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Writing on software engineering, Linux, health, and the things I build and learn along the way.

Writing from the Field

Symantec releases Norton 2013 security suites

Published: September 7, 2012 Reading time: 3 min

BetaNews: Symantec has released brand new versions of its Norton security packages for Windows, Norton Anti-Virus 2013, Norton Internet Security 2013 and Norton 360 2013. It’s the first time all three packages have been updated simultaneously, while the branding has also been amended to remove all references to a date, simply naming each Norton Anti-Virus, Norton Internet Security and Norton 360, respectively. The 2013 versions come with what Symantec describes as “five layers of patented protection”, which include stronger social networking and anti-scam protection. There’s also full, certified support for Windows 8 and the promise of better performance on multi-core CPUs. ...

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Symantec claims losses from cybercrime exceed $100 billion

Published: September 7, 2012 Reading time: 2 min

h-Online: According to Symantec’s 2012 Norton Cybercrime Report, worldwide, private individuals have suffered approximately $100 billion (more than £69 billion at the current exchange rate) in financial losses as a result of cybercrime. In the period from July 2011 to July 2012, losses averaged $197 (£124) per victim. A total of 556 million adults are reported to have fallen victim to malware, phishing or similar virtual crimes. The report claims that there are 1.5 million victims of cybercrime each day, or about 18 per second. The security specialist’s report also states that two-thirds of internet users have been caught out by cybercriminals at some point in their lives, and almost half (46%) were victims during the period covered by the report. The results reveal that many of those affected are victims of their own carelessness. Around 40% of people don’t use complex passwords or don’t change their passwords regularly. ...

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1 million Apple Device IDs leaked, claim hackers

Published: September 4, 2012 Reading time: 2 min

According to the AntiSec hacker group, they claim to hold more than 12 million Apple iOS Unique Device IDs, in addition to other personal information from device owners. As a move to back up such a claim, the AntiSec hacker group is said to have released slightly more than a million Apple Device IDs to the masses. This particular expose was unveiled on Pastebin, which is said to hold a detailed description of the method that the hacking group were said to have obtained the IDs from the FBI. ...

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I want, I don’t want

Published: September 2, 2012 Reading time: 2 min

I never could understand those people that afraid everything and everyone, why people don’t live in a normal and easy world? Why take it so hard? I’m talking of the moment when I respect a boy and he behaves defensive because he thinks I’m looking for his money… I’m talking of the moment when I respect a man and he behaves defensive because he thinks I’m looking to use his position… ...

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Oracle rushes out patch for critical 0-day Java exploit

Published: August 31, 2012 Reading time: 2 min

TheRegister: In an uncommon break with its thrice-annual security update schedule, Oracle has released a patch for three Java 7 security flaws that have recently been targeted by web-based exploits. “Due to the high severity of these vulnerabilities, Oracle recommends that customers apply this Security Alert as soon as possible,” Eric Maurice, the company’s director of software security assurance, said in a blog post published on Thursday. Maurice said that the vulnerabilities patched only affect Java running in browsers, and not standalone desktop Java applications or Java running on servers. According to Oracle’s official advisory on the flaws: ...

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Download Firefox 15 and Thunderbird 15!

Published: August 28, 2012 Reading time: 3 min

Cross-copied from BetaNews: Mozilla has quietly placed major new versions of its open-source, cross-platform web browser and email client onto its download servers ahead of an official release. Firefox 15 FINAL benefits largely from behind-the-scenes performance tweaks, while Thunderbird 15 FINAL introduces a few new features, including a new curvy user interface. Firefox 15 FINAL’s most notable changes are performance-based. There’s faster startup on Windows PCs, plus incremental garbage collection and better management of plugins to prevent memory leaks. Other performance improvements surround WebGL enhancements. ...

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Java zero day vulnerability actively used in targeted attacks

Published: August 27, 2012 Reading time: 1 min

ZDNet: Security researchers from FireEye, AlienVault, and DeependResearch have intercepted targeted malware attacks utilizing the latest Java zero day exploit. The vulnerability affects Java 7 (1.7) Update 0 to 6. It does not affect Java 6 and below. Based on related reports, researchers were able to reproduce the exploit on Windows 7 SP1 with Java 7 Update 6. There’s also a Metasploit module available. Upon successful exploitation, the campaign drops MD5: 4a55bf1448262bf71707eef7fc168f7d – detected by 28 out of 42 antivirus scanners as Gen:Trojan.Heur.FU.bqW@a4uT4@bb; Backdoor:Win32/Poison.E ...

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Dropbox tests two-factor authentication

Published: August 27, 2012 Reading time: 2 min

h-online: Cloud backup provider Dropbox says it has begun a public test of two-factor authentication for its service. Dropbox had announced it would start offering the security measure after the service experienced a data leak at the beginning of the month. Users who activate two factor authentication will have to enter a security code after logging in with their username and password. The security code can only be used once and is sent to the user’s mobile phone in a text message. To generate security codes, users can also use a variety of smartphone applications such as Google Authenticator. Details of the process are given on the two-step verification help page. ...

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Tarja Turunen Performed “Act 1” Live in Rosario

Published: August 24, 2012 Reading time: 3 min

Act 1 is the first Live concert released by Tarja. It was released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray on the 24th of August, 2012. “Act 1” is the first live album from the Finnish former Nightwish soprano, Tarja Turunen. The two concerts were recorded and filmed with 10 HD cameras at the El Círculo Theatre in Rosario, Argentina, in March 2012. The track listing consists in a mix of her three solo albums, Nightwish’s classic Nemo and covers of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gary Moore and Whitesnake plus a variety of extras. ...

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For the first time in 25 years, Microsoft is changing its logo

Published: August 23, 2012 Reading time: 2 min

In advance of one of the most significant waves of product launches in Microsoft’s history, today they are unveiling a new logo for the company. Microsoft TechNet wrote: It’s been 25 years since we’ve updated the Microsoft logo and now is the perfect time for a change. This is an incredibly exciting year for Microsoft as we prepare to release new versions of nearly all of our products. From Windows 8 to Windows Phone 8 to Xbox services to the next version of Office, you will see a common look and feel across these products providing a familiar and seamless experience on PCs, phones, tablets and TVs. This wave of new releases is not only a reimagining of our most popular products, but also represents a new era for Microsoft, so our logo should evolve to visually accentuate this new beginning. The Microsoft brand is about much more than logos or product names. We are lucky to play a role in the lives of more than a billion people every day. The ways people experience our products are our most important “brand impressions”. That’s why the new Microsoft logo takes its inspiration from our product design principles while drawing upon the heritage of our brand values, fonts and colors. ...

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Crisis malware infects VMware virtual machines

Published: August 23, 2012 Reading time: 2 min

v3.co.uk: The Windows version of the Crisis Trojan is far more dangerous than first thought, being capable of infecting VMware virtual machine images, Windows Mobile devices and removable USB drives, research has revealed. Crisis was originally uncovered targeting businesses with social engineering attacks that trick users into running a malicious Java applet in July. Symantec has since revealed that the malware has more advanced capabilities, letting it search for and copy itself onto VMware virtual machine images on compromised computers. ...

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Adobe Flash Player update patches six critical holes

Published: August 23, 2012 Reading time: 2 min

h-Online: Adobe has released the second update for its Flash Player software in a week, this time for six critical vulnerabilities. Four of the issues addressed are problems with memory corruption that could lead to remote code execution; additionally, the update fixes an integer overflow vulnerability that could also lead to remote code execution. Another bug that was fixed is a cross-domain information leak. The problems exist in Flash Player 11.3.300.271 and earlier versions on Windows, Macintosh and Linux, and in the Android versions 11.1.115.11 (Android 4.0) and 11.1.111.10 (Android 3.x and 2.x) and earlier. ...

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Firefox 17 to make add-ons more secure

Published: August 23, 2012 Reading time: 2 min

h-Online: As suggested by some of its developers back in 2010, the Firefox browser will introduce enhanced separation between add-ons and the rest of the browser. With the change, which is planned to take effect with the release of Firefox 17, scripts on web pages will only be able to access the data belonging to add-ons if they are included in a whitelist. The beta version of Firefox 15 already logs warning messages in the browser’s Error Console when a page that is not on the whitelist tries to access data from add-ons. This behavior has been included to make add-on developers aware of the new policy and to give them time to fix their add-on’s behavior before the release of Firefox 17. ...

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AMD Blog Hacked, Database leaked on Internet

Published: August 20, 2012 Reading time: 1 min

TheHackerNews: A team of Hackers called, “r00tBeer Security Team” today hack into official blog of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) which is a American multinational semiconductor company. AMD is the second-largest global supplier of microprocessors based on the x86 architecture and also one of the largest suppliers of graphics processing units. Hacker deface the blog page (http://blogs.amd.com/wp-content/r00tbeer.html) [Dead Link – Screenshot blow] and also leak the complete user database of blog on his twitter account. Leaked database SQL file uploaded on Mediafire by Hackers which include 200 AMD user’s Emails, WordPress Blog Usernames and Passwords. ...

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