11.24.2008

IT News for Nov 24, 2008

Large quantity SQL Injection mitigation

As botnets and other automated tools are hammering at websites trying to exploit SQL injection vulnerabilities, site operators are trying hard at defending their websites. ASProx and other botnets were hitting hard at the ASP + MS SQL platform, millions of websites fell victims to the SQL injection vulnerabilities already.

http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=5381



Malware laden USB sticks stoke holiday attacks

IBM's ISS division said consumers and businesses face increased security risk as cybercriminals take advantage of the holiday season with phishing and malware laden USB sticks.

http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci1339672,00.html



Orphaned Bots Not Necessarily Free Or Clean

Half a million former bot machines are at risk of reinfection or are still under cybercriminal control

http://www.darkreading.com/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=E2WVW0WIWWJNQQSNDLOSKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=212101163



Mac OS X targeted by Trojan and backdoor tool

Two pieces of malicious software affecting Apple's Mac OS X appeared this week: a Trojan horse with the ability to download and install malicious code of an attacker's choice, and a hacker tool for creating backdoors, according to security vendors.

http://news.zdnet.com/2424-9595_22-251586.html



Gmail exploit may allow attackers to forward e-mail

A Gmail security vulnerability may allow an attacker to set up filters on users' e-mail accounts without their knowledge, according to a proof of concept posted Sunday at GeekCondition.com.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10106275-83.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20



Picture Printing Kiosks & Flash Memory Devices

Whether its the Secure Digital device in your Digital Camera, or the USB Flash Drive that you carry around the office, the convenient and widespread use of Flash Memory Devices also offers a negative element - as an effective method of malicious software propagation.

http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=5387



Symantec identifies underground criminal economy

An underground criminal economy is booming.

http://www.scmagazineuk.com/Symantec-identifies-underground-criminal-economy/article/121361/



Fortinet predicts bleak future for security industry

Stronger security and greater attacks are the predicted trends for next year.

http://www.scmagazineuk.com/Fortinet-predicts-bleak-future-for-security-industry/article/121350/



Apple iPhone 2.2 firmware has critical security patches

Apple addressed a dozen iPhone and iPod Touch security issues, including dangerous flaws in its Safari browser that could allow an attacker to gain access to sensitive information.

http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci1339859,00.html



Internet Freedom and Security Are Necessarily At Odds

When people are free to run whatever they want to on their own computers there's no way to make the overall system secure

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Internet-Freedom-and-Security-Are-Necessarily-At-Odds/?kc=rss



Do You Know Where Your Laptops Are?

Laptop thefts are a huge problem for individuals and companies of every size. Personal and corporate information are at risk when they're stored on devices that can "pick up and walk away" easily. This video discusses tools that help prevent laptop theft and that minimize the damage in case a mobile machine is stolen.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Do-You-Know-Where-Your-Laptops-Are/?kc=rss



Script Fragmentation Attack Could Allow Hackers to Dodge Anti-virus Detection

Stephan Chenette of Websense describes a new Internet attack vector that could allow hackers to bypass anti-virus protection at both the gateway and the desktop. The technique, called script fragmentation, involves breaking down malware into smaller pieces in order to beat malware analysis engines.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Script-Fragmentation-Attack-Could-Allow-Hackers-to-Dodge-AntiVirus-Detection/?kc=rss



Botnet Operators Likely to Change Tactics in Wake of McColo, Intercage ISP Shutdowns

Botnet operators may change their tactics due to the shutdowns of ISP Intercage and Web hosting company McColo.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Botnet-Operators-Likely-to-Change-Tactics-in-Wake-of-McColo-Intercage-Shutdowns/?kc=rss



Samsung demos amazing folding phone

A video has appeared online of what’s claimed to be an OLED display able to fold itself in half to become a mobile phone.

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/11/24/folding_oled_samsung_phone/



Western Digital opens door to flash

Western Digital is open to entering the solid state drive (SSD) market when it presents "appropriate opportunity."

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/23/western_digital_on_flash/



NASA celebrates return of the Zeppelin

NASA got a great big balloon for the 75th anniversary of its iconic Moffett airfield in the heart of Silicon Valley.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/21/airship_ventures_names_zeppelin/



Be-A-Magpie Is PayPerPost For Twitter

Like much-criticized PayPerPost for blogs, German/UK startup Be-A-Mapgpie will pay you to insert advertisements into your Twitter stream.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/23/be-a-magpie-is-payperpost-for-twitter/



Facebook Getting Serious About Classifieds; May Relaunch This Year

Here’s a rumor that won’t go away - Facebook has been quietly searching for a partner to take over their year and a half old classified listings application, and may relaunch as early as the end of December.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/22/facebook-getting-serious-about-classifieds-may-relaunch-this-year/



How To Buy A Laptop

Whether you are a road warrior, daily commuter, or media mogul, make sure that your next notebook is a good fit. We look at gear from Lenovo, eMachines, HP, Sony, and Acer.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/reviews/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212001505&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All



Job Cuts At Akamai, Despite Net Usage Gains

Growth was driven by new undersea cable links, the launch of many global WiMax networks, and new fiber-to-the-premises services.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/services/data/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212101439&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All



Dell Profit Beats Wall Street Expectations

Dell posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit Thursday as cost cuts offset lower revenue, sending its shares up about 6%

http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/desktop/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212101311&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All



Random House to digitize thousands of books

With e-book sales exploding in an otherwise sleepy market, Random House Inc. announced Monday that it was making thousands of additional books available in digital form, including novels by John Updike and Harlan Coben, as well as several volumes of the "Magic Treehouse" children's series.

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081124/ap_on_hi_te/digital_random_house



Hands-off hackers: Crooks opt for surgical strikes

Internet criminals have been getting more "professional" for years, trying to run their businesses like Big Business to get better and more profitable at selling stolen data online. Now the bad guys of the cyber-underworld are exhibiting other unexpected traits: remarkable patience and restraint in stalking their victims.

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081124/ap_on_hi_te/hands_off_hackers



First Look video: Picoli for iPhone

Until Apple blesses the iPhone with a camera worth talking about, you're just going to have to improve photos by transferring them to your desktop to edit.

http://www.download.com/8301-2007_4-10105724-12.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20



Windows Live Search to be rebranded Kumo?

There have been tremors on the Web that Microsoft was considering a new brand name for Live Search, and now LiveSide.Net is reporting that Microsoft has taken control of the domain name Kumo.com from its registrar and directing internal traffic to it as a test site.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10106314-75.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20



IE8 Release Candidate Coming on 1Q 2009

Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 apparently will have its product debut sometime next year, according to an announcement released on Wednesday by the company. The Web browser is currently available as IE8 Beta 2, and Microsoft hopes to get some more feedback from the public and technical community before finalizing it.

http://redmondmag.com/news/rss.asp?editorialsid=10411



Microsoft's Ballmer ordered to testify in 'Vista Capable' suit

A federal judge on Friday ordered Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to testify in the "Vista Capable" class-action lawsuit, rejecting the company's contention that Ballmer knew nothing about loosening hardware requirements for the marketing program.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9121238&intsrc=hm_list



Judgment favors Novell in ongoing SCO case

Another chapter in the lengthy legal saga between SCO and Novell is closed, with the release of a final judgment by a Utah court on Thursday.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=009121219&intsrc=hm_list



Apple patches 12 iPhone bugs, adds Street View, podcast downloads

Apple Inc. early today released iPhone 2.2, the first update to the phone's firmware in more than two months, patching a dozen security vulnerabilities and adding several new features, including Google Street Views to the device's mapping tool.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9121101&intsrc=hm_list



Wii Boxing Gloves: Score Virtual Points for Real Violence

Wii Boxing just got a whole lot more realistic. While these Everlast branded gloves are little more than a regular pair of boxing gloves, with the addition of pockets into which you can slide a couple of Wiimotes, they change

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/11/wii-boxing-glov.html



Biofuel-Powered Flying Car Cleared for Takeoff

Parajet is preparing for the inaugural flight of SkyCar, a biofuel-powered land/air hybrid vehicle the company says will deliver rally car performance on the ground and aircraft performance in the sky. Since it runs on biofuel and features an aluminum frame, ParaJet says it's jut a matter of time before the clean, green SkyCar is the airborne equivalent of a Toyota Corolla.

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/11/the-worlds-firs.html



Old worm infects Department of Defense computers

Department of Defense computers have been hit with an old worm that the DoD won't discuss other than to say it is taking steps to mitigate its effects.

http://www.itworld.com/security/58270/old-worm-infects-department-defense-computers



Toshiba Demonstrates Quick-Charging Electric Bike

This past week, Toshiba exhibited a snazzy power-assisted bicycle manufactured by Cannondale Sports Group that uses a quick-charging lithium ion battery. The SCiB battery uses lithium titanate for enhanced safety and is made up of ten battery cells connected in series.

http://cleantechnica.com/2008/11/22/toshiba-demonstrates-quick-charging-electric-bike/



Play Doom online - thanks to Adobe Alchemy

One of the games that started the FPS genre - now in your browser.

http://www.flashmagazine.com/News/detail/play_doom_online_-_thanks_to_adobe_alchemy/

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