Submission + - Finally an Elite sequel! (kickstarter.com)
TsukiKage writes: Frontier has announced it is kickstarting an Elite sequel. BBC news article at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20165344
Submission + - 3M's first LED bulb uses TV tech to appeal to lighting Luddites (extremetech.com)
An anonymous reader writes: One of the most exciting aspects of the advent of LED lighting has been the chance for companies to take unique approaches to how they want to solve the challenges presented by the shift in technology. Now 3M, a company not generally associated with light bulbs, has entered the LED market with its own novel design. The company developed an LED bulb that was able to take advantage of its experience in edge-lit TVs and LED backlighting. Rather than using a more conventional design, the Advanced Light — the company’s first home bulb — uses lightguides in order to distribute the light generated inside. This comes with some interesting advantages, most importantly a design that looks a lot like a conventional incandescent bulb and one that casts a similar light pattern.
Submission + - Skype Hand's Teenager's Information To Private Firm (www.nu.nl)
andrew3 writes: Skype has allegedly handed the information of a 16-year-old boy to a security firm. The information was later handed over to Dutch law enforcement. No court order was served for the disclosure. The teenager was suspected of being part of a DDoS packet flood as a part of the Anonymous 'Operation Payback'.
Submission + - How to spot a crap tech job (theregister.co.uk)
absolovon writes: All jobs are crap but some are worse than others, The Register has got a developer turned headhunter to come clean on how to dodge some of the bullets.
Submission + - New Jersey to Allow Voting by Email (arstechnica.com)
sl4shd0rk writes: In what could be quite possibly the most epic disaster outside of hurricane Sandy, New Jersey has decided to allow email voting in Tuesday's elections. With experts listing many of the ways this could possibly go wrong, it looks like email voting "may be the best of some bad options.". In TFA, it's mentioned voters may also opt to go to an alternative voting place in lieu of email voting.
Submission + - Apple suit vs. Google over patent rates dismissed (computerworld.com)
chill writes: A suit by Apple claiming that Motorola Mobility, now owned by Google, is seeking unreasonably high license fees for the use of patents on wireless technology has been thrown out by a judge in Madison, Wis.
Last week, Apple told the court it would pay up to $1 per device for a license to Motorola patents covering cellular and Wi-Fi technologies. Motorola Mobility was arguing for a royalty payment of 2.25 percent on each device.
Last week, Apple told the court it would pay up to $1 per device for a license to Motorola patents covering cellular and Wi-Fi technologies. Motorola Mobility was arguing for a royalty payment of 2.25 percent on each device.
Submission + - the worlds first anonymous general purpose operating system (sourceforge.net) 2
S414m4n63r writes: Whonix (called TorBOX or aos in past) is an anonymous general purpose operating system based on Virtual Box, Debian GNU/Linux and Tor. By Whonix design, IP and DNS leaks are impossible. Not even malware with root rights can find out the user's real IP/location.
This is because Whonix consists of two (virtual) machines. One machine solely runs Tor and acts as a gateway, which we call Whonix-Gateway. The other machine, which we call Whonix-Workstation, is on a completely isolated network. Only connections through Tor are possible.
This is because Whonix consists of two (virtual) machines. One machine solely runs Tor and acts as a gateway, which we call Whonix-Gateway. The other machine, which we call Whonix-Workstation, is on a completely isolated network. Only connections through Tor are possible.
Submission + - Too old to program anymore? Nonsense!
Esther Schindler writes: "Why is it that young developers imagine that older programmers can't program in a modern environment? Too many of us of a "certain age" are facing an IT work environment that is hostile to older workers.
Lately, Steven Vaughan-Nichols has been been noticing that the old meme about how grandpa can't understand iPhones, Linux, or the cloud is showing up more often even as it's becoming increasingly irrelevant. The truth is: Many older developers are every bit as good as young programmers, and he cites plenty of example of still-relevant geeks to prove it. And he writes, "Sadly, while that should have put an end to the idea that long hours are a fact of IT life, this remnant of our factory-line past lingers both in high tech and in other industries. But what really matters is who's productive and who's not.""
Lately, Steven Vaughan-Nichols has been been noticing that the old meme about how grandpa can't understand iPhones, Linux, or the cloud is showing up more often even as it's becoming increasingly irrelevant. The truth is: Many older developers are every bit as good as young programmers, and he cites plenty of example of still-relevant geeks to prove it. And he writes, "Sadly, while that should have put an end to the idea that long hours are a fact of IT life, this remnant of our factory-line past lingers both in high tech and in other industries. But what really matters is who's productive and who's not.""
Submission + - Windows RT uses almost 1/2 the storage on 32GB Surface Tablet
jigamo writes: Microsoft's newly released Surface tablets are available in 32 and 64 GB capacities. The company has disclosed how much of that space is available to the user. After taking into account Windows RT, Microsoft Office, built-in apps, and Windows recovery tools, nearly 13 GB of the available space is eliminated from user accessible storage. Microsoft's recommendations for adding additional capacity are to use cloud storage, a memory card, or a USB storage device.
Submission + - Google Doubts Apple Will Approve Its New Maps Application (ibtimes.com)
redletterdave writes: "Even though Apple's App Store has also been friendly enough to offer alternative mapping applications to ameliorate customers upset with Apple's new default Maps app, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company may not be so friendly as to approve a Maps app submission from Google, which used to be responsible for the Maps experience in iOS until the iPhone 5. On Monday, sources at Google familiar with its mapping plans said the chances of Apple approving a dedicated Google Maps app on iOS 6 are "not optimistic." Specifically, they pointed to the lack of any mapping app in the 'Find maps for your iPhone' section of the App Store — accessible only via iPhones or iPads — that use the Google Maps APIs to call wirelessly for location, routing or point-of-interest (POI) data."
Submission + - Coca-Cola hacked by Chinese and kept it a secret (networkworld.com)
colinneagle writes: In 2009, the FBI told Coca-Cola executives that hackers had broken into their computer systems and spent a month "pilfering sensitive files" about Coke's "attempted $2.4 billion acquisition of China Huiyuan Juice Group," Bloomberg reported. The Chinese hackers penetrated the network when the deputy president of Coca-Cola's Pacific Group, Paul Etchells, clicked on a malicious link in a targeted email.
The subject line on the email was "Save power is save money! (from CEO)," but after Etchell clicked the link supposedly from the chief executive officer, "malware was surreptitiously loaded onto his machine." It gave "hackers full access to Etchells's computer via the Internet, according to the internal report. They installed a keystroke logger, which captured everything the executive typed. Once in control of the computer, the hackers installed various other programs, gaining access to the company's corporate network and using Etchells's machine as a staging point to store and download data taken from other computers."
The subject line on the email was "Save power is save money! (from CEO)," but after Etchell clicked the link supposedly from the chief executive officer, "malware was surreptitiously loaded onto his machine." It gave "hackers full access to Etchells's computer via the Internet, according to the internal report. They installed a keystroke logger, which captured everything the executive typed. Once in control of the computer, the hackers installed various other programs, gaining access to the company's corporate network and using Etchells's machine as a staging point to store and download data taken from other computers."
Submission + - HP becomes a platinum member of the Linux Foundation (engadget.com)
who_stole_my_kidneys writes: "Snagging a first-class upgrade might empty out the contents of your wallet, but be glad you're not trying to buy your way to the Linux Foundation's top table. With a strategic investment of $500,000, Hewlett Packard has just become a platinum member of the body, alongside companies like Intel, Qualcomm and Samsung. In exchange for all that cash, HP gets a seat on the Foundation's board of directors and will have a say in how to advance the foundation's aims — and hopefully give Open webOS a gentle push, too."
Submission + - How To Cover Your Tracks Online (infoworld.com)
snydeq writes: "Steganography expert Peter Wayner discusses six techniques that help obscure the data and traces you leave online. 'The truth is, worrying about the trail of digital footprints and digital dustballs filled with our digital DNA is not just for raving paranoids. Sure, some leaks like the subtle variations in power consumed by our computers are only exploitable by teams of geniuses with big budgets, but many of the simpler ones are already being abused by identity thieves, blackmail artists, spammers, or worse.' What tools and techniques do you use to ensure greater privacy and better security of personal data on the Web?"
Submission + - Attack Steals Crypto Key from Co-Located Virtual Machines (threatpost.com)
Gunkerty Jeb writes: Side-channel attacks against cryptography keys have, until now, been limited to physical machines. Researchers have long made accurate determinations about crypto keys by studying anything from variations in power consumption to measuring how long it takes for a computation to complete.
A team of researchers from the University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin, and RSA Security has ramped up the stakes, having proved in controlled conditions that it’s possible to steal a crypto key from a virtual machine.
The implications for sensitive transactions carried out on public cloud infrastructures could be severe should an attacker land his malicious virtual machine on the same physical host as the victim. Research has already been conducted on how to map a cloud infrastructure and identify where a target virtual machine is likely to be.
A team of researchers from the University of North Carolina, University of Wisconsin, and RSA Security has ramped up the stakes, having proved in controlled conditions that it’s possible to steal a crypto key from a virtual machine.
The implications for sensitive transactions carried out on public cloud infrastructures could be severe should an attacker land his malicious virtual machine on the same physical host as the victim. Research has already been conducted on how to map a cloud infrastructure and identify where a target virtual machine is likely to be.
Submission + - OLPC has success in Ethiopia - because there were no teachers involved (technologyreview.com)
mikenz writes: Back in April we heard that OLPC 'disappoints' in Peru, possibly because it was done in a school setting where the teachers held the kids back.
The OLPC Reading Project has had interesting success in Ethiopia, where the kids were left to figure things out for themselves instead. Neal Stephenson is tagged because the teaching software is based on the “Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer” from The Diamond Age.
The OLPC Reading Project has had interesting success in Ethiopia, where the kids were left to figure things out for themselves instead. Neal Stephenson is tagged because the teaching software is based on the “Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer” from The Diamond Age.
Submission + - Microsoft to replace Windows Live Messenger with Skype (pureinfotech.com)
An anonymous reader writes: This should not come as a surprise, but it’s just been reported by The Verge that Microsoft will soon announce that they will be discontinuing Windows Live Messenger and replacing it with the most popular VoIP software in the market, Skype.
Submission + - Intel DC S3700 server SSD features new, proprietary controller (techreport.com)
crookedvulture writes: "For the first time in more than four years, Intel is rolling out a new SSD controller. The chip is featured in the DC S3700 solid-state drive, an enterprise-oriented offering that's 40% cheaper than the previous generation. The S3700 has 6Gbps SATA connectivity, end-to-end data protection, LBA tag validation, 256-bit AES encryption, and ECC throughout. It also includes onboard capacitors to prevent against data loss due to power failure; if problems with those capacitors are detected by the drive's self-check mechanism, it can disable the write cache. Intel's own high-endurance MLC NAND can be found in the drive, which is rated for 10 full disk writes per day for five years. Prices start at $235 for the 100GB model, and capacities are available up to 800GB. In addition to 2.5" models, there are also a couple of 1.8" ones for blade servers. The DC S3700 is sampling now, with mass production scheduled for the first quarter of 2013."
Submission + - MA "Right To Repair" initiative still on Tuesday ballot, may override compromise (masslive.com) 1
skids writes: MA voters face a complex technical and economic question Tuesday about just how open automobile makers should be with their repair and diagnostic interfaces. A legislative compromise struck in July may not be strong enough for consumer's tastes. Proponents of the measure had joined opponents in asking voters to skip the question once the legislature, seeking to avoid legislation by ballot, struck the deal. Weeks before the election they have reversed course and are again urging voters to pass the measure. Now voters have to decide whether the differences between the ballot language and the new law are too hard on manufacturers, or essential consumer protections. At stake is a mandated standard for diagnostic channels in a significant market.
Submission + - Defense Research overhaul needed to prevent scientist shortage (acs.org)
Tator Tot writes: "Quoting C&EN News: "The Department of Defense will have to confront critical shortages of scientists and engineers if it doesn’t change how it recruits researchers and manages its science and technology enterprise, according to a report by the National Academies. The report finds that DOD scientists and engineers are not being used to their full potential, their career growth is limited, and the hiring process for new workers is slow and opaque.""
Submission + - Should Hacked Companies Disclose Their Losses? (vice.com)
derekmead writes: By law, US companies don’t have to say a word about hacker attacks, regardless of how much it might’ve cost their bottom line. Comment, the group of Chinese hackers suspected in the recent-reported Coke breach, also broke into the computers of the world’s largest steel company, ArcelorMittal. ArcelorMittal doesn’t know exactly how much was stolen and didn’t think it was relevant to share news of the attack with its shareholders. Same goes for Lockheed Martin who fended off a “significant and tenacious” attack last May but failed to disclose the details to investors and the Securities Exchange Commission. Dupont got hit twice by Chinese hackers in 2009 and 2010 and didn’t say a word.
Former U.S. counterintelligence chief Joel Brenner recently said that over 2,000 companies, ISPs and research centers had been hit by Chinese hackers in the past decade and few of them told their shareholders about it. This is even after the SEC has made multiple requests for companies to come clean about cyber security breaches in their quarterly or annual earnings reports. Because the potential losses, do hacked companies have a responsibility to report security breaches to investors?
There’s no easy way for the SEC to force companies to comply with their requests. In some cases, the companies don’t even know they’ve been targeted by hackers until well after the attack. Sometimes, they give passing mention to an incident with boilerplate language about a security breach or the risk of data theft. They’re not likely to admit that hackers cost them billions, though. Unless rules change, it looks like if the SEC is going to get any serious hacking disclosure at all, they’ll need the help of a few companies leading the way on the disclosures.
Former U.S. counterintelligence chief Joel Brenner recently said that over 2,000 companies, ISPs and research centers had been hit by Chinese hackers in the past decade and few of them told their shareholders about it. This is even after the SEC has made multiple requests for companies to come clean about cyber security breaches in their quarterly or annual earnings reports. Because the potential losses, do hacked companies have a responsibility to report security breaches to investors?
There’s no easy way for the SEC to force companies to comply with their requests. In some cases, the companies don’t even know they’ve been targeted by hackers until well after the attack. Sometimes, they give passing mention to an incident with boilerplate language about a security breach or the risk of data theft. They’re not likely to admit that hackers cost them billions, though. Unless rules change, it looks like if the SEC is going to get any serious hacking disclosure at all, they’ll need the help of a few companies leading the way on the disclosures.
