Governments around the world agreed to triple renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade during pivotal United Nations climate talks at a summit in Dubai last year. As the annual climate negotiations kick off again this week, there’s been some progress on that goal — but not nearly enough.
Technology
The next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country
Nintendo says it’s finally going to show off the long-awaited Donkey Kong Country area of Super Nintendo World in a Nintendo Direct stream on Monday at 5PM ET. It’s an encouraging sign for the theme park expansion devoted to Mario’s first nemesis, the opening of which was delayed earlier this year.
Nintendo first confirmed that it was building the area, which will feature a mine cart rollercoaster ride, back in 2021. Nintendo and Universal Studios showed the region off — or a digital render of it, anyway — earlier this year, and confirmed that when the Orlando, Florida version of Super Nintendo World opens on May 22nd, 2025, it will have all of the same attractions as its Osaka counterpart.
Nintendo said in May that Donkey Kong Country’s Mine-Cart Madness rollercoaster will have “jaw-dropping maneuvers” that include being “blasted out of a barrel, seemingly jumping over gaps as they speed along the rickety track.” And like other parts of the park, visitors can expect Donkey Kong-themed merchandise and interactive experiences.
Technology
Starbucks now offers delivery in its own app
A new way to spend $10 on a 12-ounce coffee just dropped. Starting today, Starbucks is accepting delivery orders right inside its app. Delivery is handled by DoorDash, and right now, it’s limited to “participating stores” in the US and Canada. But if you’re in the delivery area and willing to pay a small fortune in fees, getting your Starbucks order into your hands has never been easier.
Starbucks has been offering delivery through DoorDash in the US since early last year, but only within Doordash’s app. Previously, order ahead options in the Starbucks app were limited to in-store and drive-through pickup. Now, you can toggle between pickup and delivery. Placing a delivery order brings up an interface identical to the one on DoorDash’s app.
Whichever app you use, you can also expect to pay DoorDash’s service fees. There’s a $1.99 delivery fee, and if your order subtotal is under $10, you might see a $2.00 small order fee. There’s also a 15 percent service charge that goes to DoorDash, and where I live in Seattle, an additional $4.99 fee because the company decided to pass on the cost of paying drivers a living wage to customers. Add a $1 tip for the driver (and nothing for the barista making the drink, apparently), and my $6.55 12-ounce peppermint mocha now costs $19.23. Convenience doesn’t come cheap, unsurprisingly.
Depending on where you live, you probably won’t see such steep fees, and the delivery option is likely more practical if you’re ordering coffee for the whole office and not one person. Personally, I’m deleting that $20 mocha order from my cart. We have coffee at home.
Technology
Alarming rise of fake legal requests: What it means for your privacy
Phishing emails are one of the most common tricks scammers use, but they’re usually easy to catch if you pay attention. Awkward grammar, random details and, most importantly, an unofficial email address are dead giveaways. For example, you might get an email saying your Apple ID’s been disabled, but the sender’s email won’t actually be from Apple. Now, though, scammers are finding ways to get around this.
According to the FBI, there’s been a recent rise in cybercriminal services using hacked police and government email accounts to send fake subpoenas and data requests to U.S.-based tech companies.
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What you need to know
The FBI has seen a spike in criminal forum posts about emergency data requests and stolen email credentials from police departments and government agencies. Cybercriminals are getting into compromised U.S. and foreign government email accounts and using them to send fake emergency data requests to U.S.-based companies, which exposes customer data for further misuse in other crimes.
In August 2024, a popular cybercriminal on an online forum advertised “high-quality .gov emails” for sale, meant for espionage, social engineering, data extortion, emergency data requests and more. The listing even included U.S. credentials, and the seller claimed they could guide buyers on making emergency data requests and even sell real stolen subpoena documents to help them pose as law enforcement.
Another cybercriminal boasted about owning government emails from over 25 countries. They claimed anyone can use these emails to send a subpoena to a tech company and get access to usernames, emails, phone numbers and other personal client info. Some con artists are even hosting a “masterclass” on how to create and submit their own emergency data requests to pull data on any social media account, charging $100 for the full rundown.
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How this phishing scam works
When law enforcement, whether federal, state or local, wants information about someone’s account at a tech company, like their email address or other account details, they typically need a warrant, subpoena or court order. When a tech company receives one of these requests from an official email address, they’re required to comply. So, if a scammer gets access to a government email, they can fake a subpoena and get information on just about anyone.
To bypass verification, scammers often send emergency data requests, claiming that someone’s life is at risk and that the data is needed urgently. Because companies don’t want to delay in case of an actual emergency, they may hand over the information, even if the request turns out to be fake. By portraying it as a life-or-death situation, scammers make it harder for companies to take time to verify the request.
For example, the FBI reported that earlier this year, a known cybercriminal posted pictures on an online forum of a fake emergency data request they’d sent to PayPal. The scammer tried to make it look legitimate by using a fraudulent mutual legal assistance treaty, claiming it was part of a local investigation into child trafficking, complete with a case number and legal code for verification. However, PayPal recognized that it wasn’t a real law enforcement request and denied it.
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What can companies do to avoid falling for these phishing scams?
1) Verify all data requests: Before sharing sensitive information, companies should verify every data request, even those that look legitimate. Establish a protocol for confirming requests directly with the agency or organization that supposedly sent them.
2) Strengthen email security: Use email authentication protocols like DMARC, SPF and DKIM to block emails from unauthorized sources. Implement anti-phishing filters to detect suspicious content in messages.
3) Train employees on phishing awareness: Regular training sessions on phishing scams can help employees recognize red flags, such as urgent language, unusual requests or emails from unknown addresses. Employees should be encouraged to report suspicious emails.
4) Limit access to sensitive data: Restrict who can view or share sensitive customer data. Fewer people with access means fewer chances for accidental or intentional data leaks.
5) Implement emergency verification procedures: Have a clear verification process in place for “emergency” data requests, including steps for double-checking with higher management or legal teams before responding to any urgent request for customer information.
Is there something you need to do?
This particular phishing scam mostly targets big tech companies, so there’s not much you can do directly. However, it’s a reminder that you shouldn’t automatically trust an email, even if it comes from a .gov address. Here are some steps you can take to stay safe.
1) Double-check email addresses and links: Even if an email looks official, take a moment to check the sender’s email address and hover over any links to see where they actually lead. Be cautious if anything looks off. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
2) Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): Use 2FA for all sensitive accounts. This extra layer of security helps protect you even if your login credentials are compromised.
3) Stay updated on phishing scams: Keep an eye on the latest phishing tactics, so you know what to look out for. Regular updates help you spot new types of scams before they affect you.
4) Verify suspicious requests: If you get an unexpected email asking for sensitive info, contact the sender directly through an official channel to confirm the request.
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Kurt’s key takeaway
Scammers are taking phishing emails to a whole new level. I often recommend checking the email carefully when you receive anything suspicious to see if it’s legit. But now, since scammers can even access government emails, you need to be extra cautious. This phishing scam seems to target mostly big tech companies, so it’s on them to strengthen their security and verify every request thoroughly before sharing any user information. It’s also up to governments worldwide to protect their digital assets from being compromised.
What’s your stance on how governments are handling cybersecurity? Are they doing enough to protect sensitive data? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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Technology
Countries are ramping up renewable energy plans, but not fast enough
An assessment of national energy plans says that countries are on track to double global renewable energy capacity by 2030. There’s a lot of opportunity for growth with the falling cost of wind and solar, but whether policymakers are ready to ditch fossil fuels is a trickier question.
“Renewables markets have moved, but governments’ ambitions have not.”
“Renewables markets have moved, but governments’ ambitions have not,” Katye Altieri, electricity transition analyst at energy think tank Ember, said in a press release published alongside the new report.
More than 130 countries pledged last year to triple global renewables capacity. Ember assessed 96 countries and the EU that together represent 95 percent of global electricity demand. It found that only eight countries — all within the European Union — had actually updated their national renewable energy targets over the past year (before late October). Their updated national targets would only increase global renewables capacity by a meager four gigawatts, leaving plenty of room for improvement. Countries’ existing plans in 2023 were already enough to double global renewable energy capacity. But achieving the goal of tripling capacity would require an additional 3,758GW, the report says.
The good news is that industry forecasts look brighter than what’s reflected in national policies, and renewables can grow, even with lawmakers dragging their feet on climate action. Solar and wind are already more affordable power sources than fossil fuels in most of the world, with solar deployment on track to see a 29 percent increase in installations this year compared to last, according to Ember’s estimates. That follows a whopping 87 percent surge in solar installations in 2023.
Those gains put solar, in particular, on schedule to meet the 2030 goal of tripling capacity. But there are still shortfalls when it comes to wind power and batteries needed to store renewable energy when sunshine and gales wane. A separate analysis by the International Energy Agency earlier this year said that power grids around the world will need a nearly 15-fold increase in energy storage by 2030, mostly in the form of batteries.
Delegates from close to 200 countries are convening at the UN summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, this month to try to set new targets to combat climate change. The focus this year is on securing more funding from wealthy nations to help less affluent countries transition to cleaner energy and adapt to worsening climate disasters.
But the US, the biggest historical emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, has cast a shadow over international negotiations. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to take the US out of the Paris climate agreement and routinely spreads misinformation about renewable energy, including unfounded claims about offshore turbines killing whales.
Trump has also said he would rescind unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes $369 billion in federal funding on climate and clean energy and has triggered more than $200 billion in clean energy investment in the US.
A Trump-inspired “retreat” on renewable energy could be a boon to competitors including China that already dominate clean energy markets. Repealing the Inflation Reduction Act would deal a blow to US manufacturing and trade, likely ceding $80 billion in investment opportunities to other countries, according to a recent analysis by the Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab at Johns Hopkins University.
Under the international treaty on climate change brokered in Paris in 2015, each country is due to submit an updated national climate plan by February. It’s an opportunity to get the world closer to tripling renewables, Ember notes. Those national plans are expected to start rolling in with talks underway in Baku.
After all, an underlying question gnaws at every round of climate negotiations: how big of an impact can these splashy summits have unless delegates can turn promises into action at home?
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