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Google

Submission + - Google Confirms Services Blocked in China (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Google confirmed a dropoff in traffic to its sites in China on Friday, echoing an online report that the company's services are being blocked there. All Google services are inaccessible in China, according to the Google Transparency Report, which monitors traffic to the company's sites around the globe. The website Greatfire.org, which tracks Internet access in China, also reported that Google sites and searches were being blocked there. 'We've checked and there's nothing wrong on our end,' wrote a Google spokeswoman in an email to Computerworld. As of 5 p.m. ET Friday, (6 a.m. in Beijing) the blockage had been going on for 12 hours. Industry watchers will keep an eye on China to see what happens when its citizens wake up and attempt to go online to check their Gmail accounts or perform Google searches. This latest blockage comes as China is ushering in a change in its government. Every 10 years, China holds its Communist Party Congress, which is focused on appointing new leadership. The 18th Party Congress began on Thursday."
Windows

Submission + - Vupen Claims 'Remote Code Execution' on Windows 8 (csoonline.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Vupen, a security company in the business of selling zero-day vulnerabilities, said Friday that it has found a way to bypass security mechanisms on Windows 8 and execute code via a Web page. Vupen CEO Chaouki Bekrar told CSO Online that the company's researchers had found 'multiple vulnerabilities' in Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10, the latest version of Microsoft's operating system and Web browser. 'We have researched and discovered multiple vulnerabilities in Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10 that we have combined together to achieve a full remote code execution via a Web page which bypasses the new exploit-mitigation technologies included in Win8,' he said. Wolfgang Kandek, CTO of Qualys, said the fact that Vupen had to chain vulnerabilities was an indication of how well Microsoft has bolstered security in Windows 8. To exploit such a collection of bugs would take considerable skill. Nevertheless, the fact that it was done reminds the industry that Windows is unlikely to ever be bulletproof. 'We've not reached the point where the product is perfect, but that's probably not reachable anyway,' Kandek said."
Hardware

Submission + - Past and Future: The Evolution of the Computer Keyboard (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: As anyone who's typed on a virtual keyboard — or yelled at a voice-control app like Siri — can attest, no current text input holds a candle to a traditional computer keyboard. From the reed switch keyboards of the early '70s to the buckling spring key mechanism that drove IBM's popular PC keyboards for years to ThinTouch technology that will have about half the travel of a MacBook Air's keys, the technology that drove data entry for decades isn't likely to go anyone anytime soon. Computerworld takes a look back on five decades of keyboard development and where it's likely to go in the future.
Security

Submission + - Feds Warn as Insecure Industrial Systems Attract Hacktivists (csoonline.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Security researchers fed up with what they see as the glacial pace with which vendors fix holes in industrial control systems have exposed vulnerabilities that raised concerns among federal officials. The latest security weaknesses, as well as troubling trends in the hacker underground, led the Department of Homeland Security to warn late last week of an increasing security risk to the control systems used by power utilities, water treatment plants and manufacturing. Friday's warning stemmed from a report of a vulnerability found in ICS equipment sold by 261 manufacturers. Researchers with security vendor Digital Bond reported that Smart Software Solutions' CoDeSys product lets anyone upload code without authentication. The software is used in programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which are computers used in control systems to automate tasks. Dale Peterson, chief executive for Digital Bond, said 3S designed the product without authentication, so the vendor knew about the vulnerability. 'They chose to design the product that way,' Peterson said Monday. Digital Bond, along with researchers from other organizations, have embarked on a research effort called Project Basecamp that is dedicated to exposing security weaknesses in ICS devices in order to prod manufacturers into fixing the problems. Many of the systems were built before the Internet was introduced in networks that also contain control systems. 'We call these insecure-by-design issues,' Peterson said. 'These PLCs that run power plants, oil pipelines and things like that were designed with no security in them and that's been allowed to continue.'"
Cellphones

Submission + - 48-Core Intel Chip Could Redefine Smartphones, Tablets (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Intel researchers are working on a 48-core processor for smartphones and tablets, but it could be five to 10 years before it hits the market. Having a 48-core chip in a small mobile device would open up a whole new world of possibilities. 'If we're going to have this technology in five to 10 years, we could finally do things that take way too much processing power today,' said analyst Patrick Moorhead. 'This could really open up our concept of what is a computer... The phone would be smart enough to not just be a computer but it could be my computer.' Enric Herrero, a research scientist at Intel Labs in Barcelona, explained that with the prototype chip someone could, for instance, be encrypting an email while also working on other power-intensive apps at the same time — without hiccups. Same for HD video. Intel's Tanausu Ramirez said it could also boost battery life. 'The chip also can take the energy and split it up and distribute it between different applications,' he said. Justin Rattner, Intel's CTO, told Computerworld that a 48-core chip for small mobile devices could hit the market 'much sooner' than the researchers' 10-year prediction."
Security

Submission + - Kaspersky's Exploit-Proof OS Leaves Security Experts Skeptical (csoonline.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Eugene Kaspersky, the $800-million Russian cybersecurity tycoon, is, by his own account, out to 'save the world' with an exploit-proof operating system. Given the recent declarations from U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and others that the nation is facing a 'digital Pearl Harbor' or 'digital 9/11' from hostile nation states like Iran, this sounds like the impossible dream come true — the cyber version of a Star Wars force field. But on this side of that world in need of saving, the enthusiasm is somewhat tempered. One big worry: source. 'The real question is, do you trust the people who built your system? The answer had better be yes,' said Gary McGraw, CTO of Cigital. Kaspersky's products are among the top ranked worldwide, are used by an estimated 300 million people and are embraced by U.S. companies like Microsoft, Cisco and Juniper Networks. But while he considers himself at some level a citizen of the world, he has close ties to Russian intelligence and Vladimir Putin. Part of his education and training was sponsored by the KGB, he is a past Soviet intelligence officer (some suspect he has not completely retired from that role) and he is said have a 'deep and ongoing relationship with Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB,' the successor to the KGB and the agency that operates the Russian government's electronic surveillance network."
Security

Submission + - Expert Fingers DDoS Toolkit Used in Bank Cyberattacks (csoonline.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Cyberattackers who disrupted the websites of U.S. banks over the last two weeks used a highly sophisticated toolkit — a finding that points to a well-funded operation, one security vendor says. Prolexic Technologies said the distributed denial of service (DDoS) toolkit called 'itsoknoproblembro' was used against some of the banks which included Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, PNC Bank, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase. Each of the banks was struck on separate days. The attackers, who called themselves Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters, claimed to be hacktivists angry over YouTube video trailers made in the U.S. that denigrated the Prophet Muhammad. Security vendors have questioned the attackers' claims, saying the assaults were far more sophisticated than those launched by typical hacktivists, a term used to describe hackers who target websites in the name of a political or social cause. Prolexic's findings bolstered that belief. The toolkit is capable of simultaneously attacking components of a website's infrastructure and application layers, flooding the targets with sustained traffic peaking at 70 gigabits per second. In addition, Prolexic found that traffic signatures were unusually complex and therefore difficult to reroute away from the targets."
Windows

Submission + - Microsoft Co-founder Dings Windows 8 as 'Puzzling, Confusing' (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has called Windows 8 'puzzling' and 'confusing initially,' but assured users that they would eventually learn to like the new OS. Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975, left the company in 1983 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. In a post to his personal blog on Tuesday — strangely titled in the third person as, 'Paul's take on Windows 8,' Allen said he has been running Windows 8 Release Preview — the public sneak peak Microsoft shipped May 31 — on both a traditional desktop as well as on a Samsung 700T tablet, designed for Windows 7. 'I did encounter some puzzling aspects of Windows 8,' Allen wrote, and said the dual, and dueling user interfaces (UIs), were confusing. 'The bimodal user experience can introduce confusion, especially when two versions of the same application — such as Internet Explorer — can be opened and run simultaneously,' Allen said."
Data Storage

Submission + - HDD vs. SSD: Is Solid State Finally Worth the Money? (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Three years ago, Lucas Mearian compared hard-disk drives to solid-state drives (SSDs) based on capacity, performance and cost. A lot has changed. Operating systems like Windows 7 have been optimized to take advantage of SSD I/O performance. SSDs today are far more reliable, have greater endurance and perform far better than in 2009. There are also new SSD categories. However, the biggest change has been on price. In 2009, SSDs cost around $3 per gigabyte. That meant a 120GB SSD cost you more than $300 — nearly half the cost of a laptop. Today, however, SSDs in many cases cost less than $1 per gigabyte. Of course, hard drive prices have also plummeted. These days, you can pick up a 7200rpm, 1TB laptop hard drive for a little more than $100. But while they may never beat out hard drives in price, SSDs will always have one major advantage: No moving parts. Mearian compares three drives — full SSD, standard HD, and a hybrid model — to get to the bottom of the bang for the buck-question. Bottom line: 'I recommended an SSD in 2009. Now, in 2012, I do it with even more enthusiasm.'"
Chrome

Submission + - As Chrome Turns 4, Google's Browser in Flux (computerworld.com) 1

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "As Google touted Chrome's fourth launch anniversary on Tuesday, a pair of Web measurement firms continued to argue about whether the browser is still gaining ground or has stalled. Net Applications says Chrome's share of all browsers grew by a quarter of a percentage point to 19.1% in August, returning Chrome to a mark it set in December 2011 but still off its peak of 19.6% in May 2012. Meanwhile, rival StatCounter pegged Chrome on a downward slope for August, saying the browser lost two-tenths of a point to slip to 33.6%. What's most striking about the figures was that they were contrary to each firm's longer-running trends. August was the first time in almost four years that StatCounter put a negative number in Chrome's change column. The two analytics companies' dispute over Chrome's rise — or fall — is the latest line in a chorus of bickering over which delivers the more accurate usage estimates, an argument that grew heated in June after StatCounter claimed Chrome had slipped past Microsoft's IE to take the poll position in the race for the world's most-used browser."
Apple

Submission + - Hacking the Apple II at KansasFest (computerworld.com)

Submitted by CWmike
CWmike writes: The Apple II computer celebrated its 35th birthday this year at KansasFest, an annual convention dedicated to Apple Computer's first product. Held this year July 17-22 in Kansas City, Mo., KansasFest is host to HackFest, a contest in which retrocomputing enthusiasts are challenged to make the machine do things it was never designed to do. All programs must be written start-to-finish while at KansasFest and must run on a real Apple II. Judges value creativity, effort and "coolness" over function and utility. Computerworld's Ken Gagne highlights the best of what came out of the challenge.
Apple

Submission + - Apple Seeks to Block Eight Samsung Products After Win (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Apple asked a U.S. court to block sales of eight Samsung Electronics products on Monday, following the iPhone maker's victory in a patent lawsuit against Samsung on Friday. In a filing to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple asked for preliminary injunctions against seven smartphones carrying its Galaxy brand, plus the Droid Charge. It based the requests on a jury's ruling on Friday that Samsung had infringed several Apple patents. Apple said it wants the preliminary injunction pending a final injunction. Apple's requested injunction would cover the Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S2 AT&T, Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Galaxy S2 T-Mobile, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G, Galaxy S Showcase, Galaxy Prevail and Droid Charge."
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Will FaceTime on iPhone 5 Crash LTE Networks? (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Are the nation's LTE wireless carriers prepared for the video chat data crunch expected to come with the next-generation iPhone and other devices that are expected to launch this fall? The answer: It depends on whom you ask. Both AT&T and Verizon Wireless decline to say whether they are ready for the data crunch. Over the summer, both carriers introduced data sharing plans that analysts believe were timed to help limit a surge in heavy data use expected — especially with the use of Apple's FaceTime, which as of the forthcoming iOS 6 will be available for cellular network use, instead of just over Wi-Fi. 'If I were a carrier, I'd be rather frightened by FaceTime,' said analyst Jack Gold. 'If everybody used FaceTime, bandwidth would go up dramatically, and the user experience would go down.' AT&T has come under fire in recent days for announcing plans to require users to sign up for a Mobile Share data plan in order to conduct FaceTime video chats over its current 3G and future cellular networks. Michael Howard, an analyst at Infonetics, said carriers are prepared for FaceTime on LTE — 'for the most part. There is a small chance that some areas in some city might get hit with some slowdowns, but I doubt the traffic upsurge due to FaceTime will add any major factor like the unexpected surges of the initial iPhone rollouts.' Other say we will just have to wait and see."
Security

Submission + - Shamoon Malware Cripples Windows PCs To Cover Tracks (computerworld.com)

Submitted by CWmike
CWmike writes: A new Trojan horse tries to covers its tracks by crippling the victim's computer after stealing data, a security researcher said on Friday. Dubbed 'Shamoon' by most antivirus companies, the malware has been used in targeted attacks aimed at specific individuals or firms, including at least one in the energy sector. The Israeli security company Seculert said Shamoon relies on a one-two punch, first taking control of a system connected to the Internet before spreading to other PCs on an organization's network. The second stage — which kicks off after the malware has done its dirty work — overwrites files and the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the machine. The latter makes the PC unbootable. 'They are looking for ways to cover their tracks,' Aviv Raff, CTO and co-founder of Seculert, told Computerworld on Friday.
Data Storage

Submission + - IBM Makes Spintronics Memory Breakthrough (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "In a paper set to be published this week in the scientific journal Nature, IBM researchers are claiming a huge breakthrough in spintronics, a technology that could significantly boost capacity and lower power use of memory and storage devices. Spintronics, short for 'spin transport electronics,' uses the natural spin of electrons within a magnetic field in combination with a read/write head to lay down and read back bits of data on semiconductor material. By changing an electron's axis in an up or down orientation — all relative to the space in which it exists — physicists are able to have it represent bits of data. For example, an electron on an upward axis is a one; and an electron on a downward axis is a zero. Spintronics has long faced an intrinsic problem because electrons have only held an 'up or down' orientation for 100 picoseconds. A picosecond is one trillionth of a second [one thousandth of a nanosecond.] One hundred picoseconds is not enough time for a compute cycle, so transistors cannot complete a compute function and data storage is not persistent. In the study published in Nature, IBM Research and the Solid State Physics Laboratory at ETH Zurich announced they had found a way to synchronize electrons, which could extend their spin lifetime by 30 times to 1.1 nanoseconds, the time it takes for a 1 GHz processor to cycle."

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