The chatter around Bitcoin’s negative impact on the environment intensifies, owners of John Deere tractors get doxxed, and it’s another LinkedIn list of Canadian tech companies looking for talent.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Friday, April 23 and I’m your host Alex Coop.
Why Bitcoin Is Bad for the Environment | Cryptocurrency mining uses huge amounts of power—and can be as destructive as the real thing. from technology
A story in the New Yorker about the environmental impact of mining cryptocurrency is turning heads. As the cost of investing in bitcoin soars, so, does the potential to profit from the mining process. The process of mining, of course, is metaphorical, but the results can be every bit as destructive as with the real thing. According to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index, bitcoin-mining operations worldwide now use energy at the rate of nearly a hundred and twenty terawatt-hours per year. This is about the annual domestic electricity consumption of the entire nation of Sweden. In the United States, home to about seven per cent of the world’s bitcoin mining, finding cheap power can be complicated. Over the years, provinces like Quebec have been attracting crypto mining firms thanks to the cooler climate.
Bugs Allowed Hackers to Dox John Deere Tractor Owners: A security researcher found two bugs that allowed him to find customers who had purchased John Deere tractors or equipment. from technology
Vice is reporting that a pair of bugs in John Deere’s apps and website might let hackers find and download the personal data of all owners of the company’s farming vehicles and equipment. Luckily as of this recording, there is no evidence that hackers exploited these flaws. The researcher who tipped John Deere off about the bug goes by Sick Codes. John Deere fixed one of the vulnerabilities a few days later. The company fixed the second bug on Wednesday, according to the researcher. Before the fixes, the vulnerabilities, if exploited, would have exposed personal data about John Deere’s customers, including their physical address.
And lastly, it’s another roundup of tech companies looking to hire. The latest list on LinkedIn includes dozens of companies. Waterloo’s software giant OpenText has hundreds of open positions, as well as Tata Consultancy Services with more than 250 open positions. Microsoft’s office in Vancouver is looking to add 500 technical development jobs in the city this year. Tech giant Google is seeking talent for 65 roles across the country. One of the country’s largest managed services providers is hiring for 80 full-time co-op roles, while Shopify says it’s looking to hire 2,021 engineers in 2021.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire Newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Plus, catch episode two of Hashtag Trending in French, hosted by our own Catherine Morin from Quebec at DirectionInformatique.com. Episode 2 is live now. Catch the next one this weekend. I’m Alex Coop, thanks for listening!
Our previous episode incorrectly stated that the N-Able rebrand is a rebrand of SolarWinds. However, N-Able is the spin-off of SolarWinds MSP, which is the company’s MSP business announced in August 2020. Channel Daily News apologizes for the error.