Free Windows 8.1 Soon?

While early versions of the software have leaked online, we understand that Windows 8.1 with Bing is an experimental project that aims to bring a low-cost version of Windows to consumers

Why Apple Could Win Big With Tesla’s Giant New Battery Factory

Without the need for an internal combustion engine, the two-seater’s petite frame was dominated by a huge battery.

Google's Verify Apps

Verify Apps, a local system that scans each app when it’s sideloaded. It’ll scan for malicious actions, like SMS abuse or malware spreading, and will warn you if it finds anything dangerous.

Yahoo webcam images from millions of UK users intercepted by GCHQ

program codenamed Optic Nerve collected still images of Yahoo webcam chats in bulk and saved them to agency databases, regardless of whether individual users were an intelligence target or not

360 million account credentials found in underground forums

“This month has been very fruitful for hackers,” he said in a phone interview.

 

Apple retires Snow Leopard from support

This leaves 1 in 5 Macs vulnerable to attacks.

Twice now that Apple's bypassed Snow Leopard when it patched newer editions

Internet Explorer 'SnowMan' zero-day spreading

An attack first noted on the VFW website is spreading, say researchers at Symantec. If you must use IE9 or IE10, get patched now

Critical SSL Patch for OS X and IOS

A serious flaw has been found in the SSL code used in the Apple operating systems.  All users of Apple products, including iPhone, iPad, and Macintosh, should use Software Update immediately.  You can test if you are vulnerable at

https://gotofail.com/

Samsung’s Galaxy S5

It doesn't come in two models, it's not really a new design, and it doesn't look like Touchwiz is changing anytime soon

Nokia X: Android and Windows Phone collide

The X introduces a new “forked” version of Android that’s akin to what Amazon does with its Kindle Fire line. Nokia is effectively taking the open-source elements of Android and then bolting on its own services, a Windows Phone-like UI, and yet another Android app store.

This Is What Happens To Your Discarded iPhone

Or maybe, just maybe, it breathes life anew in the land of China

The case against marking Gmail Promotions “spam” as spam

Google appears newly sensitive to this problem and has added a new "unsubscribe" button to its Gmail interface as a countermeasure against spam.

YouTube ads serving malware

The vulnerability is not in YouTube as such, but the ad-network seems to be the culprit in this case. We’re working with google security team to get to the bottom of this

IOS SSL vulnerability also present in OS X

Indication is that this flaw is easily exploitable, so this update should be applied as soon as practical.  Apple has also indicated that this flaw also appears in OS X and that a patch is "coming soon".

Critical Patch for Adobe Flash

Adobe has released a patch to fix a critical vulnerability Flash Player that is being actively exploited.  All users of Flash should patch immediately.  Google Chrome patches automatically.

Google Fiber chooses nine metro areas for possible expansion

There's no guarantee for any of these cities.

Data breach at University of Maryland exposes 300K records

The names, Social Security numbers, and birth dates of 309,079 individuals affiliated with school's College Park and Shady Grove campuses who were issued a university identification card since 1998

Microsoft's defense against active IE10 attacks

Microsoft on Wednesday issued a stopgap defense that protects Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) and IE10 against ongoing attacks until the company issues a patch, probably in three weeks.

Microsoft’s OneDrive

Whether you’ve heard of SkyDrive or not, it doesn’t really matter anymore. Microsoft has officially renamed its cloud storage service to OneDrive, and is turning trademark-induced lemons into lemonade with some added features and perks.

 

Facebook spends $19b

The world’s largest social network agreed yesterday to acquire mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp Inc. for as much as $19 billion, with Zuckerberg, Facebook’s co-founder and chief executive, settling on the terms after five days of talks.

Microsoft's "Metro as Default" Choice Explained

Miller went on to comment on why Metro was made default, and there was no boot to desktop option included in Windows 8. He explained that casual users "don't go exploring," and that if they made the desktop the default-- as it's always been-- the casual users would never have migrated to "their land of milk and honey"-- the casual-friendly Metro interface. He explained that they would have occupied the Desktop as they always did, and that Microsoft would have been right back where they started. This was softened in 8.1 when they gave power users the option to boot directly to the desktop.

 

Zeus banking malware hides a crucial file in a photo

A newly discovered variant of the notorious Zeus banking trojan is disguising a crucial configuration code in a digital photo, a technique known as steganography.

The Outernet

But one ambitious organisation called the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) is planning to turn the age of online computing on its head by giving free web access to every person on Earth.

 

The New Normal: 200-400 Gbps DDoS Attacks

KrebsOnSecurity was hit by easily the most massive and intense such attack yet — a nearly 200 Gbps assault leveraging a simple attack method that industry experts say is becoming alarmingly common.

SlickLogin joins Google

a company working on technology for online authentication using sounds from a mobile phone

Mozilla defends in-app Firefox ads as financial necessity

“Pretty much anytime we talk about revenue at Mozilla people get suspicious,”

TheMoon attacks Linksys routers.

Self-replicating worm program infects Linksys routers by exploiting an authentication bypass vulnerability

Hackers circulate thousands of FTP credentials

In some cases, hackers used the credentials to access FTP servers and upload malicious files, including scripts in the PHP programming language.

Forbes website hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army

The pro-Assad hackers claimed credit for the hack on the magazine’s official Twitter account, and also published a screenshot of the WordPress admin console used by Forbes to run its online blogs.

Intel is preparing a 15-core Xeon CPU

Well the proposed 15-core Xeon CPU, which will feature 4.31 billion transistors, a 3.8GHz Turbo Frequency, a TDP of 155W, contain 40 PCIe lanes, and will join the Xeon E7 line of processors

New 0day vs IE 10 & Flash used to compromise VFW site

The exploit targets IE 10 with Adobe Flash. It aborts exploitation if the user is browsing with a different version of IE or has installed Microsoft’s Experience Mitigation Toolkit (EMET). So installing EMET or updating to IE 11 prevents this exploit from functioning.

$2.7 million-worth of Bitcoin stolen

successor to dark web market place Silk Road 2.0 is hacked

New multiplatform malware, Careto

What makes “The Mask” special is the complexity of the toolset used by the
attackers. This includes an extremely sophisticated malware, a rootkit, a bootkit, 32-
and 64-bit Windows versions, Mac OS X and Linux versions and possibly versions
for Android and iPad/iPhone (Apple iOS).

Beware Download Wrappers

Call it Adware, Malware, Spyware, Crapware, it's simply unwanted. Every non-technical relative I've ever talked to has toolbars they apparently can't see, apps running in the background, browser home pages set to Russian Google clones, and they have no idea how it got that way.

Twitter reportedly testing major Facebook-like redesign

Twitter has begun testing a new look for its user profile pages that resembles profile pages on other social networks like Facebook and Google+.

Mozilla Prepping Ads for Firefox Browser

"We are excited about Directory Tiles because it has inherent value to our users, it aligns with our vision of a better Internet through trust and transparency, and it helps Mozilla become more diversified and sustainable as a project," Herman said."

Gates muses on NSA, bitcoin, his new role at Microsoft

Bill Gates has hopes a better condom will reduce HIV infections, is optimistic about digital currencies' ability to help the poor, and trusts he'll be able to help Microsoft in his new role as technology adviser.

Pwn2Own and Pwnium 2014

HP Zero Day Initiative's annual Pwn2Own and Google's Pwnium security competitions' prize pool is now up to more than $3 million in cash and prizes.

Mac Trojan Lifts Bitcoins from Digital Wallets

A new Trojan called OSX/CoinThief.A is stealing Bitcoins from unsuspecting Mac OS X users.

Microsoft bolsters Office 365 security with multi-factor authentication

This will usually take the form of a code via a text message or app notification, but it might also involve a phone call to verify the user.

Facebook: At least 67 million accounts are fake

Facebook estimates that between 4.3% and 7.9% of its monthly active users were individuals signing in with more than one account, despite the fact that duplicate accounts are against its terms of service.

Patch Tuesday

The first patches a remote code execution vulnerability that affects Windows 7 through to Windows 8.1, including 8.1 RT.  The second, also a remote code execution, is actually an issue in Forefront Protection for Exchange Server (2010)

NBC "Olympic Hacking Story" is bogus

NBC News ran a story claiming that if you bring your mobile phone or laptop to the Sochi Olympics, it'll immediately be hacked the moment you turn it on. The story was fabricated.

Hackers supposedly breach Comcast's mail servers

hacker collective NullCrew has apparently breached mail servers belonging to Comcast

Target's Data Breach Started With an HVAC Account

Sources now tell KrebsOnSecurity that the vendor in question was a refrigeration, heating and air conditioning subcontractor that has worked at a number of locations at Target and other top retailers

Firefox 27

Firefox has been updated.  All users should upgrade.

Facebook DNS almost hijacked by SEA

Just before midnight UK time, the notorious Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) hacking group posted a message and screenshots which suggested they had hijacked Facebook’s domain name registration information, providing evidence of their achievement by tweeting a screenshot.

Second World War Code-cracking Computing Hero Colossus Turns 70

 The machine was a pioneering feat of engineering, able to read 5,000 characters a second to help the team at Bletchley Park crack the German's Lorenz code in rapid time. T

Google Chrome will warn you when it's been hijacked

Now, Windows users will automatically receive a warning when software surreptitiously changes their browser settings.

Adobe Flash Patch

Adobe has released an unscheduled patch for Flash to cover a new 0-day exploit being used "in the wild."  Patch ASAP.

Dead End on Silk Road

It was the eBay of vice, an online hub of guns, drugs and crime. But its alleged founder soon learned that you can't rule the underworld without spilling some blood

Microsoft's new CEO

the software giant is indeed appointing Satya Nadella as its new CEO to replace Steve Ballmer. The 46-year-old Nadella will take over immediately, allowing Ballmer to retire early.... co-founder Bill Gates steps down as chairman today; his new official title is founder and technology advisor

US still world leader in SPAM generation

Almost double what comes out of #2, China.

GFI Releases Report on 2013 Vulnerabilities

Internet Explorer, Java, and then Chrome

Chaos Computer Club Sues German Government Over NSA Spying

her government and security officials tolerated and even helped members of the U.S. National Security Agency and Britain's GCHQ to spy on German citizens.

Pwn2Own Hacking Contest Adds Exploit Category: Unicorns

The Exploit Unicorn is a challenge that will require the successful security researcher to bypass multiple levels of security on multiple technologies in order to win.

Most effective security applications for Android

AV-Test reveals the top scores for protecting your Android device.