Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
August 2018
From ACM TechNews
Georgia Tech Creates Cybersecurity Master's Degree Online for Less Than $10,000
The Georgia Institute of Technology will offer an online cybersecurity master's degree that will cost students less than $10,000, in collaboration with edX.
From ACM TechNews
RPI Scientists Develop VR Surgery to Feel Real
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers have developed a virtual reality system to add realism to virtual surgical training.
From ACM TechNews
Millions of Businesses Vulnerable to Fax-Based Cyberattack
Fax machines still in use by millions of organizations worldwide could be exploited by hackers to launch cyberattacks.
From ACM TechNews
Report: Python Closes In on C++
According to the August 2018 TIOBE Index, Python for the first time is closing in on the top three programming languages — Java, C, and C++.
From ACM TechNews
The nderwater Drones That Hunt for Oil Spills
Researchers at the Technical University of Cartagena in Spain deployed five autonomous underwater vehicles to locate and track oil spills below the surface of the ocean.
From ACM TechNews
IBM Has a Watson Dilemma
IBM's Watson system is falling short of some expectations for its outcomes in the fight against cancer, with many users citing inaccuracy, susceptibility to error, and the evolution of cancer therapies.
From ACM News
Spectre-Like Flaw ndermines Intel Processors' Most Secure Element
A team of researchers has found a Spectre-like vulnerability that specifically undermines the most secure element of recent Intel chips.
From ACM News
How Hacked Water Heaters Could Trigger Mass Blackouts
When the cybersecurity industry warns about the nightmare of hackers causing blackouts, the scenario they describe typically entails an elite team of hackers breaking into the inner sanctum of a power utility to start flipping…
From ACM News
Banks and Retailers Are Tracking How You Type, Swipe and Tap
When you're browsing a website and the mouse cursor disappears, it might be a computer glitch—or it might be a deliberate test to find out who you are.
From ACM TechNews
Google Tracks Your Movements, Like It or Not
Researchers have confirmed that many Google services on Android devices and iPhones store location data, even if the user selects a setting that purports to prevent tracking.
From ACM TechNews
Introducing the Latest in Textiles: Soft Hardware
Researchers have embedded high-speed optoelectronic semiconductor devices within fibers woven into soft, washable fabrics, and converted them into communication systems.
From ACM TechNews
Big Data Analytics to Automatically Detect Events in Smart Cities
Researchers used big data analytics to detect spatio-temporal events around London, testing the potential of the technology to harness live information.
From ACM News
Here Come the Drones
The U.S. is getting serious about filling the skies with unmanned aircraft.
From ACM News
The Flourishing Business of Fake YouTube Views
Martin Vassilev makes a good living selling fake views on YouTube videos. Working from home in Ottawa, he has sold about 15 million views so far this year, putting him on track to bring in more than $200,000, records show.
From ACM News
Campaigns and Candidates Still Easy Prey for Hackers
Some bathrooms have signs urging people to wash their hands. But at the Democratic National Committee, reminders hanging in the men's and women's restrooms address a different kind of hygiene.
From ACM TechNews
Meet the Guy With Four Arms, Two of Which Someone Else Controls in VR
Fusion is a robotic project to explore how people may be able to work together to control, or augment, a person's body.
From ACM TechNews
Alexa, Be My Friend: Children Talk to Technology, But How Does It Respond?
Voice interfaces that repeat or prompt users to communicate could be more useful to children than currently available technologies.
From ACM TechNews
Zen and the Art of Data Structures: From Self-Tuning to Self-Designing Data Systems
Harvard University's Stratos Idreos is using what he calls a periodic table of data structures to map those structures and their characteristics and to probe their many combinations.
From ACM TechNews
Samsung Galaxy S7 Smartphones Vulnerable to Hacking
Researchers say they have determined a way to exploit a microchip security flaw in Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphones.
From ACM TechNews
AI for Social Good: Addressing the Need for Women in Tech
May's AI for Social Good Lab initiative provided 30 undergraduate women from across Canada the opportunity to use artificial intelligence to address a social issue of their choice.
From ACM TechNews
Tying Electrons Down With Nanoribbons
Researchers have used graphene nanoribbons to corral electrons for potential quantum computing applications.
From ACM News
The Sensors That Power Smart Cities Are a Hacker's Dream
At this point, it seems like every so-called consumer smart device—from routers and baby monitors to connected thermostats and garage door openers—has been shown to have vulnerabilities.
From ACM News
CRISPR 'Barcodes' Map Mammalian Development in Exquisite Detail
For the first time, scientists have wielded CRISPR to track a mammal's development from a single egg into an embryo with millions of cells.
From ACM TechNews
New ACM Breakthrough in Computing Award
ACM has established a new biennial award for a surprising or disruptive breakthrough in computing concepts or technologies.
From ACM TechNews
.S. Defense Department Produces First Tools for Catching Deepfakes
U.S. Defense researchers say they have created the first forensic tools for catching fake videos, known as "deepfakes," created with artificial intelligence.
From ACM TechNews
Decoding the Pipeline for Tech's 'Hidden Figures'
Researchers are working to acknowledge and understand the "double-bind" for women of color in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields.
From ACM TechNews
Smart Wristband With Wireless Link Could Monitor Health, Environmental Exposures
Researchers say they have created a wireless smart wristband that will enable a new era of personal health and environmental monitoring devices.
From ACM TechNews
Exoskeletons Debut at Ford Factories
Ford plans to offer exoskeleton technology to its factory employees worldwide.
From ACM News
Watch a Sporty AI Teach Itself to Dribble Better Than You
I'm not what you'd call a coordinated man, so basketball horrifies me. All the dribbling, all the shooting—all while running and dodging people trying to smack the ball out of your hands.
From ACM News
Robots Are Getting More Social. Are Humans Ready?
Personal home robots that can socialize with people are starting to roll out of the laboratory and into our living rooms and kitchens. But are humans ready to invite them into their lives?