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Crime

Submission + - Hackers Tried To Sell Credit Card Data To Sony (ibtimes.com)

Submitted by RedEaredSlider
RedEaredSlider writes: Several media outlets reported today that the PSN hackers have begun advertising their exploits on online forums. Looking to sell the information, which also includes customer names, passwords, and addresses, the hackers have priced the credit card database at $100,000 for 2.2 million credit card numbers, or about 4.5 cents for each one. There is even some evidence the hackers tried selling the credit card numbers back to Sony, though a company spokesperson denies it.
Microsoft

Submission + - Binary Compatibility and versioning

Submitted by Wolfling1
Wolfling1 writes: Binary compatibility is a common problem when there are multiple versions of a library. This is particularly topical given the mess Microsoft made of ADO with the recent release of Win7SP1. I have some opinions about how version numbering should be used to ensure consistent interfaces, but I am curious to read /.'s opinion on how libraries should be deployed to prevent unwanted backwards/forwards compatibility issues.

Comment Re:Retaliation? (Score 4, Interesting) 132

by Ancantus (#35957204) Attached to: Does China's Cyber Offense Obscure Woeful Defense?

TFA answers your question:

A lot of what is running in China is developed in-house by Chinese firms. They're not using Western products or open source platforms, because they don't trust them or they're worried that someone might put a back door into them.

So they are rebuilding from the ground up without taking advice from other people who have tried it. Eliminates back doors (unless your own coders are putting them in) but it seems the front door is wide open...

Comment Re:Questions. (Score 1) 481

by Ancantus (#35793358) Attached to: FBI Releases Document Confirming Roswell UFO

...but I was still frequently shocked at the level of ignorance and near complete lack of intellectual curiosity some people displayed after years in the US educational system.

I am usually surprised that intellectual curiosity survives after years in the US educational system.

Comment Re:What do the kids get out of it? (Score 1) 56

by Ancantus (#35761722) Attached to: 92,000 LEGO Robots To Take Over Peruvian Schools Alongside OLPC

I can vouch that these programs will help. I started programming the old RCX Lego Robots back when I was in elementary(ish) school. They are a great tool for introducing many beginning engineering concepts for mechanical and programming. There is a program in the USA(and other countries) called FLL or FIRST which puts on competitions with these robots for elementary/junior high school kids, and it was really one of the reasons I got into computer programming. I would love to see more of these educational engineering introduction programs, they make engineering a whole lot more fun than sitting in a classroom.

Will any of these kids use the programming language when their adults? No. But they will use loops, if statements, variables. And the earlier people are exposed to these simple programing concepts, the easier time they will have with learning more conventional languages.

Comment Re:Oh, Sir. Branson (Score 1) 122

by Ancantus (#35749880) Attached to: Richard Branson Announces Virgin Oceanic Submarine

I sent a bug report to them the on the slashcode site although I don't know if it took.

It seems the problem (which I think started a month ago) happens when your comment is replying to a comment that is 'minimized'. To click on links (or highlight text) within these buggy comments you have to keep clicking repeatedly on the persons comment, which maximizes each of its parent comments. Only when all parent comments are maximized does the Score show, and you can click/highlight the comment text with ease.

If your know of a place to submit a bug report that the slashdot people will listen, please tell cause I have been fed up with that bug for too long.

Comment Re:Oh joy (Score 2) 104

by Ancantus (#35688020) Attached to: Google Gmail Motion Beta

Ahh, lighten up. Its one day that the whole world decides to be a little more silly. People are being creative, corny, and just having a good laugh. If anything its a nice stress release!
Earth

Submission + - Gravity Makes Earth Resemble Lumpy Play-D (sciencemag.org)

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: By taking more than 70 million observations during its first 2 years in orbit, a limousine-length satellite has given scientists their most detailed map yet of Earth's gravitational field. The lumpiness of that geoid—the theoretical surface that a planet-wide ocean would take if there were no tides or currents—betrays the irregularity of the planet's mass distribution, including concentrations of mass such as mountain ranges and ice sheets. The work could lead to better understanding of the speeds and paths of ocean currents, as well as improved estimates of how they disperse pollutants. It could also provide new insights about geological processes occurring deep within Earth, such as the movement of one tectonic plate being shoved beneath another, and when combined with other data will help improve estimates of the thickness and mass of polar ice sheets.
Facebook

Submission + - Weapons of Mass Assignment (acm.org)

Submitted by
CowboyRobot
CowboyRobot writes: "In 2010 some NYU students began the Diaspora project to create privacy-aware Facebook alternative, using Ruby-on-Rails.
The security errors in the Diaspora developer preview highlight a number of security vulnerabilities, categorized as
1) Authentication != Authorization
2) Mass Assignment will Ruin Your Day
3) noSQL Doesn't Mean no SQL Injection
4) Be Careful when Releasing Software to End Users"

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