Latest news with #Heidelberg
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Security Flaw in Bluetooth Headphones: Sony, Bose, JBL and Other Brands Affected
German security researchers have discovered significant vulnerabilities in Bluetooth headphones that allow eavesdropping on conversations or initiating calls without prior pairing. Devices from numerous well-known manufacturers are affected, yet many users are likely unaware of these risks. This involves a security vulnerability in chips from a well-known manufacturer, which are used in many Bluetooth headphones from popular brands such as Sony, Bose, JBL, Jabra, and Marshall. The discovered weaknesses allow attackers to take control of headphones remotely without needing a prior connection. Sensitive actions like eavesdropping on conversations or initiating calls are also possible under certain conditions. Researchers from the Heidelberg-based IT security company Enno Rey Netzwerke GmbH (ERNW) have identified several security vulnerabilities in Bluetooth chips from the Taiwanese manufacturer Airoha. The researchers presented their findings at the Troopers security conference in Heidelberg. The vulnerabilities affect several SoCs (systems-on-a-chip) from Airoha, which are used in true wireless headphones, among other devices. Through specially programmed protocols, attackers can access the working and flash memory of the devices. It is sufficient to be within Bluetooth range–about ten meters away. Although Airoha has already provided a software update, users are still waiting in vain for firmware updates from the manufacturers. The attack requires neither prior pairing nor authentication. It allows, among other things, the reading of current media titles, the capture of contact data, or the manipulation of existing trust relationships with paired smartphones. In practice, the researchers demonstrated how a call on the smartphone can be triggered using the read connection data–a potential gateway for eavesdropping attacks via the built-in microphone. Read also: Critical Chip Security Flaws Endanger Numerous Smartphones According to ERNW, the security vulnerabilities have been confirmed in 29 Bluetooth headphones, but far more models are likely affected. The list includes models such as Sony WH-1000XM4 to WH-1000XM6, JBL Live Buds 3, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, Jabra Elite 8 Active, and various Marshall devices like Major V and Stanmore III. Brands like Teufel, Jlab, Xiaomi, and others are also affected. The researchers estimate that more than 100 different models could be vulnerable–and many manufacturers are not even aware that Airoha chips are used in their products. Airoha provided manufacturers with an updated version of its software on June 4. However, this must be passed on to end users by the device manufacturers in the form of a firmware update. So far, no newer firmware versions have appeared on affected devices that were created after the patch date. Users should therefore regularly check the manufacturers' apps for updates or contact customer support. The experts emphasize that real attacks are complex and technically demanding. They require immediate physical proximity to the target device and specialized knowledge. An attack is also not possible over the internet. Therefore, the warning is primarily directed at particularly vulnerable individuals such as journalists, diplomats, activists, or employees in security-relevant industries. For private everyday use, the risk is currently low. The post Security Flaw in Bluetooth Headphones: Sony, Bose, JBL and Other Brands Affected appeared first on TECHBOOK.
News24
21-06-2025
- Business
- News24
Land dispute leaves families in limbo as committees battle for property association control
A bitter dispute between two committees at the Kudung Communal Property Association has reached the Gauteng High Court. A court order has frozen the association's bank accounts while the dispute continues. Representatives of the ousted executive committee claim R7.8 million went unaccounted for under the previous leadership, with a pattern of large cash withdrawals. Jeritta Giles, a 53-year-old reverend in the Lutheran church, says disputed land stolen from her family during apartheid represents more than just property - it's her family's legacy and future. 'It's not just us that would benefit; it would be generations,' Giles told News24, reflecting on her family's connection to the 4 000 square metre farmland in Heidelberg that they were forcibly removed from decades ago. 'I wouldn't mind moving back.' Giles is one of many descendants of the original landowners caught in a bitter leadership dispute at the Kudung Communal Property Association (CPA), where allegations of financial mismanagement have escalated tensions between competing committees, both claiming legitimacy, coming to a head in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. The CPA owns significant farmland that was returned to descendants of people forcibly removed during apartheid. Giles' family was relocated to Thokoza, then Eden Park, in about 1976 due to her family appearing 'coloured'. 'We used to go [to the farm] when we were small,' Giles recalled. 'I don't know what reasons were given to my parents, but we were relocated [to Thokoza].' The Constitution of the CPA requires that an annual general meeting (AGM) be held to elect an executive committee that will manage the affairs of the CPA. In January 2024, an AGM was held where an executive committee was elected. This executive committee claims that the association's funds went unaccounted for under the 'previous leadership', whom they allege were elected without the necessary AGM taking place. READ | Gauteng premier's office rocked by allegations of dubious property transfer This is what motivated them to run for office. 'At the time we went into office, there was about R15 million to R16 million. R7.8 million went unaccounted for,' said Katlego Mogapi, a member of the executive committee, told News24. The executive committee alleges that before 2019, there was a pattern of large cash - as much as R200 000 and R400 000 - withdrawn from the association's accounts at a time. However, the executive committee was ousted in a vote of no confidence that was held in June of 2024, and an interim committee was formed. This led to a dispute between the two competing committees, which reached the courts, with the interim committee, including Moses Ramathibela, treasurer of the previous leadership, facing these allegations, claiming legitimacy of running the CPA because of the vote of no confidence in the executive committee. Court orders from late 2024 have frozen the association's bank accounts, leaving families in limbo while the ousted executive committee attempts to challenge the latest court order, which confirmed the vote of no confidence. At the centre of the dispute between the two committees is a controversial lease agreement with tenant farmer Hendrik Bonsma. ALSO READ | 'You must own these trees': Mashatile says trees on restituted land must benefit the people Bonsma previously owned the land through his company, Bonsma Enterprises (Pty) Ltd, before it was bought and placed under the control of the CPA in 2006. The land was then leased back to Bonsma Enterprises in a lease which the executive committee claims is 'grossly undervalued.' The executive committee claims that the previous regime, which took control of the CPA in 2005 allegedly without the requisite annual general meeting to vote them in, personally benefited from the lease. However, Johannes Grobbelaar, the attorney for Bonsma Enterprises, strongly dispute these allegations, saying the lease agreement must be viewed alongside a cooperation agreement that provides additional 'benefits to the CPA'. The lease requires Bonsma Enterprises to harvest 750kg of white maize per hectare per year, which Grobbelaar claims is above the market value of 650kg per hectare. Grobbelaar also pointed to costs Bonsma bears, including fencing, water infrastructure, security against theft and vandalism, and biosecurity measures. READ MORE | R9.9bn housing project land dispute: City rejects Boksburg woman's claim for compensation Bonsma claims, through his attorney, that he is not party to the internal governance of the CPA, meaning he and his company play no part in what happens to the money once it is deposited. However, for descendants of the original landowners, like Giles, the ongoing dispute means continuing to wait for benefits from land that rightfully belongs to their families. The association most recently distributed R1.7 million to its 198 member families in 2024, amounting to about R25 000 per family, but Giles says she has not received any payout. 'Not a cent,' she told News24. Another descendant, Jabulani Mkhoza, who has been unemployed since 2013, expressed his desire to return to work the land. 'We'd work the farm for the business,' Mkhoza said. 'It wasn't our parents' will [to leave the land].' News24 contacted representatives of the previous and interim committee for comment on the allegations but did not receive a response after multiple attempts at contact.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Heidelberg sells out of net-zero cement from Norway plant, CEO says
Brevik: Germany's Heidelberg Materials has pre-sold all the cement it will produce this year from a Norwegian production line upgraded with zero-emissions technology, its CEO said on Wednesday, as builders seek to reduce their carbon footprint. Traditional cement production is responsible for around 8 per cent of global CO2, generating huge emissions volumes not only from the coal used to heat kilns, but also during the critical process of converting limestone into clinker. It is considered a "hard to abate" sector, meaning mitigating emissions is particularly difficult. The CO2 capture facility at Heidelberg's factory in Brevik, southern Norway, will capture around 400,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. That represents 50 per cent of the plant's emissions, allowing for the production of a net-zero product dubbed evoZero, Heidelberg CEO Dominik von Achten told Reuters at the facility's official opening. The Brevik plant has annual production capacity of just over one million tons of cement, around half of which will be produced under the evoZero brand. "We are not going to produce the full amount this year as the plant is ramping up. But we are sold out for 2025 and we continue to fill the order book," he said. Though more expensive than regular cement, von Achten said evoZero offers benefits to customers looking to decarbonise their construction projects. The facility is part of Norway's heavily subsidised Longship carbon capture and storage project aimed at commercialising the emissions reduction technology. If widely adopted, Norwegian policymakers say the technology would help the world reach the Paris climate agreement's targets and curb global warming. The government is paying two-thirds of Longship's estimated cost of around 30 billion crowns ($3 billion), which includes CO2 capture at a waste plant in Oslo and storage deep below the seabed at the Northern Lights site in western Norway. "What the Norwegian government did is to de-risk the project for the parties involved," von Achten said, adding that, without it, the project would not have been possible. The CO2 removed at Brevik will be loaded onto purpose-built carriers and shipped to the Northern Lights facility, which opened last year and is co-owned by Shell, Equinor and TotalEnergies. "We know that the hard to abate sectors and the difficult industrial sectors that have no alternative need CO2 capture and storage as part of the solution," Norway's Energy Minister Terje Aasland told Reuters.
The Independent
18-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Astronomers capture most detailed image of a galaxy of its kind ever seen
Astronomers have created the most detailed image of a galaxy of its kind ever seen. The 'incredibly detailed' picture shows parts of the Sculptor Galaxy that have never been seen before. Scientists were able to European Southern Observatory 's Very Large Telescope to create the most detailed image that shows thousands of colours ever made. It was created by observing the galaxy for 50 hours, and stitching together 100 exposures. The width of the image shows 65,000 light years across space, almost the full galaxy. The Sculptor Galaxy is officially known as NGC 254. It is a starburst galaxy, where stars are being constantly formed. The detail of the new image allows scientists to see the building blocks themselves – the stars, gas and dust – in fine detail. Each of them emits their own shade of light, so having it in such fine detail and colours means that scientists can deeply understand the small parts of what is happening in the galaxy. 'We can zoom in to study individual regions where stars form at nearly the scale of individual stars, but we can also zoom out to study the galaxy as a whole,' said co-author Kathryn Kreckel from Heidelberg University. Researchers can use those different shades to understand the age, composition and motion of the parts of the galaxy. "The Sculptor galaxy is in a sweet spot," the observatory's Enrico Congiu, who led the research, said in a statement. "It is close enough that we can resolve its internal structure and study its building blocks with incredible detail, but at the same time, big enough that we can still see it as a whole system."
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Sarco suicide pod's SECOND victim: The doctor who witnessed woman's death, unanswered 'strangulation' questions, and the boss who now says: 'He was paranoid and delusional'
When he was five years old, Dr Florian Willet used to walk around the neighbourhood where he lived in Heidelberg, Germany, looking up. It's a picturesque city, fringed by the lush Black Forest, where the warm weather breeds fig and almond trees and rainbow-coloured parakeets swoop overhead.
