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Posted on 07.30.05 by templeton @ 2:18 pm
‘Zfone’ encryption program designed to prevent snooping. The man who almost single-handedly invented desktop encryption, Phil Zimmermann, brought his new telephony-oriented encryption program to this week’s Black Hat security event in Las Vegas. The new encryption software—currently known only by its internal development moniker “Zfone”—is designed to stop Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) traffic from being snooped on, especially across broadband links. It sits on top of the open-source Shtoom VoIP client software, with Zimmermann’s encryption integrated into the program. Zimmermann told Techworld that the software uses a Diffie-Hellman-based public key design. This method is session-based, with keys generated for exchange between clients on a per-call basis. Both VoIP clients would need to run the program to set up such a secure link, which makes Zfone similar in principle to the famous PGP desktop encryption program Zimmerman wrote in the early 1990s. In contrast to emerging VoIP encryption protocols, Zimmermann’s scheme rejected a full Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) approach to security, fearing it would add layers of complexity to the software. [ Read more…]Filed under: VOIP Comments: 1 Comment
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Posted on 07.27.05 by templeton @ 12:15 am
Apple finally announced some overdue upgrades to its iBook line and Mac mini line, just in time for back-to-school. Apple fans are pleased, though PC fans are wondering: What took them so long? Many of the upgrades are similar to those put in place on the PC side more than 6 months ago. The upgrade to the iBook was announced, and surprisingly, it’s still not widescreen, which many of us had anticipated. The upgrades are mostly in the way of ‘options’ that are now standard. The 12-inch iBook gets a processor upgrade, from 1.2GHz to 1.33GHz. It adds some needed speed to compete with other emerging value notebooks, like the Averatec AV4265-EH1. Standard memory size has been increased to 512MB RAM (up from 256MB) and the hard drive is now 40GB, configurable up to 100GB for an extra $200. The larger, 14-inch iBook also gets a processor bump to 1.42 GHz, and a larger standard 60GB hard drive, upgradeable to 100GB for $150. On both laptops, the graphics gets a boost with the ATI Mobility Radeon 9550. [ Read more…]
Filed under: Computers Comments: 1 Comment
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Posted on 07.27.05 by templeton @ 12:12 am
Microsoft is trying to make pirated software less attractive by offering free and discounted software to legitimate users. Windows Genuine Advantage has been in pilot for 10 months and is now being rolled out for Windows 2000 and XP customers. On entering the Windows Update site users will be asked to download an ActiveX routine that checks to see whether their code is legitimate before allowing access. Members of the programme will get free software that Microsoft values at £280 as well as discounts on software and trials of applications. “The principle is that we offer things to genuine customers, encouraging users to ask for genuine software,” said Alex Hilton, anti-piracy manager at Microsoft UK. However, those using pirated software will not be blocked from security updates. Hilton explained that this is to avoid the creation of a reservoir of unpatched systems that could cause security problems. Filed under: Computers Comments: 1 Comment
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Posted on 07.25.05 by templeton @ 11:38 pm
Microsoft said on Monday that the Xbox 360 launches in Japan and Europe will come during the holiday shopping season this year, a move that could be seen as an attempt to get a head start on market-leader Sony. Redmond had already committed to launching the next-generation console in the United States sometime this fall. Sony, which controls over two-thirds of the gaming market, currently plans to launch the PlayStation 3 in spring 2006. By reaching a worldwide market several months earlier than Sony, Microsoft may be able to cut into sales of the PS3. Price may also play a part in the selection process – SCE president Ken Kutaragi said during last week’s PlayStation Meeting that the PS3 will be “expensive.” Filed under: Games Comments: 1 Comment
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Posted on 07.25.05 by templeton @ 11:30 pm
Yahoo! has bought Konfabulator, the software that brought widgets to the Mac and latterly to Windows. Apple has since developed its own widget environment, Dashboard, and integrated it into the latest version of OS X. It was assumed that Konfabulator would quietly die; instead the developers brought out a Windows version good enough to attract the attention of the Internet search giant. Widgets are small, floating applications that give access to specific information or tools, and provide easy and quick access to Web-based data without needing to resort to a browser. Popular widgets include weather and stock trackers and a yellow pages search. Yahoo! are expected to use the technology to make it easier to access its services and, like Apple, is keen for developers to build their own widgets. ‘We are lowering the bar and letting people do a lot more with our material,’ said Toni Schneider, vice president of the company’s developer network. [ Read more…]Filed under: Computers Comments: 1 Comment
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Posted on 07.23.05 by templeton @ 8:15 pm
Ten people have been arrested in Brazil after authorities discovered them allegedly using Google’s online community site, Orkut, to sell drugs. The drugs ring was uncovered after police tapped phone calls and monitored online communications through Orkut. The site, used for building online communities and making contacts, is hugely popular in Latin America. According to media reports, more than half of the seven million community members are from Brazil. “We discovered the drug ring first via authorised phone tapping, and later the investigation included monitoring of their activities on the internet,” an officer at the Drugs Enforcement Service in Niteroi, near Rio de Janeiro, told the Reuters news agency. “We are aware of the situation and are currently looking into it,” Google said in a statement. “When we are made aware of situations that are against our terms of service we take appropriate action.” [ Read more…]Filed under: Bad Idea Comments: 1 Comment
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Posted on 07.23.05 by templeton @ 8:11 pm
FingerGear is introducing the Computer-On-a-Stick Flash Drive. The Computer-On-a-Stick is a bootable USB 2.0 Flash Drive featuring a complete onboard Operating System. Based on Linux 2.6.x Kernel with Gnome GUI Desktop, the device comes in configurations with 256MB, 512MB, 1G, 2G, 4G, and 8GB. The device also features the OpenOffice Productivity Suite, along with many of the most commonly used desktop and Internet applications. The Computer-On-a-Stick allows users to take their entire software environment with them and move from hardware to hardware. The device is bootable from any PC with an x86 processor supporting USB boot. All bookmarks, address book, emails, and office documents are stored securely on the device and never leave a trace on the host PC. Users enter a login password at each session. The Office Suite, developed by OpenOffice.org, is compatible with the most common Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. The Computer-On-a-Stick also includes the Mozilla FireFox browser. Also included are Evolution Email, a PDF Viewer and Creator, a data compression utility, and GAIM, an Instant Messenger that is compatible with Yahoo IM, MSN Messenger, AIM, and Napster, among others. For increased security and portability, the Computer-On-a-Stick features both a public and a private partition. The public partition is accessible on Windows, Linux, and Macintosh PCs, making it easy to share non-sensitive files. The private directory can only be accessed by booting from the device and after the user enters a login password. According to the company, coming soon is the Bio Computer-on-a-stick, which incorporates a fingerprinter reader for biometric authentication.—Read more: Filed under: Computers and Good Idea Comments: 1 Comment
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Posted on 07.21.05 by templeton @ 1:13 am
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A University of Southern California database containing about 270,000 records of past applicants including their names and Social Security numbers was hacked last month, officials said on Tuesday. The breach of the university’s online application database exposed “dozens” of records to unauthorized individuals, said Katharine Harrington, USC dean of admissions and financial aid. She could not be more specific about the number of people whose personal data may have been viewed by the hacker or hackers or what their motivation was for the computer break-in. There was not a sufficiently precise tracking capability,” Harrington said, but added that the hackers had not been able to access multiple records at once. Records were also only able to be viewed at random, she said. “We are quite confident that there was no massive downloading of data,” Harrington said. [ Read more…]Filed under: Networks and Security Comments: 1 Comment
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Posted on 07.21.05 by templeton @ 1:05 am
The creation of a worm that capitalizes on iTunes’ popularity is another indication that virus and worm writers have been focused more than ever on keeping up with current news and using it for social-engineering tactics, noted Sophos security consultant Carole Theriault. Circulating online is a new worm purporting to be an iTunes file. The worm is spreading through AOL Latest News about AOL Instant Messenger networks. Reported by Trend Micro Latest News about Trend Micro, the Opanki.worm poses as a file named iTunes.exe and is designed to lure users into believing it is part of Apple Computer’s Latest News about Apple Computer online music store. When activated, the worm sends a message to the infected user’s online contacts, reading “this picture never gets old.” The message has a link to a Web page where recipients are instructed to download an image file. [ Read more…]Filed under: Computers and Security Comments: 1 Comment
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Posted on 07.21.05 by templeton @ 12:59 am
Marking the 36th anniversary of walking on the moon, google shows details of the apollo landings . Check out http://moon.google.com/ for satellite mapping of the moon from google maps. If you zoom all the way in you can see their footprints….. Filed under: Cool Comments: 1 Comment
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