Thursday, July 28, 2005

E-mail Is For Old People

"Although the article itself doesn't seem quite as exciting or newsworthy, this headline from Reuters amused me mightily. Reuters' summary is here and here's the original survey by Pew Internet and American Life Project." From the article: "Internet users from 12 to 17 years old say e-mail is best for talking to parents or institutions, but they are more likely to fire up IM when talking with each other, the nonprofit Pew Internet and American Life Project found. E-mail is still used by 90 percent of online teens. But the survey found greater enthusiasm for instant messaging."

source:http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/28/1449258&tid=95&tid=215&tid=133&tid=1

# posted by dark master : 7/28/2005 01:03:00 PM  0 comments

Microsoft "Genuine Advantage" cracked

Microsoft "Genuine Advantage" cracked in 24h: window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all'

AV sez, "This week, Microsoft started requiring users to verifiy their serial number before using Windows Update. This effort to force users to either buy XP or tell them where you got the illegal copy is called 'Genuine Advantage.' It was cracked within 24 hours."
Before pressing 'Custom' or 'Express' buttons paste this text to the address bar and press enter:

javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all')

It turns off the trigger for the key check.



source:http://www.boingboing.net/2005/07/28/microsoft_genuine_ad.html








# posted by dark master : 7/28/2005 01:02:00 PM  0 comments

The Future of the Net

"Kevin Kelly has an interesting article over at Wired on the development and future of the web. In it, he argues that in ten years the desktop OS will become obsolete in favor of a Web based one, and that content on the web will be automatically customized according to the device being used to access it (PDA, smartphone,etc)." From the article: "Today the nascent Machine routes packets around disturbances in its lines; by 2015 it will anticipate disturbances and avoid them. It will have a robust immune system, weeding spam from its trunk lines, eliminating viruses and denial-of-service attacks the moment they are launched, and dissuading malefactors from injuring it again. The patterns of the Machine's internal workings will be so complex they won't be repeatable; you won't always get the same answer to a given question. It will take intuition to maximize what the global network has to offer. The most obvious development birthed by this platform will be the absorption of routine. The Machine will take on anything we do more than twice. It will be the Anticipation Machine."


source:http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/28/1539234&tid=95&tid=126&tid=215

# posted by dark master : 7/28/2005 09:24:00 AM  0 comments

Researcher Resigns Over New Cisco Router Flaw

"Michael Lynn, formerly a researcher for Internet Security Systems resigned today rather than conceal his research into serious new flaws in Cisco routers, according to stories at Washingtonpost.com and CRN. Interestingly, Cisco says the the problem is not a security vulnerability, although it chided Lynn for not going through proper vulnerability disclosure channels. Both stories note that Lynn is in danger of being sued by Cisco for revealing the information, details of which were pulled at the last minute from the materials handed out to Black Hat attendees." Update: 07/28 12:23 GMT by Z : SimilarityEngine writes "Cisco and ISS are filing a law suit against Michael Lynn and the management of the Black Hat Conference, following Lynn's presentation discussing a vulnerability in IOS."

source:http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/28/066222&tid=172&tid=99&tid=218

# posted by dark master : 7/28/2005 09:22:00 AM  0 comments

Distributed Development, with Karl Fogel

"Karl Fogel is a founding developer of the Subversion project. In the following interview he covers social aspects of coordinating developers as well as the difficulties and advantages of managing an open source, distributed development project. Karl explains the inception of the Subversion project, what it has required to build its community, and what he has learned in order to successfully maintain it."

source:http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/27/1555228&tid=156&tid=8

# posted by dark master : 7/28/2005 09:21:00 AM  0 comments

Fiber Optics Bring the Sun Indoors

"Fiber optics transmit light, so why not take the light from outside and transmit it inside? According to an exclusive story at PESN, that is what Tennessee company, Sunlight Direct, is now doing. Their 4-foot-diameter solar dish will light 1000 square feet inside -- minus the harmful UV rays -- rendering a more natural lighting feel, which can be hybridized with florescent and possibly LED lighting to provide a constant light level, though the tone changes with the level of light outside. The GPS-based sun-tracking mechanism uses very little energy. Now you can save electricity, cut on heat emissions by incandescent, and improve the feel of your work environment. Beta testing began in June. Product expected in the market in 2007."

source:http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/27/1553251&tid=232&tid=137


# posted by dark master : 7/28/2005 09:20:00 AM  0 comments

Can Cell Phones Damage Our Eyes?

"I'm sure you've read dozens of stories about how our cell phones could be dangerous to our health, causing brain tumors for example. But so far, there is not a definitive answer. But now, according to IsraCast, a team of Israeli researchers has discovered that the microwave radiation used by our cell phones could destroy our eyes by causing two kinds of damages to our visual system, including an irreversible one. If the researchers are right, and even if you only occasionally use your cell phone, the lenses in your eyes can suffer from microscopic damages that won't heal themselves over time. As this study has not been not done -- yet -- on humans, I guess the controversy can begin and that another scientific team will soon tell us that this study is not correct. In the mean time, read more for other details and references. And whether you think that cell phones can damage our eyes or not, feel free to post your comments below."

source:http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/27/1539244&tid=193&tid=1

# posted by dark master : 7/28/2005 09:19:00 AM  0 comments

Hosting sites help hackers recruit 'zombies'

Web sites offering free hosting services are increasingly being used by hackers to store and distribute malware, according to Internet security firm Websense.

The company said yesterday it had noticed an "alarming" increase in the first two weeks in July in the use of free Web space services for distributing malware such as keyloggers, Trojan horse downloaders and spyware.

Dan Hubbard, senior director of security and technology research at Websense, said more malware was found on free hosting services during the first two weeks of July than in May and June combined.

According to Hubbard, some Web sites being used by malware distributors are disguised as legitimate, while others are online for such a short period of time they are very difficult to trace.

"These fraudulent, free personal Web sites have an average lifespan of two to four days, making them difficult to trace. Some of the sites may be created with automated shared hacking software… others are built to appear more legitimate. For example, one of the sites included music that accompanied a greeting-card message which runs while your computer is being infected," said Hubbard.

However, using free Web hosting services is only a passing phase, according to James Turner, security analyst at Frost & Sullivan Australia. Turner believes that the real danger is still going to come from existing zombie or compromised computers.

"Yes, there is lots of free Web space out there if you want it, but if you have compromised 10,000 home computers, you effectively have the same thing without having to sign up on a Web site," said Turner. He pointed out that the majority of free Web space providers make it near impossible to automate account the opening of accounts.

"A lot of these companies that give you free Web space make it a little convoluted to sign up. They make you type in a word that has been obscured as an image to stop them from being set up automatically -- so a person has to make these manually," said Turner.

source:http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Hosting_sites_help_hackers_recruit_zombies_/0,2000061744,39204129,00.htm


# posted by dark master : 7/28/2005 09:17:00 AM  0 comments

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