Global Positioning System

The right-to-repair movement has suffered a setback in Massachusetts this week. The Biden administration told car manufacturers not to comply with a state law that would allow independent auto shops and car owners the ability to fix their own vehicles.Cops Pull Over Self-Driving CarVice first reported that the major concern the Biden administration’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has with the law, which is colloquially titled the Data Access Law, is hacking. To express these concerns, Kerry Kolodziej,…

Just how vulnerable are the thousands of government-operated satellites speeding along their orbits above our heads? A team of researchers proved they could hack into a European Space Agency-owned satellite, allowing them to take full control of its communication, imaging—and even its maneuverability systems.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewThe intrusion was a controlled hack as part ofESA’s ongoing CYSAT conference. According to a Tuesday release, a cybersecurity team from…

If you’ve been checking out smartwatch deals regularly with an eye on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 range, you’re in luck. There are some great discounts going on right now at both Samsung direct and through Best Buy. With plenty of options to choose from, we’ve highlighted all the variants including different sizes and the GPS and LTE models. Check out what you need to know below. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 40mm GPS — $250, was $280 Joe Maring/Digital Trends Considered to be one of the best smartwatches for Android, the…

Apple AirTags can be useful for things like finding your keys or keeping tabs on luggage. But it’s also well-established that the small quarter-sized tracking devices, can be employed in some less-than-savory ways. People have sued over AirTags being used to enable stalking. Police have claimed the devices have even popped up in murder cases.Yet a new report suggests that federal law enforcement might be applying AirTags for their own ends. The Drug Enforcement Agency used an Apple tracker to conduct suspect surveillance…

Tile introduced its “Scan and Secure” feature in March last year. Now it’s letting users make its own devices invisible to that feature in exchange for users’ biometric data.Photo: Wirestock Creators (Shutterstock)After months of reports of Bluetooth tracking devices like Apple’s AirTags being used to stalk people for miles, one of the first companies to popularize these trackers, Tile, is adding a feature that will make its devices “undetectable” to the company’s own app that scans for nearby unwanted devices.Oh no, of…

Photo: Sam CurryHow do you hack a car? Through its infotainment system, apparently. Newly revealed research shows that a number of major car brands, including Honda, Nissan, Infiniti, and Acura, were affectedby a previously undisclosed security bug that would have allowed a savvy hacker to hijack vehicles and steal user data. According to researchers, the bug was in the car’s Sirius XM telematics infrastructure and would have allowed a hacker to remotely locate a vehicle, unlock and start it, flash the lights, honk the…

In addition to providing high-speed internet connectivity to even the most remote corners of the Earth, the over 3,000 satellites that make up the Starlink network have the potential to do even more, like replace the two dozen satellites that power the Global Positioning System. SpaceX passed on the idea, so a team of researchers took the long way to leverage Starlink as a GPS alternative.Although Starlink’s thousands of satellites each maintain a non-geostationary position in low-Earth orbit, and GPS satellites follow…

The State Transport Authority (STA) in Odisha signed an MoU with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for the development, management, and operation of a vehicle location tracking (VLT) application.Under the Nirbhaya scheme for women's safety, the Central government has made vehicle location tracking system mandatory for public transport vehicles and goods vehicles to enhance security of women and children while travelling in public transport.Accordingly, the Odisha government has made installation of VLT devices with…

The Space Force launched an unarmed ballistic missile during an operational test on September 7.Photo: Ryan Quijas (AP)The United States Space Force is gearing up for hostile skies, training its Guardians this week on the use of satellite jammers to shut down enemy communications. Known as “Black Skies,” the satellite jamming exercise is the first in a series of training exercises designed to equip the U.S. Space Force with electronic warfare tactics, according to Breaking Defense. The Black Skies training transpired…

The Space Force was created less than three years ago, and is now in charge of military satellite ground stations.Photo: Staff Sgt. Kayla White (AP)The U.S. Army transferred its satellite ground stations to the Space Force on Monday as the latest step in establishing the sixth branch of the U.S. military devoted to demonstrating national dominance in space.The U.S. Department of Defense announced the transfer last year, which took effect on August 15. All in all, 15 global units with 319 military and 259 civilian…