Sunday, March 1, 2020

Apple has been asking for proof of government license for iOS games in China since 2016, but did not enforce the policy, a loophole it is now closing (Rita Liao/TechCrunch)

Rita Liao / TechCrunch:
Apple has been asking for proof of government license for iOS games in China since 2016, but did not enforce the policy, a loophole it is now closing  —  Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch's China Roundup, a digest of recent events shaping the Chinese tech landscape and what they mean to people in the rest of the world.



Amazon’s Deal of the Day gives discount on Redmi power banks, smartphones and more

Buyers can avail discounts on Redmi power banks and smartphones from brands like Oppo and Huawei. https://ift.tt/2Tt8iSX

Visser, a parts manufacturer for Tesla and SpaceX, confirms data breach

A precision parts maker for space and defense contractors has confirmed a “cybersecurity incident,” which TechCrunch has learned was likely caused by ransomware.

Visser Precision, a Denver, Colorado-based manufacturer, makes custom parts for a number of industries, including automotive and aeronautics. In a brief statement, the company confirmed it was “the recent target of a criminal cybersecurity incident, including access to or theft of data.”

The company said it “continues its comprehensive investigation of the attack, and business is operating normally,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Security researchers say the attack was caused by the DoppelPaymer ransomware, a new kind of file-encrypting malware which first exfiltrates the company’s data. The ransomware threatens to publish the stolen files if the ransom is not paid.

DoppelPaymer is the latest in an emerging list of data-stealing ransomware. In December, security staffing firm Allied Universal was one of the first companies that had sensitive employee and business data published after the company declined to pay a $2.3 million ransom for the data.

Brett Callow, a threat analyst at security firm Emsisoft, first alerted TechCrunch to the website that was publishing files stolen by the DoppelPaymer ransomware.

The website contains a list of files stolen from Visser, including folders with customer names — including Tesla, SpaceX, and aircraft maker Boeing, and defense contractor Lockheed Martin. A portion of the files were made available for download. (We are not linking to the ransomware’s website.) The documents included non-disclosure agreements between Visser and both Tesla and SpaceX. Another file appeared to be a partial schematic for a missile antenna was marked as containing “Lockheed Martin proprietary information.”

Spokespeople for Tesla, SpaceX, Boeing and Lockheed Martin did not immediately comment outside business hours.

The DoppelPaymer ransomware has been active since mid-last year, and its victims have included the Chilean government and Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned petroleum company. But unlike the Maze ransomware, from which DoppelPaymer derives much of its data-stealing inspiration, the ransom note does not say that data has been stolen. Instead, it’s only disclosed if the company goes to the ransomware’s website to pay.

“Some companies may not even realize that their data has been exfiltrated prior to it being published,” said Callow.

The website hosting the stolen files said there was a “lot” more files to be published.

“Data theft is a strategy that multiple groups have now adopted and, consequently, ransomware incidents should be treated as data breaches until it can be established they are not,” said Callow.

SpaceX Starship Prototype Spacecraft Blows Up During Pressure Test

A prototype for SpaceX's Starship super-rocket appeared to burst during a pressure test on its pad at the company's South Texas facility. https://ift.tt/32GKy1A

Amazon Confirms Two Employees in Italy Have Contracted Coronavirus

Amazon.com said late on Sunday that two employees in Milan, Italy, have contracted the coronavirus and are under quarantine. https://ift.tt/2Ig7yuV

Apple sends care packages to employees in China

The Cupertino-based tech giant Apple has sent gift packages that include an iPad, face masks, hand sanitizer and more, to its employees stranded in Wenzhou and Hubei due to the coronavirus. https://ift.tt/2vuGnKg

Capgemini to hire up to 30,000 employees in India this year

The Indian workforce constitutes for over half of Capgemini's global employees base. https://ift.tt/2vxk2M1

Profile of Turntable.fm founder's social network, Botnet, populated by adoring bots that give users an experience of being internet famous without facing trolls (Arielle Pardes/Wired)

Arielle Pardes / Wired:
Profile of Turntable.fm founder's social network, Botnet, populated by adoring bots that give users an experience of being internet famous without facing trolls  —  A social network populated entirely by adoring bots aims to mimic the experience of being a celebrity online—trolls not included.



Stop making these 10 WhatsApp mistakes right now

https://ift.tt/2wgrwmT

Offline retailers running out of handsets as distributors hoard

Industry watchers say wholesalers are holding back stocks of popular phone models in anticipation of a price rise by the month-end as production in China slows; brands as yet unaware of complaints. https://ift.tt/2I8QLu3 https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

China-made phones off speed dial as supply chains disrupted amid coronavirus outbreak

Stocks of China-made phones, TVs are drying up as disruptions stemming from the Covid-19 outbreak in China start to bite. iPhone 11, Xiaomi, TCL, Realme are the worst hit and the retailers said discounts on products have come down and some products such as iPhones, MacBook and Apple Watches are now sold at the sticker price in offline stores. https://ift.tt/3abrUlc https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Facebook to ramp up promotions in India

Facebook also recently announced the appointment of Avinash Pant as the marketing director for India to drive the consumer marketing efforts of its family of apps. https://ift.tt/38cxwKG https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Indie game developers and publishers say Stadia's library is sparse because Google wasn't offering devs enough money and may abandon the platform in the future (Ben Gilbert/Business Insider)

Ben Gilbert / Business Insider:
Indie game developers and publishers say Stadia's library is sparse because Google wasn't offering devs enough money and may abandon the platform in the future  —  - Instead of having to buy games on a disc or download them from a digital store, Stadia users stream games over the internet …



Hyderabad-based hospitality firm files insolvency plea against Oyo

Conclave Infratech, which owns The Conclave hotel in Hyderabad, alleges contract breach of Rs 13 lakh per month since May 2018 https://ift.tt/2PEpWBR https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Oppo Reno 3 Pro to Launch in India Today: All You Need to Know

Oppo Reno 3 Pro launch event will begin at 12.30pm IST. The phone is slated to go on sale via Amazon, Flipkart, and offline stores as well. https://ift.tt/38amGEN

Arizona's Maricopa County is set to have the second largest concentration of US data centers by 2028, as the state races to increase electricity production (Pranshu Verma/Washington Post)

Pranshu Verma / Washington Post : Arizona's Maricopa County is set to have the second largest concentration of US data centers by 202...