Category Archives: Science And Technology

India Develops DNA Vaccine Against Covid

India are beginning trials of a new DNA vaccine against covid. Although initial data shows only 67% effectiveness, it has been heralded as a key moment in the fight against Covid. DNA vaccines are administered into the skin, without the need of an injection. The strand of viral DNA then trains the immune system to recognize the virus.

There are about a dozen DNA vaccines in the later stages of development, with many more in the early stages of development. Scientists believe the technology could be used to fight other diseases.

DNA vaccines have the advantage over RNA vaccines as they are quick to produce and do not require to be stored at the very low temperatures that RNA vaccines need.

Read More: Nature

iPhone “Zero Click” Spyware

A new cyberattack targetting iphones has been detected. The “Zero Click” attack exploits iMessage, and allows hackers to gain controls without any human interaction.

A successful zero-click attack was observed this month on a fully patched iphone 12.

“Attacks like the ones described are highly sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short shelf life, and are used to target specific individuals,” said Ivan Krstić, head of Apple security engineering and architecture. “While that means they are not a threat to the overwhelming majority of our users, we continue to work tirelessly to defend all our customers, and we are constantly adding new protections for their devices and data.”

Read More: Fox Buisness.

A.I. Deep Fakes Look as Real As Real People

In a relatively short period of time the AI technology  of deep fakes has managed to create images which look real. Websites now exist where you can buy fake people photos.

People might use them on their gaming profiles. However, very often they are used for nefarious purposes. Such as online trolling, people seeking to infiltrate intelligence organisations, and dangerous political organisations.

The technology takes images of real people and feeds it into the program. The program then learns the way a human face is built, and using complicated mathematical modelling can recreate a human face, with parameters set by you; for example, gender, race, age.

Read More: The New York Times

Amazon Roll Out Palm Payment System

Amazon have rolled out their Amazon One payment system in two of their physical shops in Seattle. The payment system allows shoppers to pay using a wave of their hand over the device.

Amazon have said that they are in talks with other companies who are interested in the device.

Amazon One

“In most retail environments, Amazon One could become an alternate payment or loyalty card option with a device at the checkout counter next to a traditional point of sale system,” it said.

The technology could be used as an alternative form of ID and be applied in many situations, beyond retail.

It works by scanning the unique vein pattern under the  user’s skin, this is unique to each person. The technology is more secure than fingerprints, and extremely hard to forge.

Read More: BBC

FBI Warn of Cybercriminals and Fake Banking Apps

As the Coronavirus pandemic has caused banks to shut down, more customers are using mobile banking apps to conduct their business. However, the FBI have warned there is an increase in the number of fake banking apps and other malware. Cyber criminals are seeking to steal personal data and gain access to bank accounts

Trojan banking apps have also been created. These apps masquerade as games or utilities which activate when a user opens their banking app. The trojan then takes over showing a fake log in screen.

Read More: AppGate

 

Universities Creating Covid-19 Surveillance System Similar to Chinese Social Credit

Three US universities are working on a surveillance system to track Covid-19. The technology would be similar to the surveillance system in place in China which is used to create the Chinese Social Credit system.

University of Southern California, Emory University, and the University of Texas Health Science Center received federal funding to develop the contact tracing app. The system would track users locations in real time, their symptoms and give them a virus risk score.

Apple and Google have also announced they are working on bluetooth technology that could be used in third party apps for contact tracing.

Read More: Breitbart