Midnight Web by Rahul Banerjee

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Security Flaw in India's Income Tax Portal Exposes Sensitive Taxpayer Data

A major security vulnerability in India's income tax filing portal has been fixed, TechCrunch reported. The flaw, discovered by security researchers Akshay CS and "Viral" in September, allowed logged-in users to access real-time personal and financial information of other taxpayers. This included sensitive details such as full names, home addresses, email addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers and bank account information. Exposed Aadhaar numbers of individuals The security flaw in the income tax filing portal also exposed Aadhaar numbers, a unique government-issued identification number used for identity verification and accessing government services. TechCrunch verified the data by allowing researchers to search its records on the portal. The researchers confirmed on October 2 that the vulnerability had been patched. Discovery process Researchers found bug while filing tax returns The researchers found the security flaw while filing their recent income tax return on...

Can the Arattai App Beat WhatsApp?

WhatsApp the app that's become so much a part of our daily lives now that it's second nature to our thumbs. From group chats with family members to office messages that could very easily have been an email, WhatsApp is the undisputed monarch. With over 500 million users in India alone, it's a sure bet that it's the monarch of the messaging jungle. But, keep your encrypted data to yourself there's competition on the horizon: Arattai. Yes, you heard that right, an Indian-developed messaging app that is all ready to challenge WhatsApp and find its own place. Arattai, developed by Chennai company Zoho, is making headway as a domestic substitute for the likes of WhatsApp, Telegram, and the whole messaging fraternity. "Arattai" is indeed "casual chat" in Tamil. That relaxed, informal chat that doesn't have you questioning whether the government is tapping in. But, wait until we get all fired up about having a WhatsApp alternative, let's talk ...

A New Era of Digital Democracy ?

The Emergence of Digital Mobilization In spite of the ban, the protesters, who were mostly Generation Z, discovered ways to bypass the ban. They made use of VPNs and the limited platforms that were still available, such as TikTok, to mobilize and organize. The protests turned violent and claimed a huge number of lives very quickly, worsening public anger and prompting the Prime Minister's resignation. Discord as a Digital Parliament In the wake of the political meltdown, a fresh, and surprising, chapter took place. The youth movement, rallying under the heading "Youth Against Corruption," made its way to Discord. This chat forum, initially infamous for its gaming forums, was the de facto "parliament" in which more than 145,000 members debated and voted on a new temporary leader. Following a series of emotive debates and surveys, they chose former Chief Justice Sushila Karki to head the government of transition. Her appointment, due to her standing ...

The Next Generation Threat Intelligence

The light from a dozen monitors reflected in Ramesh's weary eyes as he sagged in his chair. The Security Operations Centre was a constant storm of red alerts, each one a flash of digital lightning. "Analysts drown in alerts," he muttered to himself, the grim cliché of his profession. Today, the storm was a hurricane. A new threat had emerged a phantom, moving with the speed of a nation-state attack, leaving no clear trail for their traditional tools to follow. It wasn't just detection; it was a full-scale assault on critical infrastructure, a ransomware attack that was spreading like wildfire. Their systems flagged the initial breach, but every attempt at manual log correlation, every cross-reference, every deep dive into the dark web chatter was a dead end. The threat was faster and more unpredictable than ever, and ramesh and his team were reacting too late, always a step behind. This was the kind of crisis that demanded hours, even days, of tireless, manual...

ChatGPT-5 Is Powerful and Fast, But It Can’t Replace Software Engineers!

As someone who’s been following tech closely for over a decade, I’ve seen countless innovations come and go but few have stirred as much excitement and debate as ChatGPT. ChatGPT has developed, and launch ChatGPT 5, it genuinely seems that the enhancements have significantly slowed down. Previous iterations led to significant advancements in AI capabilities, particularly in assisting with coding. However, the enhancements now seem minor and somewhat gradual. It feels as though we’re experiencing diminishing returns in the extent to which these models improve at truly substituting real coding tasks. The vast majority of people say that AI is going to replace software engineers very soon. Yes, AI can perform simple activities and support routine activities, but where there are intricate things like planning the system, tackling more challenging problems, grasping actual business needs, and collaboration with others, it hasn't been able to catch up yet. T hese require creativity...

OpenAI removed a controversial sharing option

OpenAI removed a controversial sharing option and began working to de-index exposed content. OpenAI has removed a controversial opt-in feature that had led to some private chats appearing in Google search results, following reporting by wired that found sensitive conversations were becoming publicly accessible. Earlier this week, wired revealed that private ChatGPT conversations some involving highly sensitive topics like drug use and sexual health were unexpectedly showing up in Google search results. The issue appeared to stem from arguably vague language in the app’s “Share” feature, which included an option that may have misled users into making their chats publicly searchable. When users clicked “Share,” they were presented with an option to tick a box labeled “Make this chat discoverable.” Beneath that, in smaller, lighter text, was a caveat explaining that the chat could then appear in search engine results. Within hours of the backlash spreading on social media...