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

Writing from the Field

Fake Twitter homepage kit serves up naked ladies and infection files

Published: October 18, 2010 Reading time: 2 min

You might be wondering why the frontpage of Twitter has a big “Edit” line running through it in the screenshot below: The answer, of course, is that this is not the real Twitter page at all. It’s part of an increasingly popular kit used for shenanigans: The scammer downloads the zip, edits the links in the .htm file and places something likely to catch the attention of an end-user underneath the “Edit” line. The fact that the fake content is sitting directly underneath the “New Twitter” promotional text is not a coincidence. ...

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Avira know better what to put and where

Published: October 18, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

Sometimes we encounter childish messages from the authors in the body of malware. A variant of the TDSS family we got recently is even going a step further by offering a convenient location for a malware signature. The samples include the message “Put your signature here”, which is shown when run inside a debugger. While in many cases signatures could be still useful for detection, Avira prefer to use other technologies which are more generic and proactive. This is especially the case with malware families like TDSS/Alureon, whose authors continuously adapt their creations so they are able to work around even proactive detection in a short time. This variant is detected as TR/Crypt.XPACK.Gen3.

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RealPlayer Security Updates Published

Published: October 18, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

RealNetworks, Inc. have published product upgrades addressing vulnerabilities in RealPlayer SP 1.1.4 and earlier. The vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code. Windows users of RealPlayer SP 1.1.4 and earlier are advised to upgrade to the latest version here For more information, visit RealNetworks’ security advisory here

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New Likejacking-Attack on Facebook

Published: October 18, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

Currently a new likejacking-attack is running on Facebook. If a user clicks on the link of a friend which is reads “I Will NEVER TEXT Again After Seeing THIS!! on CLICK HERE TO SEE.”, she or he will automatically “like” that link too due to some clever scripting on the attacking website. A second like-link says “This American GUY must be Stoned to Death for doing this to a GIRL (NO SURVEYS)! … on CLICK HERE TO SEE.”. This is another variant of the same likejacking-attack. ...

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Yahoo Mimics Facebook Connect With “Y Connect”

Published: October 18, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

Yahoo will soon launch a service called “Y Connect” with features very similar to those of Facebook Connect — portable identity management, integrating Yahoo content on third-party websites, and sharing data about what you’re doing and where with your Yahoo contacts. The service will share info with your contacts through Yahoo Pulse, the Threadsy-like activity stream that Yahoo launched about four months ago to compete with Google Buzz and other social offerings. ...

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Intel quietly lowers prices on Core i3-550, others

Published: October 18, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

Intel regularly tweaks its price list with nary a word to the masses, but the Tech Report caught chipzilla red-handed this time. The site reports that Intel has lowered prices on four desktop and two mobile processors. Looking at the latest price sheet (PDF), Intel cut 15% off its 3.2GHz i3-550, putting it at $117. That’s identical to the 3.06GHz i3-540 and only $4 more than the 2.93GHz i3-530 — the company’s cheapest i3 desktop offering. ...

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NVidia Forceware drivers 260.89 offer Blu-ray 3D support

Published: October 18, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

Just last week NVidia distributed a beta version of their Forceware drivers 260.89. The main feature was support for their recently launched GeForce GT 430, and although a few other improvements were mentioned there was nothing really outstanding. This time around the company offers the final release of these drivers with pretty much the same improvements, plus support for playing back Blu-ray 3D discs when connecting your GPU to a 3D TV through HDMI. ...

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Facebook Privacy Breach: Users' Info Leaked To Advertising, Tracking Firms

Published: October 18, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

The information being transmitted is one of Facebook’s basic building blocks: the unique “Facebook ID” number assigned to every user on the site. Since a Facebook user ID is a public part of any Facebook profile, anyone can use an ID number to look up a person’s name, using a standard Web browser, even if that person has set all of his or her Facebook information to be private. For other users, the Facebook ID reveals information they have set to share with “everyone,” including age, residence, occupation and photos. ...

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Facebook apps transmitted personal info

Published: October 18, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

NEW YORK — The Wall Street Journal is reporting that 10 popular Facebook applications have been transmitting users’ personal identifying information to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies. The newspaper said Monday that the breach also includes users who set all their information to be completely private. And in some cases, it says, the apps provided access to friends’ names. A Facebook spokesman told the Journal on Sunday that the company would introduce new technology to contain the breach. It’s not clear how long the breach went on. ...

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NVidia launches GT440 cards

Published: October 18, 2010 Reading time: 2 min

While NVidia’s big news may have been its upcoming budget-range GeForce GT 430 1GB cards which leaked out earlier this month, it seems that the company has been hiding another secret: the GeForce GT 440 range. Quietly detailed on the company’s website, the NVidia GeForce GT 440 range of cards is designed to offer OEMs a DirectX 11-compatible card for adding in to their mid-range machines. According to the reference specifications, the GT440 cards feature a 594MHz graphics clock, 1,189MHz processor clock, and either 800 or 900MHz memory clock, along with 144 CUDA cores. Interestingly, NVidia will be offering at least two different models: a budget-friendly version featuring 1.5GB of GDDR3, or a high-end model with 3GB of GDDR3. ...

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Hackers Access 107K Student Records At UNFL

Published: October 18, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

The good news is that overseas hackers apparently did not change the grades of more then 100 thousand University of North Florida students when they broke into the computer system in September. The bad news is that personal information like names and social security numbers for those students may now be in the hands of those hackers. The FBI is investigating the attack, which was discovered by the university in a routine check of the server. According to University officials, the hacker had access to the system between September 24th and September 29th, but the University did not say when the breach was discovered. The Florida Times-Union newspaper said the university learned of the attack in September but did not notify potential victims because they were still investigating ...

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Google's First Personalized Doodle

Published: October 17, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

Google found a nice way to wish you Happy Birthday. If you visit Google’s homepage when you are signed in and it’s your birthday, you’ll see a special doodle that links to your Google profile. When you go to your profile, you’ll find colorful confetti and a Happy Birthday message, but that’s not new. “Because doodles are such a fun part of the search experience, we thought we’d share a fun little way Google will help celebrate your birthday. When you include your date of birth on your Google profile, you may notice a special treat on the Google homepage on your birthday (be sure to sign in). Click on the doodle for another birthday surprise,” informs the Google blog. ...

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Facebook and Skype deal to dial friends and family

Published: October 17, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

Skype is integrating with Facebook to make it easier to call and video chat with friends and family on the social network. The deal comes amid fevered rumors that Facebook plans to launch a phone of its own. Meanwhile Skype is gearing up for a $100m share issue.

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Install Adobe AIR on 64-bit Ubuntu 10.10

Published: October 17, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

Right now Adobe AIR is only officially available for 32-bit Linux. But it does work on 64-bit Linux with the 32-bit compatibility libraries. There are several ways to install Adobe AIR on Linux. My preferred way on Ubuntu is to use the .deb package. However the .deb package distributed by Adobe can only be installed on 32-bit systems. Good news is that this can be easily fixed! To install the Adobe AIR .deb package on a 64-bit system just follow these steps: ...

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First Firmware for Nokia C7 V12.003 released

Published: October 17, 2010 Reading time: 1 min

Nokia released its first major firmware for Nokia C7 (RM 675) for all Versions. The new firmware should be available in a few days via NSU or OTA. There is no changelog, because it’s the first and initial firmware. This firmware is for RM675 for all countries and regions. you can check here your product code, if it’s available for you, too. or start your Nokia Software Updater (NSU).

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