Online crooks target Macs with porn ruse (AP)

Published in November 2nd, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO - In a backhanded compliment to Apple Inc., online criminals are apparently so impressed with its scorching sales they are sending Macintosh computers an attack typically aimed at machines running Microsoft Corp.’s dominant Windows operating system. ADVERTISEMENT

Symantec Corp. researchers said the Web sites serving up the new attack also deploy a Windows version. “For a while Mac users have enjoyed the benefits of being a small enough population that hackers didn’t go after them directly — that’s obviously now changing,” said Ben Greenbaum, senior research manager at Symantec Security Response. Lynn Fox, an Apple spokeswoman, said the Cupertino-based company knows about the threat and urges Mac users to be careful about where they download things from. “Apple has a great track record for keeping Mac OS X users secure, and as always, we encourage people to install software only from trusted sources,” she said in a statement. Online porn-hunters are the intended victim of the latest ploy, in which visitors to certain explicit Web sites are led to believe they’re downloading a free video player when in fact they’re installing malicious code onto their Macs. Once the user authorizes the transaction, the fraudsters can redirect his future browsing to fraudulent Web sites and possibly to steal his information or passwords or simply send ads for other pornographic Web sites and rake in advertising dollars. For example, a person using an infected computer may think he is going to online auctioneer eBay Inc. or its PayPal electronic payment division but actually be directed to a site that looks legitimate but exists to purloin personal information. The attack does not target a vulnerability in the Macintosh operating system. Instead, it requires a user to approve the download, then enter his computer’s administrator’s password to continue, operations that raise red flags among sophisticated computer users. Symantec researchers said the Trojan used in the attack is a rejiggered version of one that’s been around for a couple years and requires that victims fall for a social engineering trick to work. Security researchers at Intego, which makes Macintosh antivirus software and discovered the scheme this week, said it underscores the mounting threats to Mac users as the machines grow in popularity. Windows machines still dominate the PC market, but Apple, which for years commanded just 2 to 3 percent of the U.S. market, has now grown to command an 8 percent chunk, according to market researcher Gartner Inc. “This is the first really malicious criminal malware (for Macs),” said Intego spokesman Peter James. “We’ve seen some proof-of-concept malware, we’ve seen some worms, but this is different.”

IBM says it may acquire security companies (Reuters)

Published in November 2nd, 2007

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BOSTON (Reuters) - IBM, which plans to spend a record $1.5 billion next year to develop and market security products, is seriously looking at using acquisitions to help beef up its offerings in that area, a company executive told Reuters on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT

The company, whose third-quarter revenue climbed 7 percent to $24 billion, sees security as a key to growth, said Val Rahmani, IBM's general manager of infrastructure management for global technology services. "We're looking at a lot of different companies right now, as we always do in a number of different spaces within security," she said in a telephone interview. A year ago International Business Machines paid $1.23 billion to buy Internet Security Systems. Rahmani declined to say when IBM might make its next purchase of a security company, or whether it was considering deals that size or larger. It is IBM's policy never to identify specific businesses that it might buy, to discuss deals that it has considered, or comment on any speculation about its acquisition activities, she added. But she identified some areas that IBM is interested in: "Keeping the bad guys out and letting the good guys in, authenticating people once they are in and worrying about data if people leave it behind." IBM already has "pretty good coverage…but we could always do better," she added. She also said companies that are most attractive acquisition candidates are ones that can help IBM better predict future threats. "This is about understanding where the threats will be before they happen," she said. "This is what we are very focused on," she said. She spoke to Reuters as IBM announced next year's $1.5 billion budget for developing and marketing its security business. It is looking to handle security in house, instead of letting that work go to outside firms that specialize in security. Smaller companies such as McAfee Inc, Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. and Websense Inc. say they have an edge over big technology companies like IBM because they are able to focus on security. IBM argues it has an advantage because it is able to integrate security into every aspect of a company's technology systems operations. Key competitors in services include Electronic Data Systems Corp. and Accenture Ltd. IBM spent more than $5 billion in 2006 on acquisitions, mainly for software companies in a drive to expand its most profitable business. (Reporting by Jim Finkle, additional reporting by Justin Grant in New York)

Ask Engadget: What’s the best Bluetooth stereo headset out there?

Published in November 2nd, 2007

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Ask Engadget: What’s the best Bluetooth stereo headset out there?

Posted Nov 1st 2007 7:40PM by
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Speaking of , Samsung’s made its way into the States today, and you know what that means: it’s time to start shopping for stereo Bluetooth headphones. At least that’s what Bala’s up to, who wrote in to for advice as follows:

OK, I give up. I have been searching exhaustively for a Bluetooth stereo headset that’s both lightweight, preferably the over-the-ear type and easily portable. I’d like to use it to listen music wirelessly from my iPhone (with an A2DP adapter) and my laptop which has Bluetooth. I’d also like to use it for voice calls (both with my iPhone and my PC), and that means it needs to have an integrated microphone. So far I have found only the BlueAnt X5 Stereo Bluetooth Headset to be meeting my requirements. Are there other headsets out there that would meet my requirements for under $125?

What say you guys, any favorites in the A2DP game? And don’t say , that’s cheating. Oh, and if you’d like your own question answered, be sure to send it in to ask at engadget dawt com.

MySpace gets social with Google (AP)

Published in November 2nd, 2007

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Internet social networking leader MySpace is joining Google Inc.’s platform for sharing applications across the Web — a concept that threatens to undermine the rapid growth of their common rival, Facebook Inc. ADVERTISEMENT

Google trumpeted the MySpace coup Thursday in a meeting with reporters, two days after revealing its plans to create a distribution network for interactive applications known as “widgets.” The programs — created by a hodgepodge of independent software developers and other Web sites — make it easier to share music, pictures, video and other personal interests on social networking sites. MySpace, owned by News Corp., was conspicuously absent from the initial list of Web sites that agreed to host the widgets from Google’s “OpenSocial” platform. That raised questions whether MySpace might try to build its own proprietary platform, much like Facebook has already done. But MySpace and Google executives said they began discussing an open-ended system that culminated in OpenSocial more than a year ago. The formal announcement about the alliance was timed to coincide with a party that Google is throwing for software developers Thursday evening in Mountain View. Google also disclosed for the first time that another popular social networking site, , will host widgets supplied from its platform, which is trying to create a common coding standard for the applications so they work on hundreds of Web sites. Other previously disclosed participants networks include social networks Friendster, hi5, LinkedIn, Ning and the Google-owned Orkut. All told, OpenSocial’s potential audience is expected to exceed 200 million people. But OpenSocial was an unimpressive alternative to Facebook’s platform until MySpace confirmed its participation, said Gartner analyst Ray Valdes. “This is more likely to get developers’ attention,” Valdes said Thursday. Although Facebook has been growing faster, MySpace remains the Internet’s biggest social network — a hangout where people look for dates, share their passions, make new friends or just connect with familiar faces. In September, MySpace’s U.S. audience totaled 68 million compared with 30.6 million for Facebook, according to the latest data from comScore Media Metrix. Google’s one-size-fits-all approach contrasts with Palo Alto-based Facebook’s, which relies on unique coding that has prevented widgets developed for its sites from working at other places on the Web. Facebook’s formula has been highly effective so far, spawning more than 8,000 widgets in the five months since the platform started. Including visitors from outside the United States, Facebook says it now has 50 million members and has doubled in size since May. Facebook’s booming membership encouraged Microsoft Corp. to pay $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in Facebook last week — a deal that valued the 3-year-old startup at $15 billion. Now, it looks like Google and MySpace are forming a tag team to duel Facebook and Microsoft. “This clarifies the battle lines, but it’s not just a two-way conflict,” Valdes said. That’s because other large Web sites like longtime Google rival Yahoo Inc., online auctioneer eBay Inc. and Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. haven’t picked a side yet. It’s also possible that those Web sites might introduce competing platforms for social networking widgets. Because social networks are attracting so many users, they are emerging as potentially lucrative advertising channels. Google already has been placing text-based ad links on MySpace, just as Microsoft has been doing at Facebook. The partners share the ad revenue with each other. Social networking widgets are expected to yield a myriad of other moneymaking opportunities, but for now Google has no plans to insert ads in its OpenSocial network. MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe is confident that OpenSocial will transform his site into a hotbed of communal applications. “OpenSocial will become the de facto standard for developing applications right out of the gate,” DeWolfe said. Facebook was invited to join OpenSocial, said Vic Gundotra, a vice president of engineering for Google, and Schmidt said the door remains open. “Everyone is invited to join,” Schmidt said. “There has been no effort to discriminate or exclude.” Facebook didn’t get any notice about OpenSocial, according to company spokeswoman Brandee Barker. “When we have had a chance to understand the technology, Facebook will evaluate participation relative to the benefits to its 50 million users and 100,000 platform developers,” she said.

Hackers unlock extra violence in game (AP)

Published in November 2nd, 2007

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NEW YORK - Hackers have unlocked violent content that was censored by the publisher of the game “Manhunt 2″ to give it a marketable rating, the company confirmed Thursday. The game, initially given an “Adults Only” rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, went on sale in the U.S. on Wednesday with a “Mature” rating, after being modified. Most stores refuse to carry “Adults Only” games; Mature means a game is intended for player 17 or older. Game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. and the studio that designed the game, Rockstar Games, have long been at the center of the debate over video game violence and children. Two years ago, a hacker uncovered a hidden sex scene in their game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.” In “Manhunt 2,” the player takes the role of a man who escapes from an insane asylum and goes on a killing spree. Take-Two edited parts of the game, including blurring some of the most gruesome killing scenes, to get the less restrictive rating. Hackers defeated that blurring on the version of the game for Sony Corp.’s PlayStation Portable. The game is also available for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii systems, and those versions do not appear to have been hacked. The hack does not roll back all the changes that enabled the game to qualify for the “Mature” rating, and it requires some technical expertise and a PSP unit that is itself hacked to accept modified software. In the Grand Theft Auto incident, the ratings board changed the game’s rating from “Mature” to “Adults Only” and retailers pulled it off shelves. Since then, the board has required that publishers submit even hidden content for review, and Take-Two spokesman Ed Nebb said the publisher had followed that requirement for “Manhunt 2.” It is unclear whether the private, nonprofit ratings board considered the hidden material in assigning the “M” rating to “Manhunt 2.” Board spokesman Eliot Mizrachi said only that it is aware of the hacking issue and is looking into it. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that advises parents about media content and games that may be inappropriate for children, on Thursday asked the Federal Trade Commission to look into the ESRB’s ratings process and its evaluation of “Manhunt 2″ in particular. The advocacy group noted that even the revised version of the game was banned by the American ratings board’s British counterpart. “I stand behind the game and the ESRB ratings process,” Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick said in a statement. “It is unfortunately the case that no one in the entertainment software industry is immune from hacking. We hope that consumers will not engage in hacking or download illegally modified copies of our games.” ___ On the Net:

IBM to step up data security services

Published in November 2nd, 2007

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BOSTON: IBM, the world's largest technology services company, said Thursday that it would spend $1.5 billion next year to develop and market products that help customers secure data and comply with new rules for guarding information.

International Business Machines announced its plans about a year after it acquired Internet Security Systems for $1.23 billion. IBM has integrated that business into its services division.

IBM said it would sell security products alongside technology services, hardware and software, posing a challenge to companies that specialize in security. Those companies, including McAfee, Check Point Software Technologies and Websense, say they have an edge over big technology companies like IBM because they are able to focus on security.

IBM counters that it is able to integrate security into every aspect of a company's technology systems operations, giving it the edge. “Security is broken,” Val Rahmani, general manager of IBM's infrastructure management services, said by telephone. “There has been a perfect storm of threats.”

IBM, based in Armonk, New York, expanded its security products last year by buying Internet Security Systems. The company is challenging EMC and Hewlett-Packard in sales of corporate security services, which protect everything from desktop computers to data centers.

“IBM is making key advances by using its ISS acquisition to provide a global view of security,” said Eric Domage, an analyst at IDC.

As part of its security plan, IBM is putting 200 researchers in locations like Tokyo, Zurich and India. A partner, PGP, supplies encryption software for laptops and mobile handheld devices, while another, Fidelis Security Systems, monitors Internet gateways to prevent leaks of personal and classified information. A board that includes members from IBM's services, software and hardware units is overseeing the effort, Rahmani said.

The Payment Card Industry, a group that represents credit and debit card issuers, imposed new security standards after a series of security breaches.

As businesses adapt to stricter rules, technology security companies are racing to help, said Avivah Litan, an analyst with Gartner. “Almost every vendor that has anything to sell in the security market is positioning their products and services to help retailers meet PCI compliance,” Litan said.

Eee PC review roundup

Published in November 2nd, 2007

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Eee PC review roundup

Posted Nov 1st 2007 4:17PM by
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We’ve already Laptop Mag’s breathless review of Asus’ diminutive , but now that the thing is finally to the masses, it’s time to check in with the best of the rest — and it seems like the tiny wonder is living up to all that advance hype. CNET UK found the Eee to be “stonking value for money,” complaining only that the keyboard is slightly cramped — an overall sentiment echoed by PC Magazine, which called the little bugger a “tremendous bargain for people with general-purpose computing needs who don’t plan on running any sophisticated software.” TrustedReviews was even more positive, saying the keyboard is fine and that the Eee is overall “refreshingly innovative and scandalously cheap.” On top of all this praise, NotebookReview has already started hacking away at the Eee and characterized their experiences as demonstrating a “ton of potential.” Cheap, fun, and versatile: it certainly seems like Asus has a winner on its hands here — now if only they’d ship a few more of ‘em.

— CNET (7.5 out of 10: “… a near perfect choice for a highly portable second or backup laptop.”)
— PC Magazine (4 out of 5: “Ample software and a substantial feature set that’s well worth the money”)
— TrustedReviews (9 out of 10: “The natural successor to likes of the Psion Series 5 and netBook.”
— NotebookReview Eee PC Tweak Guide (”This little machine was as powerful as notebooks four to five times its price.”)

[Thanks, Corinne and Jerry]

Best Buy offers the Toshiba HD-A2 for $100, too, and other HD DVD deals

Published in November 2nd, 2007

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Napster loss narrows in 2Q (AP)

Published in November 2nd, 2007

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LOS ANGELES - Napster Inc. said Thursday its second-quarter loss narrowed from a year ago as the online music service posted higher revenue despite a decline in paid subscribers. ADVERTISEMENT

The company reported a net loss of $5.1 million, or 12 cents per share, for the fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30. That compared to a loss of $9 million, or 21 cents per share, during the same period a year ago. Net revenue for the most recent quarter was $31.6 million, up 24 percent from $25.5 million in the year-ago period. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were expecting a quarterly loss of 15 cents per share on sales of $30.5 million. Napster said it ended the quarter with about 750,000 paid subscribers, down from about 770,000 in the first quarter. Management said it expects revenue for the third quarter to increase to about $33 million, driven largely by its sales of mobile music. It also forecast the company will see positive cash flow for its fiscal year. Ahead of the earnings report, Napster shares rose 11 cents, or 3.4 percent, to close at $3.36. ___ On the Net: Napster Inc.: