News Briefs

Amazon’s Project Kuiper Successfully Tests Laser-Based Satellite Communication

Amazon's Project Kuiper has confirmed the use of laser-based inter-satellite links (OISL) for its satellite communication system. The technology has undergone successful testing in orbit, with data transmission speeds of 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) over a distance of 621 miles achieved.  more

DNSSEC Now Deployed in all Generic Top-Level Domains, Says ICANN

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers organization (ICANN org) announced that all of the current 1,195 generic top-level domains (gTLDs) have deployed Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC). more

Africa’s Digital Darkness: Internet Shutdowns Reach Record High

Governments across Africa increasingly wield internet blackouts as a tool to suppress dissent, with 2024 marking a record high for digital censorship. According to a report by Access Now and #KeepItOn, 21 internet shutdowns were recorded across 15 African nations, surpassing previous highs in 2020 and 2021. more

UPDATEDFCC Proposes Super Wifi Networks Across the U.S.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing the creation of "Super WiFi" networks across the United States providing free, highspeed, long-range WiFi networks, according to a report from the Washington Post. more

Former Rutgers University Student and Two Other Men Plead Guilty to 2016 Mirai Botnet Attacks

A New Jersey man was one of the three who pled guilty to hacking charges and creating the massive Mirai botnet attacks which spread via vulnerabilities in IoT devices causing massive DDoS attacks. more

Internet Census: 4 Billion Addresses Just Not Enough for 7 Billion People

As Internet authorities prepare to announce that they have handed over all of the available addresses, a USC research group that monitors address usage has completed the latest in its series of Internet censuses. There is some good news, according to computer scientist John Heideman, who heads a team at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering Information Sciences Institute that has just released its results in the form of a detailed outline including a 10-minute video and an interactive web browser that allows users to explore the nooks and crannies of Internet space themselves. more

Domain Registrations in New TLDs Overwhelmingly for Defensive Purposes, INTA Study

During the ICANN meeting in South Africa last week, the impact of new gTLD rights protection mechanisms (RPMS) was the subject of key discussions, and some concerns were voiced regarding trademark owners themselves registering domain names excessively and technically abusing the sunrise period. more

China Launches World’s First Underwater Data Center

China has achieved a world first by starting the assembly of an underwater commercial data center off the coast of Sanya, on Hainan Island, according to China Daily. more

DNC Emails Hacked Using Fake Gmail Login Forms

A new report from SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit has revealed a hacking group operating from the Russian Federation, implemented spearphishing techniques involving use of look-alike Google login pages to gain access to DNC emails and other data. more

Pew Looks at the State of Online Music Ten Years After Napster

Pew Internet reporting on the 10th anniversary of the Napster's launch: "As researchers look back on the first decade of the 21st Century, many will no doubt point to the formative impact of file-sharing and peer-to-peer exchange of music on the internet. Distributed networks of socially-driven music sharing helped lay the foundation for mainstream engagement with participatory media applications. Napster and other peer-to-peer services "schooled" users in the social practice of downloading, uploading, and sharing digital content, which, in turn, has contributed to increased demand for broadband, greater processing power, and mobile media devices." more

INTERPOL Leads Arrest of 1,209 Suspects in Pan-African Cybercrime Crackdown, Recovers $97 Million

Authorities across 18 African nations, aided by the United Kingdom and INTERPOL, have arrested 1,209 suspects and dismantled over 11,000 illicit cyber infrastructures. more

RIPE NCC Distributed Last IPv4 Address Space from the Available Pool

On Friday 14 September, 2012, the RIPE NCC, the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia, distributed the last blocks of IPv4 address space from the available pool. more

Google to Invest $10 Billion in India to Help Accelerate Its Digital Economy

A new Google for India Digitization Fund, announced by Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, will invest approximately $10 billion into India over the next 5-7 years. more

Analysis of 7.5 Trillion DNS Queries Reveals Public Resolvers Dominate the Internet

A recent report by NS1 provides a comprehensive look at global DNS traffic trends. It reveals that public resolvers dominate the internet, accounting for nearly 60% of recursive DNS usage. Telecom giants represent nearly 9%, with Google the clear front-runner at a little over 30%, followed by Amazon Web Services at 16%. more

New Wave of Ransomware Spreading Rapidly Through Russia, Ukrain and Other Nations

A new wave of ransomware called "BadRabbit" is targeting Russia and Eastern Europe, affecting Russian Interfax news agency and reported flight delays at Ukraine’s Odessa airport. more