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February 17, 2015, 8:55 AM

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Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:

Extensive Kasperky Lab report details advanced spy capabilities of Stuxnet-linked threat actor dubbed “Equation Group” — How “omnipotent” hackers tied to NSA hid for 14 years—and were found at last — “Equation Group” ran the most advanced hacking operation ever uncovered.

More: New York Times, Securelist, Wired, BetaNews, Kaspersky Lab US, Kaspersky Lab, Fortune, Computerworld, F-Secure Antivirus …, TechWorm, Slashdot, Threatpost, Boing Boing and SecurityWeek

Tweets: @markrussinovich, @ahess247, @kpoulsen, @csoghoian, @ioerror and @aurich

Joseph Menn / Reuters:

NSA-linked “Equation Group” can infect computers repeatedly via spyware inserted in hard disk firmware — Russian researchers expose breakthrough U.S. spying program — (Reuters) - The U.S. National Security Agency has figured out how to hide spying software deep within hard drives …

More: Inquirer, BGR, DSLreports, Engadget, ZDNet, The Next Web, Gizmodo, The Verge, Securelist, Forbes, Tech Times, The Register, Wall Street Journal, TechWeekEurope UK, Boing Boing, Neowin and VentureBreak

Tweets: @csoghoian, @violetblue, @dangillmor, @info_activism and @jonathan_blow

Ian Parker / New Yorker:

An in-depth look inside the top-secret lab where Jonathan Ive's design team created the Apple Watch — The Shape of Things to Come — How an industrial designer became Apple's greatest product. — I. Launch Day … “We can do this the easy way or we can do this the cute way.” — »

Brad Smith / Microsoft on the Issues:

Microsoft announces its cloud services are compliant with ISO 27018, a new international standard for privacy — Microsoft adopts first international cloud privacy standard — Today marks a major milestone, as Microsoft is the first major cloud provider to adopt the world's first international standard for cloud privacy.

Mike Beasley / 9to5Mac:

WSJ: Apple struggled to find purpose for Apple Watch after many planned health features were cut — The Wall Street Journal revealed tonight that many of the planned health features that Apple intended to include in its first-generation wearable were cut from the final product.

More: Wall Street Journal, The Register, Business Insider, BGR, Forbes, ZDNet, Daily Mail, Inquirer, Digital Trends, VentureBeat, The Verge, MacDailyNews, Tech.pinions, TechnoBuffalo, Engadget, MacRumors, Ubergizmo, Neowin, iMore and iDownloadBlog.com

Tweets: @patrick1barta, @paulharapin and @patrick1barta

Conor Dougherty / New York Times:

Google X head Astro Teller says Neural Network Project, formerly Google Brain, produces value comparable to total Google X costs — Astro Teller, Google's ‘Captain of Moonshots,’ on Making Profits at Google X — Google is all over the place. From biotechnology and robots to satellites …

More: New York Times, Beyond Search and 9to5Google

Ryan Whitwam / Android Police:

Sony announces pre-orders of SmartEyeglass Developer Edition, in the UK and Germany for $840 — Sony Announces Pre-Orders Of SmartEyeglass Developer Edition, Starting Today In The UK And Germany For $840 — Sony slipped the official SmartEyeglass app into the Play Store yesterday …

More: Developer World, Sony Global, CNET, TechCrunch, BetaNews, Computerworld, Digital Trends, The Verge, Android Community, The Next Web, Engadget, Wearables Arena, GSMArena Blog, Geeky Gadgets, Ubergizmo and SlashGear

Lorraine Luk / Wall Street Journal:

Apple Orders More Than 5 Million Watches for Initial Run — Apple has asked its suppliers in Asia to make a combined five to six million units of its three Apple Watch models during the first quarter ahead of the product's release in April, according to people familiar with the matter.

More: TechCrunch

Harrison Weber / VentureBeat:

Pebble's Android Wear support goes from beta to public release — Smartwatch maker Pebble now supports Android Wear notifications — Obsessed with mobile growth? Join us February 23-24 when we reveal the best technologies and strategies to help your company grow on mobile.

More: Pebble, Ink, Bits, & Pixels, PC World, Engadget, MacNN, Wearables Arena, Android Community, TechCrunch, The Next Web, GSMArena Blog, Android Police, Android Central, PhoneDog.com, Technology Personalized, BetaNews, 9to5Google, Ubergizmo and SlashGear. Tweets: @pebble

Carmel DeAmicis / Gigaom:

Yik Yak's growth flatlined after funding by Sequoia, raising the question of whether the product was a fad — Yik Yak's growth flatlined after funding, but why? — Yik Yak, the app that's becoming a social media staple on college campuses in the U.S., saw its downloads dip and flatline right around …

Michael Zhang / PetaPixel:

Toshiba developing rear 5MP and 13MP camera modules and a front-facing 2MP module for Project Ara — Toshiba Shows Off its Camera Module Prototypes for Google's Project Ara Phone — Google is hard at work on Project Ara, a modular smartphone that will allow users to swap critical components in and out, including the onboard camera.

More: PC World, SiliconANGLE, Pocket-lint, 9to5Google, Electronista, Christian News …, TechRadar.com, TrustedReviews, Android Community, Phandroid, Liliputing, SlashGear, TechnoBuffalo, Ubergizmo, Android Authority, Image Sensors World and PhoneArena

Russell Brandom / The Verge:

Microsoft announces that Windows 10 will support FIDO biometric authentication — Microsoft will support biometric password-killers on Windows 10 — Soon, you may be able to log in to Outlook with a fingerprint or an eyescan. At the Stanford Cybersecurity Summit on Friday …

More: Windows For Your Business, SiliconANGLE, SlashGear, Wired.co.uk, PYMNTS.com, The Register, Ubergizmo, Gizmodo, WMPoweruser and Microsoft News

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