Free games

• Epic

• • Limbo

  • • 2010
    • Black and white stylized puzzle platformer with a wonderful dark, eerie atmosphere, praised as an excellent example of video games as an art form

Update to last week’s story about the Zoom video conferencing vulnerability

• It looks like many of Zoom’s partner apps, like RingCentral and Zhumu, have similar problems that allow attackers easy access to laptop cameras and microphones, so this week Apple released another silent security patch to block the vulnerability
• Also, I’ve done a bit of research and if you’re concerned about Apple’s ability to run these kind of security updates you can block them in System Preferences > Software Update > Advanced by unchecking “Install system data files and security updates”
• Right now I’m happy that Apple notifies the press when they release these patches, but in a perfect world they’d be visibly included in your updates list

Lifehacker is urging users to update their Logitech wireless dongles immediately

• A few years ago, hackers discovered they could take control of computers by exploiting a vulnerability in Logitech wireless dongles- the piece you plug in to your computer to connect to wireless mice and keyboards
• Patches were released to fix this all the way back in 2016, but there was no recall and even new devices rolling out of the factory today may be at risk
• If you use any wireless Logitech devices, make sure you visit the Logitech support website and download/run the latest firmware update files as soon as possible to fix the loopholes
• • You’ll need to re-sync your devices to the dongle afterward, but the added (or, you know, extant) security is well worth the time

Facebook is apparently being fined $5B by the FTC for their role in the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal

• The original scandal is related to the 2016 US election, where Cambridge Analytica collected info on tens of millions of Facebook users without consent to create targeted political ads
• The data collection came from an app that claimed to be a survey for academic use, but in reality it gathered information on not just the people taking the survey but also their friends
• The problem here is that the fine is laughable when it comes to Facebook’s revenue
• • It’s the largest fine in FTC history, but they had $15B in revenue in the last 3 months, and $22B in profit last year
  • Facebook’s stock price actually went up after this fine was announced
• End of the day it’s a start, but slap a zero on the end of it and then we’ll talk

In somewhat related news, Facebook is vigorously over-defending itself against a lawsuit brought by the attorney general of the District of Colombia

• The lawsuit is related to the same Cambridge Analytica scandal and says that is was a violation of DC consumer protection law
• Facebook’s response to it denies “each and every allegation” in the lawsuit, including pieces that aren’t so much allegations as they are just basic statements of fact.
• For example, paragraph 11 says “To begin using the Facebook website, a consumer first creates a Facebook account. The consumer can then add other Facebook consumers as “friends” and by accumulating Facebook friends, the consumer builds a social network on the Facebook website.”
• • Facebook’s response was that they deny the allegations in paragraph 11
• They’ve also denied pieces that they’ve publicly admitted to in the past, leaving many people wondering just what’s going on with this defense strategy

Police are warning the public about a new scam targeting iPhone users

• Scammers are using social media to recruit victims by promising payments in exchange for becoming a game tester
• Users are asked to log in to a particular Apple ID on their iPhone, then the scammers will activate Lost Mode on the device, locking the victim’s phone and extorting payments before promising to unlock it afterward
• The worst part is that you need the Apple ID’s password to remove it from your device, so if they changed it after locking your phone then you remain at their mercy
• Anyone that’s been hit by this scam should get help from Apple at getsupport.apple.com

Space fact of the day, featuring the male ego, bought to you by Mary Robinette Kowal

• Author of the Lady Astronaut books Alan, recommended back in 242
• To facilitate going to the bathroom, NASA developed a sheath kind of like a condom that came in small, medium, and large.
• Every man said they needed a large, even when they didn’t which led to some messy situations
• So they re-branded the sheaths to Extra-large, Immense, and Unbelievable

Tidbits

• A US law firm is looking at opening a class action lawsuit regarding the Nintendo Switch and Joy-Con controller drift
• Marvel’s Spider-Man is officially now the best-selling superhero video game of all time, beating both Arkham Knight and Arkham City
• • It’s doubly impressive considering the Batman games were on multiple platforms, whereas Spider-Man was a PS4 exclusive
• Nintendo’s announced an invisible upgrade to the Switch coming this August, offering up to 2.5 hours longer battery life
• • The gains are likely achieved using a similar processing upgrade that is included in the Switch Lite
• There was a cool announcement made at the Comic-Con 20th anniversary Batman Beyond panel
• • They’re releasing a blu ray HD remaster of the full series, including the Return of the Joker movie, coming this October
• Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has officially been signed for a fourth Thor movie
• • No details yet, but I’m excited

Alan recommends Spinderella

• A solid board game for ages 6+ that I’ve only ever played with a group of 20 or 30-somethings
• You try to get your three ants to the end of the board, but depending on dice rolls other players can move the hanging spiders around to try and grab your pieces and send them back to the start