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This section includes InterviewSolutions, each offering curated multiple-choice questions to sharpen your knowledge and support exam preparation. Choose a topic below to get started.
| 601. |
Solve : Game of Thrones piracy war (Australia)? |
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Answer» Choice says Foxtel has itself to blame for illegal downloading of hit show Consumer group Choice says Foxtel only has itself to blame for the number of Australians watching pirated versions of hit show Game of Thrones, which set a new record for illegal downloads on Monday night. The season four finale was downloaded roughly 1.5 million times in the 12 hours after the show went to air, according to internet tracking site TorrentFreak. That makes it the most pirated program in history, and thousands of Australians were among those watching. Foxtel says about 500,000 Australians watch each episode via a paid subscription, while another half a million download it illegally, mostly by sharing episodes with other users through a process known as torrenting. Foxtel says the PEOPLE who do the downloading are thieves, and is urging the Government to enact legislation that will make it much more difficult to illegally download popular programs, video games and music. But Choice's Erin Turner says Foxtel "has an outdated business model" and can only blame itself. "It expects people to pay for a whole range of products when they may want [just] one. You're getting Real Housewives of every city, rather than just Game of Thrones, which you want," she told 7.30. "It also locks people into viewing content on particular devices. They're developing this. Ultimately the problem is there are few competitors to Foxtel in Australia. "There are few choices. If you want to watch Game of Thrones for example, Foxtel is the only place to go." Illegal downloader Albert says the market is being fed by Foxtel's expensive subscription deals, and the exclusivity arrangement with program maker HBO, which forced the show off legal download sites like iTunes. "We're closed out, and if we're being offered another option people are going to take it," said Albert, who asked that the ABC refrain from using his surname in case copyright holders decided to take legal action against him. He had previously paid to watch each episode on iTunes, but that is no longer an option. "I do pay money to watch things like House of Cards, and Orange is the New Black. I pay money to Netflix. I pay to watch American television shows, like Saturday Night Live on Hulu," he said. "I do my duty, using what little money I make as a student, but when something is not being made available at a cost-effective way, and they’re putting 1,001 hurdles in front of us, then people will illegally download." His argument is dismissed by Foxtel's Bruce Meagher. "I can't think of any other circumstance where you would say 'I think you charge too much for this product therefore it is legitimate to steal it'," he said. "There's a moral disconnect there which I just don't get." Game of Thrones was available at a premium for Foxtel subscribers hours after the program aired in the US. Fans could legally download the full season on Google Play a day later for $2.99 an episode. Full story: https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/24259972/game-of-thrones-piracy-war-choice-says-foxtel-has-itself-to-blame-for-illegal-downloading-of-hit-show/I am actually suprised that cable/satellite/etc providers still have not added hidden watermark information hidden in the pixels like game companies have done to stomp out piracy of live game content. Games like World of Warcraft have hidden information in every screenshot as well as every recorded gameplay video. And blizzard has been using this info to find the private servers etc, so those who share gameplay and screenshots from their servers are unknowingly sharing information that can link these pictures or videos back to them. If content providers added a SIMILAR "hidden watermark" in the shows that states the cable or satellite box address, they instantly know who ripped the content and posted it and can target those who are making the content available for FREE illegally vs the millions of people who are STEALING which is much harder to target. If you take a world of warcraft screenshot and use some digital editing tools you can display the hidden watermark with binary info contained WITHIN it and its undetectable to the naked eye when playing the game, however from what I heard, one person found it once when they claimed that there was a strange stretch to a group of pixels. They then decided to look into this and that is when this hidden encoded feature was brought to the attention of many. More info here: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/watermark-screenshots-World-of-warcraft-digimarc-MMORPG,17522.html#watermark-screenshots-World-of-warcraft-digimarc-MMORPG%2C17522.html?&_suid=1403735010729026443699234223017 |
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| 602. |
Solve : Malware attacks demand 'ransom' - USA TODAY? |
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Answer» Here is the story from USA TODAY: |
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| 603. |
Solve : Will Amazon Hurt Apple?? |
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Answer» http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/06/13/3d-phone-another-gimmick-from-amazon.aspx The 3-D Phone: Will It Help Amazon and Hurt Apple?No...Quote from: patio on June 15, 2014, 10:14:20 AM No...This.Stereoscopic 3D doesn't really have a 'use' outside looking cool. Especially considering the interface would still be a 2-d touchscreen. Right now it's BEST application is for games (such as found with the 3ds) and EVEN then it is still something of a gimmick (though it's almost necessary for some games). Add to this the problem that some people cannot actually see stereoscopic 3D and it's not entirely clear what PURPOSE it could have in a general purpose mobile device. LG made a 3D phone a while ago and look at how well that took off. I really didn't see the point - Using 3D cut the screen resolution in half and the actual 3D interface was fairly pointless. On top of that it hurt my eyes after prolonged period of use. It's just another gimmick that media outlets are saying will "hurt Apple" in HEADLINES purely to get attention. |
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| 604. |
Solve : Android tablets with TV antennas?? |
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Answer» This falls into my 'don't need it but want it' gadget list. "Polaroid is providing consumers in Mexico with a new way to watch TV on-the-go with their new tablet line. The line marks the first tablets to feature ATSC receivers able to receive digital or HD TV in Mexico, allowing consumers to enjoy access 'out-of-the-box' to their favorite TV shows, newscasts and sporting events, such as this summer's FIFA World Cup, anywhere so they’ll never miss a MINUTE of the action", says Polaroid. This may have a use elsewhere in the world, but here in USA at least where I live they killed off the VHF broadcasting for all but a single channel 3 which barely comes in at all due to the distance between my home in New Hampshire and the station. There also use to be two UHF channels but those also have gone dead since its now piped into the cable provider for those stations. WITHOUT Cable TV, Satellite, or INTERNET there is nothing to watch but Movies on Disc or old movies or recorded shows on VHS. I saw an older portable 12VDC color TV for sale at a yard sale for $5 that was pretty much worthless even if it did work. However I suppose if you sold this to another country it may still serve a purpose I suppose. It's basically a Game Gear + TV Tuner with out the special power to suck the life out of batteries. |
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| 605. |
Solve : Pirate Bay fugitive Peter Sunde arrested in Sweden? |
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Answer» The co-founder of notorious piracy listings site The Pirate Bay has been arrested in Sweden after two years on the run. |
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| 606. |
Solve : Teleportation Breakthrough? |
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Answer» Scientists Announce SUCCESSFUL TELEPORTATION, But Can You Beam Yourself to the Moon? |
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| 607. |
Solve : Google Glass sale meets mixed results.? |
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Answer» Hard to say. Not much detail. USA TODAY - One version of Google Glass sells out after public sale CBS News - Google Glass sale meets cool reception I haven't heard much about Google Glass for a month or so now. People just don't seem into it, and I know I'm definitely not. I haven't heard one person I know say that they'd want to buy Glass. The people at Google aren't idiots and they aren't going to mass produce something that aren't going to be mass purchased. I'm sure they leaving the idea for now and perhaps going to work on other wearable technology (like the watches they are working on) that people might actually want to WEAR. At $1500 there is a limited number of people who will dare. Video: Glass is for saleExactly. It's a bit of a ridiculous price tag for normal working people like myself. Plus I don't feel I NEED these especially with a perfectly fine laptop, smart phone and work computers. I personally don't feel the need to be connected to the internet at all times and I'm sure a lot of others might feel the same. Cheap Option: stick some blue-tack on the side of your normal glasses and stroll around looking superior. |
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| 608. |
Solve : Microsoft Goes Big With Surface Pro 3? |
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Answer» Information Week story. Quote Microsoft on Tuesday announced the Surface Pro 3, a larger yet thinner, lighter, and more powerful version of its flagship tablet. The COMPANY did not reveal the long-anticipated Surface Mini, defying weeks of speculation and a number of high-profile reports.No wonder, I am getting Surface Pro 3 myselt. I think it has FINALLY hit the SWEET spot in TERMS of size, resolution, performance, battery life and of course the OS. Even Windows STORE has matured enough to spark interest. Great job Microsoft! |
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| 609. |
Solve : Google Quantum Computer - D-WAVE? |
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Answer» Would like to see it in action. I have DOUBTS with this being a true quantum computer. What do you THINK? |
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| 610. |
Solve : Chinese government bans Windows 8.? |
Answer» FULL Story.I think you should have clearly indicated the ban applies to government COMPUTERS, not privately owned computers in China. Now accepting APPLICATIONS for CH News Editor.... Quote from: patio on May 28, 2014, 08:38:51 AMNow accepting applications for CH News Editor....I nominates Soybean.Anything would be a STEP up...I am pretty sure Microsoft will not lost one cent after this ban. |
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| 611. |
Solve : Apple Buys Beats Electronics. Why?? |
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Answer» Quote UNLESS you have kept your cans on 24/7 this past week, you may have heard the rumor that Apple is buying Beats Electronics, a maker of trendy (and costly) headphones STARTED by record mogul Jimmy Iovine and rap do-it-all Dr Dre, for $3.2 billion. Dr Dre (pictured) bragged on video of becoming the “first billionaire in hip-hop”. Apple, as usual, said nothing.http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2014/05/will-apple-make-phones-call Say this s is true, Why would Apple BUY a headphone company? If Apple Buys Beats It Won't Be About Headphones Quote Apple has over $150 billion in cash in the bank and that SUM is growing. So a $3.2 billion purchase isn’t actually all that much for Apple. It’s just a little over 2% of their cash stockpile. But the price does seem inexplicably large for a company that makes a commodity like headphones and has a streaming music service that hasn’t taken off.Surprised that they would buy Beats out when for a fraction of the price they could have engineered their own. I'd be curious as to if its a way for someone at apple who has a monetary interest invested in Beats to give themselves a payout from Apples cash stockpile. What better way to hide a extremely large bonus to self than to roll it hidden into a buyout.It is not about headphones. It is about music copyrights and distribution. If you have the copyright, you control the distribution. It seems Beat Electronics has some niche in the music industry that Apple wants.Ok that makes more sense and justifys the crazy purchase price. Apple wants to buy The Beats not for their headphones although someday we may see internet headphones. They WANT their MARKET and their streaming service. I heard more things about Apple TV then streaming when Steve was is charge. Look at the advantage for the consumer a monthly fee versus per song download charge. I wonder what it is that Apple really wants. It's more than likely it's for the music rights like the articles have said but I wonder if they plan to do more with it. For various reasons, I'm not an Apple user, nor do I have Beats headphones. But this makes me wonder what will Apple purchase next and if, eventually, I'll have to succumb to owning or using something Apple. It's the distribution network they want...plain and simple. |
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| 612. |
Solve : eBay urges users to change passwords? |
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Answer» EBay has asked users to change their passwords following a cyberattack that compromised one of its databases. |
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| 613. |
Solve : US charges Chinese with hacking? |
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Answer» US charges Chinese with hacking. 23 minutes agoNothing will come of this...The US does the same thing. We just pass secret-obscure laws to do it and that somehow makes us better.I am curious as to what hacking method they used.... how they got in to the sensitive data etc... I am wondering if they have a rogue employee at the sites that allowed for this hack tool to be planted for hacking to remove data or a rogue employee who is stealing it on a hidden portable drive etc and then transferring the data back to china etc. Also.... I had same thoughts of evilfantasy that everyone is out to gain info and the US gets by by passing secret-obscure laws to allow it. Every nation is out for secrets to both stay up to par with everyone else as well as to have the competitive edge. With all the stuff that we outsource, we are pretty much giving away all this data anyways by entrusting sensitive data in an area of the world where our international laws are weak and sometimes dont apply. I have a soreness towards outsourcing as for there is no need to outsource as much as we do. Outsourcing has disolved prior career paths of mine because making money isnt good enough for corporate businesses unless its maximum profit margins and who cares about american jobs that are lost for a few individuals to write themselves hundred million dollar bonus's and pay out the share holders the largest possible dividend on shares. The CEO's figure people will find other jobs somewhere and its not their problem. But with more and more operating this WAY we are giving everything away to other nations to thrive on the greed of few and the suffering of many. There should be a law set that only a certain amount of our GDP can be outsourced and the rest of it is kept within the border. This law should also allow outsourcing of only products that have no secrets and just have simple patent protections against the designs being ripped off. All manufacturing of cutting edge technology should remain here. But..... this still doesnt stop someone from buying a product from the USA and reverse engineering it. Electronic component and electronics designs is a big area of stolen information etc. The CAPACITOR Plague comes to mind with stolen electronic component design info with the bad electrolyte.It's a bit strange in that there is this idea that American Laws and the American Justice system is somehow Global. Are these people in the United States? If not, than the Charges mean nothing. The only way they would mean something is if China had an extradition treaty with the United States- currently, Mainland China does not. And even if it did, if these actions were sanctioned or even encouraged by the government at some level, they wouldn't extradite. United States Laws are only applicable within United States Borders. Beyond that it's International law which is only upheld through treaties and diplomacy. The charges laid forth fall under International Law...not U.S. Law...to assume it's just the petulant U.S. throwing it's weight around again would be short-sighted. That being stated as i said above nothing will come of this. Other than maybe some long standing trade-bickering which will eventually be compromised on...Quote from: PATIO on MAY 20, 2014, 07:32:30 PM The charges laid forth fall under International Law...not U.S. Law...to assume it's just the petulant U.S. throwing it's weight around again would be short-sighted.They are being charged under the United States Code and Laws covering Computer fraud in the District Court of Pennsylvania. Documents here. These are not international laws, and international laws only apply in countries that ratify a treaty, such as the Berne convention. The US will not sign an extradition treaty with China because of their draconian laws. Just imagine what a fiasco that would be. 5 Countries With No U.S. Extradition Treaty 1. Cuba. 2. Mainland China. 3. Morocco. 4. Iran. 5. Nicaragua. China has charged US officials with crimes and wants to prosecute. That may be part of the reason the US leveled these charges against China. It's a stalemate. On top of that China has rejected extradition of Edward Snowden so they surely won't even consider extradition of their military hackers. One of the articles I read had some reasonable speculation that the case was more a "We know what you are doing" type of message being sent to China, and that they probably know a lot more than is being disclosed about what China is doing in this regard.It's political posturing. That we can be sure of. We are like 10 trillion dollars in debt with China so the US needs to think this through pretty good before doing something stupid.Edward Snowden in the news: |
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| 614. |
Solve : Microsoft patches IE bug in Windows XP? |
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Answer» Here is the link: WOW ... talk about some serious XP HATE on the hands of this writer. Bashing Microsoft for giving 1 last serious patch for XP was not a bad thing, and was not a push over move. Microsoft by doing what they did was a smart move I feel because it was the responsible thing to do. While its not expected of Microsoft to offer any more security updates for XP, if they have any others that they wish to offer, I'll willingly accept them and not bash them for it like this writer.It wasn't technically an XP patch anyway; it patches Internet Explorer. It being made available with XP's Update feature was because the patch to mshtml.dll would be the same regardless of OS. But further still, Patching XP won't provide anything. By patching an OS that they've already claimed as End Of Support, they are extending that End of Support. And the fact is that there is HUGE backlash in the enterprise and companies from IT professionals who have been turned into liars with Microsoft's patch. Bosses being told "we need to upgrade from XP, it's out of support, it will not receive more patches" have been turned into Liars by Microsoft backpedalling on their own Product Lifecycle guidelines; and now those Bosses insist on staying on XP. There are a lot of stories about this via article/blog comments as well as on reddit. And this out of cycle patch has caused the stubborn boss-types who were about the relent and go "oh, I guess it is out of support" to instead double-down on their original bet that Microsoft will keep patching XP even if they claim otherwise. Quote Obviously this writer wanted to draw attention to themselves and what better way to do that than make an ... ( 3 letter word ) of themselves with this article. This article was clearly desperation on the writer to be noticed. Unfortunately articles like this draw attention which is what the writer wants. Reading it, I can find no inaccuracies or poorly reasoned considerations. Microsoft has extended support and now, after dropping support entirely, issued an out-of-band patch for a OS that has bee nend-of-lifed. They have never done this before for any other previous Operating System. Quote there is no need to turn the lights out on XP for low risk online use, and especially offline use.Thing is, this applies equally to any Operating System that has been end-of-lifed, from Windows 3.1 through to XP. This patch does nothing to make XP more feasible for that purpose anyway. If anything, the best way to make XP safer is to no longer make it a target. If you run Windows 98SE it's almost impossible to get infected because new malware/drive-bys, exploits, etc. expect at least Windows XP or at least an NT Core. As XP's usage drops, so too will it being as tantalizing a target. even though 98SE is an Open Book, it doesn't get exploited because being able to take over the two Pentium 133 machines that are running on the internet isn't really worth it. Quote There is no need for every computer out there to be tied to the internet.Let's be honest here- do you have any actual usage scenarios that come up OUTSIDE of specific enthusiast purposes? I can't think of any. I mean, I run Windows 98SE on a 133Mhz Laptop, and have even purchased some replacement parts for it, but I don't have any specific use for it. And most of the usages I can think of for an XP-grade machine (say 1.6Ghz P4) are things that can be done at least as well by a Linux distribution anyways, with the added benefit of the Linux distribution being more modern. (I'm thinking File/Media servers and whatnot). Quote You can have a group of systems running on a private network with out of date OS running perfectly flawless for years.Being able to run a system and being able to do anything useful with it are two different things. Having out-of-date even behind a firewall is still asking for trouble because it's still another vector or jump point that can be used to get into the network from outside. Even if it requires compormising things like the firewall or a VPN tunnel, somebody trying to get control of a system on the other side is going to spring for that XP system- at which point it can be used for a launching off point for future penetration.Quote If you run Windows 98SE it's almost impossible to get infected because new malware/drive-bys, exploits, etc. expect at least Windows XP or at least an NT Core. As XP's usage drops, so too will it being as tantalizing a target. even though 98SE is an Open Book, it doesn't get exploited because being able to take over the two Pentium 133 machines that are running on the internet isn't really worth it. This gave me an interesting thought.... that they should have active honey pots out there with virtual systems that are vulnerable, to snag/redirect a hacker to a fake system, but crippled to where they cant use them to do anything. Can you imagine the frustration of a hacker of probing with millions of false positives, but only maybe 4000 of them real systems. And if the ISP themselves had these hosted it would mean that the ISP's that dont have these active honeypots would be where the hackers would then focus because why bother wasting time with so much noise of fake systems to deal with, when the other ISP that doesnt have this would be where the hackers would want to hunt for their prey. But also you are correct in that 98SE probably isnt that bad anymore since very few use it online so its days of being targeted are just about over. My systems running older offline OS btw are mainly to play games designed during the period that they were created by the hardware of the time for some games that dont play well with XP Compatibility mode etc on Windows 7 etc or strange graphics issues like Diablo 1 with an acid trip looking appearance with Windows 7 64-bit on modern hardware, yet it plays perfect on a old Dell Pentium III 1Ghz laptop with 20GB HDD running XP Home SP3 with Radeon 16MB GPU. As well as I have an old 1995 era Invoice Program that I have been using for years and it doesnt like Windows 7 32 or 64 bit and the newest OS that runs good with it is XP and it was designed back in Windows 95. Sure I could spend money and buy a new invoice program, but if what I have works, I will keep using it almost 20 years later. The good thing is that I have doPDF on the system and so I can create them and create pdf's and then throw them onto a thumb drive and then use my Windows 7 system to e-mail them to clients for work I did for them etc.XP can be compared to Racehorse. It was very sleek, lean and fast when it was first released may years ago. Now, it’s gotten old, slow and suffers from any ailments that the doctor (Microsoft) is no longer able to cure. (Patch) Think about trading this tired old Race Horse for a fast new filly. Quote Think about trading this tired old Race Horse for a fast new filly. Not all computers to be bought new are speedy!!! There are still those electron sippers that are available for Windows 8.1 that would never be a gaming system for example with what is the equivilent to a modern Atom processor or mobile APU at 1.2Ghz etc. Meanwhile that Pentium 4 2.8Ghz is still able to play games like World of Warcraft with a GeForce 8800GT VIDEO card happily running Windows XP SP3. To the defense of your statement though, "YES", XP did take a performance hit between XP SP0 and XP SP3. I had a laptop that was a Pentium III 600 Mhz with 384MB RAM that was happily running XP SP2, however after SP3 and fully patched it was a slugs pace. I thought that maxing it out at 512MB RAM would cure the issue. So I spent $12 to upgrade to 512MB RAM and while it did pick up the pace some, it still was not as fast as SP2. So since this laptop was never used online anyways I figured I really dont need SP3, and so I used the Ghost image I had for it and pushed it back to Windows XP SP2 and it ran just fine..... until the lithium battery that was about 11 or 12 years old leaked in the CD/DVD ROM bay which the Dell allowed you to place an extra battery into this bay to keep it alive longer without wall power and the acid ate the contacts of this port as well as ate the traces on the main board which meant that I had to have a recycle bin funeral for the once good Pentium III Dell Laptop after removing the HDD with my data on it.Quote from: DaveLembke on May 09, 2014, 05:22:27 PM To the defense of your statement though, "YES", XP did take a performance hit between XP SP0 and XP SP3. I had a laptop that was a Pentium III 600 Mhz with 384MB RAM that was happily running XP SP2, however after SP3 and fully patched it was a slugs pace.I had a [emailprotected] for the first year or two I was a member of this forum. It used SP3 and I didn't notice any performance hit from installing SP3 (or SP2 for that matter). It had 512MB of RAM however I increased performance by downgrading it to 256MB of RAM because only the first 256MB was cacheable. I never ran any benchmarks but I noticed no perceptible loss when I upgraded, and a perceptible gain when I removed 256MB (Cache is pretty important) As I've said before I don't understand the admiration that Windows XP gets. The only thing it is is the first consumer-oriented version of Windows that uses Windows NT; and additionally, as a very result of that fact it was greeted with scorn. People complained that they couldn't start in DOS mode to run their ancient programs, or to run their DOS games; they could no longer diagnose and try to fix boot issues by dropping to DOS and screwing around with INI files, they had to learn about new underpinnings and could no longer rely on a DOS core that they understood. It's UI changes were equally criticized; between it's Themes being considered exorbinant and the rearranged start menu being just plain stupid, users had no shortage of complaints about the system. As an example- every time I use XP, since only a week after upgrading to Vista, I Find it a bit frustrating. Too often I find myself typing into a unaccepting Start Menu before realizing that it has no Search capabilities. So I end up having to drill down into the oh-so-wonderfully designed Programs Menu, which is designed for people who have maybe 10 programs and for whatever reason memorize the company name of every single product they own. I cannot speak for others but when I want to start a Program, I am usually thinking about the program, not whoever made it- if you forget who wrote it you have to go through all your menus to find it. If only there was a way I could type the name of a program and have windows search for me... And that's fine. It wasn't designed at a time where that sort of feature would run very well on the systems of the day. Even so, however, computers are supposed to be doing that sort of monotonous work- so the existence of individuals who will buy the latest i7 processors and a high-end graphics card and then atrophy that new system by installing an ancient OS that requires the CPU to run in a compatibility mode that locks it out of many modes of operation is boggling. I can at least understand it being used on the systems that are too old for newer systems. Personally, I've upgraded all the systems I have that run XP to Linux Mint 16, but they don't have a requirement to run Windows Applications. |
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| 615. |
Solve : One-gigabit Wi-Fi coming soon.? |
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Answer» How soon? Not soon enough. According to the FCC, the relaxation of the rules for Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) devices will allow for "accelerated growth and expansion of new Wi-Fi technology" that will operate at speeds of one gigabit per second "or more." The new rules are for the 5.150-5.250GHz band, not the more popular 2.4 GHz band.I might move to America then. We can only dream of those sorts of speeds. That sort of thing would never happen in Australia Thanks to our Liberal Government and their FraudBand ideas. Australias communication Minister With "fibre to the node" and copper wire to the dwelling, we will be lucky to be able to use Skype with any success.That makes a lot of sense. ::)Australia has one of the lowest population densities in the world and they want to tie that real estate together with copper wire. Reference: http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/populations/ctydensityl.htm For comparison, the population density for Canada is like , abut 3 people for a square kilometer. In the USA it is near 30 people /km2. The best way to serve rural areas is with VHF or UHF links. Under used TV assignments can be used in any rural area far form major r cites. Both Australia and Canada haves lots of large rural territory. One reason for using gigabit witless would be to allow the used of HDTV broadcasting over a small local rural area. This would let a very small village to have as much TV service as people in the big cites. Commercial interests freer they would loos control of the spectrum if private citizens could build small broadcast stations without government control. Chances are in the USA sure they will make it available, but your probably still stuck with serious bottlenecking, sucking bandwidth through a copper coffee stirrer when other parts of the world are getting bandwidth through fiber fire hoses. I have had some people ask me why when they upgraded from Wireless -G to Wireless -N router they are not getting any faster internet connection. And I explain to them that sure you have Wireless -N and locally a bunch of bandwidth if you have devices SHARED locally for file transfer etc, but your ISP speed is a constant that is set by the ISP. For a while I was actually still using a Wireless -B access point until it died. B still had plenty of bandwidth in comparison to my internet connection so there was no bottleneck by using B. So I should see complaints from people in the future who buy into the Gigabit wireless and then complain as to why their internet speed stayed the same. I can see that coming from a mile away...LOL The USA is very late on the Fiber Direct to home setup, and they are stretching the life of copper coax cable and DSL and dial-up copper pair. Some cities are lucky to be part of the Fiber Metro Net, but a good guess would be that more than 90% of the USA population is not on a direct fiber connection from their homes. Where I live in New Hampshire I am lucky that I live about 13 miles from a small city and there is Cable Broadband and DSL, but drive about another 10 miles or so away and chances are your only options are Satellite or Dial-up. My wife and I are going to be buying a better larger home in the near future and having DSL as a minimum is a requirement as for I couldnt imagine ever going back to dial-up and satellite isnt much better. Quote Australia has one of the lowest population densities in the world and they want to tie that real estate together with copper wire Another INSTANT classic...I barely use wi-fi. Only time would be when im downloading or loading a extremely large website from my iphone. Great then! The usage of the bandwidth will expand because its there to be expanded into. There was a time I heard a computer instructor say we will never need more the 28k of memory... what in the world would you do with it? The same concept applies to bandwidth.Quote There was a time I heard a computer instructor say we will never need more the 28k of memory... what in the world would you do with it? Interesting that that predates the more commonly known 640k memory STATEMENT. Back when I had my TRS-80 with 16k RAM, ""more RAM was gladly accepted""" because of the limitations of the size of the programs even when using the FLOPPY drive or cassette tape to try to reduce the size of all the info in memory at the same time. Back when I had only 16k or RAM I probably would have thought that 640k would be plenty, but the TRS-80's maxed out on I think it was 64k for the model 4 which is one tenth of the 640k and my TRS-80 model 1 was 16k after a memory expansion module that looked like a boom box on its side that also gave floppy drive support and a parallel PORT for 9-pin dot matrix printer. |
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| 616. |
Solve : AMD makes pin compatible ARM or x86 chip designs.? |
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Answer» Here is one report: AMD unveils plans for ARM, x86 chips that are pin-compatible Another report says about the same. AMD Announces ARM-based "K12" Custom Core, Pin-Compatible x86/ARM Chips Coming In 2015 Quote ... Earlier AMD say they were going to do this kind of thing. What this does NOT mean. It does NOT mean an ARM chip will execute a x86 binary. NO! It does NOT mean a hobbyist can simply swap out ARM and replace it with a the x86 chip. For one thing, the BIOS must be changed. Not easy. The advantage is for OEMs who get orders from resellers who want custom low-cost motherboards. This new design motherboard can be tailored to a specific application. Thus reducing the need for a diverse inventory. But what could this mean for user ordinary users? I think that is a good idea. It gives companies a choice without having to a board for each cpu.I like the idea, but it would be nice is they added a bios feature to have a dual-bios so that is its an ARM or x86 it will auto detect the CPU and run with it. All they would need is say an extra 2 pins to the CPU for a HIGH or LOW when the CPU is installed. If the pins that act as a enable/disable of ARM are used and the BIOS at the lowest level detects to use one or the other then there is no having to worry about reflashing a board to switch from ARM to x86 CPU. It would make a switch between ARM and x86 as QUICK as a normal CPU swap, but then there is the OS that needs to be installed for either ARM or x86. If I was AMD this is what I would do to make it handle both and autodetect via an electrical contact pin key. Both CPU's could appear the same at the bottom, but one CPU is open between the pins and the other is SHORTED between the 2 pins to act as an identity for the CPU.The problem is that ARM and x86 have conflicting requirements- eg certain pieces of information (interrupt tables and whatnot) which of course have their own specific format and arrangement with both, and the addresses required for each overlap, so it's impossible to have both mapped at the same time. The only way would be to make it solid state and handled via circuitry- eg an extra pin as mentioned for one or the other that can be used to bankswitch to a different ROM. The 'switch' would need to occur before any booting takes PLACE at all- because booting obviously would run Machine code and they aren't cross-compatible in any way. Thing is, this would of course require motherboard support- you would never be able to drop in an ARM CPU in a motherboard designed for an x86 CPU and vice versa; which raises further interesting questions particularly since Video BIOS ROM and the ROM code found in other expansion cards is going to typically be X86, and as I recall ARM does not have similar allowances for ROM Shadow by add-on cards (I'm not even sure what Bus it would use, I'm assuming PCI-E would work for ARM).The other problem is is that this is 2 year old news...Quote from: patio on May 08, 2014, 08:19:51 PM The other problem is is that this is 2 year old news...Google it... Quote AMD Unveils Project Skybridge, a Single Chip for Both x86 ...EDIT. Kinks repaired. I saw a WW2 documentary yesterday, That means it happened last year, right?Quote from: BC_Programmer on May 08, 2014, 11:28:05 PM I saw a WW2 documentary yesterday, That means it happened last year, right?Facebook started the Open Computer Project** in 2011. And in 2012 AMD announced their intent to make new chips with 64 bit designs This year, 2044, AMD announced the idea of a physical design for a socket that could work on both chips. They claim the product will be ready in 2015. Recently other companies have shown serious interest in the Facebook Open Computer Project. So it was not a documentary of WW II. ** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Compute_Project Quote ...The above quote shows this is a real project for improving data center. The stories I linked are not stories from two years ago. The AMD thing is this year. For one think that the author is quite right. AMD can't win Intel at its own game (they have tried, they even had once a better product, but we all know that at the end it didn't matter), so they need to take a huge risk and try to change the game.Quote from: Geek-9pm on May 09, 2014, 12:11:19 AM Facebook started the Open Computer Project** in 2011. And in 2012 AMD announced their intent to make new chips with 64 bit designs This year, 2044, AMD announced the idea of a physical design for a socket that could work on both chips. They claim the product will be ready in 2015. None of this is even tangentially related to what I said. Patio said that it was 2 years old. Partly true, considering AMD announced ARM-based Opteron's in 2012; AMD working with ARM is not news- it is at least 2 years old. That is what you refer to there. My analogy was that your "citations" that this is not news is based on the age of articles posted. Google results are not citations- they are Google results. If somebody said WW2 was old news and I posted a link to a google result to a page written 2 days ago- does that make it news? Of course not. That said, the actual Pin compatible stuff IS news. I was mostly put off by your inability to actually defend that yourself. Quote from: jackj on May 09, 2014, 12:28:24 AM For one think that the author is quite right. AMD can't win Intel at its own game (they have tried, they even had once a better product, but we all know that at the end it didn't matter), so they need to take a huge risk and try to change the game. It's not really a case of "Winning", I don't think. It's a case of whether the market is profitable for them. Intel and AMD have been leapfrogging each other since 2000 or so, and both companies have done quite well in that- and consumers have gained because of the competition- winning teams all around. AMD's huge risk was the Slot A Athlon which was pretty much when it came down to two choices for CPUs. I don't think it is fair to AMD to say they cannot compete, when they haven't just competed but actually defined standards that Intel now follows (IA-64). |
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| 617. |
Solve : Facebook will buy Oculus VR, e virtual reality? |
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Answer» In a move that surprised many, Facebook |
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| 618. |
Solve : NSA Denies It Knew About Heartbleed Bug Before It Was Made Public? |
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Answer» Full Story EDIT: Optional PICTURE collection. http://tinyurl.com/NSA-denies-it-knew NPR...definitely an un-biased news SOURCE... Besides why would it matter if they did ? ? It was still out there. Obviously the OpenSSL bug was planted by Microsoft to shake people's faith in OPEN Source SOFTWARE and how it is inherently more secure! NSA Claims INCOMPETENCE Rather Than EvilLocked |
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| 619. |
Solve : Vulnerability Found in Every Single Version of Internet Explorer? |
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Answer» I hate IE but we're forced to USE it at work. Most of the users are probably corporates who are locked into IE for ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSES. |
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| 620. |
Solve : Interesting read...? |
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Answer» Full Story.I didn't know Geek-9pm WROTE for wired. Hey! Rared the article. This can be a turning point.Quote from: Geek-9pm on May 04, 2014, 11:27:34 AM Hey! Rared the article. This can be a turning point. Well it "can" be, but I think the article in quite premature in it's assessment since it quite clearly isn't stating it as a possibility- it illustrates it as essentially being inevitable. The title is sensational- "This Google MOTHERBOARD Means Trouble for Intel" It never says why. It also ignores that the motherboard in question, designed by IBM to utilize it's PowerPC Processors and get them back into the game for servers- is just that- a Server motherboard. I'm not up on the particulars and standards for Server motherboards (I'm going to assume the slots that appear to look EXACTLY like PCI slots are for something else). There is a lot of information online about this. Google and NVidia are behind it, with the claim that "power is open and x86 is not. " Which I find laughable given history. Just look at it. the CURRENT x86 architecture goes back to the original IBM PC in many ways. IBM had a stranglehold on the market but also released the technical specifications for ISA to the industry. That paired wit hthe fact that the components were easy to acquire for other manufacturers resulted in the clone industry. IBM didn't like that so they created MCA, a patent-encumbered motherboard design that was used on their PS/2 systems. This was their downfall because nobody really embraced it, instead preferring to follow the path of the rest of the industry- the clone manufacturers- who had created, along with Intel, the open EISA standard. This continued pretty much to the present day. the documentation and technical specifications for things such as PCI, PCI-E, AGP, etc. are all open and they do not require licensing to use- (unlike, for example, HDMI). So to say x86 is not "open" is a bald-faced lie. Further still I find it difficult to ignore the presence of IBM in this- remember that they lost control of their own platform, tried to tighten their grip and found they had basically alienated what was LEFT of any form of consumer loyalty. The claim that Google- with IBM- will spell trouble for Intel Also ignores the fact that Intel has not in fact been the sole provisionary in creating new standards. The standards for Processors and Motherboards are set by groups of manufacturers- the entire x64 architecture is based entirely on technology designed by AMD- not Intel. So to come into such a discussion with the implicit assumption that Intel has any sort of stranglehold or control over the actual specifications is to completely forget that the very reason Intel has such a good position is because they aren't IBM and they don't try to control the platform. The additional irony is that we should assume that IBM won't try to do the exact same thing they did 30+ years ago and control the platform. Fool me once, shame on you- (MCA & PS/2) Fool me twice, shame on me. The entire purpose of the motherboard is entirely for Servers. It is not applicable to any Consumer desktop system and the fact is that this only changes what IBM is doing. IBM sold their x86 Server properties to Lenovo, so of course they aren't dealing with x86 anymore, instead they are focussing on their PowerPC stuff. And those are already doing just fine- it's not like this is something completely new that will destroy x86, it's an established Architecture that is already in use. The brutal irony of it all is the assessment that somehow IBM leaving a market means that suddenly it's unprofitable, while at the same time ignoring that a market being commoditized is not a bad thing either. Where once a IBM PC cost something like 10,000 dollars, now we can buy a system for significantly less- in fact paying that amount for a new Consumer System is unheard of. To argue that IBM leaving a market means a decline in that market is to ignore the history whereby IBM's departure from a market actually meant that customers would be treated more fairly and not overpay because of the branding of a single over-confident Tech company who has a history of making poor business decisions. (yeah sure you can keep the rights to MS-DOS, hey let's completely recreate a new patent-encumbered motherboard Bus, let's sell off our top-of-the-line and extremely successful brand of laptops to a chinese company)... All this adds to that list is "Let's team up with a dominant internet superpower who dwarfs us in consumer goodwill. If anything goes wrong, or it turns out the system is not as great as Google is promising I guarantee IBM will get the blame. |
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| 621. |
Solve : Microsoft announces new Vancouver centre, 400 jobs? |
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Answer» May 1, 2014. The new Microsoft Canada Excellence CENTRE will open in late 2015 in a new state-of-the ART facility in Vancouver’s Pacific Centre.Source Nice to see the word 'centre' spelled CORRECTLY for once on CH. You might know that 'centre' is American COLLOQUIALISM for century old tree. Quote from: Geek-9pm on May 02, 2014, 12:34:44 PM You might know that 'centre' is American colloquialism for In the US, that's old... Not sure why 400 new jobs is breaking news...a good construction crew can do that every month. However...as with all your News blurbs Geek...carry on.Quote from: patio on May 02, 2014, 03:48:31 PM Not sure why 400 new jobs is breaking news...a good construction crew can do that every month. Give him some credit, at least it's not a news article from 2012.If you area TECHIE and live in Vancouver, it is big news. Quote High tech jobs in BC deliver higher salaries than the average for the province, with the average salary for a high tech worker at $1,440 a week, 60 per cent higher than the provincial average of $870.Quote from: BC_Programmer on May 02, 2014, 04:53:18 PM Give him some credit, at least it's not a news article from 2012. Good point...hadn't thought of that. |
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| 622. |
Solve : Google Encryption? |
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Answer» Full title is: PGP explained |
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| 623. |
Solve : nsa-spying-through-angry-birds-google-map? |
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Answer» Interesting: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/01/27/nsa-spying-through-angry-birds-google-maps/And yet again, as with every single NSA-related story I've read, they have zero sources. Dozens of classified documents, PROVIDED to the Guardian by whistleblower Edward Snowden and reported in partnership with the New York Times and ProPublica, detail the NSA and GCHQ efforts to piggyback on this commercial data collection for their own purposes.Classified documents which they of course don't share in any capacity and which are not available to anybody other than a select few in said news agencies. Oh wait, no, they do have an image of "A May 2010 NSA slide on the agency's 'perfect scenario' for obtaining data from mobile apps." you know, a terribly made 'slide' that features clip-art and an overly simplistic mock-up, just like every other "slide"; I find it a bit questionable given a journalist with 0 integrity could create that exact slide in a few seconds. Even if we assume it's legitimate, it provides 0 actually basis for any of the alleged claims. "The question is answered in the notes to the slide" A set of notes which they of course do not provide. " the documents suggested"... "The documents do not make it clear how much of the information that can be taken from apps is routinely collected" "The documents do set out in great detail exactly how much information can be collected from widely popular apps" ... "The GCHQ documents set out examples of what information can be extracted from different AD platforms" '"They are gathered in bulk, and are currently our single largest type of events," the document stated.' and so on. They use as a source documents that are NOT BEING MADE AVAILABLE TO ANYBODY ELSE. This is garbage journalism, pure and simple. sensationalization by hiding a source and pretending to be some revealer of SECRET information without actually revealing anything. IF they are going to provide their sources and let people decide for themselves what to make of them, that's fine. But what they are doing is keeping their alleged source documents (assuming they exist) secret and only providing 'slides' that could be easily created in 10 minutes by an unskilled user and 'scanned excerpts'* that use inconsistent typefaces and kerning. *I forget the actual article, but I remember one that said they received the "secret documents" through E-mail... and then provided scans of them. I'll let you figure out what's wrong with that picture.I CALL nonsense on this. Quote Some apps, the documents state, can share users' most sensitive information such as *censored* orientationI mean, of course you have to ENTER that sort of information to play Angry Birds. And of course, this is something the NSA are completely interested in... Quote from: camerongray on January 28, 2014, 03:07:50 AM I call nonsense on this."But the documents said it, it must be true!" "What documents?" "HEY LOOK OVER THERE A MONSTER" |
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| 624. |
Solve : Why you need Windows 8.1 Update 1 (KB2919355)? |
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Answer» I just found this blog POST over at The Windows Club that explains why Windows 8.1 Update 1 or KB2919355 is a very important update. Starting patch Tuesday in May 2014 and beyond, if this Windows 8.1 Update is not installed on your computer, all future Windows Updates, including the Security patches will be considered as being not applicable to your system and not be offered to your computer.Doom and Gloom is now driving the MS marketing machine... Kinda sad actually how many of these sites are puppeting this stuff for no apparent reason.Thinking about it. Since it's a new OS it's obvious that future updates will not work without it. Something I feel is underhanded is these "new" operating systems (Windows 8.1, 8.1 update 1) are being called new operating systems. They used to be called service packs and have always been free. MS is acting like they have embraced the free OS when in fact they aren't.Did you know you cannot revert back to 8 after the Update ? ?I read that somewhere. I think that the only path from XP, Vista and W7 to Windows 8.1 is to start at Windows 8 and use Windows Update from there. I'm not sure why they are doing that. You still have to pay around $100 for Windows 7 disks. That's almost the same price as Windows 8. They should at least give a nice discount for 7 since it's no longer developed. That would get more people off of XP and on to a securely patched OS. I just don't see anyone in the Corporate enviornment being able to take Win8 seriously as a new platform.Quote from: evilfantasy on April 15, 2014, 03:13:13 PM Something I feel is underhanded is these "new" operating systems (Windows 8.1, 8.1 update 1) are being called new operating systems.The only person I've ever heard or seen calling it a new operating system is you in the previous original Post on the subject of the 8.1 Update 1. The Blog post original detailing it referred to it as a new security baseline. And I've not been able to find any official statements that actually call it a new OS. Security updates have always been dependent on one another. XP RTM could not be updated beyond a certain point; SP1a could not be updated PAST a certain point, etc. In addition updates often do not appear unless a prerequisite update has already been installed (as with the 8.1 update 1 itself, which has a requirement of another update before being applicable). The fact that future updates will depend on what is the 8.1 Update 1 is only a problem if you try to spin it as a "new OS" which is not really the CASE as per any actual documentation I can seem to find on it. Quote from: evilfantasy on April 15, 2014, 03:45:34 PM I read that somewhere. I think that the only path from XP, Vista and W7 to Windows 8.1 is to start at Windows 8 and use Windows Update from there. I'm not sure why they are doing that. Partly true. Windows 8.1, including the update, does have it's own Disc. Windows update is not required, though- you can slipstream a new disc or buy one soon. XP has never been a supported upgrade for Windows 8. A system running Windows XP is unlikely to run Windows 8 very well; and those that do would be using XP only by conscious choice of their users, since it would mean they chose XP to install over Vista or 7 more recently. Systems that came with XP are not going to be, by and large, powerful enough to run Windows 8/8.1- it will require new hardware. For Vista/7 You can upgrade to 8 and use Windows Update; for Companies with Volume Licenses can leverage the automated upgrade process available in VLK versions and swap out their existing 8 or 8.1 installation files and replace them with the files from the 8.1 Update ISO available from the Volume License Service Center. Quote from: patio on April 15, 2014, 03:35:14 PM Did you know you cannot revert back to 8 after the Update ? ? This is not true. You can uninstall it just as with any other update. eg. just to confirm that I: -started Windows Update (Winkey+typing Windows Update). -chose "View update history" -Noticed the "to remove an update, choose "View Update History" and clicked that. -Scrolled down to "Microsoft Windows". KB2919355 appears in the list. Right-clicking shows an uninstall option just as it does for everything else. Question. How does one know if the windows 8.1 update was received and is working?Quote from: Geek-9pm on April 15, 2014, 07:36:03 PM Question.It will show up in the dialog I mention at the end of my post. Or, just see if there is a "POWER options" and "Search" button next to your user name on the Start Screen.http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2919355 Quote from: Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 R2 Update: April 2014 Summary What's new in Windows 8.1 Update Quote from: Microsoft.com The update is gradually rolling out to everyone with a PC running Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1 over a period of several weeks. If you get automatic updates but you don't see the update yet, wait a few days and check again.Quote from: BC_Programmer on April 15, 2014, 06:20:47 PM The only person I've ever heard or seen calling it a new operating system is you in the previous original Post on the subject of the 8.1 Update 1. The Blog post original detailing it referred to it as a new security baseline. And I've not been able to find any official statements that actually call it a new OS. I don't remember where I first saw it but MS is or has been calling these updates a new OS. Everything about them is typical of a new OS. They used to be called a Service Packs. Things like not being able to get future updates until Update 2919355 is installed and as Patio has suggested not being able to (easily) go back to the previous version number are much more like operating systems then it is like a normal update. The "new OS" talk is more targeted at the updates that are pushed to the MS mobile devices but Windows 8 is cross platform so it includes home computers as well. Apple stopped charging for new mobile iOS releases. Google never has charged for them and Microsoft wants to pretend they too are offering free operating systems. When Windows 9 is available for free then I will BELIEVE them. |
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| 625. |
Solve : Valve challenged over anti-cheating tools? |
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Answer» Game maker Valve has sought to defuse a row over data it gathers about people who play its games. |
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| 626. |
Solve : Routers Struck with The Moon.? |
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Answer» This problem was last reported in February this YEAR. Ofteb the virus would pick on Linksys routers in home networks and many such reports were released earlier this year. Hre US a story from the BBC. Serious security failings in home routers are getting more attention from both attackers and researchers.Why Linksys routers? Self-replicating virus infects and breeds inside Linksys routers Quote This worm was discovered by Johannes B. Ullrich, Ph.D. of the SANS Technology Institute. He identified the vulnerability in 11 specific models, though it could EXIST in many more depending on firmware version. Here are the models: A firmware update may help. CAUTION. Do not update your router firmware unless it is really needed. Consult the maker of you particular model. |
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| 627. |
Solve : UK gove £5.5m XP support? |
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Answer» From the Guardian. What would be even better is if XP is purchased from Microsoft by a national group and then support for security updates becomes a community effort.No. XP needs to die. Quote but XP really has nothing wrong with itIt's 12 years old. It doesn't have Out of Box support for USB3, SATA, or Firewire; it doesn't even support USB2 without a service pack, and it's support for Wifi- which is now ubiquitous- is sketchy at best, usually you end up using an aftermarket program. Quote as well as core features of CPU that a newer OS would be able to tap into may sit idle without an OS that can tap into the full features of a modern CPU's instruction set etc. Like the entire x86-64 Instruction set. Fact of the matter is whether it needs to die or not is irrelevant as it's still got a huge install base Worldwide and i predict you'll see more of this...whether it's right ...or wrong.Quote from: patio on April 11, 2014, 06:09:45 PM Fact of the matter is whether it needs to die or not is irrelevant as it's still got a huge install base Worldwide and i predict you'll see more of this...whether it's right ...or wrong.Yes, think of cigarettes. Not good. Still used.Quote from: patio on April 11, 2014, 06:09:45 PM Fact of the matter is whether it needs to die or not is irrelevant as it's still got a huge install base Worldwide and i predict you'll see more of this...whether it's right ...or wrong. I didn't say whether it was right or wrong. I'm saying this is just delaying the inevitable, and more importantly of anybody thinks this will affect consumers of XP outside of those businesses it's wishful thinking. The very same governments did the exact same thing for Windows NT4 and 2000; they delayed, and they delayed, upgrading their images to a new system, all the while dismissing it as "ahh, Microsoft will totally change their mind". Then when MS pulled the plug on win98SE in 2004 they scrambled and basically ended up purchasing a extended support contract from MS. For governments and businesses, the only thing that matters is whether it works and they can use it. For governments, the main prerequisite is that it can play SOLITAIRE. This is vital, because shooting elastics around is wasteful and elastics cost money too, and employees need something to do while they force people phoning to listen to terrible music for excessively long wait times. For businesses, of course, the only thing that matters is the bottom line. Personally, for example, my company makes software for businesses. It wasn't until recently that it started to get replaced. The software that has the largest install base is over 30 years old. It is Text-based and is handled at terminals; the terminals have since been upgraded to Windows and use a Terminal Emulator, but the server is still running a system that is over 25 years old. Our software has been updated itself, but the system is still ancient; it's all written in BASIC, etc. So the question is, "why don't they upgrade". Because it works. There have been three efforts to upgrade the system so far; the only one that got anywhere was this one. All the previous attempts were met with harsh criticism and got very little acceptance from customers. This is because the changes directly affected how their business would work. They had staff who were familiar with our system as well as the idiosynchrasies; and so the cost of retraining them was high; the new software lacked a few features that were specific to the old OS and didn't really have an equivalent, and so on. The only thing that changed their minds was when the networking stack of the ancient OS it all runs on started to croak and died inexplicably for no good reason, taking down their entire server for hours at a time, to the point where they ended up turning away customers. That suddenly piqued their interest in the new system which didn't have those problems. Fact is that a company is only going to consider changing from one piece of software to another if that new version will affect their bottom line in a positive fashion. The same thing applies to Windows XP. For the same reason companies are still using THEOS Corona in 2014, companies will continue to use Windows XP. Consumers, however, have ad 12 years to switch; it's a case of simply not wanting to learn a new system, or pay for a new system, or whatever the case may be; and that is and always has been their choice. For businesses it's a choice to- but it has better motivations than "we don't like it" because switching will actually affect their bottom line. Quote from: Geek-9pm on April 11, 2014, 11:53:00 AM Should I become British? I know you weren't being serious, but "becoming British" is very difficult. Quote from: DaveLembke on April 11, 2014, 01:59:18 PM Wonder if you set it up for UK region if you can get the extra year when installing. It would still be in english, but your time would be wrong for where you are say in the USA..LOL From the TFA ("The Fine Article", as Slashot users will know, as in "RTFA") Quote “We have made an agreement with the Crown Commercial Service to provide eligible UK public-sector organisations with the ability to download security updates to Windows XP, Office 2003 and Exchange 2003 for one year until 8 April 2015,” SAID a Microsoft spokesperson. This is not for all XP installations located in the UK locale. The British government has negotiated a corporate deal for 1 year of ongoing support of the shrinking number of remaining machines running XP in government and public sector organisations. I have seen some talk about the security patches, updates, etc obtained by corporate customers getting out into the wild and being distributed by e.g. Bit Torrent, but I would no more trust such things than I would trust a Torrented OS install disk image to be free of malware. I see that in the USA the IRS is going to have to spend millions on extended XP support... http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/11/us_taxman_blows_win_xp_deadline_will_spend_millions_on_custom_support/ I expect they are not the only US govt agency and that this is happening all over the world... I have gov job and all I can say is that while there is a mix of new and old Hardware and OS. The older OS and hardware are offline or Private Isolated Networks ( invisible to the internet and vulnerabilities ) in the gov sector that I am at. We still have for example DEC Alpha's running their 1990s 64-bit CPU's at 233Mhz serving a purpose far beyond the life expectancy of most Corporate applications which are running OpenVMS and NT4. Nothing lasts forever and so when the hardware dies eventually they will have to upgrade, but if it serves its purpose, is secure, has very little down time, and the cost of keeping it running is far cheaper than spending in the "billions" to replace these servers that dont need to be modern to do what they do and do well, then they keep on chugging along with what they do. I cant speak of the application of these ancient servers, but they serve a purpose and their processing power is not linked to user productivity since they are able to process everything still as quickly as they did when implemented in the mid 1990s. I think the only savings they could make is in modern hardware that requires less power to accomplish the same task/goal. But why waste billions of dollars to replace what works and works well when it would take a very long time for the energy savings to offset that cost of replacement. For the gov sector that is tied in with the Internet, this is offices with workstations for users who are on XP etc, I can see them scrambling to maintain the support for XP, however in my sector of the gov, all workstations in our location have been moved to Windows 7. Its only the offline isolated systems that hackers would never have access to that are running on older OS's at our sector. Any software that was specific for XP is either running fine on 7 or is running on XP Compatability mode. We even run out of date versions of Linux and these OS run with no problems. Cant go into specifics, but just an example of the inside without sharing anything confidential. |
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| 628. |
Solve : Panic on web as Heartbleed bug leaves millions of users vulnerable? |
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Answer» From Day One i felt there's an underlying story we may never hear...too convienent. From Day One i felt there's an underlying story we may never hear...too convienent. Agreed and agreed. A GOOGLE researcher reported it yet Google has had zero comments-warnings and Google has let the other company take all of the credit. Just doesn't add up. Google has been threatening to quit working with the NSA. 1 + 1 = 2....Quote from: evilfantasy on April 11, 2014, 05:29:21 PM The servers/Their server. Yes that's what I was intending.OK, well they basically pen-tested their own server, externally, with limited information. Quote Just the opposite for Google. Heartbleed – What passwords to changeBy ASP.NET, I basically mean that any website on the internet that is running Microsoft web stack is immune to the problem, because they don't use the OpenSSL SSL implementation Quote What makes this so frightening is that for all we know there was absolutely zero data "stolen" before the exploit was patched. On the other hand for all we know 3\4 of the websites on the internet could have had data stolen. Or somewhere in between...The Data stolen would only be what get's transferred through HTTP. So the idea that peoples passwords can be stolen from servers is actually not true- the only thing that can be stolen is data in the server processes memory or data transferred from client to server. Any good implementation of security will never store passwords in plaintext; they will be stored as a salted hash. That salted hash might be acquirable, but it can't be reversed back into the password. It's arguably easier to find the password or a password but it's still fairly intractable- without knowing the Salt it's practically impossible to find a matching Hash. So users passwords can only be stolen by a Man in the middle attack done on a server that has had it's private key acquired by exploiting the bug. 1. I want your password for Bank.com 2. bank.com uses a version of OpenSSL that has the vulnerability. (Note: this appears to be restricted to servers running on Apache that use OpenSSL (as opposed to GNUTLS)- Servers that run Java Server Pages don't appear to be affected; and sites that run Microsoft's IIS Server as well). 3. I send requests and get pieces of the memory of the PROCESS hosting OpenSSL (usually Apache) This is already a difficult step, I think; you have to keep hitting the server to get pieces of it's process memory- How do you recognize the Server's private key? How do you know how it's stored? etc. But let's assume this is calculable in some fashion. So now we have the servers private key. That's the end of the actual heartbleed bug. That's all. The most you can really get are Private Keys for the SSL server itself. There might be some information within the process memory, but you won't get free access to any passwords unless the implementation of the site itself is already insecure and storing them in plaintext. Usernames, possibly, but those aren't really that useful in and of themselves. The "exploit" part is simply using that Private key to descrypt SSL transport streams. Man in the Middle attacks aren't exactly trivial- it get's decrypted and I search through the communication to find where your browser sent the server the username and password. And now I have them. Quote from: evilfantasy on April 11, 2014, 07:01:20 PM Agreed and agreed. A Google researcher reported it yet Google has had zero comments-warnings and Google has let the other company take all of the credit. Just doesn't add up.It was reported by three engineers who worked for Codenomicon. They were testing a Protocol security suite and found the problem when they implemented TLS support. I can't find Neel's story on how he found it, just how he donated the bug bounty from a foundation. As far as I can tell, Google's own services cycled their Private keys, so the steps I outlined above would have had to take place in a very short time. Quote From Day One i felt there's an underlying story we may never hear...too convienent.There's more / UpdateQuote from: BC_Programmer on April 11, 2014, 08:17:24 PM In my opinion this is nothing but conspirational nonsense. Most of the story, from day 1, has been conspiratorial. |
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| 629. |
Solve : LA uses computers to keep traffric lights in synmc.? |
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Answer» This was first published last year. It has taken up to now to see how dumb it was. Just because COMPUTERS were used does not make it good. Quote LOS ANGELES — To combat its infamous traffic, Los Angeles has BUILT subways and light rail lines. It has widened highways and added car pool, toll and bus-only lanes. But the roads have remained stubbornly clogged, creating a drag on commerce and the quality of life that has persisted here for generations.http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/us/to-fight-gridlock-los-angeles-synchronizes-every-red-light.html This is the SORT of thing some Computer Analysts think is a great idea. The is the first time such a massive traffic sync has been used in a large area. It is a bad idea. Quote November 4, 2013http://blog.esurance.com/do-synchronized-traffic-lights-really-solve-congestion-woes/#.U0RF3KIWHFw Some thought this was a great idea when it stared last year. When will they admit they were wrong? Will the have a press conference? What do you think? Out in my area New Hampshire out by Dartmouth College, they have remote overrides for the lights now with cameras at intersections, so that if a sports event lets out etc, they can remotely control the lights to ease the traffic congestion. I kind of miss the prior setup they had though because there are 2 lanes that turn left onto a highway on ramp that forces people to single file too soon, and people do not want to let others in etc, and the prior setup they had you knew the pattern of the lights from driving it daily and so when the light for the oncoming traffic gets its yellow, you have 3 seconds of red for them and then your left turning lane goes green. So sort of like how drag RACERS watch the tree to know when the light is coming to hit it, you could time 3 seconds and nail the gas peddle sometimes 1 second before the light goes green for you and have the lead onto the ramp without getting jumbled up in the mix of people fighting for asphalt and no one wanting to let you in if you are the first at the light with another vehicle to the side of you which is also going to fight for the asphalt. Some people would say, dont be aggressive and let someone else have the lead, but this is like a stampede when the light turns green, and if you are not going with the flow you are a problem to the flow and can get trampled/have an accident by being an obstacle instead of part of the flow. If anyone beats me to the lead I let them go ahead, but have my nose of the car close to their tail so that someone else overly aggressive behind me doesn't try to pass me with no asphalt to allow 2 cars side by side. With the new lights that can be remote controlled the switching doesn't follow a known pattern and so you cant have the advantage of hitting the gas hard 1 second before it turns green, and then the delay time of everyone else who is waiting for green to let you have the lead. I am guessing that these are also computer run so that the patterns can be preprogrammed differently ahead of time as well as allowing the police to be reactive with an manual override if needed etc. For the most part its a good system such as if someone breaks down or has an accident its caught on camera etc and they can react faster. And without knowing the green is coming I am not caught on camera leaving my red 1 second before it turns green for others...LOL |
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| 630. |
Solve : Mozilla cancels Modern UI version of Firefox for Windows 8.x? |
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Answer» This is fascinating. Excuse me for asking. Is there really some underwear issue here? Like if you are going to a beach party, you don't wear the same underwear you would if going to the Opera at Carnegie Hall. So is an OS like that? Does the underwear have to change to fit the outer garment style? Or is in not visible stuff just a shell on top of a general purpose OS? Can we not have one low-level base that could support any kind of exterior style? Curious minds need to know. Personally I'm just dreading the day when the Desktop and browser I use are forced to change into something I don't like. It's a long way away but I'm PRETTY confident it is coming.Quote from: evilfantasy on March 16, 2014, 06:00:09 PM Personally I'm just dreading the day when the Desktop and browser I use are forced to change into something I don't like. It's a long way away but I'm pretty confident it is coming. Well, MS is listening but IMHO only trying to migrate the traditional desktop users to Metro with a halfway sincere effort in bringing the Start Menu back just to quiet the complaints. A new Windows 8.1 update tries to win back desktop diehards Quote from: Ed Bott for The Ed Bott Report - ZDNet A word of warning: If you’re a Metro hater, this update will do almost nothing to make you feel all warm and fuzzy. The Windows 7-style Start menu does not make a comeback here (although Microsoft has said it intends to include a Start menu in a future update). This update sticks with the fundamental design principles of the Windows 8 interface, and nothing in it comes close to restoring the Windows 7 desktop interface. It is still the Windows 8.x interface, evolved, with that evolution clearly driven by powerful negative feedback. The end game to me clearly doesn't include the traditional desktop. Touch and keyboard are the vision. To me that's just plain stupid. The mouse GIVES me so much more "freedom" because 1) I very seldom want to be within arms reach of my monitor and 2) I am not and don't have a desire to use keyboard shortcuts in the place of a mouse. Quote from: Ed Bott for The Ed Bott Report - ZDNet Some of the changes that are at the core of the Windows 8.1 Update won’t really be visible until we see new PCs with this version of Windows installed as the base operating system. For traditional PCs that are designed for use with a keyboard and a mouse, the new OS will be configured to go to the desktop by default. It will also be less of a disk-space and memory hog, making it possible for this version of Windows to run on tablets with as little as 16 GB of flash storage. I do like the look of the new Start Menu. I can live with that and will prefer it over Metro. I have a few reasons to think that Microsoft does not intend to replace the standard Desktop. The main one is that Windows Store applications- all of them- basically any program that runs with the Modern UI, have ridiculously heavy restrictions. If what you claim was true, than the end result would be that no applications would be ABLE to access the local system, at all. a Modern UI application cannot read or write to the local hard drive, it cannot even use third-party libraries (I know this since I wanted to make a Store App that used Postgres but of course I couldn't references the postgres library). Fact is that All Modern UI applications are weaker than any desktop counterpart. The reason for both of these are simple: Modern UI applications are not designed for use on PCs, they are designed for tablets and smartphones- both of which have had similar restrictions on software that runs on them for quite some time. Additionally, Consider the applications that Microsoft currently offers. Now consider how many of those have Modern UI equivalents. I can't think of many, to be honest; Office 2013 is still a standard x86 and x64 Windows Application and runs on the desktop. What's my point? Windows 95 was the last major shift. They introduced the Taskbar, 32-bit Software, the Start Menu, and effectively a entirely new way of interacting with the Operating System. It is equivalent- in almost every way I can think of- to what is claimed through your theory with Windows 8- a complete rework of how the System is used. Microsoft had a version of Word that ran on Windows 95, using Native Windows 95 components and shell capabilities, on the same say that Windows 95 was released to the general public- Office 95 was released on the same day as Windows 95, on August 24, 1995. In that case Microsoft was seeking to replace the old way of doing things. If they sought to do the same thing with Windows 8, why has there not been a version of any Office program written for this so-called replacement, almost two years after that version was released? Same for their other programs; Microsoft released versions of their Development TOOLS that ran on Windows 95 as Windows 95 programs; they released versions of their Browser, SQL Server, and innumerable other software packages to run on Windows 95 as native Windows 95, 32-bit applications. In contrast their "support" in the same way of the Modern UI has been sparse. Only thing I can think of is Internet Explorer. That's why I don't think that is at all their goal. Because it has been their goal to do this sort of thing in the past and they have been quick and decisive in pushing it forward. They seeded the new environment of Windows 95 with several of their flagship products. There is no "flagship support" from Microsoft's largest product suites for Windows 8's Modern UI. Which to me means that the core premise that they want to completely replace it is incorrect. (or, they forgot how to perform a declarative switch over like they did with Windows 95).Quote from: BC_Programmer on April 03, 2014, 07:43:55 PM a Modern UI application cannot read or write to the local hard drive, it cannot even use third-party libraries Metro apps and desktop software are programmed to stand on their own instead of being cross-platform. Just like how you can't run Android or iOS apps on Windows.Hehe... AOL in 1996 compared to Windows 8 in 2012 Quote from: evilfantasy on April 04, 2014, 10:42:00 AM Hehe... AOL in 1996 compared to Windows 8 in 2012 I covered that, coincidentally. I was actually expecting a LOT of downvotes... For convenience, here is what I posted as a comment on the reddit thread: Quote I was concerned when I made this new build and decided to use my MSDN subscription to plonk Windows 8.1 Pro onto it instead of Win7. Quote from: evilfantasy on April 03, 2014, 08:05:47 PM Metro apps and desktop software are programmed to stand on their own instead of being cross-platform. Just like how you can't run Android or iOS apps on Windows.I just created a empty Modern UI App with VS 2013. Changed the Debugger to use the Windows Phone Simulator and it ran there with the same bits as it ran on my desktop. This is why I cannot reference npgsql.dll as I needed to previously. Because it runs on RT and won't let me reference libraries that are platform-specific. |
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| 631. |
Solve : Is Google going to be your Internet Provider?? |
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Answer» New reports out today suggest Google is starting to make moves to become a mobile phone service carrier in locations where it has deployed Google Fiber service. Supposedly Google has been in CONTACT with Verizon to discuss the possibility of becoming a mobile virtual network operator riding on the back of Verizon’s network. they sensibly obey the First Rule of Usenet in connection with this. In connection with advising users when it's OK to hammer their connection, I mean. Quote from: Geek-9pm on April 03, 2014, 11:02:35 PM It should be noted though that Google actively develops for the iOS platform, so the company clearly will not let some philosophical disagreements stand in the way of good business. That's a philosophical way to tell it. I prefer the more direct explanation. There is a LOT of money spent by Apple customers. It would be an idiotic business plan to exclude that cash cow in your earnings plan. Let's not forget that just a few years ago Apple kicked Google Maps off of iOS simply because Apple created Apple Maps. That forced Google to recreate Google Maps as a standalone iOS app. Quote Is Google going to be your Internet Provider? It depends on if they can meet or exceed my current plan in reliability, speed and price. I forgot to mention Virgin provide me with a Netgear wireless router at no extra charge |
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| 632. |
Solve : Windows FREE ... for 9" or smaller display portable devices? |
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Answer» When i first saw this I was like it MUST be dated April 1, 2014 and a April Fools Day gag, but it appears to be REAL and dated April 2, 2014. Michael Silver, an analyst at tech research firm Gartner, said the announcements on WEDNESDAY were “definitely steps in the right direction” He added, however: “Developers are still looking at why they should write for Microsoft versus everywhere else. They [Microsoft] certainly have their work cut out for them.”Do I have t o believe before I can see it I can see where they are coming from in this. By providing the OS free of charge, they will ENCOURAGE hardware vendors to release more devices based around Windows phone which will in turn increase the popularity of the whole Windows phone platform. Microsoft will then use the Windows Store on the phone as their main revenue source. This is very much what Google has done with Android since the beginning.Quote from: DaveLembke on April 02, 2014, 11:22:00 PM When i first saw this I was like it must be dated April 1, 2014 and a April Fools Day gag, but it appears to be real and dated April 2, 2014. Of course it's dated April 2nd- it was announced at Build during Satya Nadella's keynote. As was a Windows 8.1 update now available on MSDN and the future re-introduction of an old-style start menu to appease the ignorant. |
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| 633. |
Solve : New cheaper Apple iPhone coming.? |
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Answer» Today is April 1 and time for Apple to tell us what will the price be for the newest low down iPhone 5c. The iPhone 5c has been a FAILED EXPERIMENT for Apple, as evidenced by nearly everything we’ve seen regarding the colorful device since it launched last year. As inventory has piled up, huge discounts have swept through virtually every retailer carrying the underpowered smartphone, but one report signals that Apple hasn’t given up on the 5c quite yet.HTTP://bgr.com/2014/03/17/apple-iphone-5c-new-model/ So, my question is: Is it now true? |
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| 634. |
Solve : Apple Samsung Patent suit fingers Google? |
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Answer» Apple sues Samsung over patent trouble. But the fingers point to Google. The trial, which starts Monday in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., shows how the battle lines are drawn across the mobile-phone landscape. Apple and Samsung are the biggest makers of smartphones and reap most of the industry's profits.- Wall Street Journal. Also, you can read more from BBC. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26818740 |
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| 635. |
Solve : PNY to offer Windows to go USB SSD? |
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Answer» This article is about a Manufacturing Agreement With PNY Technologies for High Volume US-Based Production of USB 3.0 SSD devices. SPYRUS Announces Manufacturing Agreement With PNY Technologies forHigh Volume US-Based Production of USB 3.0 SSD Secure Live Drives andStorage Driveshttp://www.menafn.com/3767a8e9-4f22-483d-ba5b-8446d1efaf0d/SPYRUS-Announces-Manufacturing-Agreement-With-PNY-Technologies-forHigh-Volume-USBased-Production-of-USB-30-SSD-Secure-Live-Drives-andStorage-Drives?src=main Identity-Based Security is a new idea. And another topic.Where and when did Microsoft sign off on this ? ? Because if they haven't it ain't gonna happen...Good question! The phrase 'Windows To Go' bings up some that claim this: Quote ... PORTABLE USB desktops transform any computer into a trusted IT-managed workstation, so workers can take all their data, applications and systems with them,from IRONKEY http://ironkey.com This is the first I heard of this anywhere. IMHO it will not catch on.Windows to Go is a feature in Windows 8 Enterprise so is only available to large companies. What PNY are addressing here is how most flash drives aren't suited for running an OS as they are slow and use low quality flash memory. I imagine this product is simply a USB drive that contains SSD internals so is faster and more reliable when it comes to running an OS from it.camerongray, thanks for that. Yes, it is ma feature of Windows 8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_To_Go If, and i say IF, people really want it, the speed issue can be fixed with current technology. My point was that without MS's blessing the article is mis-leading as there won't AUTOMATICALLY be Windows to Go...Quote from: patio on February 19, 2014, 01:04:08 PM My point was that without MS's blessing the article is mis-leading as there won't automatically be Windows to Go...Windows To Go already exists. It is a feature of higher-level Windows 8 editions. Implemented by Microsoft. Quote Windows To Go is a feature in Windows 8 Enterprise that allows Windows 8 Enterprise to boot and run from mass storage devices such as USB flash drives and external hard disk drives.what PNY and Spyrus are doing is working together to create faster drives for the purpose of being used with Windows To Go. Devices need to be certified by Microsoft in order to be used with Windows To Go; Spyrus has several certified products and as the article states focuses on creating Windows To Go drives. They are working with PNY to implement faster, SSD based technology into a Drive designed for use with the "Windows To Go" feature (which, once again, is a feature of Windows itself). The drives will still be certified by Microsoft, as the brief mentions. |
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| 636. |
Solve : Apple cuts price of Retina-display iPad to boost sales? |
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Answer» The story... The iPad, with Apple's branded Retina DISPLAY, is now on sale on the online store at a starting price of £329, making it the CHEAPEST 9in tablet the California-based company has on sale, despite its being one of the newest versions.£329 British Pound Sterling equals 542.75 US Dollar |
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| 637. |
Solve : Facebook to buy mobile messaging app WhatsApp? |
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Answer» Facebook Inc will buy fast-growing mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, as the WORLD's LARGEST social network looks for ways to boost its popularity, ESPECIALLY among a younger crowd. |
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| 638. |
Solve : Alibaba confirms plans to offer IPO in US? |
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Answer» FIRST, why post this in Computer News? Because it will have an IMPACT on what stuff you buy and how you buy it. That includes COMPUTERS, cell phones and consumer electronics. It is a China BASED company that offers market services to directly relate to computers and other popular electronic devices. And they are big. LIKE real BIG. Offering a IPO to the USA market is ...well it can spin your brain. Anyway, here is the Full Story. The IPO is also expected to a boon for Yahoo, which still owns 24 percent of the China e-commerce giant. Just a $130 billion valuation. |
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| 639. |
Solve : Flight 370. What happend to comunication?? |
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Answer» CNN now reports the lost Malaysia FLIGHT 370 has been located. A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATEBut the engine was sending "pings" for five hours. Quote 10. Was anything else on the plane sending data? |
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| 640. |
Solve : 160,000 WordPress DDoS zombies? |
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Answer» Full story: PCWorld Including two on my sites! Also, wp-cron.php had a vulnerability a while ago (last July or therabouts) that allowed attackers to save and edit files on your server. I had to deal with an attack around that time. First I Noticed a strange folder- "Dimethyline" in the FTP. Looking inside, it clearly contained the PHP code for some sort of hack bouncer- almost precisely the sort of thing that would be used to DDoS. (you passed in a URL and it would retrieve the contents of that url on the webhost and then serve it from the host itself, so it was basically working as a proxy) I was able to delete it, but it REAPPEARED a few days later. That got my interest rather fast. Then I looked at the FTP logs and saw that there was a login from a IP in argentina to my FTP account. Naturally, I instantly changed my password. A login failed, then there was a web access to wp-cron and the FTP accesses worked again. wp-cron.php was vulnerable in some way, so what I Did was lock it down with a plugin that required a secret key in order for the script to continue. Then I changed all passwords and deleted the hack code and haven't had a problem since. It could have been much worse, as according to the FTP logs, this other user had made changes to index.php. However, 40 seconds later, I also uploaded a changed version so in a case of rather good luck I managed to basically overwrite the changes entirely. Thanks for sharing that. I don't have the skill set to do that kind of probing. Instead, I have TAKEN down both Gekk9pm.com and DSLGeek.com for now. Maybe I will have to change eh IP also. Not sure. Hard to believe so many legitimate sites were used for evil ends. Unfortunately, our talking about this might encourage more hackers too try it. But we can not just pretend it never happens . Now that I know, I will take measures to prevent this. Thanks Geek for the info, I have three wordpress sites and as far as I remember I have pingbacks turned off, I must check, but I'm 99% sure you can turn them off. |
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| 641. |
Solve : CNN : Virus to kill XP. Do they know?? |
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Answer» Is this news? CNN just said: After April 8, Windows XP computers will be more susceptible to MALWARE and viruses beginning, since Microsoft will no longer address major holes in the software. Although antivirus software will continue to fend off some malicious attacks, Microsoft's security updates provide an essential line of defense.Source: http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/29/technology/enterprise/windows-xp/ Last I heard Microsoft is extending its support by one year!!???Quote from: PCdoc on January 29, 2014, 08:56:54 PM Last I heard Microsoft is extending its support by one year!!???I don't rink the CNN writer did enough research. However, here is a recent item that is more accurate. http://www.techienews.co.uk/975435/microsoft-backtracking-windows-xp-end-life/ The issue is ATM stations in much of the USA and Europe. These automatic electronic money dispensers have Windows XP as the control software. Hard to believe. Criminals have r piped millions of Euros from them. It was reported by the BBC about three weeks ago. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25550512 Look at the picture Quote from: PCdoc on January 29, 2014, 08:56:54 PM Last I heard Microsoft is extending its support by one year!!???They are extending anti-malware update support by 1 year. Other Microsoft updates will cease as originally scheduled.Quote from: Geek-9pm on January 29, 2014, 11:54:45 PM The issue is ATM stations in much of the USA and Europe. These automatic electronic money dispensers have Windows XP as the control software. Hard to believe. Criminals have r piped millions of Euros from them. It was reported by the BBC about three weeks ago. The "issue" is Banks using a 13-year old operating SYSTEM in a scenario where security and data integrity is tantamount. That is simply negligence at best. That said, however- ATMs are not exposed to the net, instead they are connected only via intranet to the internal network- other machines handle the actual transactions; they expose no capability to install software either, so I'm curious how, even with XP, a criminal COULD do anything with an ATM machine without somehow getting more physical access. The OS itself is irrelevant...Quote from: BC_Programmer on January 30, 2014, 01:07:48 PM ... ATMs are not exposed to the net...They did have physical access. But it is more complicated than what you might think. These crooks were well organized. Some quotes from the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25550512 Quote ...Quote ... infected USB sticks.Quote ...To activate the code at the time of their choosing the thieves typed in a 12-digit code that launched a special interface....Quote ... The correct response varied each time and the thief could only obtain the right code by phoning another gang member and telling them the numbers displayed. .. Hard to believe? Well, read the full story and Google it. This link is up to date and confirms the use of USB drives. Quote ...Hard to say if a software update would stop the crooks. Quote Researchers have revealed how cyber-thieves sliced into cash machines in order to infect them with malware earlier this yearWhy was the USB header still present? This has absolutely nothing to do with Windows XP. They gained physical access to a machine that was not secure because proper precautions were not taken. The fact that they left intact USB headers on the system is insane. The fact that auto-run was still enabled, equally so. And the fact that even though it was a kiosk of sorts the entire system was still being run as an administrator when it almost certainly could have been running under a limited account. Quote from: BC_Programmer on January 30, 2014, 03:04:25 PM Why was the USB header still present?I agree. The title I put on this thread is from what pundits have said. The use of USB devices for malicious use is well-known. A biter choice would have been a secure memory card for any kind of device handling monetary transactions. Anybody can just Google Secure Digital Memory Cards But apparently BANKERS never do research. Quote The "issue" is Banks using a 13-year old operating system in a scenario where security and data integrity is tantamount. That is simply negligence at best. You said it. |
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| 642. |
Solve : Are AV's obsolete? |
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Answer» My only issue with WinPatrol has always been that it isn't proactive but rather reactive. By the time WinPatrol alerts you the damage is (sometimes already) done. It's an awesome tool but like an antivirus is just a tool. In short, the operating system now takes care that each program runs in its own shell (designated area) and other programs cannot manipulate its data, thereby reducing the chance of malware attack and malware replication.That "RAM Compartmentalization" section doesn't make any sense. It describes Virtual Address spaces, which exist on pretty MUCH any Protected Mode Operating System, eg, the first paragraph of that section. I've broken it up and stuck numeric footnotes to address. Quote Along with the hack attempts bypassing firewalls, another problem with traditional operating systems(1) is that they tend to mix up electronic memory (the RAM bytes) with ONE or more programs(2). For example, if you are running program A, B and C at the same time, and if there isneed for some data to be stored for program B, the operating system will simply put the data into the next available empty cells. These data cells are not isolated, so the other programs may snoop out or even write on them to infect the computer(3).1. What do they mean by traditional? 2. I think I see what they mean here- even if the memory addresses are virtualized, the physical memory of programs can be adjacent (?). 3. However, as I understand it, this is completely false. Within a Protected-Mode operating System, The only way RAM can be directly addressed without being virtualized is within Ring0 Drivers. Meaning it is not a vector of attack. Perhaps there is something that is poorly explained in the section. I cannot find anything- at all- about this "Ram compartmentalization" capability anywhere except on that post and posts that link to it; additionally, it still makes no sense, eg: Quote From Windows 7, and especially in Windows 8.1, the operating system provides a RAM compartment for each program and its data. That is, a kind of sandboxed RAM. If program A is running in compartment 2, program B cannot store its code or data into the empty RAM cells allotted to program A. If there is need for more storage, it falls back to paging file on Hard Disk.This makes sense on the SURFACE. However- how are RAM cells "allotted" to a program? The only way I can see would be if that programs entire virtual address space is directly allotted to physical memory locations. For 32-bit programs that means every program gets 4GB of Physical memory; 64-bit programs would need 256TB of memory, of course, this is entirely impractical, so I question the legitimacy of the "technique" being mentioned, and SUSPECT it is actually talking about Address Space Virtualization, which is hardly new. I did find Isolated Storage, but that seems to be something entirely different and far from actually being secure (and it's not related to Memory, either). It's also a .NET feature as far as I can tell.Quote from: BC_Programmer on March 12, 2014, 06:55:06 PM 1. What do they mean by traditional? Maybe virtual vs. non-virtual environments? Non-virtual would be traditional. That's all I can think of. Much of what he's talking about is new to me but I think it confirms that Windows is a much more secure OS then what we had as recently as in XP. I do know that the guy who wrote the article is from India. He does good 99% of the time but now and then his WORDS can get 'lost in translation.'Quote from: evilfantasy on March 12, 2014, 07:10:20 PM Maybe virtual vs. non-virtual environments?WEll that's the thing that I don't get, since the last OS that didn't use Protected Mode and a Virtual Address Space was 9x (I know all versions of NT used Address Space virtualization, and Windows 7 did not add anything as far as I know, related to this, thus my confusion. Quote Much of what he's talking about is new to me but I think it confirms that Windows is a much more secure OS then what we had as recently as in XP.I wouldn't call XP particularly "recent". I Agree though since Vista/7/ and 8 do add new security related features (ASLR starting with Vista) as well as refine older ones (eg. DEP goes back to XP or maybe 2000) Quote I do know that the guy who wrote the article is from India. He does good 99% of the time but now and then his words can get 'lost in translation.'That's what I thought too. Everything up to the compartmentalization section is sensible, but everything after that is complete nonsense. |
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| 643. |
Solve : Galaxy S III Mini Value with a faster processor? |
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Answer» Full story... Samsung launched its mini version of the Galaxy S3 back in October 2012, however today, the company announced the Galaxy S III mini Value Edition which is an updated version of its PREDECESSOR. It'll be INTERESTING to see how this holds up against the Moto G which has better specs, is cheaper and hasn't had Android butchered by Samsung. |
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| 644. |
Solve : Cisco: Java exploits behind 90 percent of security attacks? |
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Answer» This was published in JANUARY 2014. To DATE many USERS have yet to update their Java run time. Cisco, in their 2014 Annual Security Report, BLAMES Java for being far and away the leading cause of security exploits.Source: http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2014/01/20/cisco_java_exploits_behind_90_percent_of_security_attacks So either disable your java or update it. |
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| 645. |
Solve : Bacon? There's an app for that!? |
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Answer» OK I have finally found a reason to officially hate iDevice users. They have a Bacon App and Android doesn't! The app is free and available to any iPhone owner, but bacon fans must enter a contest online to win the smell-emitting device. Only 4,700 are available and winners will be selected at RANDOM until APRIL 4. Source: Oscar Mayer wakes you up with bacon alarm Website and contest entry: http://www.wakeupandsmellthebacon.com I couldn't GET it to load in Firefox.Bacon Buttie will Love this... Quote from: patio on MARCH 07, 2014, 06:47:05 PM Bacon Buttie will Love this... I had to Google that. Now I have to go make a sandwich. He used to spend time here.... I see him in Chat once in awhile.Quote from: patio on March 08, 2014, 07:43:50 AM He used to spend time here.... I don't remember seeing that user name. If he makes sandwiches like what I saw on Google then he is alright by me. COOL |
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Solve : Comcast Wantws Time Warner Cable. Why?? |
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Answer» Comcast is for many PC users the Internet Service Provider of choice. TYPICALLY a cable modem can be five times faster that a DLS connection. Comcast has reached an agreement to acquire Time Warner Cable in an all-stock transaction worth roughly $159 a share, according to people close to the deal.It is not clear if this is good for the average TV VIEWER and Internet user in the USA. Like they say, bigger is not always better. Find more with this phrase: Comcast to buy TWC |
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| 647. |
Solve : Microsoft Signs Android Patent Deal? |
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Answer» Full Title: Hop-on, for those who are not familiar with the company, is an international leader in the development and manufacturing of electronics, telecommunications services, as well as smartphones, tablets, Android/Chrome based televisions, set-top boxes, eReaders, and mobile-device apps. As ZDNet points out, Hop-on is well known for developing the world’s first DISPOSABLE cell phone.Full STORY... What does MS have to do with Android? It is part of the Microsoft Android licensing program. So, is my Android dirty? Is yours?Quote from: Geek-9pm on February 26, 2014, 09:00:25 PM What does MS have to do with Android? Android devices infringed/infringes on a number of Patents that Microsoft has the RIGHTS to. In much the same way, it infringes on SEVERAL Java related patents held by Oracle. |
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| 648. |
Solve : Dell charging customers for installation of free Mozilla Firefox? |
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Answer» Quote If you figure that Mozilla can be installed in about 10 minutes, then Dell is charging about $100 for the installation of the FREE app. Source: Dell charging customers for installation of free Mozilla Firefox Image credit and full story: Dell charging EU customers for Firefox installation, Mozilla's not having it Hard to believe. Thats crazy. If anything it should be added as part of the bundleware that comes with the build. The last desktop computer I purchased as an off the shelf model came with all kinds of bundleware including AOL, WildTangent Games, and a bunch of other demos etc. All Dell would have to do is make Firefox part of the system recovery media in which its not charged for but sold with the system as free. That lets say 1 hour of adding that to their system installation process divided by say 10 million computers that use that specific build amounts to fractions of an hour per system if broken into added cost per system, and if the engineer was making $200 per hour who works on this project, it comes to an added cost of $0.00002 per computer. At that cost even if it took a full 40 hour week to implement Firefox to the build its only adding $0.0008 to each computer. Lets say there are 10 engineers working on this for a 40 hour work week at $200 an hour its still just $0.008 per computer added cost. And with Firefox as solid as it is, the support calls for it would be next to nothing to support. However it would be nice if Dell contributed to the funding to maintain Firefox. I dontated a while back and got a shirt through the donation process. For some reason I feel this sense of guilt that I should make another donation one of these days since I use Firefox on many systems and its one of my most favorite browsers and its updated quite frequently to keep security and functionality problems to a minimum.Quote from: DaveLembke on March 05, 2014, 05:45:17 PM The last desktop computer I purchased as an off the shelf model came with all kinds of bundleware including AOL, WildTangent Games, and a bunch of other demos etc. Those are licensing deals. Dell isn't pre-installing that stuff for free. Quote from: DaveLembke on March 05, 2014, 05:45:17 PM For some reason I feel this sense of guilt that I should make another donation one of these days since I use Firefox on many systems and its one of my most favorite browsers and its updated quite frequently to keep security and functionality problems to a minimum. Don't feel too bad. Google is the default search in Firefox and Mozilla MAKES tons of money year from us. In 2012 Google renewed a 3 year 1 billion dollar deal with Mozilla. Google-Firefox Search Deal is Antitrust Red Meat Google, Mozilla, Facebook etc. We aren't the customers. We are the product being sold... |
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| 649. |
Solve : Facebook quietly ends email address system? |
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Answer» FACEBOOK has quietly shuttered its three-year-old email service that gave users "@facebook.com" email addresses. From now on, emails sent to an "@facebook.com" address will be forwarded to the personal email address from which the member signed up for the site. "We're making this change because most PEOPLE haven't been using their Facebook email address," said a Facebook spokesperson. The change will happen in early March. Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26332191Quote "We're making this change because most people haven't been using their Facebook email address," said a Facebook spokesperson. Translation :: We've made some really poor business decisions...got overwhelmed with requests and we'll be darned if were gonna spend mony on new servers to hande all the traffic...Quote from: patio on February 25, 2014, 07:54:17 AM Translation :: We've made some really poor business decisions...got overwhelmed with requests and we'll be darned if were gonna spend mony on new servers to hande all the traffic... So true Yeah, I could never see it working in the first place - How on EARTH do they expect someone to send a FORMAL email to a company (for example) through Facebook!Quote from: camerongray on February 25, 2014, 09:56:15 AM Yeah, I could never see it working in the first place - How on earth do they expect someone to send a formal email to a company (for example) through Facebook! Exactly, how would you ever be taken seriously when you have an email address with Facebook as the server. Facebook sales |
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Solve : More Hacked Routers brand revealed? |
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Answer» Hackers hijack 300,000-plus wireless routers, make malicious changes. Devices made by D-Link, Micronet, Tenda, and TP-Link hijacked in ongoing attack.Thanks for the head up. Quote ...comes weeks after researchers from several UNRELATED organizations uncovered separate ongoing mass hacks of other routers, including a worm that hit thousands of Linksys routers and the exploit of a critical flaw in Asus routers... This is a real story. It has been picked up by major feeds. Here is a variation of the same theme. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2095860/cybercriminals-compromise-home-routers-to-attack-online-banking-users.html Quote Attacks recently observed in Poland involved cybercriminals hacking into home routers and changing their DNS settings so they can intercept user connections to online banking sites.Really, it is a different story, but the same problem. It is just too easy to hack a router. Glad I flashed to DD-WRT about a year ago. I was running a prior older Linksys that was about 9 years old a Linksys BEFSR41 that started to act up on me where when running persistent pings I would see occasional communication issues. Tests showed it was the router and not internet connection to ISP. Swapped this out with a $25 D-Link DIR-501 Wireless N 150 Router which supported DD-WRT and flashed it. It turned a lower end D-Link Router into a feature/security rich device and has ran trouble free for about a year now. Wireless and Wired works secure and flawlessly communicating. *NOTE: The only issue with DD-WRT and my D-Link Router is that the LED activity changed as a result of this flash. Instead of a blinking green LED for port activity the port starts as solid green showing a device is connected and then the LED goes completely out when there is activity. Other routers experience other oddities and fortunately the only oddity is the LED status of out when there is a download or update etc vs blinking.The articles did not indicate what steps to taken to prevent rooter highjacking. This wikipedia article has some general information, but not easy fix. It would imply the big companies have know about this sort of THING for a long time and have not done mush about it. IMHO. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_hijacking IP hijacking From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Quote Public incidents Quote Correct: Only routers running stock firmware are vulnerable. OpenWRT is not vulnerable to this issue. From: https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/Linksys+Worm+TheMoon+Summary+What+we+know+so+far/17633 |
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