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The New, sneakier Flashback malware infects Macs |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 25 April 2012 04:53 |
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A new, sneakier variant of the Flashback malware was uncovered yesterday by the French security firm Intego. Flashback.S, which Intego described Monday, uses the same Java vulnerability as an earlier version that has infected an estimated 820,000 Macs since its appearance and still plagues over 600,000 machines. But unlike Flashback.K, the variant that first surfaced last month and has caused consternation among Mac users, Flashback.S never asks the victim to enter an administrative password for installation, but instead relies only on the silent exploit of the Java bug to sneak onto the system. "The differences are very subtle," Peter James, a spokesman for Intego, said in an interview Tuesday. "There's no password request [by Flashback.S]." Flashback.K used different infection tactics: Even though it exploited the same Java vulnerability -- identified as CVE-2012-0507 -- it also displayed |
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Asus Transformer Pad TF300 launches |
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Written by Test post
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Monday, 23 April 2012 06:06 |
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The Asus Transformer Pad tablet goes on sale in the US this week. It has a list price of $379 for a model with 16GB of storage and $399 for a 32GB model — but while the $399 model is already available for $399, I haven’t seen any stores with the 16GB version in stock on Sunday, but that should change in the next day or two. The tablet is basically a cheaper version of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime. The new model has a slightly slower processor, no LED flash, and a smaller battery. But the Transformer Pad TF300 isn’t exactly a lump of coal. The tablet has a 1.2 GHz NVIDIA Tega 3 quad-core processor, a 1280 x 800 pixel IPS display, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, microHDMI port and microSD card reader. It runs Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software and 1GB of RAM, a front-facing 1.2MP camera and a rear 8MP camera, and GPS. Like other members of the Transformer family, the TF300 can be used as a standalone Android tablet, or you can attach an optional keyboard docking station to use the device like a laptop while extending the battery life...Read more on Our Forum. |
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Windows 8 Already Beating Windows 7 In Popularity |
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 22 April 2012 19:33 |
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Windows 8, Microsoft’s radical makeover of its signature operating system, seems to be a gamble that is paying off. On Friday, the development team behind the software tweeted: "Windows 8 consumer preview usage more than twice Windows 7 beta at the same point in time. Millions of people using everyday." That benchmark is a great sign for Microsoft, given that Windows 7 is currently the most popular operating system around the world. It also helps to ease the gentle mocking Microsoft received earlier in the week for naming its tablet-specific version of the new software "Windows RT." Does this indicate the success Windows 8 might enjoy once released or is it just strong curiosity. Windows 8 is only available as a "consumer preview" edition for the time being, but the full release is expected in October. It is designed to move Microsoft into a "post PC" world by relying on the same user-interface and experience across tablets, computers and other devices...Read more on the development of Microsofts next OS windows8newsinfo forum. |
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Google may be able to legally listen in to your Wi-Fi networking |
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 20 April 2012 05:58 |
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Recently, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission proposed a $25,000 fine against Google for "deliberately impeded and delayed" an ongoing investigation into whether it breached federal laws over its street-mapping service that peeked in on open, unencrypted, Wi-Fi access points. Read that again, Google wasn’t fined for collecting and storing data from unencrypted wireless networks. They were fined a slap on the wrist amount for not answering the FCC questions as quickly and as thoroughly as the FCC would have liked. The actual snooping in on people Wi-Fi AP and communications–that’s OK. Google argued that "the Wiretap Act permits the interception of unencrypted Wi-Fi communications. The FCC agreed. To quote from the FCC’s Notice of Apparent Liability for the Google case, "It shall not be unlawful under this chapter or chapter 121 of this title for any person … to intercept or access an electronic communication made through an electronic |
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This pair of augmented-reality glasses supports Windows 7 |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 18 April 2012 03:51 |
Sure, Google's Project Glass augmented-reality technology may still be in an early stage, but the days of walking around the streets with a video feed overlaid atop your field of vision may be coming sooner than you think. As soon as June, in fact, if you're willing to shell out ¥199,980 yen ($2,476 USD) for a pair of Brother Industries' AirScouter see-through head-mounted display. The printer and machinery manufacturer launched today in Japan a new version of their augmented-reality glasses that will support Windows XP and 7 devices.
First unveiled as a prototype way back in 2008, the AirScouter mounts a pico projector and a "half-mirrror" liquid crystal display in front of a pair of spectacle frames. The pico projector focuses light onto the translucent half-mirror display, and the results look to the eye like an image from a 16" monitor viewed from one metre away. Although the AirScouter has actually been commercialised since last year, thus far it has |
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Open source driver for Qualcomm Adreno graphics |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 16 April 2012 02:40 |
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ARM-based chips are all the rage these days in tablets, smartphones, set-top-boxes, and other low power computing devices. But while many of the latest chips can support HD video, 3D graphics, and other high-performance graphics, you generally need to use supported software to get all the benefits — because chip makers don’t offer open source graphics drivers. But there are at least two projects underway to develop open source drivers for popular ARM-based graphics processors. A group of developers has been working on reverse engineering a driver for ARM Mali 200 and Mali 400 graphics. And now there’s an early build of an open source driver for Qualcomm Adreno graphics as well. The new driver is called "freedreno," and it could give independent developers much more control over software designed to run on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Right now most Snapdragon devices run Google Android or Microsoft Windows Phone software. But with a good open |
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Intel launching 13 quad-core Ivy Bridge processors |
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Written by Wayne
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Tuesday, 24 April 2012 06:46 |
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As expected, Intel is introducing its first 3rd generation Core family processors today. The first crop of the new "Ivy Bridge" chips will be high performance quad-core processors, and the BBC reports most of the 13 new processors coming today will be destined for desktop computers. Some of the chips will arrive in high performance notebooks such as the new Sony Vaio E 14P. But we won’t see dual core processors for ultrabooks until later this spring. Today’s launch is still interesting since it shows where Intel is going. The company’s latest processors aren’t just more powerful than the ones that came before. They also use less power. Ivy Bridge chips are built using a 22nm process which helps improve efficiency, and a new "tri-gate" design. On average, Intel says the new chips will offer 20 percent better performance than earlier chips while using 20 percent less power. That’s a nice update for desktop PC users concerned about heat generation and overall power consumption...For more on these new processors visit windows8newsinfo forum. |
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Microsoft Invents Cool Two Sided Smartphone Display System |
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Written by Wayne
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Monday, 23 April 2012 03:46 |
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Mobile phones, and other small computing devices, are being built with increasingly large display surfaces. While the devices themselves, in general, are smaller than they were several years ago, modern devices devote a relatively larger percentage of the device's surface to the display. Early devices typically had a mechanical keypad for input and a screen to display output. Since the keypad and screen coexisted on the same side of the device, there was a limit as to how large the display could be. While some phones continue to use mechanical keypads (which are favored by some users), advances in touch-screen technology have allowed other devices to omit the keypad entirely in favor of a touch-screen interface that acts as both an input device and a display. This design allows a larger portion of the surface area to be used as a display. Some devices include more than one display area. For example, some phones with a "flip" or "slide out" design include plural displays- |
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Infected Mac network may be expanding |
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Written by Wayne
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Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:24 |
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The vast network of Apple Macintosh machines infected by the Flashback Trojan may be going dormant instead of shrinking, a Russian information-security firm said in a blog posting Friday. "The botnet statistics acquired by Doctor Web contradict recently published reports indicating a decrease in the number of Macs infected by BackDoor.Flashback.39 The number is still around 650,000," reads the posting on the Dr. Web website. On Tuesday, American anti-virus software giant Symantec reported that the Flashback botnet had been reduced to 140,000 machines, a sharp drop from an estimated 600,000 in early April. Thursday, another Russian anti-virus company, Kaspersky Lab, in a conference call with information-security specialist and journalists, estimated that the Flashback botnet was at a mere 30,000 machines — less than a twentieth the size of Dr. Web's figures. "Recent publications found in open access report a reduction in the number of BackDoor.Flashback.39 bots. Typically, these materials are based on analysis of statistics acquired from hijacked botnet control servers. |
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Microsoft plans to expand the Windows Store to 33 more markets |
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Written by Wayne
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Thursday, 19 April 2012 18:59 |
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When Microsoft released the Consumer Preview earlier this year, we got a first look at the new Windows Store. Developers could submit apps from 5 markets, which isn't many if you looks at how many markets there are around the world. Today, Microsoft has announced plans to expand the Store to over 33 new markets in the new preview release. "Up to now, the Consumer Preview Store has supported app submissions from developers in five markets, each with a dedicated app catalog (France, Germany, India, Japan and the United States), plus China." Microsoft is planning to launch the Windows Store with 33 new markets in the next preview release of Windows 8, which will allow new developers to submit apps to the store, making it significantly more 'full'. The Store will also receive 7 new languages, in addition to the current 102 languages. These languages will be usable across the whole store, including the backend for developers...There is more posted at windows8newsinfo forum. |
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Pebble $115 E-Paper watch will sync with Android and iPhone |
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Written by Wayne
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Tuesday, 17 April 2012 03:56 |
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Smart watches may be the biggest thing in geeky wrist accessories since watches with tiny calculators built in. For over a decade companies have been pitching watches that can run apps or widgets, connect to the internet, and do more than just tell time. But they haven’t really taken off. Now Motorola and Sony are both offering watches that can be paired with an Android phone so that you can view incoming calls, control music playback, and run some apps on a tiny screen. So we know there’s supply. But what about demand? If the success of a new Kickstarter project for the Pebble smart watch is anything to go by, it looks like plenty of people are ready to spend some cash on a tiny wearable computer. The Pebble has a 144 x 168 pixel E-Paper display which is much easier to see in direct sunlight than most LCD displays. It also uses less power, which is why the developers say the watch can run for 7 days or longer on a single battery charge, without the screen going dim or turning off...Read more and see a short video at windows8newsinfo forum. |
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New CISPA Draft Narrows Cybersecurity Language |
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Written by Wayne
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Sunday, 15 April 2012 15:30 |
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The U.S. House Intelligence Committee has released a new draft of the Cybersecurity Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), narrowing the definition of "cybersecurity threat" in response to alarms being sounded throughout the technology community. A "discussion draft" was posted to the committee’s website Friday afternoon. It shows amendments already cleared by the committee as well as those still being debated, and some of the language that caught the ire of the technology community has been altered or is now under debate. One proposed amendment narrows the category of information shared under CISPA from that about "theft or misappropriate of private or government information, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information" to "efforts to gain unauthorized access to a system or network, including efforts to gain such unauthorized access to steal or misappropriate private or government information." The mention of |
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