IT news March 12: Oracle offers certification in honor of the 25th anniversary of Java, GitHub blocked a repository demonstrating a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange

Today in the news selection:

• Oracle is offering certification to celebrate Java's 25th anniversary.
• GitHub has blocked a repository demonstrating a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange.
• Google Maps will allow users to make corrections to maps.
• Belarus: the number of IT specialists with salaries over $3,800 has doubled.
• Whiteboard is a collaboration board integrated with Microsoft Teams.
• Telegram has closed access to bots that distributed personal data of citizens.

Oracle Offers Certification to Celebrate Java's 25th Anniversary

In honor of the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Java language, Oracle Corporation invites everyone to take an online exam for the “Oracle Certified Java SE 11 Developer” qualification. After passing the exam, the developer will receive a virtual badge from Oracle that can be placed on their LinkedIn profile. Before registering for the Java SE 11 developer exam, the candidate must complete accelerated free training on the Oracle website. You can activate your free subscription to the training course at any convenient time. The exam must be taken by April 25. Registration for the exam requires a one-time fee of $25. Source: Oracle

GitHub blocked a repository demonstrating a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange

GitHub blocked the repository of Vietnamese expert Nguyen Giang, in which he posted a working demonstration of the use of ProxyLogon vulnerabilities (CVE-2021-26855, CVE-2021-26857, CVE-2021-26858 and CVE-2021-27065) in Microsoft Exchange. The blocking occurred several hours after the code was published. A GitHub spokesperson confirmed that the company removed the code due to the potential damage it could cause. “We recognize that publishing and distributing exploit proof code has educational and research value to the security community, but our goal is to balance that benefit with ensuring the security of the broader ecosystem,” a GitHub spokesperson said. Some cybersecurity experts fear that the published exploit prototype could speed up the development of malicious software and, accordingly, expand the front of the current attack, as even more attackers will join it. It is known that at least 10 different hacker groups from around the world are already exploiting the vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange. Source: VICE

Google Maps will allow users to make corrections to maps

Google has updated the editing interface in its online Maps service. The update will allow users to add missing roads to Google Maps, rename or delete those that are incorrectly displayed in the service. The new Maps patch tool is similar to the well-known Microsoft Paint panel. According to a Google blog post , the updated tool will be available in more than 80 countries in the coming months. Currently, if a user tries to add a missing road to the map, they place a pin where it should be and enter the name of the road for subsequent moderation by Google. The new tool will make it easier not only to add missing roads, but also to make corrections such as the name of the road or its directions (for example, if the road is one-way but Google Maps says it is not). Source: The Verge

Belarus: the number of IT specialists with salaries over $3,800 has doubled

According to official Belstat statistics, the number of IT specialists whose monthly earnings are more than 10 thousand Belarusian rubles ($3,800) has doubled over the past year. Currently, 6.4 thousand people work in Belarus with salaries exceeding 10 thousand rubles. 80% of them are IT specialists. The statistical data included only specialists working in large and medium-sized companies (from 100 employees). It is noteworthy that in May 2020, almost 4.5 thousand more people worked in large and medium-sized Belarusian IT companies. It is possible that this is due to the relocation of some of the local IT specialists to neighboring countries. Statistics show that in Belarus for two years now there has been a decrease in the number of low-paid IT specialists. The share of those who receive a salary of up to 2,000 rubles ($770) is decreasing, and the share of specialists receiving more than 7,000 rubles ($2,960) is growing. In November 2019, 15% of IT specialists received a salary of less than 1,000 rubles ($380). In November 2020, there were only 10.6% of them. Source: Dev.by

Whiteboard collaboration board integrated with Microsoft Teams

Microsoft is expanding the capabilities of its Whiteboard collaboration app with integration into the Teams platform. Let us remind you that a few days ago the Whiteboard Android application appeared on Google Play. It is also available for the iOS platform. Microsoft Whiteboard is an application for collaborating on handwriting or drawing and then saving the created drawing, diagram or text to the cloud. Previously, the application was intended only for Windows 10 users. Whiteboard is now distributed on all mobile platforms and Microsoft Teams. Teams users can create a board associated with a Teams channel or chat by clicking the "+" button to add a new tab. The board can then be used to collaborate on projects. “Designed for touch, pen, or typing, drawing, or taking notes, Whiteboard improves team collaboration by allowing all team members to edit and annotate on the board in real time, no matter where they are. All your work remains secure in the cloud, ready to be backed up from another location or device,” Microsoft says on its website. Source: ZDNet

Telegram has closed access to bots that distributed personal data of citizens

Telegram has removed most of the well-known bots, with the help of which, for a small fee, information about Russian citizens from the databases of government departments was given to everyone. Access to bots has already been closed on the platform: “Eye of God”, “Smart Search Bot”, “Archangel” and “Mail Search Bot”. A few days ago, Roskomnadzor demanded that Telegram management block the work of channels and automated bots that violate the law on the protection of personal data. In addition to the blocking requirement, the department also asked law enforcement agencies to pay attention to unlawful actions and identify bot owners involved in the dissemination of personal information. Telegram has not officially commented on the situation with the blocking and availability of bots on its platform, with the help of which personal information about Russian citizens was distributed. Source: Habr