Hack

​We've seen a number of frankly odd creations from serial synth scientist Sam Battle of Look Mum No Computer over the years. His latest build turns a bunch of cute and cuddly robot toys from the late 1990s into the stuff of horror movie nightmares.​

​Security researchers from Cisco’s Talos intelligence team have analyzed samples of the malware​ directed at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony and verified that a cyber-attack did occur and was aimed at disrupting the event.

​SpecNext started shipping its updated ZX Spectrum board to Kickstarter backers in December. Rather than having to connect his Next to a TV, Dan Birch opted to design a rather fantastic-looking Spectrum laptop that rocks its own screen, chiclet keyboard and stereo speakers.​

​We've seen a number of frankly bizarre time-keepers over the years. Architect and hobby tinkerer Ekaggrat Singh Kalsi joins that strange clock party with the Edgytokei, where dancing mechanical arms show hand positions on a clock face ... except there's no clock face.​

A study released by Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, says that the world's nuclear weapons may be more vulnerable to cyber attacks than previously thought and could result in an accidental missile launch.

Cyberwarfare is a growing problem, with 2017 seeing some of the most devious attacks ever. As part of a US$50-million DARPA program to improve cybersecurity, computer scientists at the University of Michigan are developing a security system baked into the hardware that's said to be “unhackable.”

Rather than bopping your head in time to the music coming through the headphones, what if your headbanging could actually control the beat? Engineer Andrew Lee has developed a system that does exactly that, triggering audio and setting tempo with a nod of the head.​

Hackspace tinkerer Koka Nikoladze has built an impressive electromechanical monophonic step sequencer called the BlinkWheel. The looped sounds are triggered when a rotating arm comes into contact with LEDs spaced out around the upper disc.

In what they're calling the first evidence of a DNA-based exploit of a computer system, a team of scientists have successfully shown that a computer can be hacked through malicious code incorporated into synthetic DNA.

As cars become more reliant on connected services, they're shaping as juicy targets for hackers​. Rather than sitting back and waiting for cyber criminals to strike, the UK Department of Transport has created a list of principles designed to make cyber security a top priority for car manufacturers.

​​As Tuesday’s ransomware attack continues to spread, several security analysts are saying that this virus may not be ransomware after all, but is actually a cyberattack in disguise.

​A new ransomware outbreak is causing mayhem around the world, compromising banks, airports, energy suppliers, and even shutting down automated radiation sensors at Chernobyl. Initial reports claim this new virus is more sophisticated and potentially harder to stop that the recent WannaCry virus.