US disrupts botnet used by Russia-linked APT28 threat group

The US government has disrupted a network of routers that were being used by the Russia-linked threat group APT28 to conceal malicious cyber activities. 

"These crimes included vast spear-phishing and similar credential harvesting campaigns against targets of intelligence interest to the Russian government, such as US and foreign governments and military, security, and corporate organisations," said the US Department of Justice (DoJ) in a statement.

APT28, tracked by...

16 February 2024 | Security

Cruise offers free robotaxi trips in San Francisco without backup drivers

Self-driving vehicle service Cruise is offering free public robotaxi trips in San Francisco without backup drivers.

The free trips will use Cruise’s fleet of retrofitted Chevrolet Bolt vehicles that includes Poppy and Tostada. These vehicles are ‘Level 4’ meaning they’re fully driverless and don't require a backup driver but still feature a steering wheel, pedals, mirrors and everything required for manual control.

Cruise was granted approval to test its...

2 February 2022 | Connected Vehicles

Matterport democratises access to digital twins with major UK and US expansion

Spatial data firm Matterport is democratising access to digital twins by expanding its UK and US coverage by 55 percent.

Digital twins are supporting the digital transformation of the built world by enabling businesses to manage their assets using real-time virtual counterparts.

Research has found that digital twins have led to real estate listings closing 31 percent faster, increased vacation rental conversions by up to 12 percent, and reduced the time to design,...

24 November 2021 | Digital Twin

Ground Control merges with two British firms to create IoT connectivity giant

California-based Ground Control has merged with two British firms to create a new giant in IoT connectivity.

Ground Control was launched in 2000 and was acquired in 2019 by Wireless Innovation. In 2018, Wireless Innovation acquired Rock Seven.

The three companies are now merging under Ground Control to create a “best-of-breed” technology and service provider in satellite and IoT.

Alastair MacLeod, Ground Control’s CEO, said:

“I’m delighted...

16 August 2021 | IoT

Di-nied: Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi denies it’s going private

Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi has denied a report that it’s considering going private to appease the country’s authorities.

Shares in DiDi (DIDI) spiked by around eight percent following the report from the Wall Street Journal as investors bet on a smoother ride for DiDi going forward.

DiDi, which is backed by Apple, has been targeted by Chinese authorities following its $4.4 billion listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Earlier this month,...

30 July 2021 | Connected Vehicles

AT&T and JBG SMITH plan the first ‘at scale’ US 5G smart city

AT&T and JBG SMITH are collaborating on what they believe will be the first 5G smart city “at scale” in the US.

Smart city announcements are becoming increasingly prevalent, but many are just testbeds or small deployments. AT&T and JBG SMITH believe their smart city will be an exception.

The smart city will be based in the National Landing neighbourhood of Crystal City, Virginia. A combination of mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G spectrum will be used for connectivity...

21 July 2021 | 5G

Robotaxi market heats up as Pony.ai unveils its next-gen sensing platform

Pony.ai has unveiled a next-gen sensing platform for the company’s autonomous vehicles that brings enhanced capabilities in a much-improved design.

The new system was designed in collaboration with Luminar Technologies and removes the need for the unsightly cone-shaped LiDAR found on the roofs of most driverless vehicles.

James Peng, CEO and Founder of Pony.ai, said:

“Partnering with Luminar is a critical enabling milestone for Pony.ai as we build our...

10 May 2021 | Connected Vehicles

Myriota launches US and Canada service alongside next-gen nanosatellite, dev toolkit

IoT satellite connectivity provider Myriota has launched commercial service in the US and Canada alongside the successful deployment of a next-gen nanosatellite and a developer toolkit.

Myriota raised $19.3 million in funding in April last year with the aim of expanding its satellite constellation to 25 by 2022. The new satellite launched this week represents a step towards that goal and is the first of three nanosatellites that will launch on Rocket Lab’s They Go Up So Fast...

23 March 2021 | IoT

Congressman requests specifics of Amazon’s facial recognition pledge

California Congressman Jimmy Gomez has joined those sceptical of Amazon’s recent facial recognition pledge and has penned a letter to CEO Jeff Bezos asking for specifics.

“Corporations have been quick to share expressions of support for the Black Lives Matter movement following the public outrage over the murders of Black Americans like George Floyd at the hands of police,” said Congressman Gomez. “Unfortunately, too many of these gestures have been performative at...

18 June 2020 | AI

Data about self-driving car tests will be shared publicly through AV TEST initiative

A new initiative called AV TEST (Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing) will see data about self-driving car tests shared publicly.

AV TEST is being launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and pledges to give the public more insight into the ongoing tests of autonomous vehicles.

“Through this initiative, the Department is creating a formal platform for federal, state, and local government to coordinate and share...

16 June 2020 | Connected Vehicles