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Dutch hacker guesses Trump’s Twitter password in 7 tries

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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Dutch hacker guesses Trump’s Twitter password in 7 tries

US President Donald Trump is surrounded by an extensive security team every day — but his online security really leaves much to be desired. Perhaps he should build a wall? 

A Dutch ethical hacker broke into the Twitter account of the US President last Friday, reports NOS. The hacker, Victor Gevers (44), was able to guess the correct password in just seven tries.

Any guesses as to the password which forms the only firewall between the US President’s 87.3 million followers and the general population? Well here it is: maga2020!

The password refers to the campaign slogan pasted all over the US “Make America Great Again.”

On the one hand, at least it has at least one number and one symbol. On the other hand — are you effing kidding us?

Make security great again

But no worries, there must have been some form of two-step verification on the account, right? A text-message backup, a special code that needs to be entered?

Nope. Enter the password and you’re in. NOS reports that the two-step verification may have been disabled after Trump was recently admitted to the hospital with coronavirus.

It gets even better. Just two days ago, Trump said “no one gets hacked” at a campaign rally. Famous last words, mate. According to Trump, to be hacked you need someone “with an IQ of 197 who knows 15% of your password.”

Fool me once

It’s not the first time that Gevers and two others accessed Trump’s Twitter account. In 2016, they managed to pull his password from a leaked LinkedIn database. Need another laugh? That password was even simpler. “yourefired” a.k.a Trump’s catchphrase on his reality program The Apprentice.

Although Gevers would have been able to both tweet and view Trump’s private message, he claims he did neither. As an ethical hacker, he alerts individuals and organizations about vulnerabilities in their security. In this instance, he sent several messages to the US Secret Service about the breach.

Got a suggestion for Trump’s next password? Leave it in the comments below!

Feature Image: MORAN/Unsplash

Netherlands stepping up rapid testing: 7 large test streets coming soon

Brin Andrews
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Netherlands stepping up rapid testing: 7 large test streets coming soon

In the coming weeks, coronavirus testing in the Netherlands is expected to greatly expand, with the addition of seven new rapid test streets. They will be built and safeguarded by soldiers, according to insider information from RTL Nieuws.

This is particularly good news, as new figures show another rise in daily coronavirus infections. Today, 9,283 positive tests were recorded, 526 more than yesterday.

Results of the rapid tests can sometimes be known within a minute. This is a dramatic improvement over the standard coronavirus tests, which take a minimum of 24 hours for results. The shift to this type of testing alone is expected to save an enormous amount of time in test lines.

RTL’s insiders suggest that soldiers will be trained not only to build the seven new test streets but also to run them.

Rapid test advancement

Several promising rapid tests are currently in development in the Netherlands. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge says that the so-called LAMP test will be the first to be used on a large scale.

The LAMP test gives results within 45 minutes and has been used in a laboratory since last week. It has not, however, been confirmed that this test will be used in the new test streets. More should be known next week.

To stay current with coronavirus news in the Netherlands, follow DutchReview on Facebook.

Feature Image: Raymond Spekking/Wikimedia Commons/CC4.0

HEMA saved — by Jumbo? Iconic Dutch brand sold to owners of supermarket chain

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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0
HEMA saved — by Jumbo? Iconic Dutch brand sold to owners of supermarket chain

In the form of two royal families marrying their children together for power, Dutch department store chain HEMA is reported likely to join the Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo’s family. 

HEMA has been struggling financially with creditors and has recently stared down the barrel of bankruptcy. Now, a preliminary agreement has been reached at the eleventh hour between the owners and the Van Eerd family, who own Jumbo and Dutch investor Parcom.

The deal is not set in stone yet. The Van Eerd family will inspect the department store more fully in the coming weeks, and enter discussions with banks to the tune of the required €300 million.

All for one, and one for all?

We sadly won’t be seeing a JUMA or a HEMBO anytime soon. The Van Eerd family has emphasized that the two brands will be kept separate.

Instead, HEMA will be purchased under a new investment vehicle named Mississippi Ventures. The name comes from a place where the family got their inspiration to embrace “customer thinking”. Of course, we’re not sure if naming a Dutch brand after a US state is good luck.

Interestingly, it’s not the Van Eerd’s family’s first time rubbing shoulders with HEMA. Jumbo and HEMA created a separate partnership already last year.

Switching focus from international markets

Despite recent expansions into foreign markets, HEMA will turn its attention back inwards. Recent years have seen HEMA stores open in Qatar, the UAE, and Mexico. However, the new owners are feeling less internationally minded.

“HEMA obtains 90 percent of its turnover from the Netherlands, Belgium and France”, says Ton van Veen, spokesperson on behalf of the Van Eerd family, and top financial man at Jumbo, to NOS. “If you have year-on-year sales declines in those countries, you are not going to solve them with adventures in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. That is not to say that we are going to stop that immediately, but the priority is to grow the HEMA brand in home markets.”

What happened to HEMA?

The brand known for savings has conversely become encumbered with enormous debt in recent years — it hasn’t recorded a profit since 2012. The company’s debt was already negotiated down from €750 million to €300 million.

The prior owner, Marcel Boekhoorn, lost the group last summer. He failed to meet payment obligations, creating a conflict with the creditors. The creditors have been looking for a purchaser for the department store ever since. Under the new deal, the creditors will receive around €440 million.

What do you think of this purchase? Tell us in the comments below!

Feature Image: Donald Trung/Wikimedia/CC4.0 & Jumbo

Warmest October 21 temperatures since 1977

Emily Burger
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Warmest October 21 temperatures since 1977

Yesterday was a record-breaking day in Dutch weather. The warmest temperatures for October 21 were smashed, hitting 20.2 degrees in De Bilt at 4 PM.

This breaks the 20.1 degree record set in 1977, reports NOS. But it wasn’t only De Bilt that saw unusually high October temperatures. Weather stations in Ell, Arcen, Herwijnen, Hupsel, Lelystad, Heino and Hoogeveen also experienced record-breaking temperatures.

This time of year typically sees maximum temperatures of 13 degrees, so breaching the 20 degree mark is quite extraordinary.

The coming days

Temperatures will remain fairly high in the next few days, both during the day and at night. De Bilt will experience maximum temperatures of 16 degrees, and areas in the south will go up to 18 degrees, according to Buienradar.

The Randstad and northern provinces are expected to be quite dry leading up to the weekend, but the south may see some showers and even thunderstorms. For most of the country, you can expect to see some rain on Sunday.

Will you be enjoying the slightly warmer temperatures? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: S. Hermann & F. Richter/Pixabay

Amsterdam’s million euro poop research looks promising

Brin Andrews
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Amsterdam’s million euro poop research looks promising

The Amsterdam UMC (a research hospital) has received one million euros to investigate whether intestinal bacteria may aid people with type 1 diabetes. The funding comes from the Diabetes Research Foundation and the Diabetes Fund.

The new research focuses on faecal bacteria in the intestines which contribute to sugar metabolism in the immune system, report NOS.

Approximately 120,000 people in the Netherlands have type 1 diabetes. To maintain their blood sugar levels, they have to self-administer insulin.

The novel research

Exploratory research is already underway into the transfer of intestinal bacteria via faeces transplant into the small intestine of the person with diabetes. The aim is to spruce up pancreas function, which helps regulate blood sugar.

The research consists of three studies and is anticipated to last five years.

Poop transplants are not new to the Netherlands. Patients with Crohn’s disease, for example, have been receiving this treatment for years, whereby a watery solution of a healthy person’s stool is given to the patient. The tasteless, smell-less transfer takes place via a tube in the nose.

What do you think of this innovative diabetes research? Let us know in the comments!

Feature Image: ThisIsEngineering/Pexels

Stargazers, get ready, the meteors are coming

Brin Andrews
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0
Stargazers, get ready, the meteors are coming

From tonight (Wednesday) to tomorrow, the meteor shower Orionids will be lighting up the early morning sky. Clear weather provided, you should be able to spot around 30 shooting stars per hour.

Meteorologists say to set the alarms for 5 AM, reports NU.nl. “Then the stars can be clearly seen through the clouds.”

The temperature is forecast to hang around a tolerable 13 to 14 degrees overnight, so grab a blanket and head outside for some fresh air. Then look to the south, toward the constellation Orion.

Sorry, Limburgers

Limburgers, pour yourself some coffee because you’ll do best to stay up until about 2 AM tonight. It’s meant to be cloudy in your area around during the peak hours, but you’ll still be able to catch a generous 20 or so stars per hour if you’re willing to lose sleep over it.

For those more inclined toward their beauty sleep, you’ll have the rest of the week to poke your head out the window. The falling space rock plummeting at speeds of over 200,000 kilometres an hour will still be visible, just to a lesser extent.

Will you be watching the night sky for Orionids? Let us know in the comments!

Feature Image: Neale Iasalle/Pexels 

Daily coronavirus cases soar towards 9,000 a day

Emily Burger
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Daily coronavirus cases soar towards 9,000 a day

In the last day, 8764 new coronavirus cases have been reported to the RIVM. This is a staggering 589 more than yesterday.

Hospitalizations are also on the rise. An additional 232 corona patients were added to hospital beds in the past day. Of these, 52 have been transferred to intensive care, reports NOS.

As of today, there are now 1,943 people in Dutch hospitals due to the coronavirus. Currently, more patients are being admitted every day than are being discharged.

COVID-19 deaths

The number of patients who died from coronavirus in the last day amounts to 59. This is up from the 46 deaths reported the day before.

The RIVM reported an average of 30 deaths per day in the past week. This is another increase from the average of 21 deaths per day in the previous week.

However, the GGDs continue to struggle with backlogs so many of the deaths reported this week could have actually occurred in the previous week.

Concerning trends

Some things don’t seem to change when it comes to COVID-19 in the Netherlands. Amsterdam continued to register the highest numbers in the country, seeing 751 new cases this week. Rotterdam (473) and The Hague (293) come in second and third as usual.

The following graph demonstrates the worrying trend that is developing.

Image: RIVM/Public Domain

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for more updates on the coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Feature Image: ©zstockphotos/Canva.com

The king’s speech: Royal House releases video of the king apologising for Greek holiday

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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The king’s speech: Royal House releases video of the king apologising for Greek holiday

Following outrage both in the parliament and online, King Willem-Alexander has addressed the nation in a video released by the Royal House today. 

The king sits on a sofa next to Queen Máxima as he delivers an apology to the nation. In his speech he concedes that the decision of the royal family to go on holiday to Greece was “very unwise.”

The king takes note of the public’s opinion, saying, “Our trip to Greece has provoked strong reactions from many Dutch people. It hurts to have betrayed your trust in us.”

The king goes on to say that the family “feels connected” to all those who are struggling during these times. The video can be seen below.

Much controversy

The royal family have been under attack for the past few days ever since it was discovered that they had flown with a government plane to their villa in Greece. The family left on Friday but the king, queen and youngest princess returned to the Netherlands 24 hours later.

Princess Amalia and Alexia arrived back from Greece yesterday, provoking further criticism.

How do you feel about the royal’s recent trip? Let us know in the comments below! 

Feature Image: Richard Broekhuijzen/Wikimedia Commons/CC4.0

 

Weather report: Barbara is storming in, and she’s bringing warm weather

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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0
Weather report: Barbara is storming in, and she’s bringing warm weather

Brace yourselves, storm Barbara is threatening to arrive soon! But don’t worry, if you’re missing the warm weather — it will also be about 20 degrees.

Yup, you heard that right. Today will begin with grey clouds and some trusty old rain, exactly what you’d expect from October. But things will start to spice up this afternoon in preparation for the potential arrival of storm Barbara.

The wind is expected to pick up significantly by this afternoon, with strong gusts ranging from 80 to 100 kilometers per hour on the north and west coasts.

Storm Barbara

Storm Barbara will only be officially named as such if the winds blow at wind force nine for at least an hour straight. Either way, today will be breezy, with Buienradar meteorologist, Marjon De Hond, describing the weather as “haunted by increasing wind” — very spooky, I like it.

She also suggests that we leave all trailers behind for any road trips that may tickle our fancy, “Be careful and do it another time, because it can be really annoying and maybe even dangerous.”

No need for your coat

Once Barbara has had her time to shine this afternoon, the evening will remain slightly turbulent but toasty with warm sub-tropical winds. Temperatures will reach an average of 20 degrees with provinces such as Limburg and Zeeland potentially reaching 22 degrees.

If so, the Netherlands will have achieved the hottest October 21 since 1977! Things will calm down again in the evening, and it is expected to rain buckets. Ah the diversity, we love it.

A mild weekend

On the bright side, following a tumultuous mid-week, this weekend’s weather is expected to be pleasant and mild. There will be more sun and less rain, with temperatures remaining unusually mild for this time of year at around 17 degrees.

There’s nothing like a pic n’ mix of weather to help spice up your life. Nowadays it’s the little things that keep us entertained. 

Feature Image: pixel2013/Pixabay 

GGDs no longer have capacity to call GPs for positive test patients

Brin Andrews
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GGDs no longer have capacity to call GPs for positive test patients

As coronavirus cases continue to rise in the Netherlands, so has the workload for GGDs. Now, with upwards of 8,000 daily cases, they no longer have the capacity to inform GPs about positive tests.

In a letter dated October 14, Andre Rouvoet, GGD GHOR umbrella chairman writes that it would take too much time for GGDs to ask all people who test positive for the virus for permission to send the result to their GP, and to then ask for that GP’s email address.

He says that since there is no file for GGDs stating who test patients’ GPs are, they must ask individuals for information and permission. However, because such a high percentage of appointments are made over the phone (70%), requesting this information takes up valuable call time, particularly considering the vast majority of information collected at this stage will be superfluous due to a negative test result.

GPs need to know

The chairman acknowledges that the sooner positive test results are shared with GPs, the sooner treatment can begin based on the patient’s risk profile.

Amsterdam GP Stella Zonneveld agrees. “We really need to know who is infected,” she tells NRC Nieuws. She says they now know from studies that “if you start with some oxygen and dexamethasone [an anti-inflammatory] in a seriously ill coronavirus patient from seven days after the first complaints, the chances of recovery are greater.”

According to Zonneveld, knowing who is infected and getting there early can also spare the number of hospital and ICU admissions.

Patients responsible for contacting their GP

Rouvoet writes, “In the short term, GGD GHOR wants to focus on a pragmatic solution: ask people who have tested positive to inform their GP themselves. We expect they will be willing to do that. Especially those with health risks.”

But GGDs say this isn’t happening enough. Zonneveld says, “We now receive a lot of phone calls from 25-year-olds who are infected, but at-risk patients call less.” According to her, oftentimes, the patient doesn’t know anything can be done about it.

To stay up-to-date with coronavirus news in the Netherlands, follow DutchReview on Facebook.

Feature Image: Anna Shvets/Pexels

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