Bye bye unlimited storage…MS says some users were abusing that. Maybe, maybe not. Define “some”. I figure it’s really about money…hey, that’s what corporations do. Especially those with crappy smartphones. So, MS storage had been changed from 15 GB (remember when you’d get 500 mb for each friend you brought in?) to 5 GB free and 15 GB of Camera roll bonus. MS has recanted after a good deal of disappointment was vented, and MS is lett...
So…this is something you really want to know, and thanks to Tomer Bitton and Udi Yavo, you can find out for free. The reason you want to find out is that RWX vulnerabilities are the worst…since they allow remote code execution. Also, AVs aren’t the only target. Data Leak Preventers (DLPs) are also. There are 400 million AV users, so…there might be many folks with a false sense of security. Tomer and Udi’s freebie will check any AV you are using for this vulnerability. The co...
“Nemesis” infect Windows computers before your security software loads. It’s a ‘rootkit’ – so it will infect your computer’s core components (hardware and software) while often disguising its actions. “In this case, the Nemesis malware goes a step further and infects the hard drive boot record, which is the very first piece of code which executes when a computer is switched on. It's this code which launches an operating system such as Windows; such an infection is also know...
Slipstream has found even more vulnerable bundleware on Lenovo, Dell and Toshiba computers. Again, these vulnerabilities are serious, high level and can be triggered remotely with System level permissions. Lenovo... Lenovo Solution Center creates a process called LSCTaskService that runs with full administrator rights, and fires up a web server on port 55555. It can be instructed via GET and POST HTTP requests to execute code in a directory a local us...
David J. Slater is the photographer who set up a monkey selfie shot (in 2011) and when it became a meme, requested Wikipedia to remove the monkey selfie with a DCMA letter. Wiki said, sorry but the photo is uncopyrightable since current law says “The term ‘authorship’ implies that, for a work to be copyrightable, it must owe its origin to a human being. Materials produced solely by nature, by plants, or by animals are not copyrightable.” – Copyright ...
The gritty gangster (Feetch La Manna on the “Sopranos”) and detective (“Jagged Edge”) actor Robert Loggia has passed on at home at age 85. He had fought Alzheimer’s Disease for five years, his wife stated. He didn’t only play the gangster/detective role, though. He played the company boss in “Big”. His career took off in 1966 with the lead in “T.H.E. Cat”. His last role was the JCS General in “Independence Day”, I believe. He was born on Staten Island and grew up ...
First “Pony” steals your passwords (including FTP and SSH credentials used by Admins to manage sites)…then, they inject malicious code into legit sites to redirect visitors to malicious sites which install “Angler” which attacks Windows and Flash as well as Java plugins. So, with not up-to-date software, your computer becomes vulnerable to Angler attacks and in those “drive bys”, CryptoWall 4 will be installed. Now, you’ve got the most successful ransomware on your computer. If ...
Well…not really see, because you cannot see that part of the electro-magnetic spectrum, and not all the wireless signals – only those compiled from several public databases. Still, it’s pretty cool. You can read about and see it in action in the source article, or just see the video here: Of course, the distances and strengths of these signals aren’t really measured, just estimated, still it might help you find the Matrix…very cool. The Android...
Hope you shop online and know how to avoid the scams on folks online. This one’s the ultimate nightmare: It goes the 2013 Target breach one better. It goes deep into the computer system affected, and is highly encrypted so most antivirals will miss it (in the store’s computers). It can record what you type into the pad on the terminal at checkout…so it scrapes the buyer i.d., and numbers/pin. “The actors behind the ModPOS software have exhibited a very professional leve...
Dell shipped its computers (confirmed) with a major security flaw: Dell has inadvertently shipped PCs and laptops with both a trusted root certificate and key, when only the trusted certificate should have been allowed. “The idea behind the mishap was to help identify Dell computers when they were connected to Dell's online support service. In this case, the computer's model number could be checked, and the support system would have then provided tailored advice and run auto...
Engadget reported it, and Yahoo confirmed it…Yahoo’s displaying for a small test group the following message: "Uh oh... We are unable to display Yahoo Mail. Please disable Ad Blocker to continue using Yahoo mail." The original complainants were on Adblock/Adblock Plus Forums from folks who had to disable their adblockers to access their “free” email. Yahoo isn’t trailblazing anything with this. It is something which is becoming more and more co...
This is a pretty revolutionary study out of the Weizmann Institute of Science. Note: The study only tracked blood sugar levels vs. meal types in 800 people continuously for one week and defined a “good diet” as one which produced steady sugar levels as opposed to a “bad diet” as one which produced elevated levels, because elevated levels are tied to diabetes, obesity and the metabolic syndrome. They also analyzed gut bacteria types believed to play a role i...
Just a reminder about staying safe when shopping online…most folks would rather not camp out for block buster/door buster deals, especially when craziness could get one hurt. So, for the many who shop online, here’s how not to get hurt by doing so. The key is “layers”. With all the hacking of store chain, media companies, etc. the last thing you want is to get your personal and financial data to get pummeled. 1. Alternative payment methods: By using PayPal, you have no p...
So, I don’t have to explain what ransomware is… Download this fella, install it (it’ll appear in the systray). Click on the green wheel to cofigure the program’s general settings. Then click on the “Immunization” slider and turn it to the “On” position. Done. So…what does it do? It does not allow executable files from %appdata% and %startup% to run. Your computer will now be protected against CryptoWall and CTB-Locker...
SFC /scannow will fix Windows system files corruption. When it works by copying cached files stored after having been copied in the past (…system32\dll cache folder). However, when the cached file is corrupted as well, it won’t work. Then you get a message like: photocredit gHacks.net SFCFix from The Tech Cookbook will fix that (it’s also a portable .exe). You should read the linked page. How it does it is explained there (sort of) as well as in th...