Microsoft warns thousands of cloud customers of exposed databases
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) on Thursday warned thousands of its cloud computing customers, including some of the world's largest companies, that intruders could have the ability to read, change or even delete their main databases, according to a copy of the email and a cyber security researcher.
The vulnerability is in Microsoft Azure's flagship Cosmos DB database. A research team at security company Wiz discovered it was able to access keys that control access to databases held by thousands of companies. Wiz Chief Technology Officer Ami Luttwak is a former chief technology officer at Microsoft's Cloud Security Group.
Because Microsoft cannot change those keys by itself, it emailed the customers Thursday telling them to create new ones. Microsoft agreed to pay Wiz $40,000 for finding the flaw and reporting it, according to an email it sent to Wiz.
"We fixed this issue immediately to keep our customers safe and protected. We thank the security researchers for working under coordinated vulnerability disclosure," Microsoft told Reuters.
Microsoft's email to customers said there was no evidence the flaw had been exploited. "We have no indication that external entities outside the researcher (Wiz) had access to the primary read-write key," the email said.
“This is the worst cloud vulnerability you can imagine. It is a long-lasting secret,” Luttwak told Reuters. “This is the central database of Azure, and we were able to get access to any customer database that we wanted.”
Luttwak's team found the problem, dubbed ChaosDB, on Aug. 9 and notified Microsoft Aug. 12, Luttwak said.
The flaw was in a visualization tool called Jupyter Notebook, which has been available for years but was enabled by default in Cosmos beginning in February. After Reuters reported on the flaw, Wiz detailed the issue in a blog post.
Luttwak said even customers who have not been notified by Microsoft could have had their keys swiped by attackers, giving them access until those keys are changed. Microsoft only told customers whose keys were visible this month, when Wiz was working on the issue.
Microsoft told Reuters that "customers who may have been impacted received a notification from us," without elaborating.
The disclosure comes after months of bad security news for Microsoft. The company was breached by the same suspected Russian government hackers that infiltrated SolarWinds, who stole Microsoft source code. Then a wide number of hackers broke into Exchange email servers while a patch was being developed.
A recent fix for a printer flaw that allowed computer takeovers had to be redone repeatedly. Another Exchange flaw last week prompted an urgent U.S. government warning that customers need to install patches issued months ago because ransomware gangs are now exploiting it.
Problems with Azure are especially troubling, because Microsoft and outside security experts have been pushing companies to abandon most of their own infrastructure and rely on the cloud for more security.
But though cloud attacks are more rare, they can be more devastating when they occur. What's more, some are never publicized.
A federally contracted research lab tracks all known security flaws in software and rates them by severity. But there is no equivalent system for holes in cloud architecture, so many critical vulnerabilities remain undisclosed to users, Luttwak said.
Dell beats revenue estimates as remote work fuels demand
Aug 26 (Reuters) - Dell Technologies Inc (DELL.N) beat market estimates for second-quarter revenue on Thursday as the shift to hybrid work kept demand strong for its laptops, desktops and cloud services.
People globally continue to spend on computer devices even after a year of working from home. Figures from International Data Corp showed shipments of PCs rose 13% from April to June, but the pace of growth was much slower than last year's frenzy.
While the industry has faced pressure from components shortage and supply chain woes, revenue at Dell's client solutions unit - home to its hardware devices - surged 27% to a record $14.3 billion.
Its cloud-computing unit, VMware, grew 8%, thanks to orders from companies looking to cut costs and expand their digital presence.
Total revenue jumped 15% to $26.12 billion, beating the analysts' average estimate of $25.53 billion, according to Refinitiv data.
The reopening of the economy has redirected some consumer spending away from computers to other sectors. But a recent rise in COVID-19 cases has prompted renewed curbs and could potentially boost the demand for remote-working equipment.
Dell's net income fell to $880 million, or $1.05 per share, in the quarter ended July 30, from $1.01 billion, or $1.37 per share, a year earlier.
Ronaldo wants to leave Juventus says coach Allegri
TURIN, Italy, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo has no intention of staying at Juventus, the club's coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Friday, amid media speculation that Manchester City could be his next destination.
Widespread reports in the Italian and English press say Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, has been finalising a transfer for the Portugal forward to English champions City, with several reporting that personal terms have already been agreed.
Allegri told a news conference ahead of his side's Serie A clash at home to Empoli this weekend that 36-year-old Ronaldo informed him on Thursday of his wish to leave Turin.
"Yesterday Cristiano told me that he no longer plans to play for Juventus," Allegri said. "This is why he will not be called up tomorrow. He did not train yesterday. He told his team mates this morning. I am not surprised at anything, in football there is the market and there are the needs of individuals.
"He made his choice. Life goes on.
"Omar Sivori, Michel Platini, Alessandro Del Piero, Zinedine Zidane, Gianluigi Buffon, some great champions and even better managers (have left). It's one of the laws of life. But Juventus will always be here.
"Cristiano did a lot for this club, he's a great champion, I wish him all the luck in the world wherever he will play. He gave a great contribution. For the season that I trained him he led by example for the lads, so he is only to be thanked for what he did for Juventus."
JUVE TROPHIES
Ronaldo, who was signed by Juventus in 2018 for 100 million euros from Real Madrid in the hope of leading them to an elusive Champions League title, will leave the Italian club with 101 goals, two league titles and a Coppa Italia trophy to his name.
Ronaldo spent six seasons with Manchester United from 2003-2009 where he won eight major trophies plus the Ballon d'Or as the world's best player in 2008 before sealing a then world record 80 million pounds move to Real Madrid.
The Portugal forward is Real's all-time top scorer with 451 goals in all competitions and won four Champions League trophies and two LaLiga titles with the Spanish club.
During the European Championship in June Ronaldo joined Iran's Ali Daei as the all-time top scorer in international soccer by reaching 109 goals and he could make the record his own during the World Cup qualifiers in September.
Ronaldo would join a City team stacked with talent but lacking a consistent marksman after the club's all-time top scorer Sergio Aguero left at the end of the 2020-21 season to join Barcelona.
English champions City this week failed in their bid to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur, with the England captain stating he was staying at the north London club.
At United, Ronaldo scored 118 goals and won the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2007-08 season, the year he helped the Old Trafford club claim their last Champions League title.
Fraser-Pryce beats Olympic champion Thompson-Herah on night of upsets
LAUSANNE, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce led a list of upsets at a blustery Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on Thursday as she beat Olympic sprint queen Elaine Thompson-Herah in the women’s 100 metres.
Thompson-Herah was among an imposing list of Tokyo gold medallists who failed to reprise their form from the Olympics and were beaten in front a full house at La Pointaise Stadium.
The 29-year-old had run the second-fastest 100m of all-time last Saturday in blistering 10.54 seconds to win at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, but found herself beaten by her 34-year-old fellow Jamaican in one of the night’s many surprises.
Fraser-Pryce got out of the blocks quickest to finish in a personal best of 10.60, ahead of Thompson-Herah in 10.64 with Tokyo bronze medallist Shericka Jackson completing a Jamaican clean sweep of the top three places.
The trio are due to continue their rivalry, plus their bid to break Florence Griffith Joyner’s 33-year-old world record of 10.49, at the next Diamond League meeting in Paris on Saturday.
Olympic champions Selemon Barega, Armand Duplantis, Steven Gardiner, Emmanuel Korir, Hansle Parchment and Karsten Warholm were all beaten but Ryan Crouser extended his winning streak to 21 successive meetings as he again blew away the opposition in the shot put.
Swede Duplantis finished a disappointing fourth in the pole vault as he failed at 5.82 with Olympic silver medallist Christopher Nilsen beating American compatriot Sam Kendricks to win the event.
Canada’s Marco Arop again upset Korir in the 800m, holding off the Kenyan for a winning time of 1:44.50 as Ferguson Rotich finished third.
The 22-year-old Arop, who did not qualify for the Olympic final, had also beaten the Kenyan duo, who were first and second in Tokyo, last Saturday in Oregon.
Norway’s 400m hurdles Olympic gold medallist Warholm ran in the flat 400m race but faded in the home straight to finish fourth as American Wilbert London dipped first over the line to pip veteran Isaac Makwala from Botswana.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Olympic 1,500m champion, was part of an early breakaway in the 3,000m to edge Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi into second place in a season’s best 7:33.06. Barega, who won a stunning 10,000m race in Tokyo, could only finish fourth over the shorter distance.
Devon Allen, who finished just outside the medals in the 110m hurdles at the Olympics, extracted a measure of revenge to win in a wind-assisted time of 13.07 as Tokyo victor Parchment of Jamaica hit the second last hurdle and was left last in the eight-man field.
Olympic 400m champion Gardiner from the Bahamas finished third in the 200m where American Kenny Bednarek won in a wind-assisted 19.65.
Afghans told to leave Kabul airport over 'very credible' Islamic State threat
Aug 26 (Reuters) - The United States and allies urged people to move away from Kabul airport on Thursday, citing the threat of an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants as Western troops hurry to evacuate as many people as possible before an Aug. 31 deadline.
Pressure to complete the evacuations of thousands of foreigners and Afghans who helped Western countries during the 20-year war against the Taliban has intensified, with all U.S. and allied troops due to leave the airport next week.
In an alert issued on Wednesday evening, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul advised citizens to avoid travelling to the airport and said those already at the gates should leave immediately, citing unspecified "security threats".
In a similar advisory, Britain told people to move away from the airport area. Its armed forces minister, James Heappey, said intelligence about a possible suicide bomb attack by IS militants had become "much firmer".
"I can't stress the desperation of the situation enough. The threat is credible, it is imminent, it is lethal. We wouldn't be saying this if we weren't genuinely concerned about offering Islamic State a target that is just unimaginable," Heappey told BBC radio.
A Western diplomat in Kabul said areas outside the airport gates were "incredibly crowded" again despite the warnings.
Australia also issued a warning for people to stay away from the airport while Belgium ended its evacuation operations because of the danger of an attack.
The Dutch government also issued a warning and said it expected to carry out its last evacuation flight on Thursday, leaving behind some who are eligible to travel to the Netherlands.
The warnings came against a chaotic backdrop in Kabul and its airport, where a massive airlift of foreign nationals and their families as well as some Afghans has been underway since the Taliban captured the city on Aug. 15, capping a lightning advance across the country as U.S. and allied troops withdrew. read more
'RISKING LIVES'
The Taliban, whose fighters are guarding the perimeter outside the airport, are enemies of the Afghan affiliate of Islamic State, known as Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), after an old name for the region.
"Our guards are also risking their lives at Kabul airport, they face a threat too from the Islamic State group," said a Taliban official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
While Western troops in the airport worked to move the evacuation as fast as possible, thousands of people still thronged outside, trying to flee rather than stay in a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Ahmedullah Rafiqzai, a civil aviation official at the airport, said people continued to crowd around the gates despite the attack warnings.
"People don't want to move, it's their determination to leave this country that they are not scared to even die," he told Reuters.
A NATO country diplomat said that although the Taliban were responsible for security outside the airport, threats from Islamic State could not be ignored. read more
"Western forces, under no circumstances, want to be in a position to launch an offensive or a defensive attack against anyone," the diplomat added.
EVACUATING TROOPS
The U.S. military has said it would shift its focus to evacuating its troops in the final two days before the deadline. read more .
President Joe Biden has ordered all troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the month to comply with a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban, despite European allies saying they needed more time to get people out.
In the 11 days since the Taliban swept into Kabul, the United States and its allies have mounted one of the biggest air evacuations in history, bringing out more than 88,000 people, including 19,000 on Tuesday. The U.S. military says planes are taking off the equivalent of every 39 minutes.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at least 4,500 American citizens and their families had been evacuated from Afghanistan since mid-August. read more
The Taliban have said foreign troops must be out by the end of the month. They have encouraged Afghans to stay, while saying those with permission to leave will still be allowed to do so once commercial flights resume after the foreign troops go.
The Taliban's 1996-2001 rule was marked by public executions and the curtailment of basic freedoms. Women were barred from school or work. The group was overthrown two decades ago by U.S.-led forces for hosting the al Qaeda militants who masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
The Taliban have said they will respect human rights and will not allow terrorists to operate from the country.
President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson said on Thursday that Russia had yet to determine its position towards the Taliban and would see how they act toward the Afghan population and Russian diplomats.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said governments of the Group of 20 major economies must be committed to making sure fundamental freedoms and basic rights for women are preserved.
Letitia Wright treated for injuries after Black Panther 2 accident
Actress Letitia Wright was treated in hospital after an accident on the set of the upcoming Black Panther sequel.
The star, who plays Shuri, Princess of Wakanda, received minor injuries in what was described as a "stunt rig accident".
The film shoot was happening overnight in Boston, separate to the main production in Atlanta.
Although the nature of her injuries was not disclosed, the actress was released from hospital after several hours.
The incident is not expected to have an impact on the shooting schedule for the superhero sequel.
Wright is one of several stars returning in the film, titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, alongside Daniel Kaluuya, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong'o and Angela Bassett.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the movie is expected to continue the story of the technologically-advanced African nation of Wakanda after the death of King T'Challa, who was played by the late actor Chadwick Boseman.
Film studio Marvel has confirmed that Boseman's role will not be recast, and they will not use digital effects to include his likeness in the film.
It was recently announced that British star Michaela Coel - who created and starred in I May Destroy You - would join the cast in an unknown role.
Additionally, Dominique Thorne, who will play the up-and-coming superhero Ironheart in a forthcoming Disney Plus TV series, will make her Marvel debut in the Black Panther film.
Production on the sequel began in June, with Ryan Coogler back in the director's chair.
He has previously spoken about the challenges of continuing the story without Boseman, who died of colon cancer last year.
"This is one of the more profound things that I've ever gone through in my life," he told the Unbothered podcast last year, "having to be a part of keeping this project going without this particular person, who was like the glue that held it together."
British star Kaluuya, who plays T'Challa's second-in-command W'Kabi, said the sequel's goal would be to honour the late star.
"For me, what's important to me is not the Black Panther legacy, it's the legacy of Chadwick Boseman, because that's a human being and a spirit that is real," Kaluuya told The Ringer.
"How can we honour that? Black Panther is going to do what Black Panther does, but that's a man that lived for us. He did it for us, did it our nephews, our nieces, our kids. It's our duty to honour that man the way he honoured us."
Elaine Thompson-Herah: Double Olympic champion feels new women's 100m record is within reach
Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah feels a new women's 100m world record is within reach as she prepares for the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Jamaican, 29, ran 10.54 seconds at the Eugene Diamond League last Saturday - the second fastest time in history.
Only American Florence Griffith-Joyner has run faster, when she set her world record of 10.49 seconds in 1988.
The meet in Switzerland takes place on Thursday.
"A few years ago I was asked whether I could break that record and I said it was not possible," she said.
"But for me to run a 10.54 means it is within reach, therefore it means anything is possible."
Thompson-Herah retained her 100m-200m title double in Tokyo and has edged closer to breaking Griffith-Joyner's longstanding record this season.
She claimed the 100m gold medal in July with a time of 10.61 - a new Olympic record.
The Lausanne leg will also see Thompson-Herah go head to head with fellow Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who she beat into second place in Tokyo and Oregon.
When asked about the 100m record, Fraser-Pryce joked that Thompson-Herah was "much, much closer" than she was to achieving the goal.
"It's good to be able to challenge a record that women thought for a long time was impossible to break and it speaks to the evolution of sprinting," she added.
"To be able to be part of that conversation, or to have that conversation, is truly remarkable. I know Lausanne is a very good track - I ran 10.7 here in 2019 having just climbed off the plane."
Two-time Olympic champion Fraser-Pryce, 34, is determined to give her quicker rival a close race when the pair meet this week.
"I definitely have not run my best race as yet and I'm still working on different phases of the races and hopefully I'll be able to put that together," she said.
"I've always said every time you step out on to the track you want to win, that's the aim when you get out there.
"To have women you know will definitely be setting a fast time adds to the excitement, not only for the crowd but also for you as an athlete too because it raises your game."
The Diamond League series is heading for its finale in Zurich next month, with meetings in Paris on 28 August and the penultimate leg in Brussels on 3 September.
TCI Sailor Participates in ILCA Laser 4.7 Youth World Championships in Ireland
TCI’s Grace Reaston-Brown recently sailed in the ILCA Laser 4.7 Youth World Championships, which took place in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland on August 7-14. The young sailor competed in a series of races placing 32nd out of 40 sailors in the Silver Fleet race. She placed 19th in her two top performing races of the series.
The 4.7 laser class competition is for sailors between the ages of 14 and 17. More than 230 competitors representing 31 countries participated in the weeklong sailing event, hosted by the Royal St George Yacht Club and the National Yacht Club.
Following the competition, Grace travelled across to The Olympic Sailing Center in Portland, England where she competed in The British Nationals against Britain’s top ILCA 4 sailors along with other competitors from the World championships who travelled over to race from the 15th to 18th of August. The competition saw 89 competitors split into two flights. In her best race she placed 8th, and, in her fleet, she placed 14th.
This is Graces second and third ILCA 4 regatta of this size, her first being earlier this year in the USA where she raced against top American sailors. Grace calls the competition a great learning experience and says that she was very excited and privileged to be able to represent the TCI in two world championships in laser class in the same year. Her dream is to be the laser radial Under 21 world Champion.
Reaston-Brown will compete in The ILCA 6 Laser Radial World Championships in Oman in December of this year.
Both of the Williams sisters will miss the US Open
(CNN) Twenty-three-time grand slam singles champion Serena Williams and her sister, seven-time major singles champion Venus Williams, will miss the final tennis major of the year, the US Open, the two announced on social media on Wednesday.
Serena Williams announced she would not be playing because of a hamstring injury, writing on Instagram, "After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring."
"New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of my favorite places to play -- I'll miss seeing the fans but will be cheering everyone on from afar. Thank you for your continued support and love. I'll see you soon," she added.
For the last three years, Serena Williams, who turns 40 on September 26, has been chasing the all-time grand slam singles record of 24 championships held by Margaret Court.
Later Wednesday, Venus Williams said on social media she will not compete due to a leg injury.
"I, too, am unable to play the US Open," she said in a video post. "It's super, super, super disappointing. I'm having some issues with my leg all this summer, and just couldn't work through it."
Venus Williams, 41, played Monday in a WTA 250 tournament in Chicago, losing to Hsieh Su-Wei in the opening round.
She made her major debut at the US Open in 1997. She has won the event twice.
"I'm going to miss the Open," she said. "It's my favorite Slam. I've had so many amazing memories there, and I can't wait to get back out on the court, whenever that is. I'll work with my team to make it as soon as I can. No date at this time."
The Williams sisters are the the latest high-profile names to miss the tournament after defending men's champion Dominic Thiem, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal all announced they would not be competing due to injuries.
The US Open is set to begin on Monday.