Jarden - Slashdot User

Crime Wave Thwarted in Second Life 183

Posted by Zonk on Sunday December 02, 2007 @03:17AM from the watch-what-you-walk-near dept.

Ponca City, We Love You writes "The Mercury News reports that a vulnerability in the way Second Life protects a user's money has been identified. Risks for users are reportedly limited because the researchers say the flaw can be quickly patched. The flaw exploits a known problem with Apple's QuickTime - when a virtual character passes by an infected object planted by hackers, the Second Life software activates QuickTime so it can play the video or picture. Hackers can direct the Second Life software to a malicious Web site that then allows them to 'take over the user's avatar and force it to hand over its Linden cash. Second Life is recommending that users disable streaming video playback in the Second Life viewer except when you are attending a known and trusted venue.' The hack raises tough questions for operators of virtual worlds. Should they be as secure as banks and guarantee the safety of money and property that characters in the world possess?"

Warning On Office 2007 "Try-Before-You-Buy" 380

Posted by kdawson on Saturday July 14, 2007 @11:02PM from the don't-get-fooled-again dept.

walterbyrd writes with a warning: "Microsoft is pushing Office 2007 with 'try-before-you-buy.' Please don't let your friends and relatives install Microsoft 'trial' software. When Microsoft tells you 'try-before-you-buy,' the 'buy' part is not meant to be an option. Once you 'try' a Microsoft 'upgrade' you can not easily go back, because your files will be replaced by new versions that you need the new software to read." The ChannelRegister article also notes how Microsoft's push goes against the grain of the consumer revolt against "crapware." Read on for an account of walterbyrd's experience with a previous Microsoft trial upgrade.

AOL Security Compromised by Teenager 99

Posted by Zonk on Saturday April 28, 2007 @11:37PM from the off-the-shelf-hacking-oh-great dept.

Freaky_Friday wrote with a link to an InfoWorld article about a teenage kid accessing customer information at AOL. The alleged criminal trespass began late last year, and extended up through early April. According to the article, the guy used some 'off-the-shelf' hacking software he downloaded online to gain access to, and then transmit information from, AOL's systems. "The complaint states that Nieves admitted to investigators that he committed the alleged acts because AOL took away his accounts. 'I accessed their internal accounts and their network and used it to try to get my accounts back,' the defendant is quoted as saying in the complaint. He also admitted to posting photos of his exploits in a photo Web site, according to the complaint ... If the defendant was honest about his motivation in his reported confession, it's safe to assume that he wasn't interested in stealing data for financial gain, [Managing director of technology at FTI Consulting Mark] Rasch said. Still, it'll be interesting to find out what steps AOL is taking if customer data was in fact compromised, he said."

Comment It's a road system (Score 1) 498

by Jarden on Friday April 27, 2007 @12:07AM (#18895965) Attached to: A Succinct Definition of the Internet?

I've always described it as a city's streets. There are big roads (highways) that take a lot of traffic and small roads for less popular routes. It's easy then to demonstrate congestion, and even IP addressing by using the analogy of a mailing address. You have your popular locations (malls etc) and even banks. :)

It's not perfect - to bring in ISPs, you have to make it a world where everyone hires a car to use, rather than having their own transport. And the argument against a "tiered internet" breaks down a little when you realise we already have tolls on various highways and bridges in the real world.

MS Giving Exploit Writers Clues To Flaws 63

Posted by kdawson on Monday April 16, 2007 @09:42PM from the first-word-sounds-like dept.

In the IT trench writes "How's this for a new twist on the old responsible disclosure debate? Hackers are using clues from Microsoft's pre-patch security advisories to create and publish proof-of-concept exploits. The latest zero-day flaw in the Windows DNS Server RPC interface implementation is a perfect example of the tug-o-war within the Microsoft Security Response Center about how much information should be included in the pre-patch advisory."

MS Requiring More Expensive Vista if Running Mac 545

Posted by Zonk on Saturday April 14, 2007 @05:36PM from the they've-got-to-make-money-somehow-right dept.

ktwdallas writes "Mathew Ingram from Canada's Globe and Mail writes that Microsoft will require at least the $299 Business version of Vista or higher if installing on a Mac with virtualization. Running the cheaper Basic or Premium versions would be a violation of their user agreement. According to the article, Microsoft's reasoning is 'because of security issues with virtualization technology'. Sounds suspiciously like a 'Mac penalty' cost that Microsoft is trying to justify."

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