Two US men have been charged with using hacked Ring home security cameras to “swat” a dozen random people across the country. The duo allegedly streamed live footage of police raiding their targets’ homes and taunted authorities when they arrived. The men allegedly hacked into Yahoo accounts, and then used the same password for Ring accounts. The charges against the men include conspiracy to intentionally access computers without authorization, and aggravated identity theft. Swatting attacks are dangerous and costly hoaxes that can often lead to tragedy. Read full article here
Oddities
Why Do Modern Pop Songs Have So Many Credited Writers?
The music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades – with the number of songwriters credited on number one hits more than doubling. This is due to a combination of factors, including money, the computer and a changing definition of what songwriting is. For example, if The Beatles’ classic “I Feel Fine” was released today, it would likely have four writers credited instead of two, due to the influence of producers, samples and interpolations. With the rise of lawsuits, artists now preemptively add songwriter credits to their songs, even if the similarities between their song and the source material are coincidental. It all goes to show that the music industry is becoming more complex and competitive. Read full article here