Aug 21, 2019 06:54 PM
YouTube algorithm mistakes fighting robot videos for animal cruelty
https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/yout...ty-3932163
EXCERPT: . . . YouTube took down the videos of battling robots, as it mistakenly identified them as clips portraying animal cruelty. You can sort of understand why an algorithm could make this error – however, the gaffe is fairly obvious. According to The Verge, the takedowns received attention when a former BattleBots (basically the US’ version of Robot Wars) competitor posted YouTube’s decision to remove some of his content to Facebook.
Jamison Go had nine of his videos taken down, and one of YouTube’s messages regarding its decision said: “Upon review, we’ve determined that it violates our guidelines and we’ve removed it from YouTube … Content that displays the deliberate infliction of animal suffering or the forcing of animals is not allowed on YouTube. Examples include, but are not limited to, dog fighting and cock fighting.”
Other YouTube channels with videos showing robot showdowns also reported that they were affected. YouTube has now confirmed that the videos were removed in error and that it has no policies prohibiting videos of fighting robots. [...] the error does highlight the ongoing difficulties YouTube has in moderating a content platform with a near unmanageable breadth of content. (MORE - images)
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/cR-YlZ9NdIA
Ransomware: an evolving threat. Criminals now select targets to maximise their payouts
https://www.techradar.com/news/ransomwar...ing-threat
INTRO: Ransomware is any malware that holds your data ransom. These days it usually involves encrypting a victim’s data before asking for cash (typically cryptocurrency) to decrypt. Ransomware ruled the malware world since late 2013, but finally saw a decline last year. The general drop in malware numbers, along with defensive improvements by the IT world in general (such as more widespread backup adoption), were factors, but have also led this threat to become more targeted and ruthless.
When ransomware first appeared, it was typically distributed via huge email and exploit kit campaigns. Consumer and business users alike were struck without much discretion. Today, many ransomware criminals prefer to select their targets to maximize their payouts. There’s a cost to doing business when it comes to infecting people, and the larger the larger the group of people you are trying to hit, the more it costs.
Simply visiting some websites can get you infected, even if you don’t try to download anything. This is usually done by exploiting weaknesses in the software used to browse the web such as your browser, Java, or Flash. Content management and development tools like WordPress and Microsoft Silverlight, respectively, are also common sources of vulnerabilities. But there’s a lot of software and web trickery involved in delivering infections this way, so the bulk of this work is packaged into an exploit kit which can be rented out to criminals to help them spread their malware.
Renting an exploit kit can cost $1,000 a month, so this method of delivery isn’t for everyone. Only those cybercriminals who’re sufficiently motivated and funded. [...] Exploits for use in both malware and web threats are harder to come by these days and, accordingly, we are seeing a drop in the number of exploit kits and a rise in the cost of exploits in the wild. This threat isn’t going anywhere, but it is declining. (MORE - details)
https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/yout...ty-3932163
EXCERPT: . . . YouTube took down the videos of battling robots, as it mistakenly identified them as clips portraying animal cruelty. You can sort of understand why an algorithm could make this error – however, the gaffe is fairly obvious. According to The Verge, the takedowns received attention when a former BattleBots (basically the US’ version of Robot Wars) competitor posted YouTube’s decision to remove some of his content to Facebook.
Jamison Go had nine of his videos taken down, and one of YouTube’s messages regarding its decision said: “Upon review, we’ve determined that it violates our guidelines and we’ve removed it from YouTube … Content that displays the deliberate infliction of animal suffering or the forcing of animals is not allowed on YouTube. Examples include, but are not limited to, dog fighting and cock fighting.”
Other YouTube channels with videos showing robot showdowns also reported that they were affected. YouTube has now confirmed that the videos were removed in error and that it has no policies prohibiting videos of fighting robots. [...] the error does highlight the ongoing difficulties YouTube has in moderating a content platform with a near unmanageable breadth of content. (MORE - images)
Ransomware: an evolving threat. Criminals now select targets to maximise their payouts
https://www.techradar.com/news/ransomwar...ing-threat
INTRO: Ransomware is any malware that holds your data ransom. These days it usually involves encrypting a victim’s data before asking for cash (typically cryptocurrency) to decrypt. Ransomware ruled the malware world since late 2013, but finally saw a decline last year. The general drop in malware numbers, along with defensive improvements by the IT world in general (such as more widespread backup adoption), were factors, but have also led this threat to become more targeted and ruthless.
When ransomware first appeared, it was typically distributed via huge email and exploit kit campaigns. Consumer and business users alike were struck without much discretion. Today, many ransomware criminals prefer to select their targets to maximize their payouts. There’s a cost to doing business when it comes to infecting people, and the larger the larger the group of people you are trying to hit, the more it costs.
Simply visiting some websites can get you infected, even if you don’t try to download anything. This is usually done by exploiting weaknesses in the software used to browse the web such as your browser, Java, or Flash. Content management and development tools like WordPress and Microsoft Silverlight, respectively, are also common sources of vulnerabilities. But there’s a lot of software and web trickery involved in delivering infections this way, so the bulk of this work is packaged into an exploit kit which can be rented out to criminals to help them spread their malware.
Renting an exploit kit can cost $1,000 a month, so this method of delivery isn’t for everyone. Only those cybercriminals who’re sufficiently motivated and funded. [...] Exploits for use in both malware and web threats are harder to come by these days and, accordingly, we are seeing a drop in the number of exploit kits and a rise in the cost of exploits in the wild. This threat isn’t going anywhere, but it is declining. (MORE - details)