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Botnet

Submission + - Flame: The latest Stuxnet-level Malware (bbc.com)

Submitted by IsochronousJitter
IsochronousJitter writes: Kaspersky Labs reveal the existence of a Stuxnet-level malware that has been tapping into individuals, businesses, academic institutions, and goverment systems in Iran, Israel, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt since 2010. "The geography of the targets and also the complexity of the threat leaves no doubt about it being a nation-state that sponsored the research that went into it," Mr Kamluk said.
China

Submission + - Backdoor Found in China-Made US Military Chip 5

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "Information Age reports that the Cambridge University researchers have discovered that a microprocessor used by the US military but made in China contains secret remote access capability, a secret "backdoor" that means it can be shut off or reprogrammed without the user knowing. The "bug" is in the actual chip itself, rather than the firmware installed on the devices that use it. This means there is no way to fix it than to replace the chip altogether. "The discovery of a backdoor in a military grade chip raises some serious questions about hardware assurance in the semiconductor industry," writes Cambridge University researcher Sergei Skorobogatov. "It also raises some searching questions about the integrity of manufacturers making claims about [the] security of their products without independent testing." The unnamed chip, which the researchers claim is widely used in military and industrial applications, is "wide open to intellectual property theft, fraud and reverse engineering of the design to allow the introduction of a backdoor or Trojan", Does this mean that the Chinese have control of our military information infrastructure asks Rupert Goodwins? "No: it means that one particular chip has an undocumented feature. An unfortunate feature, to be sure, to find in a secure system — but secret ways in have been built into security systems for as long as such systems have existed.""
Microsoft

Submission + - Startup Saves $100,000 by NOT supporting Internet Explorer (internetnews.com) 2

Submitted by darthcamaro
darthcamaro writes: Guess what — you don't have to support Microsoft's IE web browser any more to build a successful website. In fact, you might just be able to save yourself a pile of cash if you avoid IE altogether. That's the story in Canada's National Post today and to make this even sweeter — no one complained about the lack of IE support either.
NASA

Submission + - Skylon - proof the UK has guts to deliver on space tourism (aerospace-technology.com)

Submitted by
NRidigital Ed
NRidigital Ed writes: "The UK could harness a massive chunk of the space tourism market, if it is willing to back build a spaceport, a major IoD report has unveiled.

But does the country have enough experience, ambition or guts to go through with such an out of this world scheme? A project called Skylon, already in the works, suggests that the answer is an emphatic yes.

Skylon is an unmanned reusable cargo spacecraft being designed by UK-based Reaction Engines (REL) for the UK Space Agency (UKSA). The remotely controlled spaceplane will be derived from the HOTOL spacecraft that was launched in 1982.

The unmanned craft can transport 12,000kg of freight to the International Space Station (ISS). It is currently in the proof-of-concept phase and the total cost of its development programme is estimated to be $12bn."
Hardware

Submission + - "Inexact" chips save power by fudging the maths (pcpro.co.uk)

Submitted by Barence
Barence writes: Computer scientists have unveiled a computer chip that turns traditional thinking about mathematical accuracy on its head by fudging calculations. The concept works by allowing processing components — such as hardware for adding and multiplying numbers — to make a few mistakes, which means they are not working as hard so use less power and get through tasks more quickly. The Rice University researchers say prototypes are 15 times more efficient and could be used in some applications without having a negative effect.
Politics

Submission + - A 4000mph Train From D.C. To Beijing In 2 Hrs (singularityhub.com)

Submitted by
kkleiner
kkleiner writes: "Evacuated Tube Transport, or ETT, combines the efficiency of maglev trains, already in use in Europe and Asia, with the efficiency of moving through an airless environment. Not only does ETT lack an engine – and a need for fossil fuel propulsion – but because it can glide along almost indefinitely through the vacuum it takes full advantage of Newton’s age-old “an object in motion stays in motion.” If ETT does see the light of day it is estimated to travel at a top speed of 4,000 mph, fast enough to go from Washington DC to Beijing in just two hours."
Ubuntu

Submission + - Ubuntu 12.04 LTS out - Unity gets a second chance (aboutlinux.info)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: So how does Ubuntu Precise Pangolin (12.04) fare ? I will say exceptionally well. Unity is not the same ugly duckling it was made out to be. In Ubuntu 12.04, it has transformed into a beautiful swan. As Ubuntu 12.04 is a long term release, the Ubuntu team has pulled all stops to make sure the user experience is positive.

Ubuntu 12.04 aka Precise Pangolin is definitely worthy of running on your machine.
Android

Submission + - Cybercriminals exploit Björk's Biophilia app to compromise Androids (symantec.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The crocked Russians who put out fake versions of Angry Bird Space and Instagram for Android last week have competition. Bipphilia, an musical experiment by Bjork into the world of apps has been ported to Android as a Trojan. To make things worst, last year at the launch of the app, Bjork was quoted in an interviewing inviting pirates/hackers to attempt to port her code over from iPhone to other platforms.

Submission + - TSA screeners charged in LA drug trafficking probe (cbsnews.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Duane Eleby, a suspected drug courier, was all set to sneak 10 pounds of cocaine through a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport last February with the help of a former Transportation Security Administration employee and a screener. Eleby, however, bungled the plan by going to the wrong terminal and was arrested after another TSA screener found the cocaine, which set in motion a series of undercover operations that led to Wednesday's announcement that two former and current TSA employees had been indicted on federal drug trafficking and bribery charges.
Science

Submission + - Organics can't match conventional farm yields (nature.com)

Submitted by scibri
scibri writes: A comprehensive analysis published in Nature (abstract) suggests that organic farming could supply needs in some circumstances. But yields are lower than in conventional farming, so producing the bulk of the globe’s diet will still require chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

The meta-analysis reviewed 66 studies comparing the yields of 34 different crop species in organic and conventional farming systems. The researchers included only studies that assessed the total land area used, allowing them to compare crop yields per unit area. Many previous studies that have showed large yields for organic farming ignore the size of the area planted — which is often bigger than in conventional farming.

Crop yields from organic farming are as much as 34% lower than those from comparable conventional farming practices, though in some cases, notably with strawberries and soybeans, the gap is as small as 3%.
Math

Submission + - How Windows FreeCell Gave Rise To Online Crowdsourcing (gameological.com)

Submitted by TPIRman
TPIRman writes: In 1994, a physics doctoral student named Dave Ring assembled more than 100 math and puzzle enthusiasts on Usenet for what became one of the earliest online 'crowdsourcing' projects. Their goal: to determine if every hand in Windows' FreeCell solitaire game was in fact winnable, as the program's help file implied. Their efforts soon focused in on one incredibly stubborn hand: #11,982. They couldn't beat it, but in the process of trying, they proved the viability of an idea that would later be refined with crowdsourcing models like Amazon's Mechanical Turk.
Intel

Submission + - Expect "hundreds" of thunderbolt devices, says Intel (pcauthority.com.au)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Thunderbolt ports have been spotted on a PC motherboard, but the reality is that the technology is far from mainstream outside of Apple products. Which is why it is interesting to hear Intel predict that "a hundred" Thunderbolt devices are expected to be on the market by the end of the year. The comment was made this week at Intel's presentation at IDF in Beijing. Ultrabooks with Thunderbolt are expected to appear this year.

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