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3
Aug 2010 |
Researchers at AVG have uncovered a botnet that has been harvesting personal information and uses the latest version of the Zeus code, underscoring the widespread use of the sophisticated malware.
Dubbed the Mumba botnet, the campaign infected more than 35,000 computers when it started at the end of April, according to a white paper released by AVG.
The botnet has now collected at least 60GB of information from some 55,000 computers, half of which are in the UK and Germany, according to an analysis of... |
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30
July 2010 |
Software security experts warn that mobile phones are tempting targets for hackers in a world where people eagerly invite strange applications onto handsets packed with personal data.
Briefings on Thursday at a Black Hat computer security conference were devoted to threats to smart phones, mobile personal computers used for anything from banking and shopping to pinpointing people's whereabouts.
"Right now, it is one of the hottest topics there is," said John Hering, founder and chief executive of Look... |
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29
July 2010 |
Facebook has made its first steps into the search market.
The social network has launched a trial of a feature called Questions, which allows people to pose queries to the site's 500 million users.
The service has been rolled out to a select group of Facebook members and will "evolve over time", the site said.
It will go head-to-head with other services such as Yahoo Answers, Twitter and search engines such as ask.com.
"The core of search is a question," said Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of t... |
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29
July 2010 |
Google did not grab "significant" personal details when collecting data from wi-fi networks, according to the UK's Information Commissioner Office (ICO).
The finding came after the body reviewed some of the data Google scooped up from unsecured networks.
Google said the data was "mistakenly" gathered while logging wi-fi hotspots to help with location-based services.
The ICO said it would closely monitor other global investigations.
Information about the gathering of personal data came to light f... |
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28
July 2010 |
Intel has developed a prototype interconnect that uses light to speed up data transmission inside computers at the speed of 50 gigabits per second.
Intel researchers said that the optical technology could ultimately replace the use of copper wires and electrons to carry data inside or around computers. An entire high-definition movie can be transmitted each second with the prototype, the researchers said.
The technology will also be able to carry data over longer distances than copper wires, Intel re... |
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28
July 2010 |
Yahoo Japan's decision to replace Microsoft with Google as its main search partner has been met with protest from Microsoft, which called the deal "anti-competitive."
"This agreement is even more anticompetitive than Google's deal with Yahoo in the United States and Canada that the Department of Justice found to be illegal," Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, said in a statement sent to reporters. "The 2008 deal would have locked up 90 percent of paid search advertising. This deal gives Google virt... |
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28
July 2010 |
Apple is refreshing its iMac and Mac Pro and introducing a new Magic Trackpad and LED Cinema Display as part of its periodic hardware update. The devices appeared on the company's Website on 27 July.
The refreshed Mac Pro includes an option for two Intel Xeon "Westmere" six-core processors, for a 12-core system that runs at 2.93GHz, along with an integrated memory controller for quick access to data stored in memory. With Hyper-Threading, that becomes 24 virtual cores. Chances are, you would have no trou... |
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28
July 2010 |
Intel has unveiled the prototype of a high-speed fibre optic data system based on silicon chips with integrated lasers and detectors. The system runs at 50Gbps, with Intel claiming future scalability to 1Tbps and beyond.
Unlike current systems, Intel's prototype does not depend on discrete components to generate and detect light; instead, these are part of the same silicon substrate that contains other components, and can be made at the same time on the same dies during chip fabrication.
"It's about bri... |
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28
July 2010 |
Most gadget owners know that leaving any piece of electronic equipment in the direct sunlight isn't a great idea. Now an iPad owner, who claims their touch-screen tablet overheats and turns off when left in the sunlight, is suing Apple.
Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the complaint was filed last week in federal court in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The suit is seeking class-action status and asks for unspecified damages because the device "overheats so quickly under commo... |
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28
July 2010 |
A study of 20,000 US consumers has shown some interesting personality traits in those who love or loathe the iPad.
The iPad Opinion Profile from consumer research firm MyType suggests that iPad owners are more than six times as likely to be wealthy, highly educated and sophisticated than non-owners.
But they are also an unkind "selfish elite" not given to acts of altruism.
Contrary to the advertising, iPad owners are also less likely to be interested in the arts and music, and more in finance and b... |
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28
July 2010 |
Britain's oldest Tweeter has died in her sleep at the age of 104, staff at her care home have said.
Ivy Bean, from Bradford, acquired over 56,000 followers on the popular micro-blogging service.
Pat Wright, manager of Hillside Manor where Ms Bean lived, broke the news on her Twitter feed.
Ms Bean joined the site in 2008, one year after she registered on Facebook. She soon attracted attention for being the oldest "tweeter".
Her celebrity followers included singer Peter Andre, Chris Evans and ex-p... |
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28
July 2010 |
Amazon.com is listing its bestselling Kindle e-reader as "temporarily out of stock." Since its June price cut, sales of the Kindle have apparently accelerated. Amazon could also be preparing a new version of the Kindle to compete with the Apple iPad.
Amazon.com's Kindle page currently lists the bestselling e-reader as "temporarily out of stock," with no word on its future availability. While the Kindle's recent price drop could have sparked an unexpected customer rush, the possibility exists that the onl... |
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26
July 2010 |
iSuppli Corp, a leading market research firm, has said that ATT's (News - Alert) recent decision to implement broadband caps and charge extra fees for heavy data usage on wireless devices can act as a barrier to emerging competition from Internet TV.
Last month, ATT discontinued its old phone plan which allowed subscribers unlimited Internet access. ATT is seeking to limit the intensive data usage of smart phones such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone (News - Alert), as well as the new Apple iPad tablet. iSuppli ... |
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23
July 2010 |
Google has been asked by a 38-state coalition in the US to provide more information on the search giant's collection of data from Wi-Fi connections during its Street View road trips.
Attorney General for the State of Connecticut Richard Blumenthal, a leading member of the coalition, threatened to take legal action against Google if "complete, comprehensive answers" are not given.
The coalition has written to Google, asking whether the Street View software was tested before use.
Trialling the softwa... |
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21
July 2010 |
Microsoft may have a tough time fixing the Windows shortcut vulnerability, a security researcher said today.
A noted vulnerability expert, however, disagreed, and said Microsoft could deliver a patch within two weeks.
"The way Windows' shortcuts are designed is flawed, and I think they will have a very hard time patching this," said Roel Schouwenberg, an antivirus researcher with Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab.
Schouwenberg based his prediction that a patch may prove elusive on the fact that Microsoft ... |
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