What’s behind the rise and rise of ransomware

Where computing might go next

The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Rampant ransomware 11.25.21 Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating it! Today: a brand new podcast series explains why the ransomware crisis got so bad—and what can be done about it. Also: what we can learn from computing's history to improve its future, and a new NASA mission will provide a crucial test for the potential of the sun to power future deep space exploration. Don't forget to get your friends and colleagues to sign up here to get The Download every day. What’s behind the rise and rise of ransomware   Ransomware is proliferating across the world, disabling computer systems and harming critical infrastructure—hospitals, city governments, schools, even an oil pipeline. The technology that enables ransomware may be new, but extortion and ransom are not.  So why is this happening now? And can it be stopped?  A new 5-part series from MIT Technology Review and ProPublica looks at the money, people and technology behind the explosion of ransomware that is delivering hundreds of millions of dollars to cybercriminals around the world. Each episode is about 20 minutes, and you’ll be hooked throughout. Listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you usually go for podcasts. Where computing might go next If the future of computing is anything like its past, then its trajectory will depend on things that have little to do with computing itself. Technology does not appear from nowhere. It is rooted in time, place, and opportunity. Machines' capabilities and constraints are determined not only by science but by who supports those technologies, who builds them, and where they grow. Far from a rule-breaking realm operating off on its own, computing’s history is modern history—and especially American history—in miniature. Read the full story. —Margaret O’Mara This story is from the latest computing-themed issue of the magazine. Subscribe for just $50 a year to read the full thing! NASA wants to use the sun to power future deep space missions Upcoming: In August 2022, a NASA probe called Psyche will set out to explore a giant metallic asteroid called Psyche 16, to help scientists learn more about how planets form. The way Psyche reaches its target, though, will be different from typical NASA missions. Solar power will help to propel it into deep space. How it works: Psyche will use two giant solar arrays to convert solar energy into electricity that will power four ion thrusters. That electricity will turn tanks of xenon gas (the same kind used in car headlights) into xenon ions, which Psyche’s four thrusters will eject to gently propel the spacecraft toward the asteroid, which orbits between Mars and Jupiter, more than 1.5 billion miles from Earth.  What’s next: If the mission proves successful, it could be the start of a new era of using more fuel-efficient probes for both space exploration and commercial missions. That could free up more space on board for cargo, scientific instruments, and, someday, astronauts. Read the full story. —Tatyana Woodall We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + Cultivating gratitude is a great practice to get into, and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to start. This zine might help.    + Photographer Victor Enrich turns photos of buildings in cities into architectural illusions.    + I don’t know if this Metallica-inspired toilet is “nice” but it’s one hell of a thing.    + Create your own AI artworks from nothing but a text prompt.    + Peter Jackson’s marathon eight-hour Beatles documentary hits Disney Plus today, providing the excuse no one really needed to slump for hours in front of the TV.   + Hats off (or more accurately, on) to the student sticking Santa hats on the statues around Cambridge University.    + Anyone with a fluffy cat will relate to this hilarious video of Jennifer Garner and her (gorgeous) cat Moose. Thanks Craig!   + A nativity scene for our times.    + The physics of Kung Fu. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Thanksgiving will cause a spike in covid infections Blame resistance to getting vaccinated—but also a lack of rapid home testing options. (The Economist $)   + See where cases are rising in the US. (NYT $)   + How to manage your covid-related anxiety this Thanksgiving. (Slate $)   + Family stressing you out? Here’s how to cope. (Wired $)   + To help people with long covid, we need to define it. (Wired $)   + Scientists are warning we need to closely monitor a new variant. (The Guardian)   + What we know about it so far. (New Scientist $)   + Has the UK reached herd immunity? (NYT $)  2 The US economy is roaring back The big question is how much we need to worry about inflation. (Quartz)   + Jobless claims have fallen to their lowest level since 1969. (WP $)  3 Will we ever be able to stream a digital reality directly into our brains?  It’s a mainstay of science fiction, but it remains tantalizingly tricky. (Wired $)   4 The US has banned exports to Chinese quantum computing companies The big fear is that China could use these technologies to break encryption. (FT $)   + Investment in US chip production is on the rise. (WSJ $)  5 The case for caring about Facebook’s big metaverse push The company is pouring tens of billions of dollars into it, so we can’t just ignore it. (Recode)   + The metaverse shows tech execs have no sense of irony. (New Scientist $)   + The thousands of people harmed by Facebook end up lost in “average user” data. (The Conversation)  6 Google won’t let an Argentine celebrity escape a cocaine scandal  Natalia Denegri’s attempt to erase the past has only brought it closer to the surface. (Rest of World)   7 The tech whistleblower who’s helping others to speak out Ifeoma Ozoma helped inspire and pass a law in California preventing companies from using NDAs to stop workers protesting discrimination.  (NYT $)   8 Recipe apps are stuffed with creepy tracking technology Get those dusty old books off your shelves—or just stick to browser searches. (WP $)   9 Mr Goxx, the crypto-trading hamster, is dead His legacy will live on forever on the blockchain. (Vice)   + NFT is the word of the year, according to the Collins Dictionary. (BBC)   + India is going to ban private cryptocurrencies. (The Guardian)   10 The Pentagon has created a new department to study UFOs Bet officials end up spending virtually all their time monitoring drone reports. (Vice) Are you intellectually curious? Tech-obsessed? We are too. Get an insightful look into the technology of the future without getting bogged down by the jargon. Subscribe to MIT Technology Review today (subscriptions start at just $50 per year). Quote of the day “You’ve got people saying, ‘Now that I think about it, I have a bullshit job.’”  —Joseph B. Fuller, who coleads the Future of Work Project at Harvard Business School, tells Wired why so many white-collar workers quit their jobs in the last year. Top image credit: NASA AMES | INTERNET ARCHIVE Please send gratitude to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up today Advancing the promise of technology Make MIT Technology Review your go-to resource for thought-provoking insights, analysis, and news about the world of technology. Get unlimited access when you subscribe today. Subscribe now Want to change how you receive these emails? 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