Submission + - Xbox 360 Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
An anonymous reader writes: SecurityFocus BugTraq has a post about an Xbox360 Hypervisor Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
From the article: We have discovered a vulnerability in the Xbox 360 hypervisor that allows privilege escalation into hypervisor mode. Together with a method to inject data into non-privileged memory areas, this vulnerability allows an attacker with physical access to an Xbox 360 to run arbitrary code such as alternative operating systems with full privileges and full hardware access.
I like the comment by the OP (from a sun.com email address)
From the article: We have discovered a vulnerability in the Xbox 360 hypervisor that allows privilege escalation into hypervisor mode. Together with a method to inject data into non-privileged memory areas, this vulnerability allows an attacker with physical access to an Xbox 360 to run arbitrary code such as alternative operating systems with full privileges and full hardware access.
I like the comment by the OP (from a sun.com email address)
Submission + - Is GNU/Linux for you? Probably not
FranklinDelanoBluth writes: Sam Varghese has an article at iTWire about why Linux may not be for you: either at work or at home. The article includes this special shoutout to /. folk:
Though I personally think his reasoning might be a bit circular (e.g. the argument that Windows-only apps are a reason not to change, but if no one ever switches to GNU/Linux, no GNU/Linux apps will be developed...), he does make some interesting points about the guilt that many of us may feel when we aren't able to use Linux as a primary OS.
From time to time, it is not uncommon to encounter a confession on the net, a bleating essay that says "I can't run Linux, though I'd love to", and advances a host of assorted "reasons" for this act of commission.
Nine times out of ten, this kind of tripe ends up being linked off a dozen or so so-called technology websites, and Linux fanbois begin to vent. The site where one is most likely to find this kind of "I love Linux but I can't use it for no fault of my own" rubbish is the American website Slashdot.
Nine times out of ten, this kind of tripe ends up being linked off a dozen or so so-called technology websites, and Linux fanbois begin to vent. The site where one is most likely to find this kind of "I love Linux but I can't use it for no fault of my own" rubbish is the American website Slashdot.
Though I personally think his reasoning might be a bit circular (e.g. the argument that Windows-only apps are a reason not to change, but if no one ever switches to GNU/Linux, no GNU/Linux apps will be developed...), he does make some interesting points about the guilt that many of us may feel when we aren't able to use Linux as a primary OS.
Submission + - NASA, Virgin Galactic sign co-op agreement
Nefarious Wheel writes: MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — NASA officials signed a memorandum of
understanding Tuesday with a U.S. company, Virgin Galactic, LLC, to
explore the potential for collaborations on the development of space
suits, heat shields for spaceships, hybrid rocket motors and
hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling five or more times the speed
of sound.
Full text follows:
Michael Mewhinney Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 650-604-3937/9000 Stephen Attenborough Virgin Galactic, LLC, New York +44 207-664-6030 RELEASE: 07-49 NASA, VIRGIN GALACTIC TO EXPLORE FUTURE COOPERATION MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — NASA officials signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with a U.S. company, Virgin Galactic, LLC, to explore the potential for collaborations on the development of space suits, heat shields for spaceships, hybrid rocket motors and hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling five or more times the speed of sound. Under the terms of the memorandum, NASA Ames Research Center, located in California's Silicon Valley, and Virgin Galactic LLC, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, will explore possible collaborations in several technical areas employing capabilities and facilities of NASA's Ames Research Center. "As we constantly seek to build upon the advances made by explorers who have come before us, we now embark upon an exciting time in space exploration history that realizes the unlimited opportunities presented by a commercial space economy," said Shana Dale, NASA's deputy administrator. "By encouraging such potential collaborations, NASA supports the development of greater commercial collaboration and applications that will serve to strengthen and enhance the future benefits of space exploration for all of mankind." Dale is a longtime supporter of commercial space development. As the former staff director of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, she was instrumental in the passage of the Commercial Space Act of 1998. This legislation encourages commercial space development in a variety of areas, including launch vehicles, the International Space Station and the acquisition of space and Earth science data. "This understanding with Virgin Galactic affords NASA an opportunity to work with an emerging company in the commercial human space transportation industry to support the agency's exploration, science and aeronautics mission goals," said S. Pete Worden, director of NASA Ames Research Center. "Our location in California's Silicon Valley provides a dynamic research and development platform for future potential collaborations with other such companies in support of a robust commercial space industry." "We are excited to be working with NASA and look forward to future collaborations in exploration and space travel," said Alex Tai, vice president of operations for Virgin Galactic. The agreement with Virgin Galactic was negotiated through NASA's Space Portal, a newly formed organization in the NASA Research Park at Ames, which seeks to engage new opportunities for NASA to promote the development of the commercial space economy. "This new type of private-public partnership can benefit the agency while helping to foster a new industry," said Dan Coughlin, NASA's lead for the Virgin Galactic agreement. The memorandum of understanding will be in effect for two years and stipulates that neither NASA nor Virgin Galactic will be required to pay any fees or provide funds to support the areas of possible collaboration. For information about NASA and agency programs, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/
Full text follows:
Michael Mewhinney Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 650-604-3937/9000 Stephen Attenborough Virgin Galactic, LLC, New York +44 207-664-6030 RELEASE: 07-49 NASA, VIRGIN GALACTIC TO EXPLORE FUTURE COOPERATION MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — NASA officials signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with a U.S. company, Virgin Galactic, LLC, to explore the potential for collaborations on the development of space suits, heat shields for spaceships, hybrid rocket motors and hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling five or more times the speed of sound. Under the terms of the memorandum, NASA Ames Research Center, located in California's Silicon Valley, and Virgin Galactic LLC, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, will explore possible collaborations in several technical areas employing capabilities and facilities of NASA's Ames Research Center. "As we constantly seek to build upon the advances made by explorers who have come before us, we now embark upon an exciting time in space exploration history that realizes the unlimited opportunities presented by a commercial space economy," said Shana Dale, NASA's deputy administrator. "By encouraging such potential collaborations, NASA supports the development of greater commercial collaboration and applications that will serve to strengthen and enhance the future benefits of space exploration for all of mankind." Dale is a longtime supporter of commercial space development. As the former staff director of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, she was instrumental in the passage of the Commercial Space Act of 1998. This legislation encourages commercial space development in a variety of areas, including launch vehicles, the International Space Station and the acquisition of space and Earth science data. "This understanding with Virgin Galactic affords NASA an opportunity to work with an emerging company in the commercial human space transportation industry to support the agency's exploration, science and aeronautics mission goals," said S. Pete Worden, director of NASA Ames Research Center. "Our location in California's Silicon Valley provides a dynamic research and development platform for future potential collaborations with other such companies in support of a robust commercial space industry." "We are excited to be working with NASA and look forward to future collaborations in exploration and space travel," said Alex Tai, vice president of operations for Virgin Galactic. The agreement with Virgin Galactic was negotiated through NASA's Space Portal, a newly formed organization in the NASA Research Park at Ames, which seeks to engage new opportunities for NASA to promote the development of the commercial space economy. "This new type of private-public partnership can benefit the agency while helping to foster a new industry," said Dan Coughlin, NASA's lead for the Virgin Galactic agreement. The memorandum of understanding will be in effect for two years and stipulates that neither NASA nor Virgin Galactic will be required to pay any fees or provide funds to support the areas of possible collaboration. For information about NASA and agency programs, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/
Submission + - Net Neutrality: The only sustainable solution
embraceinsanity writes: "Net neutrality is an issue that is unlikely to go away. As the internet matures the threat of corporate interference if not wholesale takeover through monopoly of the "wires" that connect us will increase rather than decrease. Despite the seeming success of the net neutrality proponents, legislation is not the solution. Not only will this result in a fee-fest for lawyers and lobbyists but it only addresses the problem in the US. Are we going to try and get every government in world to pass the same laws?
The best and only way to counter this threat is by owning the "wires" on a collective, open source style basis. The gist of the idea is outlined www.embraceinsanity.com
Slashdotters tear this idea apart to help us better understand the challenge ahead."
The best and only way to counter this threat is by owning the "wires" on a collective, open source style basis. The gist of the idea is outlined www.embraceinsanity.com
Slashdotters tear this idea apart to help us better understand the challenge ahead."
Submission + - Most Curious States of Equilibrium
Journal Journal: Can we have some good games now?
So, I saw on the Steam Powered Forums people requesting a ported version of Steam, so they could play their Windows favorites. I myself have been using wine, but you know how wine is. Tweaking, tinkering, tampering, learning to get it working.
Submission + - 3rd edition of TopDev: the Open Coding Contest
Chrystel COASSIN writes: "The third edition of the programming contest TopDev 2007 will take place on March 24th-25th 2007.
This contest is original by its independance from any languages. The winners will not be the fastest programmer, but the ones who will propose the greatest technical solution with the most complete documentation.("it's not a speed contest, upon an arithmetical problem").
Anyone can contest TopDev (students or professionals, alone or in pair,...). More than one thousand participants are expected for this world-wide contest. The previous edition gathered 750 concurrents from 65 countries.
A realistic and detailed business case is to be realized using any language (Java, PHP, C#, ASP.Net, Python) within only 60 hours, from home.
This contest is managed by a programmers association, independent from any programming software editors, in relation with the French Minister for Education and Research. A jury of professors of Universities (from U.S., Canada, France, Belgium, ...) decides on the winner.
For more information and Subscription : http://www.topdevone.com/"
This contest is original by its independance from any languages. The winners will not be the fastest programmer, but the ones who will propose the greatest technical solution with the most complete documentation.("it's not a speed contest, upon an arithmetical problem").
Anyone can contest TopDev (students or professionals, alone or in pair,...). More than one thousand participants are expected for this world-wide contest. The previous edition gathered 750 concurrents from 65 countries.
A realistic and detailed business case is to be realized using any language (Java, PHP, C#, ASP.Net, Python) within only 60 hours, from home.
This contest is managed by a programmers association, independent from any programming software editors, in relation with the French Minister for Education and Research. A jury of professors of Universities (from U.S., Canada, France, Belgium,
For more information and Subscription : http://www.topdevone.com/"
Submission + - Does Global Warming Cause C02?
StealthyRoid writes: "A documentary set to air on BBC-4 on Thursday, March 8, makes the claim that the global warming alarmist camp has got the relationship between increasing C02 levels and global warming exactly backwards: That an increase in the Earth's temperature is the cause of elevated C02, and the slight uptick in global average temperature that we've been seeing is the result of cosmological effects, not human interference. The documentary also claims that the attempted "fixes" for global warming demanded by the alarmist movement (massive energy output reductions, de-industrialization, etc...) are going to end up hurting poor nations to the point where they're condemned to life in the stone age."
Submission + - The Open Font Library Logo Competition Announced
Open Font Library writes: "The Open Font Library (OFL.o, www.openfontlibrary.org) is proud to announce the commencement of the Open Font Library Logo competition today, February 26, 2007. Artists and designers of all ranges are invited to make a logo to help identify the project. Judging will take place by contributors to the project, Alex Roberts (bovinity), Liftarn, and Zeimusu, who will select the winning logo. The last chance to submit submissions is March 14, 2007 at 11:59 PM PST. After that, the judges will select a logo within five days from the submission closing date.
Other guidelines on the contest include that all submissions must be dedicated to the public domain in the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format which may be edited in all major drawing application, like the free SVG editor Inkscape (www.inkscape.org). Also, contributors may upload as many submissions as they would like and optionally submit bitmap graphics showing how their logo might look on the site. The project is not wed to the current green color on the site, so please feel free to think of how the site should be colored around your submission.
The Open Font Library encourages all participants to join the Open Font Library mailing list to discuss this competition and to participate in the project. Also, for the time being, discussion about this project is happening on channel #openclipart on irc.freenode.net for any interested parties. While this competition is about creating a great logo, the project hopes to interest hopeful font designers and software developers in building up this project.
Join Mailing List
http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/open fontlibrary
About Open Font Library
The Open Font Library's (www.openfontlibrary.org) major goal is to create an archive of freely usable fonts for anyone to download. If this sounds familiar, its because it is newborn sister project to the Open Clip Art Library (www.openclipart.org). While the OFL.o's site is fresh, with few fonts, the goal is to build it up so that it can be useful to the free and open source communities (and world).
For More Information:
Please see http://openfontlibrary.org/?ccm=/OFLBLogo for details about this contest. It closes March 14 at 11:59 PM PST."
Other guidelines on the contest include that all submissions must be dedicated to the public domain in the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format which may be edited in all major drawing application, like the free SVG editor Inkscape (www.inkscape.org). Also, contributors may upload as many submissions as they would like and optionally submit bitmap graphics showing how their logo might look on the site. The project is not wed to the current green color on the site, so please feel free to think of how the site should be colored around your submission.
The Open Font Library encourages all participants to join the Open Font Library mailing list to discuss this competition and to participate in the project. Also, for the time being, discussion about this project is happening on channel #openclipart on irc.freenode.net for any interested parties. While this competition is about creating a great logo, the project hopes to interest hopeful font designers and software developers in building up this project.
Join Mailing List
http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/ope
About Open Font Library
The Open Font Library's (www.openfontlibrary.org) major goal is to create an archive of freely usable fonts for anyone to download. If this sounds familiar, its because it is newborn sister project to the Open Clip Art Library (www.openclipart.org). While the OFL.o's site is fresh, with few fonts, the goal is to build it up so that it can be useful to the free and open source communities (and world).
For More Information:
Please see http://openfontlibrary.org/?ccm=/OFLBLogo for details about this contest. It closes March 14 at 11:59 PM PST."
Microsoft "SiteFinder" Quietly Raking It In 176
An anonymous reader writes in with the news, which isn't particularly new, that Microsoft's Internet Explorer sends typo domain names to a page of pay-per-click ads. In this endeavor Microsoft joins Charter and Earthlink in profiting from the dubious practice that Verisign pioneered but failed to make stick. The article is on a site whose audience is, among others, those who attempt to profit by typo-squatting, and its tone is just a bit petulant because individuals cannot hope to profit in this game on the scale Microsoft effortlessly achieves.
Submission + - RFID Badges Flawed - They don't want you to know.
Spunky812 writes: CNET's news.com is reporting that "Security researchers have canceled a talk on the flaws of RFID-equipped building access badges after receiving legal threats from a major manufacturer". Looks like companies can threaten to sue you for pointing out that their product has a major flaw...
Submission + - Bad Usability Calendar 2007
Scott Falconer writes: "I think I'm going to put this up in the break room at work. Each month violates a specific design heuristic, but is presumably still usable.
Be aware though:
"Violating yet another usability guideline, the file is formatted to print on European-sized paper, and there doesn't seem to be a version designed for American paper sizes."
http://www.iallenkelhet.no/bad-usability-calendar- 2007-is-here"
Can Apple Penetrate the Corporation? 500
coondoggie sends us a NetworkWorld story on the prospects for Apple gaining market share in the corporation. A number of factors are helping to catch the eye of those responsible for upgrading desktops and servers, the article claims: "Apple's shift to the Intel architecture; the inclusion of infrastructure and interoperability hooks, such as directory services, in the Mac OS X Server; dual-boot capabilities; clustering and storage technology; third-party virtualization software; and comparison shopping, which is being fostered by migration costs and hardware overhauls associated with Microsoft's Vista." On this last point, one network admin is quoted: "The changes in Vista are significant enough that we think we can absorb the change going to Macs just as easily as going to Vista."
Submission + - A judge-compatible tool that enforces the GPL?
Dave Taylor writes: "Does there exist a tool that takes as inputs an arbitrary compiled executable and the source code to a GPL project, and that then compiles that GPL source down using different compilers and compiler versions, and then does all the clever machine language interpretation to figure out whether odds are high that sections of your source code has been ripped off?
If it does do this, is that tool's output enough for a judge to write a subpoena to see the source code of the executable in question to see if it violates the GPL?"
