Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
February 2021
From ACM TechNews
Security Flaw Detected for 2nd Time in Credit Cards
Researchers at Switzerland's ETH Zurich have uncovered a method for bypassing security measures to use certain credit and debit cards without a PIN code.
From ACM TechNews
Prototype of Intelligent Underground Robotic System for Urban Environments Developed
An international research team has developed a robot that can intelligently navigate underground in urban environments.
From ACM TechNews
Biden Signs Executive Order to Address Chip Shortage
On Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden addressed a global chip shortage with an executive order that aims to strengthen supply chains.
From ACM TechNews
Heavy Rain Affects Object Detection by Autonomous Vehicle LiDAR Sensors
Researchers have found that the LiDAR sensors in autonomous vehicles are less effective in detecting objects at a distance during periods of heavy rain.
From ACM News
Can Pat Gelsinger Turn Intel Around?
The giant chipmaker's new boss has his work cut out.
From ACM News
The Long, Painful Path of Net Neutrality
Where the war over net neutrality stands, and why it (sort of) matters today.
From ACM News
Python Pioneer Assesses the 30-year-old Programming Language
Software engineer Pablo Galindo discusses the challenges of enabling a programming language to grow and evolve without sacrificing backward compatibility.
From ACM TechNews
Flexible Terahertz Camera Can Inspect Objects With Diverse Shapes
A flexible, free-standing terahertz (THz) camera patch can film irregularly shaped objects more easily than traditional bulky and rigid THz cameras.
From ACM TechNews
This 'One-Stop Shop' Aims to Create a Roadmap for Security Careers
The U.K. Cyber Security Council aims to serve as a "one-stop shop" for people seeking careers in information security.
From ACM TechNews
France Ties Russia's Sandworm to Multiyear Hacking Spree
The French National Agency for the Security of Information Systems said attackers associated with Russian military hackers have been compromising French targets for years.
From ACM TechNews
Mining Traffic Data for Insights About the Pandemic
TomTom's 2020 analysis of the world's traffic shows how the coronavirus spread across the globe.
From ACM News
Is MFA Needed to Improve Security?
Considering the outlook for multi-factor authentication applications.
From ACM News
GCHQ to Use AI to Tackle Child Sex Abuse, Disinformation, Trafficking
The U.K.'s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) has published a paper outlining how artificial intelligence could be used to help protect that nation.
From ACM News
California Wins Court Victory for Its Net Neutrality Law
A federal judge's ruling can allow the state to go ahead with its law while a lawsuit works its way through the courts.
From ACM News
A.I. Here, There, Everywhere
Many of us already live with artificial intelligence now, but researchers say interactions with the technology will become increasingly personalized.
From ACM TechNews
Search-and-Rescue Drone Locates Victims by Homing in on Their Phones
The Search-And-Rescue DrOne platform integrates aerial drones, artificial intelligence, and smartphones to find survivors of disasters using signals from their phones.
From ACM TechNews
A Quantum Computer Just Solved a Decades-Old Problem Three Million Times Faster Than a Classical Computer
Researchers simulated some materials as much as 3 million times faster than a classical computer could through the process of quantum annealing.
From ACM TechNews
Your Data Is a Weapon That Can Help Change Corporate Behavior
A study by Northwestern University researchers highlighted how the public can influence companies they think are misusing their data or engaging in unethical behavior.
From ACM TechNews
EU Report Warns AI Makes Autonomous Vehicles 'Highly Vulnerable' to Attack
A report by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) describes autonomous vehicles as "highly vulnerable to a wide range of attacks."
From ACM TechNews
Positive Reinforcements Help Algorithm Forecast Underground Natural Reserves
Researchers have developed a reinforcement-based algorithm that automates forecasting of subterranean properties, enabling accurate prediction of oil and gas reserves.
From ACM TechNews
The Appearance of Robots Affects Our Perception of the Morality of Their Decisions
A study under the Moralities of Intelligent Machines project found the appearance of robots influences humans' perception of their decisions' morality.
From ACM News
Forget Chess—the Real Challenge Is Teaching AI to Play D&D
Some artificial intelligence experts think role playing adventure games will help machines learn to be as clever as we are.
From ACM News
After Russian Cyberattack, Looking for Answers and Debating Retaliation
Senators and corporate executives warned Tuesday that the "scope and scale" of the hacking of government agencies and companies were still unclear.
From ACM News
A Digital Firewall in Myanmar, Built With Guns and Wire Cutters
As the military seized power again, the generals moved quickly to take the country offline, criminalize online dissent, and block social media.
From ACM News
DARPA's New Combat Drones Could Catch a Ride from Other Aircraft
The program aims to create autonomous, fighter-jet-like craft that would deploy from the sky and then wield air-to-air weapons.
From ACM TechNews
Developers: This Is the One Skill Most Likely to Get You Hired, According to IBM
New IBM research revealed that developers with skills in creating open-source cloud technologies are more likely than other job candidates to receive a call-back.
From ACM TechNews
Supercomputer-Developed AI Predicts Tsunami Flooding in Real Time on a PC
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence model that can predict tsunami flooding in real time with high spatial resolution.
From ACM TechNews
Using Mathematical Models to Enable Transportation Decarbonization, Combat Climate Change
Analysis of transit fleets in two Mexican cities found that 80% of operational bus days for studied routes were suitable for electrification.
From ACM News
30,000 Macs Infected with New Silver Sparrow Malware
Silver Sparrow can even run on systems with Apple's new M1 chip.
From ACM News
The View from On High
Satellite imagery could address the limitations in traditional sources of data.