The Register

If boasts are legit, Windows giant will join Nvidia, Samsung, others as victims Updated The Lapsus$ extortion gang briefly alleged over the weekend it had compromised Microsoft.…

Ten-year deal goes ahead after rival Leidos withdraws bid protest General Dynamics, a top US aerospace and defense company, won a ten-year contract to revamp America's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's cloud infrastructure in a deal worth up to a whopping $4.5bn.…

Bigger changes are afoot in the next release, too A significant rewrite of the Linux kernel's random-number generator is underway, ensuring Linux-based cryptography is a bit more secure, particularly in virtual machines, and some software a bit smoother to run.…

Memory and storage maker skips over Intel this time Micron Technology is now using AMD's newly announced third-generation Epyc server CPUs to power most of its high-demand applications for designing memory and storage chips.…

Don't wanna buy the latest stuff? Here's your watermark Those running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware are getting an update, though not the kind that low-end hardware and VM users might be hoping for.…

Canonical purportedly seeking expert who can remember high school A copy of a letter sent to an applicant – which they say is for a lead role at Ubuntu developer Canonical – went viral over the weekend, giving some insight into the Linux outfit's apparently extremely lengthy questionaire processes.…

Alternative sought after firm boycotts Russian rockets over Ukraine invasion OneWeb will resume construction of its communications satellite constellation courtesy of SpaceX's rockets.…

Critical vulnerability may have allowed an attacker to escalate local privileges Users of Western Digital's EdgeRover app for Windows and Mac are advised to download an updated version to avoid a security flaw that might allow an attacker unauthorized access to directories and files.…

Conceptually. It's OEMs who'll do the work, and you'll just have to trust them There's a new proposal on eliminating passwords, but it relies on putting a lot of security eggs into OEM security baskets. …

Plus: Security teams burning out, more Conti leaks analysis, and Log4j still plagues enterprises In Brief US federal agencies have warned of possible threats to local and international satellite communication (SATCOM) networks that could affect customers.…

Ransomware affiliates threaten to publish stolen data or launch DDoS attacks if victims don’t pay A ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group that has been around since last summer is targeting critical infrastructure in the United States, according to federal law enforcement agencies.…

Too bad they don't help customers achieve a position on compliance Oracle-verified third-party tools for software asset management are being used by Big Red to save time and effort conducting software audits, even though they do not offer users a compliance position.…

Refreshed third-gen 'Milan-X' sports 3D vertical L3 memory AMD has announced its latest, pricier Epyc server processors, code-named Milan-X, to extend the chip giant's lead over Intel for technical computing applications. The key to the appeal is driven by a massive amount of cache fused in, a major jump for HPC and other demanding areas.…

Warn users there's no E2EE when using it via the browser, DPIA tells institutions Hot on the heels of Microsoft's report card from the Dutch department of Justice and Security comes news of rival messaging platform Zoom receiving a nod via a renewed Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).…

'Their solution? Do nothing, then brick their customer's £400 printer' Epson's ReadyPrint subscription-based printing service is designed to take the hassle out of printing but its not working as intended, at least not for everyone.…

Asks firm to 'open up the books' so it can examine Arm's 'true financial situation' One of Britain's largest unions, Unite, is calling on chip designer Arm's management to pause the current redundancy process and "open up the books" for closer inspection to reveal the company's "true" financial health.…

MS craves extra revenue, but ad pipelines in the OS are hostages to fortune Opinion Queen Elizabeth I is said to have expressed her attitude to her subjects' private beliefs by noting: "I do not seek to open windows to men's souls." Microsoft Windows 11 has few such qualms. A new feature,accidentally enabled in an Insider build, not only opened a channel between the company and the quintessential tool, File Explorer, it then stuffed it with adverts.…

When a software update reveals what you really think Who, Me? A Register reader is tripped up by the curse of software updates decades before Patch Tuesday was a twinkle in Microsoft's eye. Some things never change. Welcome to Who, Me?…

Indian services giant says taking back cash did not violate employment laws – union begs to differ Indian IT services giant HCL Technologies has told India's Labour Commissioner that its controversial decision to recover bonuses paid to staff who later resigned was not illegal.…

Owners of Macs running M1 silicon now have a a native – but rough – Linux to test Asahi Linux – the most prominent effort to create a Linux distribution for Apple's M1 silicon – has loosed what project lead Hector Martin has described as "a very early alpha release."…

One screen sits above the keyboard, another is where you'd expect to find it. And we think you'll find a use for both Desktop Tourism PCs and alternative devices have increasingly diversified into myriad and marvelous forms, so I've decided that in 2022 I'll use a different one each month and share the experience.…

Shenzhen still restricts movement and crowds, so supply chains may yet splutter The Chinese city of Shenzhen – widely billed as the tech manufacturing capital of the world – has relaxed its COVID-19 restrictions in ways the city government expects will allow industrial production to resume.…

Linus Torvalds suggests version 5.18 will be a little larger, hopefully also warm, fuzzy, low-drama Linus Torvalds has released version 5.17 of the Linux kernel.…

Whether it's Mint-flavoured Debian or Debian-flavoured Mint, it's tasty The Linux Mint project has announced version 5 of its Debian edition, code-named Elsie.…

Outage tripped up web, native apps while cloud had a wobble Google Maps Platform services went missing for a few hours on Friday as various APIs fell over.…

Yes, the ones that don't exist yet America's National Science Foundation has signaled yet again how important it thinks quantum computing is with a six-figure grant to Penn State. …

Colocation giant goes on a Santiago shopping spree Equinix is set to acquire four datacenter facilities in South America, three in Chile and one in Peru, from Chilean telecom giant Entel in a sale expected to close the second quarter of 2022.…

If you're involved in malvertising, please don't read this. We don't want to give you ideas A novel way of tricking people out of their passwords has left us wondering if there's a need to rethink how much we trust our web browsers to protect us and to accelerate efforts to close web security gaps.…

Kremlin-backed Sandworm has its VPNFilter replacement, it seems Cyclops Blink malware has infected ASUS routers in what Trend Micro says looks like an attempt to turn these compromised devices into command-and-control servers for future attacks.…

New signups bring skills in mainframes, IT services, hosting in quest for RHEL parity The AlmaLinux OS Foundation is pulling in new members from the world of mainframes, hosting and IT services to contribute to the project and deliver a community-supported Linux compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).…

Maturity and merging: Manageable for bcachefs? The lead developer of the bcachefs filesystem is gunning to get it accepted into the Linux kernel… again.…

Google's TAG details operations of prolific group, including 9-to-5 workdays A group with links to high-profile ransomware crews Conti and Diavol is working as an internet access broker (IAB) for a Russia-linked cybercriminal gang, according to Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG).…

A quarter of a century can put a fair few inches on the waistline, am I right, devs? Microsoft is celebrating 25 years of Visual Studio, as devs take a moment to ponder whether another quarter of a century of Microsoft's flagship Integrated Development Environment is in the cards.…

Can the US market manage without them? Commission wants to know A bunch of toner manufacturers and sellers have infringed on Japanese electronics outfit Canon's patents, according to an initial finding from the US International Trade Commission (ITC), with a judge recommending imports of their products be banned.…

Our model took mere hours to suggest 40,000 potentially lethal compounds, says startup AI algorithms designed to generate therapeutic drugs can be easily repurposed to invent lethal biochemical weapons, a US startup has warned.…

As some nations turn a blind eye, defense becomes life-or-death matter With not just ransomware gangs raiding network after network, but nation states consciously turning a blind eye to it, today's chief information security officers are caught in a "perfect storm," says Cybereason CSO Sam Curry.…

Scammers exploit global supply-chain crunch Counterfeiters are making the most of the ongoing electronics supply crunch by peddling sham semiconductors to desperate buyers – and it's caught the attention of governments.…

Database dump accessible via the OData protocol, but software giant says it's working as intended A website for SAP's Customer Influence programs is exposing member data, creating the possibility for targeted social-engineering attacks.…

Won't reveal how much of that is actually being spent on data centers, though Amazon Web Services claims it is to invest upwards of £1.8bn ($2.36bn) over the next two years in building and operating data centers in the UK, meet the ever growing demand for cloudy tech.…

Procurement comes as Manchester City Council looks for SAP next steps Greater Manchester Combined Authority has launched a £31m tender to find a single supplier to provide a software-as-a-service HR system for all its member and partner organizations.…

Don't fret, we're just having a technical Something for the Weekend? Please accept our apologies. We had a technical which slowed down our response times.…

DNS means Do Not Shove under desk On Call Welcome to a continent-trotting edition of On Call, in which a Register reader takes a trip to sunnier climes only to be let down by a clown in windswept Blighty.…

A reminder: ML absolutely wipes the floor with humans at ancient game The Chinese Go Association – the body that oversees professional and high-level amateur play of the board game – has suspended a player for apparently using artificial intelligence during a tournament.…

Using tiny samples, too, a claim we're sure you haven't heard before Could the light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors in your future smartphone take the place of laboratory equipment in health and food safety applications? It's looking like a possibility.…

Xi's vision for once-in-a-lifetime transformation includes singular identity cards, shared data, and huge clouds China's president Xi Jinping has declared "there can be no modernization without informatization,” and outlined a strategy for how the world's most populous nation will use information technology to transform society and government.…

The mid-range A-Series matches top-end models for software updates Samsung has updated its Galaxy A smartphone range – a midrange collection of handsets that quietly outsells its premium Galaxy S series and is one of just three non-iPhone units to crack top ten global sales charts.…

Silicon engineers, you are now in the PRIME of your life Googlers and UC Berkeley academics say they have devised a way to use artificial intelligence to design faster and smaller chips that accelerate artificial intelligence.…

Watchdog claims Facebook parent sat on its hands as fake ads fleeced netizens The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has filed suit against The Artist Formerly Known As Facebook over its publication of ads allegedly featuring celebrities peddling a supposedly surefire-route to cryptocurrency riches.…

Package used by big apps now drops anti-war text files on desktops The developer of JavaScript library node-ipc, which is used by the popular vue.js framework, deliberately introduced a critical security vulnerability that, for some netizens, would destroy their computers' files.…

Strap in for a wild ride of forks, trademarks, and licensing Last year, the Graph Foundation had to rethink how it develops and distributes its Open Native Graph Database (ONgDB) after it settled a trademark and copyright claim by database biz Neo4j.…