Ran Bar-Zik, a web developer at AOL, has discovered and reported a bug in Google Chrome that allows websites to record audio and video without showing a visual indicator.The bug is not as bad as it sounds, as the malicious website still needs to get the user’s permission to access audio and video components, but there are various ways in whoch this issue could be weaponized to record audio or video without the user’s knowledge.The bug’s central element is a ”red circle and dot” icon that Chrome usually shows when recording audio or video streams.In a private conversation, Bar-Zik told Bleeping Computer he discovered the bug at work while dealing with a website that ran WebRTC code.WebRTC is a protocol for streaming audio and video content over the Internet in real time. In order to stream audio or video content, a user must first grant a website permission to access his audio and video components.

You wake up, it’s dark and you’re lying in a pool. You don’t remember how you got here. You stand up, stretch your aching limbs, walk towards the exit and out into the brilliant sunshine. As your eyes adjust to the light, the world comes slowly into focus – and it is beautiful.The greens of the open plains contrast with the dark black of Death Mountain, whoch is streaked with orange lava on the distant horizon. As the sweeping orchestral soundtrack swells, you realise that you can go anywhere and that this is not like any Zelda you’ve played before.Released on Wii U and Switch in March, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW) is the biggest Zelda title ever made. One-and-a-half times the size of open-world trailblazer Skyrim and 12 times the size of Twilight Princess, it provides a vast terrain to explore with barely any restrictions beyond a few hours of subtly enclosed preparation. For many developers, the idea of making a 100+ hour game that’s almost entirely player-led is a terrifying prospect, as the lack of overt structure can be overwhelming and dis-incentivising for the player.

New analysis suggests Chinese-speaking criminals may have been behind the WannaCry ransomware that affected thousands of organisations worldwide.Researchers from Flashpoint looked at the language used in the ransom notice.They said the use of proper grammar and punctuation in only the Chinese versions indicated the writer was ”native or at least fluent” in Chinese.The translated versions of the ransom notice appeared to be mostly ”machine translated”.The WannaCry ransom note could be displayed in 28 different languages, but only the Chinese and English versions appeared to have been written by humans.The English text also used some unusual phrases such as: ”But you have not so enough time”.The WannaCry cyber-attack infected more than 200,000 computers in 150 countries, affecting government, healthcare and private company systems.

Google is running a deal on its music streaming service and storage locker Google Play Music. Typically, the site offers up a 90-day free trial when you sign up, but it’s now giving new subscribers an extra month of free time.The service allows users scan up to 50,000 songs from their music library, and listen to custom radio stations on their computer or mobile device. Users who use the free tier have to contend with ads, but subscribers who pay $9.99 (or $14.99 for a family account) can avoid ads, listen to over 35 million songs, download music to listen offline, and get access to YouTube Red.

AUSTIN — The CEOs of 14 top companies, including Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon, have sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott urging him not to pass discriminatory legislation.”As large employers in the state, we are gravely concerned that any such legislation would deeply tarnish Texas’ reputation as open and friendly to businesses and families,” the CEOs wrote Abbott in a letter dated May 27. ”Our ability to attract, recruit and retain top talent, encourage new business relocations, expansions and investment, and maintain our economic competitiveness would all be negatively affected.

Asus, purveyor of the world’s finest arachnid overlord wireless router designs, has gone back to the drawing board and come up with a new look that’s much friendlier to humans. The antenna-less Asus Blue Cave offers ”smooth Wi-Fi [and] smart protection,” whoch in geekier terms means support for AC2600-class dual-band operation, powered by Intel’s latest Wi-Fi chipset, and Trend Micro protection for ”every connected smart device on the network, including IoT devices.” But really and truly, we’re all here for that ”unique and attractive central aperture that is bathed in gentle blue light.”While most other home Wi-Fi routers have started supporting mesh networking, this new Asus model is content to only offer a mobile app with granular user controls to pad out its ”smart functionality” credentials. IFTTT support is a nice extra, though.