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Security

Submission + - Open Source Smart Meter Hacking Framework Released (securityweek.com)

Submitted by wiredmikey
wiredmikey writes: A researcher specializing in smart grids has released an open-source tool designed to assess the security of smart meters. Dubbed “Termineter”, the framework would allow users, such as grid operators and administrators, to test smart meters for vulnerabilities.

Termineter uses the serial port connection that interacts with the meter's optical infrared interface to give the user access to the smart meter's inner workings. The user interface is much like the interface used by the Metasploit penetration testing framework. It relies on modules to extend its testing capabilities.

Spencer McIntyre, a member of SecureState's Research and Innovation Team, is scheduled to demonstrate Termineter in a session "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Smart Meter," at Security B-Sides Vegas on July 25. The Termineter Framework can be downloaded here.

Comment Re:IAU? Haste? No way. (Score 1) 275

by FunkDup (#40658795) Attached to: Is Pluto a Binary Planet?

They don't actually move the books around, but they rename the aisles, recategorize things, and generally make a massive mess of it all.

Astronomical knowledge is evolving quite a bit faster than the rest of the library. I'm not necessarily saying that any IAU decisions are correct but I don't see anything fundamentally wrong with recategorizing. Isn't it that a hallmark of the intelligent?

Comment Re:"first they ignore you" (Score 1) 610

by FunkDup (#40611799) Attached to: Steve Ballmer: We Won't Be Out-Innovated By Apple Anymore

Um, have you any experience with dealing with Microsoft or even read any articles about how it's managed?

Perhaps you're not familiar with spinoffs. The whole idea is to get promising technology and develop it outside of the companies normal structure.

Don't be fooled by the UID, I never commented much in the eraly days and I lost my first (unused) account. Over the thirteen years I've perused these pages I've come to know Microsoft well.
The Internet

Submission + - Astro-turfing claim hits PC component vendors (atomicmpc.com.au)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: There is a mighty grudge match in the PC hardware world which is heating up. This Atomic article discusses negative posts popping up in forums and slinging mud at Gigabyte motherboards, particularly the Z77X-UD5H. Most of the slinging is simply link-sharing to poor reviews or customer complaints, but there are a few claims of dodgy pricing and poor review practice thrown in. Atomic claims the posts are a case of astro-turfing.
Windows

Submission + - Visual Studio Express is Alive and Well (wordpress.com) 1

Submitted by
talbott
talbott writes: "Visual Studio Express is Alive and Well. I had to write this blog post after reading Peter Bright’s post on Ars Technica called "No-cost desktop software development is dead on Windows 8: You won’t be able to use the free Visual Studio Express to develop desktop apps". In Peter’s article he slams Microsoft by saying that "Redmond has decided not only that Visual Studio Express users should have the ability to develop Metro-style applications: they should have no other choice." This is quite an exaggeration since Microsoft still has 6 versions of Visual Studio Express available for download for building Windows 8 desktop applications (VB 2008 and 2010 Express, Visual C# 2008 and 2010 Express, and Visual C++ 2008 and 2010 Express). Students don't have to develop applications for Metro, they can use the many free IDE's including the 11 from Microsoft and dozens from other companies to build applications either web, desktop, mobile, or whatever for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8."
Australia

Submission + - Australia drops second Google investigation (zdnet.com.au)

Submitted by joshgnosis
joshgnosis writes: The Australian Privacy Commissioner has decided against investigating Google a second time over the collection of Wi-Fi payload data in Google's Street View cars.

Despite a damning FCC report released last month claiming that senior manager within Google were aware that a "rogue" engineer was working on the project on the side, he said a second investigation wouldn't yield any new results.

"I have decided not to open another investigation into Google Street View," he said in a statement. "In reaching this decision, I have considered the FCC's report and don't consider that a new investigation would reveal any information that would change our original finding."
Portables

Submission + - LTE integrated quad-core CPUs on the horizon (pcauthority.com.au)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Around the world, astute watchers of the smartphone market have noticed that despite “quad-core” CPUs rapidly becoming the norm, there is a noticeable absence of quad-core 4G phones. At the moment there are no handsets on the market that combine the highest CPU speeds with the highest network speeds. “Flagship” quad core phones like the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S3 all have dual core versions for their 4G options. As this article explains, battery life issues are partly to blame. One of the big issues comes from the fact that there are no quad-core processors with integrated LTE chips — something that would vastly improve battery life. Both Qualcomm and Nvidia make LTE radios and quad-core processors, but the two haven’t been paired on the die as of yet, although this is being worked on.
Android

Submission + - Ask Slashdot- Secure Android phone? 3

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: I'm in charge of getting some phones for my company to give to our mobile reps. Security is a major consideration for us so I'm looking for the most secure off the shelf solution for this. I'd like to encrypt all data on the phone and use encryption for txt and phone calls. There are a number of apps in the android market that claim to do this but how can I trust them? For example, I tested one but it requires a lot of permissions such as internet access, how do I know it is not actually some kind of backdoor? I know that Boeing is producing a secure phone which is no doubt good but probably too expensive for us. I was thinking of maybe installing Cyanogenmod onto something, using a permissions management app to try and lock down some backdoors and searching out a trustworthy text and phone encryption app. Any good ideas out there? I know that Boeing is producing a secure phone which is no doubt good but probably too expensive for us. I was thinking of maybe installing Cyanogenmod onto something, using a permissions management app to try and lock down some backdoors and searching out a trustworthy text and phone encryption app. Any good ideas out there?
NASA

Submission + - Intelsat Signs Launch Contract with SpaceX (spacex.com)

Submitted by jamstar7
jamstar7 writes: Following the success of the Falcon9/Dragon resupply test to the ISS comes the following announcement:

Washington, DC / Hawthorne, CA May 29, 2012 — Today, Intelsat, the world's leading provider of satellite services, and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), the world's fastest growing space launch company, announced the first commercial contract for the Falcon Heavy rocket.

"SpaceX is very proud to have the confidence of Intelsat, a leader in the satellite communication services industry," said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer. "The Falcon Heavy has more than twice the power of the next largest rocket in the world. With this new vehicle, SpaceX launch systems now cover the entire spectrum of the launch needs for commercial, civil and national security customers."

As of yet, the Falcon Heavy hasn't flown, but all the parts have been tested. Essentially an upgunned Falcon 9 with strapon boosters, the Heavy has lift capability second only to the Saturn 5. Already scheduled for 4 Falcon Heavy launches for the US Air Force this year, the Intelsat contract represents the true dawn of the commercial space age.
NASA

Submission + - Nasa team finds a (possible) new test for osteoporosis (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The BBC has an article about scientists at NASA who believe that they have found a new test that can osteoporosis earlier than existing tests. Their test involved having healthy volunteers confined to bed rest for 30 days; "the technique was able to detect bone loss after as little as one week of bed rest". Bone loss is an issue for astronauts as well as people affected by osteoporosis. They expect this test will help detect bone loss as a symptom of osteoporosis, but have not yet done a trial to confirm this. Another point against anyone who claims NASA, and going to space in general, is a complete waste of money.
Security

Submission + - Researchers discover major cyber-weapon targeting Middle-East (techworld.com)

Submitted by concertina226
concertina226 writes: Experts know that there is undoubtedly more cyber-malware out there than has yet been found and now they have a new name to add to a small but infamous list, Worm.Win32.Flame, or plain ‘Flame’ (or 'Flamer' or SkyWiper) for short.

What is Flame and what does it do? Kaspersky describes it as an “attack toolkit”, which means that it has enough components to do anything and everything it wants to, from opening a backdoor, deploying Trojans with various purposes and then spreading like a worm.

“Once a system is infected, Flame begins a complex set of operations, including sniffing the network traffic, taking screenshots, recording audio conversations, intercepting the keyboard, and so on,” said Kaspersky Lab researcher, Alexander Gostev, underlining Flame’s apparent data-stealing design.
XBox (Games)

Submission + - Minecraftthe fastest selling arcader game ever. (xboxlivearcader.com)

Submitted by
xboxlivearcader
xboxlivearcader writes: "Minecraft has become some what of a phenomenon on the PC over the past few years, and has build up some what of a cult following. So it's no surprise that when Minecraft was released on Xbox 360 in May, it became the fastest selling Arcade game of all time. What makes Minecraft so good, I mean you are in a world of blocks and all you have to do is build stuff, there are no Levels no story, nothing. But Minecraft just is an awesome game, as long as you have an imagination you will play minecraft as the scale of what you can build is crazy. Minecraft the xbox 360 edition received rave reviews when it was launched back in may. Are you part of this cult following?"

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