According to advisories from the npm security team, the three JavaScript libraries opened shells on the computers of developers who imported the packages into their projects.

"Any computer that has this package installed or running should be considered fully compromised. All secrets and keys stored on that computer should be rotated immediately from a different computer," the npm security team said.

In August, npm staff removed a malicious JavaScript library designed to steal sensitive files from an infected users' browser and Discord application.

In September, npm staff removed four JavaScript libraries for collecting user details and uploading the stolen data to a public GitHub page.

A hacking group that has yet to identify itself found and stole more than 3 TB of private video from around the world — mainly collected from Singapore — and shared it on porn sites, according to reports from local media like The New Paper.

Case in point: Amazon-owned Ring, which faced a slew of security scandals in the last year or so. Hackers have harassed people using Ring cameras; users’ passwords have leaked on the dark web; and the system’s Android app was found to have been letting Facebook and other third parties track users.

Scientists have measured the shortest unit of time ever: the time it takes a light particle to cross a hydrogen molecule.

That time, for the record, is 247 zeptoseconds. A zeptosecond is a trillionth of a billionth of a second, or a decimal point followed by 20 zeroes and a 1. Previously, researchers had dipped into the realm of zeptoseconds; in 2016, researchers reporting in the journal Nature Physics used lasers to measure time in increments down to 850 zeptoseconds. This accuracy is a huge leap from the 1999 Nobel Prize-winning work that first measured time in femtoseconds, which are millionths of a billionths of seconds.

Most computer scientists believe that there is no algorithm that can efficiently find the best solutions for all possible combinations of cities.

Now Karlin, Klein and Oveis Gharan have proved that an algorithm devised a decade ago beats Christofides’ 50 percent factor, though they were only able to subtract 0.2 billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a percent. Yet this minuscule improvement breaks through both a theoretical logjam and a psychological one. Researchers hope that it will open the floodgates to further improvements.

The Information Commissioner's Office said it will make enquiries into Klarna after scores of angry people questioned why it had their details despite never doing business with the payments firm.

One Twitter user, vlogger Christine Armstrong, tweeted: "Now why would Klarna have 'accidentally' sent me their newsletter when I have never used their services. Who sold them my email?"

Samsung brags to advertisers that "first screen ads", seen by all users of its Smart TVs when they turn on, are 100 per cent viewable, audience targeted, and seen 400 times per TV per month. Some users are not happy.

It is not just that the ads appear, but also that the company continually profiles its customers, using a technology called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), which works by detecting what kind of content a viewer is watching.

According to its Smart TV privacy policy, Samsung does allow viewers to disable "Interest-based advertisement (IBA) services". This does not affect whether or not you see advertisements, but does reduce the data collected.

After the launch of iOS 14 in September, users discovered a work-around that let them completely redesign their homescreens, changing app icons to whatever they liked.

It inspired Traf to share a screenshot of his own minimalistic monochrome design on Twitter.

It was an instant hit, with users describing it as "clean", "slick" and a "dream aesthetic". For many, it was a first taste of smartphone customisation.

Since there was "no notion of what an iOS icon set should be priced at", he decided to charge $28 (£22) for the set.

The flaw is one researchers have also been using for more than a year to jailbreak older models of iPhones. But the fact that the T2 chip is vulnerable in the same way creates a new host of potential threats. Worst of all, while Apple may be able to slow down potential hackers, the flaw is ultimately unfixable in every Mac that has a T2 inside.

The T2 also contains a vulnerability, known as Checkm8, that jailbreakers have already been exploiting in Apple's A5 through A11 (2011 to 2017) mobile chipsets. Now Checkra1n, the same group that developed the tool for iOS, has released support for T2 bypass.

Tinnitus—a constant ringing or buzzing in the ears that affects about 15% of people—is difficult to understand and even harder to treat. Now, scientists have shown shocking the tongue—combined with a carefully designed sound program—can reduce symptoms of the disorder, not just while patients are being treated, but up to 1 year later.

The bar and cafe owners were arrested for allegedly breaking a 14-year-old French law that dictates that all internet service providers must keep logs on all their users for at least one year.

French media pointed out that the law's text didn't only apply to internet service providers (ISPs) in the broad meaning of the word — as in telecommunications providers — but also to any "persons" who provide internet access, may it be free of charge or via password-protected networks.