Crime: Britain Plans to Overhaul 32-Year-Old Law
Headquarters of Britain’s Home Office in London (Image: Steve Cadman, via Flickr/CC)

The British government is proposing to give itself more law enforcement powers against hackers in a public consultation critics say is marred by a lack of concrete proposals to shield security researchers acting in good faith.

The conservative government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled this month proposed updates to the U.K.’s principal anti-hacking law, the Computer Misuse Act of 1990. It proposes giving law enforcement the ability to seize IP addresses tied to cybercrime, to compel data preservation, and to further criminalize the possession of stolen data. Home Office officials have promised an updated law will include protection for white hat hackers but have yet to issue any concrete proposals for doing so.

See Also: Live Webinar | Navigating the Difficulties of Patching OT

The 1990 law criminalizes unauthorized access to computer systems and data, as well as damaging or destroying either, and is intended to protect the security and integrity of systems and information.

There’s widespread agreement that the 32-year-old is overdue for an update. “There have been several amendments to the act, most recently in 2015, to ensure that U.K. legislation met the requirements of the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime – Budapest Convention – and other relevant EU directives,” according to Britain’s Society for…

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