21526710
submission
seattle_coder writes:
Many have advocated for the elimination of software patents. The arguments generally are that software patents are handed out to easily, and that they're too difficult and expensive to fight. Some say that patents just plain don't make sense for software, which is such a dynamic technology. Given that the standard patent lifetime is 20 years, and software changes so rapidly, is the life-span the problem for software patents? Would reducing the software patent lifetime to 5 years or even less be the thing to do?
18486412
submission
wiredmikey writes:
Security researchers have discovered several security flaws in one of the best-selling brands of Internet-connected HDTVs, and believe it’s likely that similar security flaws exist in other Internet TVs.
The security researchers were able to demonstrate how an attacker could intercept transmissions from the television to the network using common “rogue DNS”, “rogue DHCP server”, or TCP session hijacking techniques. Mocana was able to demonstrate that JavaScript could then be injected into the normal datastream, allowing attackers to obtain total control over the device's Internet functionality. This attack could render the product unusable at important times and extend or limit its functionality without the manufacturer’s permission. This same mechanism could be used to extract sensitive credentials from the TV’s memory, or prompt the user to fill out fake online forms to capture credit card information.
