ARP-Cache http://pengwin.homelinux.org Tech News From The Media Access Control Layer Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:50:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc en Revealed: The Internet’s Biggest Security Hole http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/revealed-the-internets-biggest-security-hole/ http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/revealed-the-internets-biggest-security-hole/#comments Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:50:34 +0000 ARP-Cache http://pengwin.homelinux.org/?p=2140 Two security researchers have demonstrated a new technique to stealthily intercept internet traffic on a scale previously presumed to be unavailable to anyone outside of intelligence agencies like the National Security Agency.

The tactic exploits the internet routing protocol BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) to let an attacker surreptitiously monitor unencrypted internet traffic anywhere in the world, and even modify it before it reaches its destination.

The demonstration is only the latest attack to highlight fundamental security weaknesses in some of the internet’s core protocols. Those protocols were largely developed in the 1970s with the assumption that every node on the then-nascent network would be trustworthy. The world was reminded of the quaintness of that assumption in July, when researcher Dan Kaminsky disclosed a serious vulnerability in the DNS system. Experts say the new demonstration targets a potentially larger weakness.

News Source: Wired News
View: Full Story

]]> http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/revealed-the-internets-biggest-security-hole/feed/ Million Bank Details Sold On eBay http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/million-bank-details-sold-on-ebay/ http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/million-bank-details-sold-on-ebay/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:05:09 +0000 ARP-Cache http://pengwin.homelinux.org/?p=2125 A computer hard disc containing one million sets of bank details was bought on eBay for just £35.

The secondhand PC contained details of customers from American Express, NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland. The files included names, addresses, sort codes, account numbers, credit card numbers, mobile phone numbers, mothers’ maiden names and even scans of signatures - more than enough for an identity thief.

IT manager Andrew Chapman paid £35 for the secondhand machine on eBay. Chapman told The Mail on Sunday: “I couldn’t believe it. In front of me was reams of extremely confidential information about thousands and thousands of people.”

News Source: The Register
View: Full Story

]]> http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/million-bank-details-sold-on-ebay/feed/ Memory And Performance: The Bottom Line http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/memory-and-performance-the-bottom-line/ http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/memory-and-performance-the-bottom-line/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:02:39 +0000 ARP-Cache http://pengwin.homelinux.org/?p=2131 Memory. An integral part of every computer, the bank of system RAM (random access memory) is the place, outside the CPU’s own cache, where data gets stored for the short-term as it gets sent to the main processor by programs and returned after calculation.

This article sets out to try to answer all kinds of memory questions herein. Using nearly identical motherboards to test both DDR2 and DDR3, we ran all kinds of performance tests, subjective and repeatable, synthetic and real-world. We played and benchmarked games, crunched huge amounts of data, and ran Windows with tons of stuff open.

News Source: ExtremeTech
View: Full Story

]]> http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/memory-and-performance-the-bottom-line/feed/ Ubuntu Users Get Patch For Linux Kernel Flaw http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/ubuntu-users-get-patch-for-linux-kernel-flaw/ http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/ubuntu-users-get-patch-for-linux-kernel-flaw/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:01:52 +0000 ARP-Cache http://pengwin.homelinux.org/?p=2123 Canonical is the latest Linux vendor to patch a vulnerability in the open-source operating system’s kernel that could have left the door open for hackers to find their way into users’ machines.

In an email sent overnight on Monday, the Linux vendor warned users to update all machines running recent versions of Ubuntu, ranging from 6.06, which was released back in mid-2006, to version 8.04, which came out earlier this year. The problem also applied to other versions of Ubuntu such as Kubuntu, Edubuntu and Xubuntu.

News Source: ZDNet UK
View: Full Story

]]> http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/ubuntu-users-get-patch-for-linux-kernel-flaw/feed/ RIAA Wins P2P Case After Defendant Reformats Hard Drive http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/riaa-wins-p2p-case-after-defendant-reformats-hard-drive/ http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/riaa-wins-p2p-case-after-defendant-reformats-hard-drive/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:00:51 +0000 ARP-Cache http://pengwin.homelinux.org/?p=2113 One of the most closely-watched copyright infringement lawsuits brought by the RIAA appears to have come to a screeching halt, much to the music industry’s delight. A judge ruled Monday that a defendant had willfully and intentionally destroyed evidence of his P2P activities after being notified of pending legal action by the RIAA. Furthermore, since it was done in bad faith, it “therefore warrants appropriate sanctions.”

The order in Atlantic v. Howell was issued at the end of a pretrial conference held in an Arizona courtroom. Jeffery Howell, the defendant who represented himself throughout the case, was accused of copyright infringement for sharing music over the KaZaA P2P network. Howell denied the charges, saying that the music MediaSentry saw in his shared folder was for his own private use.

News Source: Ars Technica
View: Full Story

]]> http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/riaa-wins-p2p-case-after-defendant-reformats-hard-drive/feed/ Mozilla Steps Up Firefox 3 Push http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/mozilla-steps-up-firefox-3-push/ http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/mozilla-steps-up-firefox-3-push/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:00:31 +0000 ARP-Cache http://pengwin.homelinux.org/?p=2129 Mozilla is stepping up its efforts to drive users to Firefox 3.

The company has begun a campaign which offers Firefox 2 users the option of an upgrade to the new browser upon launching.

The pop-up window provides a short list of the improvements in the latest version of the browser and offers users the option of updating immediately, sending another reminder later, or never asking the user to update again.

News Source: vnunet.com
View: Full Story

]]> http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/mozilla-steps-up-firefox-3-push/feed/ Google To Rescue WiFi Network Which EarthLink Left For Dead http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/google-to-rescue-wifi-network-which-earthlink-left-for-dead/ http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/google-to-rescue-wifi-network-which-earthlink-left-for-dead/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:00:29 +0000 ARP-Cache http://pengwin.homelinux.org/?p=2111 The communications network EarthLink was for a time seen as a messiah of sorts for the free wireless movement. After spending millions to build several free networks in cities across the country, its efforts collapsed, and it went from messiah to pariah for its failed claims. The bad part was that EarthLink’s customers were suddenly faced with severance.

Some networks, such as Philadelphia’s municipal WiFi, which was supposed to be shut down in June, have been saved by private investors. At the last minute, when dismantling was expected to commence, a group of investors known as the Network Acquisition Company bought the network, and have kept free WiFi flowing to parts of the city.

News Source: DailyTech
View: Full Story

]]> http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/google-to-rescue-wifi-network-which-earthlink-left-for-dead/feed/ Some U.S. Airports Back To Normal After Computer Glitch http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/some-us-airports-back-to-normal-after-computer-glitch/ http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/some-us-airports-back-to-normal-after-computer-glitch/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:00:23 +0000 ARP-Cache http://pengwin.homelinux.org/?p=2127 Air traffic at some major U.S. airports was returning to normal on Tuesday after many planes were delayed due to a glitch in the computer system for filing flight plans, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The Department of Homeland Security said there was no link to terrorism and the FAA said the computer glitch did not affect its ability to safely track planes in the air.

An FAA official told reporters during a conference call that the agency hoped to have the problem resolved by around 6 p.m. (2200 GMT).

News Source: Reuters
View: Full Story

]]> http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/some-us-airports-back-to-normal-after-computer-glitch/feed/ Microsoft, Immersion Settle Legal Dispute http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/microsoft-immersion-settle-legal-dispute/ http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/microsoft-immersion-settle-legal-dispute/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:00:11 +0000 ARP-Cache http://pengwin.homelinux.org/?p=2115 Haptic technology maker Immersion said Tuesday it has settled its legal dispute with Microsoft.

The maker of tactile feedback technology for mice and joysticks sued both Sony and Microsoft in 2002 for patent infringement. Though both suits were settled, Microsoft filed a separate suit against Immersion in June 2007 and asked the court to enforce a portion of a sublicensing agreement between the two companies that stated Microsoft would get a portion of Immersion’s settlement it received from Sony. Immersion countersued, alleging Microsoft had breached a confidentiality agreement.

More than a year later, Microsoft and Immersion have called a truce under a 2003 sublicense agreement between the two companies. They’ve also settled Immersion’s countersuit.

News Source: C|Net News
View: Full Story

]]> http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/microsoft-immersion-settle-legal-dispute/feed/ The Best And Worst Technologies At The Olympics http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/the-best-and-worst-technologies-at-the-olympics/ http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/the-best-and-worst-technologies-at-the-olympics/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:00:08 +0000 ARP-Cache http://pengwin.homelinux.org/?p=2121 The Beijing Olympics were billed as the most high-tech games ever - but which were the most noteworthy technologies? And which ones are better off forgotten? Here are four tech companies that deserve to stand on the podium, and three that were a total flop.

The flame is extinguished, and as such the games of the 2008 Olympics are closed. While the medal count is now final, a few awards have yet to be given out: those for the winners and losers when it came to technology at the games.

News Source: IT Business
View: Full Story

]]> http://pengwin.homelinux.org/2008/08/27/the-best-and-worst-technologies-at-the-olympics/feed/