Facebook Introduces five new Privacy Tweaks

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXpi2mxLSFDMsPV8k6T8VuE_hyE8w3wfbGZnG88ig2hwWdOqZWZq7PifEGIG40zmWUV8ypMnowxNPy1nifCQSL3LmdjKP4ZG0vdohxnEAbzQs2EaAHHj3Y4uuNDRL7wkToLEdQraYmkY/s1600/facebook-privacy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="facebook-privacy" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXpi2mxLSFDMsPV8k6T8VuE_hyE8w3wfbGZnG88ig2hwWdOqZWZq7PifEGIG40zmWUV8ypMnowxNPy1nifCQSL3LmdjKP4ZG0vdohxnEAbzQs2EaAHHj3Y4uuNDRL7wkToLEdQraYmkY/s1600/facebook-privacy.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Facebook">Facebook</a> is slowly rolling out its new privacy center, which offers a couple of long-awaited features (preapproved photo tags!) and reintroduces some older, lesser-known security options.<br /><br />We've rounded up the most important new privacy options, including a few that <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Facebook">Facebook</a> had buried until now.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Approve tags before they're published.</b></span><br />Facebook finally lets you approve tagged photos and posts of you before they land on your profile. How many times has a friend tagged you in an unflattering photo? It's time to end these actions.<br /><br />Go to <span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Account > Privacy Settings</span> and select Edit settings next to "How tags work." Then hit Edit next to Profile Review and you'll be prompted to turn on the settings. Now, every time someone tags you in a status, photo, or place, the post will appear in the Pending approval section on your profile (in the left sidebar).<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Decide who gets to see your posts.</b></span><br />Facebook reintroduced selective posting in this privacy update. Once you write your status, click on the small triangle next to the Post button to make the post visible to: friends, public (anyone on the Internet), or custom (exclude individuals or lists).<br /><br />To change the visibility after you've posted, head back to the post on your wall, hover over it, and click the drop-down menu in the upper-right to change the visibility.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Change privacy for any profile item.</b></span><br />It's now much easier to change the privacy for every element of your profile. For example, you can share your hometown with everyone, but your birthday to just your friends. Or, make it so that only close friends can see who you're in a relationship with.<br /><br />Go to your profile and select Edit profile at the upper-right corner of the page. Then head to one of the categories (on the left) and change the privacy of its elements using the drop-down menu next to each field.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. Select the default privacy setting for posts.</b></span><br />Head to your privacy settings, and scroll down to "Control your Default Privacy." Here, you can select the default audience for all your posts--Public (everyone on the Internet), Friends (all your friends), or Custom (exclude certain friends or lists).<br /><br /><i>Tip: If you frequently post content you'd rather keep private from a certain group of people (like your colleagues), create a list of all those people and exclude them by default using the Custom option in this privacy setting.</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. Preview your public profile.</b></span><br />Once you make all the privacy tweaks, see how your profile appears to certain friends or anyone on the Web. Go to your profile and select "View profile as..." in the upper-right corner. Enter a friends name or select the public link in the instructions above the field to see what it looks like to everyone.

Facebook Introduces five new Privacy Tweaks

Facebook is slowly rolling out its new privacy center, which offers a couple of long-awaited features (preapproved photo tags!) and reintro...

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Want to be your friend on Facebook? A Fake Facebook Request

<a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-avoid-facebook-viruses-and-spam.html">Malicious spam</a> messages generated by the infamous Cutwail botnet are targeting <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-avoid-facebook-viruses-and-spam.html">Facebook users</a> as potential banking Trojan victims.<br /><br />The messages arrive in the guise of a Facebook friend invite notification. The emails look genuine enough on casual inspection, thanks to the malware-spinners' apparent use of a genuine Facebook template. But where a genuine Facebook invite contains links to the real social networking site, the malicious emails feature custom links to malware sites. In addition, the emails differ from the genuine article because they do not feature Facebook profile photos. The recipient's email address is also absent from the fine print at the bottom of the bogus invites.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAam1MVjfI6ZFUAR4dVhengjQuPfogoXJkMlONbEjpajuNqNTAvRxn1UiARvBD2ec3Pn0jf-3YkREkLNhqX_ffJ8sdVRjsNMV3KIfjNrCWg__H6Ql1Itw9eWLj7galilMaGnmVi96jrU/s1600/facebook-spam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="facebook-spam" border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAam1MVjfI6ZFUAR4dVhengjQuPfogoXJkMlONbEjpajuNqNTAvRxn1UiARvBD2ec3Pn0jf-3YkREkLNhqX_ffJ8sdVRjsNMV3KIfjNrCWg__H6Ql1Itw9eWLj7galilMaGnmVi96jrU/s1600/facebook-spam.png" width="540" /></a></div><br />Users tricked into clicking on the malicious link are exposed to a double-barrelled malware based attack. Firstly they are offered a bogus Adobe Flash update. In addition, clicking on the link opens a hidden iFrame, which then loads data from a remote server hosting the Blackhole Exploit Kit. The exploit kit attempts to exploit browser security holes, most notably involving insecure Java installations.<br /><br />Both techniques attempt to download a variant of the infamous ZeuS banking Trojan onto compromised systems. Impersonating email notifications from Facebook is a common enough technique among spammers and purveyors of survey scams, but I've never seen it applied to punt banking Trojans before.<br /><br />A full write-up of the scam can be found in a blog post by M86 Security <a href="http://labs.m86security.com/2011/08/want-to-be-friends-on-facebook-dont-click-the-link">here</a>.

Want to be your friend on Facebook? A Fake Facebook Request

Malicious spam messages generated by the infamous Cutwail botnet are targeting Facebook users as potential banking Trojan victims. The mes...

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Microsoft Improves Windows Explorer with Ribbon UI on Windows 8

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdTJzOiLR1w6XBpBOU7Oz9liDEA12KHRox44Q1SDzCYVsRCt1DcMlsKxiou4WmrmKzy-AtDQx0d6chnlw2iajhTZWcdGWyQa3X8c7FHCQBnvakNhVfA4XLiyjlIM3SD7HJ4zL4H2O-X8/s1600/win8_start_web-300x169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdTJzOiLR1w6XBpBOU7Oz9liDEA12KHRox44Q1SDzCYVsRCt1DcMlsKxiou4WmrmKzy-AtDQx0d6chnlw2iajhTZWcdGWyQa3X8c7FHCQBnvakNhVfA4XLiyjlIM3SD7HJ4zL4H2O-X8/s1600/win8_start_web-300x169.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Microsoft">Microsoft</a> today gave another sneak peek of Windows 8 — showing a new approach to Windows Explorer, the place where users search for and interact with files in the operating system. The change will be familiar to many Microsoft customers, because it’s styled as a “ribbon” of commands very similar to the interface used in recent version of Microsoft Office 2007.<br /><br />According to a <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/08/29/improvements-in-windows-explorer.aspx">Microsoft Windows team</a> Alex Simons, they've evaluated several different UI command affordances including expanded versions of the Vista/Windows 7 command bar, Windows 95/Windows XP style toolbars and menus, several entirely new UI approaches, and the Office style ribbon and that the ribbon approach offered benefits in line with their goals.<br /><br />He said the motive of redesigning Explorer is based on opt-in data from hundreds of Windows users showing that, despite having over 200 commands, only ten of those represent 81.8% of Explorer's total usage and only two of the top 10 commands are featured prominently in Vista and Windows 7's command bar.<br /><br />The new Windows Explorer on Windows 8 looks like this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8BchL9hTNeoYogoXgWH7jpm-41Lf0IJyDsdWSgVQhcXOQ-Wrx8wIfMW_NPJY4UyFm9MS_izRR_xrhfKGv6D3o3yKRS7miR9mYx94_ec7cdfWK2MLhjectIShaWK8eq3u3mh3ifu8EpE/s1600/2553.Figure-8---Win8-Hero_thumb_2B3376FC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8BchL9hTNeoYogoXgWH7jpm-41Lf0IJyDsdWSgVQhcXOQ-Wrx8wIfMW_NPJY4UyFm9MS_izRR_xrhfKGv6D3o3yKRS7miR9mYx94_ec7cdfWK2MLhjectIShaWK8eq3u3mh3ifu8EpE/s1600/2553.Figure-8---Win8-Hero_thumb_2B3376FC.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Goals of the new Windows Explorer</b></span><br />We set out to accomplish three main goals with this new version of Explorer.<br /><br /><ol><li>Optimize Explorer for file management tasks. Return Explorer to its roots as an efficient file manager and expose some hidden gems, those file management commands already in Explorer that many customers might not even know exist.</li><br /> <li>Create a streamlined command experience. Put the most used commands in the most prominent parts of the UI so they are easy to find, in places that make sense and are reliable. Organize the commands in predictable places and logical groupings according to context, and present relevant information right where you need it.</li><br /> <li>Respect Explorer’s heritage. Maintain the power and richness of Explorer and bring back the most relevant and requested features from the Windows XP era when the current architecture and security model of Windows permits.</li><br /> </ol>The new approach is drawing a mixed reaction from Windows users in the <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/08/29/improvements-in-windows-explorer.aspx#comments">comments on Simons’ post</a>.<br /><br />On the surface, the ribbon looks inconsistent with the tile-based, Windows Phone-style design and fonts that Microsoft has adopted for the default Start screen in Windows 8. Microsoft will be giving more details on Windows 8 next month, and it will be interesting to see how the company bridges the new and old elements of the overall Windows interface.<br /><br />Check out the video below where Alex illustrates few of the changes in the next Windows Explorer:<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8zauNrG2k6o" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />The new operating system is set to roll out next year, i'll love to hear your opinions on this, especially the Ribbon UI design.

Microsoft Improves Windows Explorer with Ribbon UI on Windows 8

Microsoft today gave another sneak peek of Windows 8 — showing a new approach to Windows Explorer, the place where users search for and int...

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3 Best Apps for tracking Hurricanes on Android

Hurricane season is open, and that means keeping track of whether these storms will reach your hometown. Following the local news can be cumbersome if you're on the go, so why not use your <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/06/10-useful-andriod-hacks-and-tips.html">Android device</a> to help out? Here are three <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/06/use-apps-to-stay-connected.html">Android apps</a> that can keep you informed on severe weather conditions.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7dxP9oS6WbDGfGY2ALNvN19wBpHs9oHZkIBrkiJdqhtxDcT0zm8lKmG9z3PHaPC_C_Z0LbKLNsWjHBo2eU7t6YihGbaCWRQ3wo0UQzNklCaaViEAvyJ8d-TShr7pV8O8SQpT3M5c_is/s1600/hurricanehound.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="hurricanehound" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7dxP9oS6WbDGfGY2ALNvN19wBpHs9oHZkIBrkiJdqhtxDcT0zm8lKmG9z3PHaPC_C_Z0LbKLNsWjHBo2eU7t6YihGbaCWRQ3wo0UQzNklCaaViEAvyJ8d-TShr7pV8O8SQpT3M5c_is/s1600/hurricanehound.png" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.stkiconcepts.hurricaneHound.free"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hurricane Hound</span></b></a><br /><br />Hurricane Hound is an app designed specifically for tracking storms. Each storm is labeled by name with several icons denoting the path the hurricane is predicted to take. These icons are colored and labeled based on the category rating the storm will be at each location. Storm warnings are also illustrated on the map in the form of colored lines. Finally, the potentially affected area of the storm is noted by a yellow coloring of the map, displaying the other possible trajectories for the storm.<br /><br />This app is great for the purpose it was designed for; storm directions and strengths are clearly labeled, and it's very easy to pick up the app and understand what it's showing you. Even though you can't see where storms have previously traveled, you can easily pinpoint the current location because there is no old data on the map to obscure it. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEgse3EVG34LroUqFUWurEobSDfybaXEvsEaGSAX0SPwCZt8YAv5wzOkip5iC-MX7lEDiZjQ_b4j82g1kgz_Z_uoziXaoG8DKsyx_oTuFvviSU2qEQx8Owv6VAw7J8prXZ4BZJmxWFSc/s1600/HurricaneSoftware.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="HurricaneSoftware" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEgse3EVG34LroUqFUWurEobSDfybaXEvsEaGSAX0SPwCZt8YAv5wzOkip5iC-MX7lEDiZjQ_b4j82g1kgz_Z_uoziXaoG8DKsyx_oTuFvviSU2qEQx8Owv6VAw7J8prXZ4BZJmxWFSc/s1600/HurricaneSoftware.png" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=Hurricane.Software"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hurricane Software</span></b></a><br /><br />This app is very similar to Hurricane Hound in appearance and features. A notable difference is the inclusion of recorded (as opposed to predicted) readings from previous locations. The storm's current location is indicated by a white circle around the icon, which is colored in a similar fashion to Hurricane Hound.<br /><br />Instead of the yellow-colored trajectory area on the map, this app uses a connect-the-dots-style path for storms. While this won't show the exact path of a hurricane, it can give you a good idea (and as history has shown, storms can decide to go a completely different direction anyway). Also, the names of storms are hidden until you tap on one of the dots in a trajectory. This can be helpful if a lot of smaller storms are grouped in one area, keeping the map free of clutter. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGOq847nlEjJSpIwkl1jfoWNnTOK2o4i_SAOGDIvJDx5ulabVsNlrFBU21-WIY7AcsMVLbqUOP7hqnn8QMZmwX8VRFHNXEwcy57jiY5LRao30I2_5885XK9kil6Z1qgpWdJjuQvy7bDk/s1600/WPBF.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="WPBF" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGOq847nlEjJSpIwkl1jfoWNnTOK2o4i_SAOGDIvJDx5ulabVsNlrFBU21-WIY7AcsMVLbqUOP7hqnn8QMZmwX8VRFHNXEwcy57jiY5LRao30I2_5885XK9kil6Z1qgpWdJjuQvy7bDk/s1600/WPBF.png" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cliomobile.hurricane.wpbf"><b><span style="font-size: large;">WPBF Hurricane</span></b></a><br /><br />Though the phone numbers and shelter locations provided within this app are specific to Florida areas, the other tools can work for people living anywhere. There is also a <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cliomobile.tracker.wdsu">sister app</a> for the Louisiana area.<br /><br />Aside from monitoring tools, this app also provides links to news stories and a hurricane checklist to help prepare for the oncoming severe weather. The map in WPBF displays the current location of storms, colored by category rating and your location, but it omits the storm's trajectory. Instead, a threat meter is provided on the main page, which is similar to the usefulness of a visual path. Reading this meter tells you the likelihood of your area being hit by a storm on a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 being no danger and 5 being an almost 100 percent guaranteed hit.<br /><br />This app is an invaluable tool for planning ahead. Having checklists available for preparing your home, family, and pets for hurricanes can be a literal lifesaver--both for veterans of hurricane territory and those new to the region. Also, the inclusion of an easy-to-find and constantly updated newsfeed on storms is a huge plus.<br /><br />If you're looking for an <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Android">Android</a> app to monitor storms, you really can't go wrong with any of these. Despite being similar, each app has at least one feature that makes it worth grabbing if you're serious about getting prepared for any storms headed your way.

3 Best Apps for tracking Hurricanes on Android

Hurricane season is open, and that means keeping track of whether these storms will reach your hometown. Following the local news can be cum...

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5 Superb Mozilla Firefox Secrets !!!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-QOjiMHuHhxrHcEIDpI3crw7oWZ5n5tjYruqvY7TwGsESUnGYmGr3qmJT06pjDi6PqqGYSMowaKry7lqznPu2LzxaMj-zFT8J_sEniI0ja6Rid8eXtE7KlO1QDN4UqilWrDjLKOjxMM/s1600/Firefox-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Firefox-logo" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-QOjiMHuHhxrHcEIDpI3crw7oWZ5n5tjYruqvY7TwGsESUnGYmGr3qmJT06pjDi6PqqGYSMowaKry7lqznPu2LzxaMj-zFT8J_sEniI0ja6Rid8eXtE7KlO1QDN4UqilWrDjLKOjxMM/s1600/Firefox-logo.jpg" /></a></div>While <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Firefox">Firefox</a> might be your chosen browser for its speed, useful add-ons, and open-source culture, it's also packed with many useful built-in features.<br /><br />I've tried to dug through Firefox's <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2010/11/15-hidden-firefox-tricks-you-must-know.html">endless list of features</a> to find you the best, little-known secrets you can start using right now.<br /><br /><b>1. Customize search with Smart Keywords</b><br />A little-known Firefox feature lets you run searches within any given Web site from the browser's address bar. For example, to search for "TouchPad" within Amazon.com, all you'd have to do is type "amazon touchpad" in the Firefox bar.<br /><br />To create a smart keyword, head to a Web site and locate the search field. Then, right-click the search field and select "Add Keyword for this search...". Create the bookmark, store it in a folder, and your smart keyword is now enabled. Try it with reference sites like Wikipedia and IMDB for quick access to answers.<br /><br /><b>2. Open multiple Web sites at launch</b><br />Who says you can have only one home page? You can set Firefox to open all your favorite Web sites at launch. For example, I'd like Prohackingtricks, Facebook, and Twitter to launch every time I open my browser.<br /><br />In Firefox, go to Options > General. In the home page field, enter URLs separated by pipes. For example "http://www.prohackingtricks.blogspot.com | http://www.facebook.com | http://...." and so on. Then, hit "OK" and relaunch your browser to see the magic happen.<br /><br /><b>3. Bookmark an RSS feed</b><br />If you check certain Web sites frequently, especially news sites, you can create a bookmark that automatically updates with new stories from that feed. For example, Firefox stocks your toolbar with a "Latest Headlines" bookmark, but you can create your own.<br /><br />Right-click the Firefox toolbar and select "Customize...". Then, drag and drop the RSS logo to the toolbar. Now, head to the site you want to subscribe to and click the RSS button in the toolbar. Then, enter the name of the bookmark and click "Add".<br /><br /><b>4. Take your settings on the go</b><br />Instead of re-adjusting Firefox--bookmarks, passwords, etc.--every time you use a new computer, take all your accounts and settings on the go. This is done by simply installing Firefox on a portable USB drive, and inserting into any computer you use.<br /><br /><br /><b>5. Master keyboard shortcuts and mouse gestures</b><br />Firefox has built-in shortcuts to help you browse a lot faster. For example, there are shortcuts for rotating through tabs, re-opening a closed tab, and toggling Private Browsing. <a href="http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Keyboard%20shortcuts">View the full list here</a>.<br /><br />Firefox has <a href="http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Mouse%20shortcuts">mouse gestures</a>, too. Although they're not as elegant as <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/07/feature-mac-os-x-107-lion-complete.html">Mac OS X</a> gestures, they'll become second-nature after some practice. For example, Shift + scroll down sends you back, and alt+scroll lets you scroll by line.<br /><br />For advanced gestures--like reloading a page by drawing a circle with your mouse--check out the <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/firegestures/">FireGestures</a> add-on.<br /><br />I am definitely sure there are still great tips you might know that I've omitted, please do share them in the comments below.

5 Superb Mozilla Firefox Secrets !!!

While Firefox might be your chosen browser for its speed, useful add-ons, and open-source culture, it's also packed with many useful bu...

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Mac OS X Lion blindly accepts any LDAP password

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUiHpURQMD7QjY8oJtFaSZ4poPhoa-gXlYdtHEh0mdinUHceGwnX_bYVn_iKF2CawGVJ0uePStAkLgGFausl4NEfjEDOjInJdod_1oGW240GSDMbyuNCl9F4JmGJFCJ6yae-XT1YyLlQ/s1600/lion.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="mac-os-x-lion" border="0" height="290px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUiHpURQMD7QjY8oJtFaSZ4poPhoa-gXlYdtHEh0mdinUHceGwnX_bYVn_iKF2CawGVJ0uePStAkLgGFausl4NEfjEDOjInJdod_1oGW240GSDMbyuNCl9F4JmGJFCJ6yae-XT1YyLlQ/s1600/lion.jpeg" width="540px" /></a></div>Apple's latest version of <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-to-install-mac-os-x-lions-high.html">Mac OS X</a> is creating serious security risks for businesses that use it to interact with a popular form of centralized networks.<br /><br />People logging in to Macs running OS X 10.7, aka Lion, can access restricted resources using any password they want when the machines use a popular technology known as LDAP for authentication. Short for <a href="http://www.devshed.com/c/a/Administration/Understanding-LDAP-part-1/2/">Lightweight Directory Access Protocol</a>, LDAP servers frequently contain repositories of highly sensitive enterprise data, making them a goldmine to attackers trying to burrow their way in to sensitive networks.<br /><br />“As pen testers, one of the first things we do is attack the LDAP server,” Rob Graham, CEO of auditing firm Errata Security, said. “Once we own an LDAP server we own everything. I can walk up to any laptop (in an organization) and log into it.”<br /><br />The LDAP breakdowns in Lion aren't well understood because Apple still hasn't admitted there's any problem. But according to threads <a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1197379">here</a> and <a href="https://discussions.apple.com/message/16002641#16002641">here</a>, it affects Macs running Lion that use LDAP to authenticate users to different desktop machines. After the initial login, Lion users can log in with any password. Apple's latest operating system, which was released last month, blindly accepts whatever pass code it's given.<br /><br />Machines running Linux, Windows, and earlier versions of OS X authenticate just fine on the same LDAP servers, participants in the discussions reported. The are no widespread reports of problems when Lion machines log into networks that use protocols that compete with LDAP.<br /><br />“Even though we have Open Directory running now (snark snark), we use OpenLDAP for our datacenter access and for clients,” a MacRumors newbie named monachus wrote. “Simply having Lion installed is a security vulnerability, as any user who can access OD settings can connect to the datacenter as any other users. It's a HUGE hole.”<br /><br />The user said his company has delayed a company-wide upgrade to Lion because of the issue.<br /><br />Lion users said the problem arose only after upgrading from earlier OS X versions. The first report was made on July 25, five days after the newest OS was released. Amazingly, Apple allowed the the security hole to persist even after last week's <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/08/apple-releases-mac-os-x-lion-update.html">release of Lion 10.7.1</a>, which fixed audio, video, and Wi-Fi glitches.<br /><br />Apple's Mac has long been considered a safe haven from the malware and social engineering attacks that mar the experience of so many users of Microsoft's Windows OS. That's partly because the Mac's considerably smaller market share doesn't make it worth the investment to write highly weaponized exploits that hijack OS X users. It's also due in part to the non-trivial amount of resources and talent Apple has put into securing the OS, particularly in Lion.<br /><br />Macs may be an excellent choice for individuals looking for a machine that's resistant to today's malware attacks found in the wild, but enterprises should think twice before deploying large fleets of them, a prominent security consultancy said recently. The recommendation is based on the finding that many of the OS X components used to administer Macs lack secure authentication protocols, making networks vulnerable to so-called APTs.<br /><br />Short for advanced persistent threats, APTs are used to describe stealthy attacks used to steal proprietary data and national security information, such as those that have penetrated Google, RSA, and dozens of other corporations over the past 18 months.<br /><br />“It's a pretty big deal for customers using LDAP as their authentication scheme, and it demonstrates that enterprise deployment scenarios are obviously not part of Apple's regression testing plan,” said Alex Stamos, one of the researchers at iSec Partners who said large corporate customers probably shouldn't deploy large number of Macs for now. “Hopefully heavy coverage of these issues will lead Apple to invest security resources into improving the areas of OS X important to enterprise users, not just end consumers.” ®<br /><br />This article was updated to change language describing protocols that compete with LDAP and threats facing Macs.

Mac OS X Lion blindly accepts any LDAP password

Apple's latest version of Mac OS X is creating serious security risks for businesses that use it to interact with a popular form of cen...

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Steve Jobs Apple CEO Resigned

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2feeLNKBMO044bAM1Z-QwGupwiPTorOdo1406XNsSeKcTlNKUZxNHQBT1lr8SFWWaxGqZgBTlKVwZ_5h7Bh3OGeRL0RvlRCZzQsrz4iQ3bP9Pj-RL_9UCBzDIvvB8o-OyNksy__U5onk/s1600/setevejobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="steve.jobs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2feeLNKBMO044bAM1Z-QwGupwiPTorOdo1406XNsSeKcTlNKUZxNHQBT1lr8SFWWaxGqZgBTlKVwZ_5h7Bh3OGeRL0RvlRCZzQsrz4iQ3bP9Pj-RL_9UCBzDIvvB8o-OyNksy__U5onk/s1600/setevejobs.jpg" /></a></div>Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO of <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Apple">Apple</a> and handed over the reins to his successor Tim Cook.<br /><br /><i>His resignation letter copy is posted below:</i><br /><blockquote>To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:<br />I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.<br />I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.<br />As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.<br />I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.<br />I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.<br />Steve</blockquote>Steve was an inspiration to millions and was one of the greatest CEO’s and some the best in the past 25 years. He single handedly took <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Apple">Apple</a> to where it is today.<br /><br />Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco, California and was adopted by Paul and Clara and grew up in Mountain View, California, Steve’s biological parents were a Syrian father and an American student.<br />Steve cofounded Apple with Steve Wozniak Mike Markkula and was a college dropout.<br />He was a visionary par excellence and a marketing genius.<br /><br />He has recovered from pancreatic cancer and had a liver transplant. He had been on medical leave for the past few months and had returned for the launch of <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/iPad%202">iPad 2</a>.<br />He was the Buddhist with a temper.<br /><br />We will miss you Steve and love the products envisaged by you. !<br /><br /><b>About the author: </b>Catherine Jones writes for <a href="http://www.toyotaplace.com/">Toyoya Place</a>. She enjoys content and writing about the social sphere

Steve Jobs Apple CEO Resigned

Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO of Apple and handed over the reins to his successor Tim Cook. His resignation letter copy is posted below: T...

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Facebook Adds Emoticons To Chat, Use Anyone’s Face As Chat Emoticon

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Before you laugh and say this isn’t news, remember that <b>Facebook Chat </b>connects 900 million+ people across the world. <b>Emoticons </b>can help us all overcome language barriers and communicate, even if just basically, with people we couldn’t speak to. And Facebook hopes to allow kids under age 13 onto the service eventually, and having emoticons could make the social network seem like it’s not just for adults.<br /><br />Right now there’s only<b> 21 emoticons</b> in the menu, including the standard frown and wink, as well as a heart, devil, and the Like icon. Click one, and the text code for it will be added to your chat. You can still use emoticons like :-* to show a kiss even though it’s not in the menu, and yes, you can still use any celebrity or friend’s face by putting their name in double brackets. Try <b>[[Zuck]] </b>to send the face of Facebook’s fearless leader.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8g6pcckU1-rVKsfcLx3EV5zR4vM7nyBHwLr6Sv6JOLnP_GNROEmXGPapKscsNtX_Cdd-e-hWwkKNPj1jELVjXch4Pf_UYxqgnFAYPUB_JOPDqim-GYDaOc7M1WgHQw7zfAYNYi6ekFI/s1600/facebook-emoticon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8g6pcckU1-rVKsfcLx3EV5zR4vM7nyBHwLr6Sv6JOLnP_GNROEmXGPapKscsNtX_Cdd-e-hWwkKNPj1jELVjXch4Pf_UYxqgnFAYPUB_JOPDqim-GYDaOc7M1WgHQw7zfAYNYi6ekFI/s1600/facebook-emoticon.png" /></a></div><br />There’s currently no emoticon menu in the formal Messages part of the site, even though it’s connected to chat. There’s also no emoticon menus in the mobile apps, and if you send someone on mobile one from the web, it will just appear as a text code instead of a real emoticon. For example the Like-moticon just appears as its code (y) when sent to mobile.<br /><br />This all might seem childish but some of the smartest people I know including big tech company founders frequently use emoticons when they text message. We need to stop judging, feeling guilty, or fearing they’re the death of literature. We make the rules now. All forms of communication are appropriate in the right time and place. So :-) on!</div>

Facebook Adds Emoticons To Chat, Use Anyone’s Face As Chat Emoticon

Before you laugh and say this isn’t news, remember that Facebook Chat connects 900 million+ people across the world. Emoticons can help us a...

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Thermal Cameras Allows Anyone to Steal ATM Pin Numbers

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIu5P2NGYoGoxVosOpKFSi-GEIwBtb91-3DlFGclngUtwu_P9MtgP_dt_JhG1zb_sQo2xM-NmXK-tWCZvn1P7cusbz6P9GjvWLyiZJTZfYStgsjVlYK8UdQtlYDM3oXJK5BiaxHS8OTs/s1600/ATM-Numbers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="ATM-Numbers.jpg" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIu5P2NGYoGoxVosOpKFSi-GEIwBtb91-3DlFGclngUtwu_P9MtgP_dt_JhG1zb_sQo2xM-NmXK-tWCZvn1P7cusbz6P9GjvWLyiZJTZfYStgsjVlYK8UdQtlYDM3oXJK5BiaxHS8OTs/s200/ATM-Numbers.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b style="color: red;"><i>Summary</i></b> <b style="color: #666666;">Scientists are warning thieves could use thermal imaging cameras to capture a person's credit card pin number or door entry code.</b><br /><br />Security researchers have found that thermal cameras can be combined with computer algorithms to automate the process of stealing payment card data processed by automatic teller machines.<br /><br />At the Usenix Security Symposium in San Francisco, the researchers said the technique has advantages over more common ATM skimming methods that use traditional cameras to capture the PINs people enter during transactions. That's because customers often obscure a camera's view with their bodies, either inadvertently or on purpose. What's more, it can take a considerable amount of time for crooks to view the captured footage and log the code entered during each session.<br /><br />Thermal imaging can vastly improve the process by recovering the code for some time after each PIN is entered. Their output can also be processed by an algorithm that automates the process of translating it into the secret code.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFz11c68h0KLJW32JQbCM7r1fV7NZOfs4wZ4mFt6UK-NrETWwF_gEB4F1CXu-ZhgmNAQPYOTi__5MZR5ZH9CcgT-Ge_YWOQmA31lMcbEZEwd4viwmJTLZ5kFWH_vzEd8SZK9mNORiE9I/s1600/atm-pin-theft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="atm-pin-theft" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFz11c68h0KLJW32JQbCM7r1fV7NZOfs4wZ4mFt6UK-NrETWwF_gEB4F1CXu-ZhgmNAQPYOTi__5MZR5ZH9CcgT-Ge_YWOQmA31lMcbEZEwd4viwmJTLZ5kFWH_vzEd8SZK9mNORiE9I/s1600/atm-pin-theft.jpg" /></a></div><br />The findings expand on <a href="http://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/tsafe/">2005 research</a> from Michal Zalewski, who is now a member of Google's security team. The Usenix presenters tested the technique laid out by Zalewski on 21 subjects who used 27 randomly selected PINs and found the rate of success varied depending on variables including the types of keypads and the subjects' body temperature.<br /><br /><blockquote>“In summary, while we document that post-hoc thermal imaging attacks are feasible and automatable, we also find that the window of vulnerability is far more modest than some feared and that there are simple counter-measures (i.e., deploying keypads with high thermal conductivity) that can shrink this vulnerability further still,” the researchers wrote.</blockquote>A PDF of their paper, which is titled <i>Heat of the Moment: Characterizing the Efficacy of Thermal Camera-Based Attacks</i>, is <a href="http://www.usenix.org/events/woot11/tech/final_files/Mowery.pdf">here</a>.

Thermal Cameras Allows Anyone to Steal ATM Pin Numbers

Summary Scientists are warning thieves could use thermal imaging cameras to capture a person's credit card pin number or door entry cod...

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PHP users are warned to stay away from latest update

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6MedicYbhUEtdo6VmqVggbH_zUbHtL5Beu5su6P4qPIuNuTR6Bir3_cjRDumHInmHLZvYAaBFJInoIeYLBy_kgwuRmA-tYiuUqjVdozcKZwwRA5tpIz2JB6bAeTmDJ7xiNv-xAQH9eE/s1600/php-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="php-logo" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6MedicYbhUEtdo6VmqVggbH_zUbHtL5Beu5su6P4qPIuNuTR6Bir3_cjRDumHInmHLZvYAaBFJInoIeYLBy_kgwuRmA-tYiuUqjVdozcKZwwRA5tpIz2JB6bAeTmDJ7xiNv-xAQH9eE/s320/php-logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Maintainers of the PHP scripting language are urging users to avoid an update released last week that introduces a serious bug affecting some cryptographic functions.<br /><br />The flaw in version 5.3.7 involves the crypt() function used to cryptographically hash a text string. When using the command with the MD5 algorithm and some salt characters to help randomize the resulting hash value, the program returns only the salt, instead of the salted hash. The bug doesn't appear to affect the crypt() function when the DES or Blowfish algorithms are used.<br /><br />“If crypt() is executed with MD5 salts, the return value consists of the salt only,” a <a href="https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=55439">bug report</a> published on Wednesday stated. “DES and Blowfish salts work as expected.”<br /><br />Despite the advisory, PHP maintainers<a href="http://www.php.net/archive/2011.php#id2011-08-18-1"> released the update the following day</a>. It fixed several security vulnerabilities, including a buffer overflow flaw on overlog salt in the crypt() function.<br /><br />On Monday, the maintainers advised users to steer clear of the update.<br /><br />“Due to unfortunate issues with 5.3.7 users should wait with upgrading until 5.3.8 will be released (expected in few days),” they <a href="http://www.php.net/archive/2011.php#id2011-08-22-1">wrote</a>.<br /><br />PHP gives webmasters the ability to render dynamically generated web pages that are customized to hundreds of thousands of variables, including where a visitor is located, the type of browser he's using, and when the pages are being accessed. The freely available open-source program is used by millions of websites, so a vulnerability in its source code has the ability to cause widespread security problems.<br /><br />For those who can't wait until the next release, fixes are available in intermediate versions available <a href="http://snaps.php.net/">here</a> and <a href="http://windows.php.net/snapshots/">here</a>.

PHP users are warned to stay away from latest update

Maintainers of the PHP scripting language are urging users to avoid an update released last week that introduces a serious bug affecting som...

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Online IDE - C/C++, Java, PHP, Python, Perl and 40+ compilers & intepreters

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSYygBDsa4I60fBWOb1R43FSVCOo7ZBpghE1oHip1DCoToLTsx09FibIFvhjWn_0KdYOXiZfU-c_dfXPOVoI6ymAeP6MFa7QJH0V9rwENcTmfrf1DjFhfev1yImAKyw5Uvu-M1lX3pts/s1600/ide.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="online_ide" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSYygBDsa4I60fBWOb1R43FSVCOo7ZBpghE1oHip1DCoToLTsx09FibIFvhjWn_0KdYOXiZfU-c_dfXPOVoI6ymAeP6MFa7QJH0V9rwENcTmfrf1DjFhfev1yImAKyw5Uvu-M1lX3pts/s1600/ide.PNG" /></a></div><a href="http://ideone.com/">ideone.com</a> is a... pastebin. But a pastebin like no other on the Internet. More accurate expression would be online mini IDE and debugging tool.<br /><br />Ideone is an Italian word for great ideas - because ideone.com is a place where your greatest ideas can spring to life.<br /><br />ideone.com is designed mostly for programmers (but, of course, common plain text can also be uploaded). You can use it to:<br /><br /><ul><li>Share your code (that's obvious - it is a pastebin, isn't it? :)) in a neat way,</li><br /> <li>Run your code on server side in more than 40 programming languages (number still growing)</li><br /> <li>Do it all with your own input data!</li><br /> <li> ideone.com also provides free <a href="http://www.ideone.com/api">Ideone API</a> which is availabe as a webservice. It's functionality allows you to build your own ideone-like service!</li><br /> <li>For logged in users Ideone offers possibility to manage their codes, publish multiple submissions at one go, and more.</li><br /> </ul><br />All codes can be accessed through convenient hash links. Source code pages provide information about the code and its execution: memory usage, execution time, language and compiler version, code itself, input uploaded by the user, output generated by the program and error messages from compilers and interpreters.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ideone.com/">Read More </a>

Online IDE - C/C++, Java, PHP, Python, Perl and 40+ compilers & intepreters

ideone.com is a... pastebin. But a pastebin like no other on the Internet. More accurate expression would be online mini IDE and debugging ...

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Anonymous hacks Defense Contractor

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOa3LI6e1WlN06-ft8sPvq3DCW7REL_89-OiwLSX7L-tAUR9TcbZt-VQEUzFTqPC-aplBPtgb_dX5HdJllhJtT1WHsI4akEUh3MW8MjbcdO2H8G49UuZV4WJr6AoHUEB-1QYeFYNAuSh8/s1600/facebook-anonymous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="anonymous_hacks_defense_contractor" border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOa3LI6e1WlN06-ft8sPvq3DCW7REL_89-OiwLSX7L-tAUR9TcbZt-VQEUzFTqPC-aplBPtgb_dX5HdJllhJtT1WHsI4akEUh3MW8MjbcdO2H8G49UuZV4WJr6AoHUEB-1QYeFYNAuSh8/s200/facebook-anonymous.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Hacktivist group <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Anonymous">Anonymous</a> has infiltrated and downloaded sensitive email messages of a major U.S. government defense contractor.<br /><br />The email data, purportedly belonging to Richard Garcia, senior vice president at Vanguard and former FBI agent, belongs to Vanguard Defense, a military contractor, which <a href="http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/200549/20110819/anonymous-hackers-release-fbi-contracted-vanguard-defense-industries-shadowhawk-data-hack-hacked-new.htm">makes unmanned drones</a> for the field.<br /><br />The documents are publicised <a href="http://pastebin.com/PjiXmwNk">in a post on Pastebin</a>, which links to the leaked cache of documents and data on another site.<br /><br />The hack is said to have occurred by <a href="http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Anonymous-AntiSec-Breaches-Defense-Contractor-Vanguard-Network-502551/">exploiting weaknesses in the Wordpress blogging system</a>, through two out-dated plug-ins.<br /><br />Part of the wider AntiSec movement — devoted to releasing data held by high-profile targets lacking appropriate security — this comes as another blow to the U.S. law enforcement capability, only a fortnight after AntiSec hackers released the largest cache of law enforcement data to date.<br /><br /><blockquote>The <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Anonymous">Anonymous group</a> in a statement says the leak contains: “internal meeting notes and contracts, schematics, non-disclosure agreements, personal information about other VDI employees, and several dozen “counter-terrorism” documents classified as “law enforcement sensitive” and “for official use only.”</blockquote>It is not clear whether the ’schematics’ stolen relate to the drones manufactured by Vanguard Industries or not. The email data, however, are marked as classified material, with “confidential” and “for official use only” markings.<br /><br />The hackers did not point to a reason why Vanguard Industries was targeted, except crediting the hack as part of the ongoing “F**k FBI Friday” campaign.<br /><br /><blockquote>“We are doing this not only to cause embarrassment and disruption to Vanguard Defense Industries, but to send a strong message to the hacker community. White hat sellouts, law enforcement collaborators, and military contractors beware: we’re coming for your mail spools, bash history files, and confidential documents”, reads the Pastebin-posted statement.</blockquote>Another key message in the statement points to InfraGard, which the message calls a “sinister alliance of law enforcement, military and private security contractors” which protect infrastructure that “[Anonymous] aim to destroy.”

Anonymous hacks Defense Contractor

Hacktivist group Anonymous has infiltrated and downloaded sensitive email messages of a major U.S. government defense contractor. The email...

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Quick Tips to Backup your Linux Computer

Linux gives you plenty of control over your computer, but with great power comes great responsibility. That means backing up your files regularly (among other things), and while cloud storage is attractive, for many of us, it's not enough. Here's how to back up your data (note: I am using <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/02/16-cool-ubuntu-tips-for-linux-users.html">Ubuntu</a>, so the details may differ somewhat if you use a different distribution):<br /><br /><b>Related tutorial: <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/02/16-cool-ubuntu-tips-for-linux-users.html">16 Cool Ubuntu Tips for Linux Users </a></b><br /><br /><b>1. </b>From the search bar, just type "backup" to bring up preinstalled options. I'll be using Simple Backup Suite.<br /><br /><b>2. </b>From the first tab (General), tell Linux how often you want to perform a complete back up and what format, if any, to use for compression. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprUMZV5zA_RuJYOzW1WwIXu30Haal47KBFFqFoRUub_ZWfPk4tZbPNfa0r3Ttyk8-WFHdzmwNC5kP1Qlo6zpwEctskDCpU7NBHDxyz_TJ9Id8-ymwwpDfNMcl3gFcJIBlw_0yJ2MNcxA/s1600/Backup_Suite_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprUMZV5zA_RuJYOzW1WwIXu30Haal47KBFFqFoRUub_ZWfPk4tZbPNfa0r3Ttyk8-WFHdzmwNC5kP1Qlo6zpwEctskDCpU7NBHDxyz_TJ9Id8-ymwwpDfNMcl3gFcJIBlw_0yJ2MNcxA/s1600/Backup_Suite_1.png" /></a></div><br />Step 2: General tab.<br /><br /><b>3. </b>Select the Include tab to add files and directories. The default is pretty good for most users, but you may have some files hidden away that deserve to be backed up, so be thorough! You only have to do this once.<br /><br /><b>4. </b>Select the Exclude tab if you want to keep some files or subfolders from being archived. There's no special reason to do this unless you're trying to save space (or you're a bit compulsive).<br /><br /><b>5. </b>Make sure to select the Destination tab to pick your storage location. As with any other backup, you'll want it to be as secure as possible. A network location is probably best, though your needs may vary. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgew649Av5FruKoQpEwM7p74A82vRpv7O1-0N7taa1c6o8f3oBeJTxmWrkcfzLeDKQyDTVRIh9EJD8ql4VjkuPS2gEiHkobOdHYUyQFeT4Lq_Y0ktvvRo_c1kWZAC1VwE4QpgcGa6hFm7k/s1600/Backup_Suite_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgew649Av5FruKoQpEwM7p74A82vRpv7O1-0N7taa1c6o8f3oBeJTxmWrkcfzLeDKQyDTVRIh9EJD8ql4VjkuPS2gEiHkobOdHYUyQFeT4Lq_Y0ktvvRo_c1kWZAC1VwE4QpgcGa6hFm7k/s1600/Backup_Suite_2.png" /></a></div><br />Step 5: Destination tab.<br /><br /><b>6.</b> The Schedule tab lets you set a schedule to do incremental backups of files that have changed since the last backup. This happens in the background and shouldn't interrupt your day-to-day work.<br /><br /><b>7. </b>Click the disk icon at the top to save your settings, then click the drive icon to back up your files. The first one will take a while, most likely, as will future complete backups, so you may want to schedule them for downtimes. <br /><br />That's it. Once you've worked through this, the only reason you'd need to revisit the tool is to change the frequency, location, or contents of your backups. Do it as soon as you can--even <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/06/backtrack-5-linux-penetration-testing.html">Linux</a> can't protect you from disk failure!

Quick Tips to Backup your Linux Computer

Linux gives you plenty of control over your computer, but with great power comes great responsibility. That means backing up your files regu...

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Pypy 1.6 Released: Alternative Implementation of Python 2.7.1

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5r_OnHb9wRqykCX8TqlQ4QexQO9Vd6k3o3hDGHQ55GtVxGF-yigpWFHglAZq8KTvimK0qPNlmzrWZdep-Y1l_5u_PZG0Pgo7Vrt7KmdUz7CPbsHDrav2Bf286DKnYN0-JHmMK6fyOs0/s1600/pypy_small128.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Pypy-1.6" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5r_OnHb9wRqykCX8TqlQ4QexQO9Vd6k3o3hDGHQ55GtVxGF-yigpWFHglAZq8KTvimK0qPNlmzrWZdep-Y1l_5u_PZG0Pgo7Vrt7KmdUz7CPbsHDrav2Bf286DKnYN0-JHmMK6fyOs0/s1600/pypy_small128.png" /></a></div>The <a href="http://morepypy.blogspot.com/2011/08/pypy-16-kickass-panda.html">Pypy team</a> has just announced the release of PyPy 1.6. This release brings a lot of bugfixes and performance improvements over 1.5, and improves support for Windows 32bit and OS X 64bit. This version fully implements Python 2.7.1 and has beta level support for loading CPython C extensions. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What is PyPy?</b></span><br /><br />PyPy is a fast, compliant Python interpreter, almost a drop-in replacement for CPython 2.7.1. It's fast (pypy 1.6 and cpython 2.6.2 performance comparison) due to its integrated tracing JIT compiler.<br /><br />This release supports x86 machines running Linux 32/64 or Mac OS X. Windows 32 is beta (it roughly works but a lot of small issues have not been fixed so far). Windows 64 is not yet supported.<br /><br />The main topics of this release are speed and stability: on average on our benchmark suite, PyPy 1.6 is between 20% and 30% faster than PyPy 1.5, which was already much faster than CPython on our set of benchmarks.<br /><br />The speed improvements have been made possible by optimizing many of the layers which compose PyPy. In particular, we improved: the Garbage Collector, the JIT warmup time, the optimizations performed by the JIT, the quality of the generated machine code and the implementation of our Python interpreter.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Highlights</b></span><br /><ul><li>Numerous performance improvements, overall giving considerable speedups</li><br /> <li>JitViewer: this is the first official release which includes the JitViewer, a web-based tool which helps you to see which parts of your Python code have been compiled by the JIT, down until the assembler. The jitviewer 0.1 has already been release and works well with PyPy 1.6.</li><br /> <li>The CPython extension module API has been improved and now supports many more extensions. For information on which one are supported, please refer to our compatibility wiki.</li><br /> <li>Multibyte encoding support: this was of of the last areas in which we were still behind CPython, but now we fully support them.</li><br /> <li>Preliminary support for NumPy: this release includes a preview of a very fast NumPy module integrated with the PyPy JIT. Unfortunately, this does not mean that you can expect to take an existing NumPy program and run it on PyPy, because the module is still unfinished and supports only some of the numpy API. However, barring some details, what works should be blazingly fast :-)</li><br /> <li>Bugfixes: since the 1.5 release we fixed 53 bugs in our bug tracker, not counting the numerous bugs that were found and reported through other channels than the bug tracker.</li><br /> </ul><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Download and Install</b></span><br />(<b>Note: </b>windows binary are not available yet)<br /><br />These binaries include a Just-in-Time compiler. They only work on x86 CPUs that have the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSE2">SSE2</a> instruction set (most of them do, nowadays), or on x86-64 CPUs. (This is the official release 1.6; for the most up-to-date version see below.)<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="https://bitbucket.org/pypy/pypy/downloads/pypy-1.6-linux.tar.bz2">Linux binary (32bit)</a></li><br /> <li><a href="https://bitbucket.org/pypy/pypy/downloads/pypy-1.6-linux64.tar.bz2">Linux binary (64bit)</a></li><br /> <li><a href="https://bitbucket.org/pypy/pypy/downloads/pypy-1.6-osx64.tar.bz2">Mac OS/X binary (64bit)</a></li><br /> <li>Windows binary (32bit) (BETA!) (you may need to install the <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?familyid=A7B7A05E-6DE6-4D3A-A423-37BF0912DB84">VS 2010 runtime libraries</a>), not available yet</li><br /> </ul>If your CPU is really old, it may not have SSE2. In this case, you need to translate yourself with the option <span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">--jit-backend=x86-without-sse2</span>.<br /><br /><b>Notes:</b><br /><br /><ul><li>It is recommended to use PyPy to do translations, instead of using CPython, because it is twice as fast. You should just start by downloading an official release of PyPy (with the JIT). </li><br /> </ul><ul><li>If RAM usage is a problem, then you can (for now) tweak some parameters via environment variables and command-line options. The following command takes a bit more time, but finishes with only using 3.0 GB of RAM (on Linux 64-bit; probably not much more than 1.5 GB on 32-bit). It should be noted that it is less than with CPython.</li><br /> </ul><br /><blockquote>PYPY_GC_MAX_DELTA=200MB pypy --jit loop_longevity=300 ./translate.py -Ojit</blockquote><ul><li>Because of asmgcroot, compiling the generated C files containing the JIT is delicate. It requires using either MSVC or gcc with no particularly fancy options. It does not work e.g. with clang, or if you pass uncommon options with the CFLAGS environment variable. You can also try to compile PyPy with the <a href="http://pypy.readthedocs.org/en/latest/config/translation.gcrootfinder.html">shadow stack</a> option.</li><br /> </ul><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Checksums</b></span><br /><br />Here are the checksums for each of the downloads (md5 and sha1):<br /><blockquote><br />ee949986fc5ec5c4a11ecbd546b87fbb    pypy-1.6-linux.tar.bz2<br />a34e3113508449393e874f409dd888fc    pypy-1.6-linux64.tar.bz2<br />78bbf70f55e9fec20d7ac22531a997fc    pypy-1.6-osx64.tar.bz2<br />1bdef4c7adc023033552754258fd02bb63612632    pypy-1.6-linux.tar.bz2<br />4a42625139351f9a1c2f8d7ec13ff636cfc9d8ac    pypy-1.6-linux64.tar.bz2<br />d703aa34fe1a45682ce4a09470ee9b1fa873d9be    pypy-1.6-osx64.tar.bz2</blockquote>Or read more <a href="http://pypy.org/features.html">here</a>.

Pypy 1.6 Released: Alternative Implementation of Python 2.7.1

The Pypy team has just announced the release of PyPy 1.6. This release brings a lot of bugfixes and performance improvements over 1.5, and ...

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IBM Plans To Create Chips That Mimic Human Brain

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMo8QL1BMyDhCAMeE5H2CJXx_wQTt2Qs1SuMFFmHSYWYPQ49PSSCTkHQDKDbguBbSWtqabkbWjxHGDqmLIwMsEWkmr3T5B-u_vDildgV8XWSd5_O-DnijnBIxf-q3dg21ZKfYZqcoLdZg/s1600/ibmscognitiv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="ibm-chips-thinks-like-human-brain" border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMo8QL1BMyDhCAMeE5H2CJXx_wQTt2Qs1SuMFFmHSYWYPQ49PSSCTkHQDKDbguBbSWtqabkbWjxHGDqmLIwMsEWkmr3T5B-u_vDildgV8XWSd5_O-DnijnBIxf-q3dg21ZKfYZqcoLdZg/s200/ibmscognitiv.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Computers, like humans, can learn. But when <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Google">Google</a> tries to fill in your search box based only on a few keystrokes, or your iPhone predicts words as you type a text message, it's only a narrow mimicry of what the human brain is capable.<br /><br />The challenge in training a computer to behave like a human brain is technological and physiological, testing the limits of computer and brain science. But researchers from IBM Corp. say they've made a key step toward combining the two worlds.<br /><br />IBM announced yesterday that it has received $21 million in funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a series of experimental computer chips designed to replicate the human brain’s perceptive, active and cognitive abilities.<br /><br /><a href="http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/35251.wss">According to IBM</a>, the “neurosynaptic” chips “recreate the phenomena between spiking neurons and synapses in biological systems, such as the brain, through advanced algorithms and silicon circuitry” — meaning that they can be used to build complex, multi-sensory learning systems (“cognitive computers”) that behave more like human brains than calculators.<br /><br />These computers will be able to learn through experiences, detect patterns and develop hypotheses, as well as remember and learn from the outcomes.<br /><br />IBM and its partners even think the computers will be able to rival the brain’s compact size and relatively low power usage. The team’s long-term goal is to build a system with 10 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses that is less than two liters in volume and consumes merely one kilowatt of power. To do so, they’ll need to abandon traditional <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Neumann_architecture">Von Neumann architecture</a> in favor of more efficient architecture that does away with set programming and integrates memory and processors.<br /><br />The chips will be particularly advantageous in processing and reacting to information from multiple sensory modes in real time. IBM describes two potential use cases, one in which a system monitoring the world’s water supply could record and report metrics such as temperature, pressure, wave height, acoustics and ocean tide, and issue tsunami warnings based on its decision making; and another in which a grocer stocking shelves could use an instrumented glove that monitors sights, smells, texture and temperature to flag bad or contaminated produce.<br /><br /><blockquote>“This is a major initiative to move beyond the von Neumann paradigm that has been ruling computer architecture for more than half a century,” observes Dharmendra Modha, project leader for IBM Research. “Future applications of computing will increasingly demand functionality that is not efficiently delivered by the traditional architecture. These chips are another significant step in the evolution of computers from calculators to learning systems.”</blockquote>To learn more, watch IBM researchers John Arthur and Paul Merolla describe the inspiration for the project (called “SyNAPSE”) below, and/or check out <a href="http://www.research.ibm.com/">research.ibm.com</a>.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cia3XfQT2fk" width="560"></iframe>

IBM Plans To Create Chips That Mimic Human Brain

Computers, like humans, can learn. But when Google tries to fill in your search box based only on a few keystrokes, or your iPhone predicts...

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HP murders WebOS tablets, PC Business up for Sale!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkmZfqYVwGW4-9uER1nRatQ4EpB4RMCOaLsU9nPDEl14mDkAWZEbCOzb29gNvavPFz4a30tjGfnfGQw8MjmyqkMCgJRTUDGWuXhCg-rtbjhdtxVqBtJvyq4IIPH8jjytL_HfJ6YT3dTU/s1600/hp_logo-600x495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkmZfqYVwGW4-9uER1nRatQ4EpB4RMCOaLsU9nPDEl14mDkAWZEbCOzb29gNvavPFz4a30tjGfnfGQw8MjmyqkMCgJRTUDGWuXhCg-rtbjhdtxVqBtJvyq4IIPH8jjytL_HfJ6YT3dTU/s320/hp_logo-600x495.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Am still finding it hard to believe, but it's the truth. HP has announced that it will discontinue its webOS TouchPad and webOS phones, just weeks after the arrival of the TouchPad and a little more than a year after the company acquired the webOS mobile operating system from Palm in a $1.2bn purchase.<br /><br />To make matters even more confusing the company, according to Bloomberg and reported by tech blogger <a href="http://www.winsupersite.com/article/wininfo/newsflash-hp-kills-webos-reportedly-sell-pc-business-140259">Paul Thurrott</a>, plans to sell off it’s PC business, the biggest PC making business in the world that is, and move solely into servers for the future.<br /><br />In a <a href="http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2011/110818b.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news">press release</a> floated before the company's quarterly earnings call, HP also confirmed that it is considering a spinoff of its PC business. In April, the company announced that it would bring webOS to PCs as well as new mobile devices.<br /><br />Separately, the statement confirmed that HP is in discussions to buy enterprise software company Autonomy. The HP homepage, however, clearly says that the company is "to acquire Autonomy":<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDZi1DsPz0LGJ0mY_mDr2OFpp9-6P3h0JAhlHZHb9X28sX_Z3vfdge_yvNErG2hmR1xnOgm6kUsiiM4DEZzY6V7hjA9rG2IvG3LYwmmwuJo6qRONvV9ec-biXeEF199rFlQ3_gATKTrk/s1600/hp_home_page_autonomy_screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDZi1DsPz0LGJ0mY_mDr2OFpp9-6P3h0JAhlHZHb9X28sX_Z3vfdge_yvNErG2hmR1xnOgm6kUsiiM4DEZzY6V7hjA9rG2IvG3LYwmmwuJo6qRONvV9ec-biXeEF199rFlQ3_gATKTrk/s1600/hp_home_page_autonomy_screenshot.png" /></a></div><br />"HP...plans to announce that its board of directors has authorized the exploration of strategic alternatives for its Personal Systems Group (PSG). HP will consider a broad range of options that may include, among others, a full or partial separation of PSG from HP through a spin-off or other transaction," read Thursday's press release from HP.<br /><br />"In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones."<br /><br />The company said it would "continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward."<br /><br />This week, <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20110816/ouchpad-best-buy-sitting-on-a-pile-of-unsold-hp-tablets/">AllThingsD</a> reported that US retailer Best Buy is sitting on about 250,000 unsold TouchPads, and HP had slashed the price of the tablet in hopes of selling more units.<br /><br />In its press release, HP said that its fiscal third quarter revenues reached $31.2 billion, up from $30.7 billion a year ago. This is less than Wall Street analysts anticipated, and they will also be disappointed with HP's fourth quarter forecast, which puts revenues between $32.1 billion to $32.5 billion.<br /><br />HP announced that its total fiscal 2011 revenue will be $127.2 billion to $127.6 billion range, which is less than its previous estimates: between $129 billion and $130 billion.

HP murders WebOS tablets, PC Business up for Sale!

Am still finding it hard to believe, but it's the truth. HP has announced that it will discontinue its webOS TouchPad and webOS phones, ...

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Apple releases Lion Update, Promises to fix Bug

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72d4W0IGp3uvXuCaCwlonW6MJhn3X-O5aUKQj8fA8oUtDK1uiU-1H2QjHH3kJD5PY0yVrjpuHh22yiKV0AFSiJOvEPorDciTpIhbFeJxox2DaMS6AjpJyWaUWP8n3rXTw6RLbGs3pa9g/s320/screen-shot-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Mac OS X Lion" border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72d4W0IGp3uvXuCaCwlonW6MJhn3X-O5aUKQj8fA8oUtDK1uiU-1H2QjHH3kJD5PY0yVrjpuHh22yiKV0AFSiJOvEPorDciTpIhbFeJxox2DaMS6AjpJyWaUWP8n3rXTw6RLbGs3pa9g/s320/screen-shot-2.png" width="300" /></a></div><a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Apple">Apple</a> has released an update for its new <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/07/mac-os-x-lion-available-today-via-mac.html">Mac OS X 10.7</a>, aka Lion, that promises to fix a number of vexing bugs that have been burbling into view in discussions on Apple's user forums.<br /><br />The update, version 10.7.1, comes in four flavors: a general update for both Mac OS X Lion <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1437">client</a> and <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1438">server</a>, an update specific to the 2011 versions of the MacBook Air and Mac mini <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1439">client</a>, and one for the Mac mini <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1440">server</a>.<br /><br />Each update, <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Applehttp://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Apple">Apple</a> says, will fix the oft-reported problem of system audio clamming up when using HDMI or optical audio–out ports. Also fixed is the tendency for the system to hang when playing a video in Safari, and the failure to transfer data, settings, and compatible applications to a new Mac also running Lion.<br /><br />There are also improvements in Wi-Fi reliability, and a fix is included for the occasional disappearance of an admin account – oops – after <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/07/feature-mac-os-x-107-lion-complete.html">updating to Lion</a> from a Snow Leopard system.<br /><br />The two server-specific upgrades add to this list improved reliability of the <a href="http://www.apple.com/support/macosxserver/fileservices/">Apple File Service</a>. The MacBook Air update also fixes occasional screen flickering and the Air's tendency to boot up when its MacSafe power adapter is attached to it, and the Mac mini updates fix an SD card-slot speed drop when reading either an SD or SDHC card.<br /><br />As usual, you can either install the 10.7.1 update by selecting Apple > Software Update, or by downloading it from the appropriate link.<br /><br /><a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1437"><b>General client update:</b></a><br /><br />This update addresses a number of issues, including:<br /><br /><ul><li>Address an issue that may cause the system to become unresponsive when playing a video in Safari</li><br /> <li>Resolve an issue that may cause system audio to stop working when using HDMI or optical audio out</li><br /> <li>Improve the reliability of Wi-Fi connections</li><br /> <li>Resolve an issue that prevents transfer of your data, settings, and compatible applications to a new Mac running OS X Lion</li><br /> </ul>79.29 MB download<br /><br /><a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1439"><b>Update for MacBook Air and Mac mini 2011 (Client):</b></a><br /><br />This update addresses a number of issues, including:<br /><br /><ul><li>Address an issue that may cause the system to become unresponsive when playing a video in Safari</li><br /> <li>Resolve an issue that may cause system audio to stop working when using HDMI or optical audio out</li><br /> <li>Improve the reliability of Wi-Fi connections</li><br /> <li>Resolve an issue that prevents transfer of your data, settings, and compatible applications to a new Mac running OS X Lion</li><br /> <li>Resolve an issue where MacBook Air may boot up when MagSafe Adapter is attached</li><br /> <li>Resolve an issue causing intermittent display flickering on MacBook Air</li><br /> <li>Resolve an issue that causes the SD card slot in Mac mini to run at reduced speed with SD and SDHC media</li><br /> </ul>68.86 MB download<br /><br />Neither of these patches includes security updates.

Apple releases Lion Update, Promises to fix Bug

Apple has released an update for its new Mac OS X 10.7 , aka Lion, that promises to fix a number of vexing bugs that have been burbling int...

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Android Malware Posing as Google+ app

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9t3UTqrlfY5pcf_GiIUSSnNZfInisRxrkHMlhFBX_GJYkkwvd804Amj48Cag3xGb9FkIHUmjKjOSFhlGTVNUyO35DOxlhPWRxeJwrq4wjKWBUComad1KLFFcLsYHSsIUEvqPgfBPT74A/s1600/android-malware.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="android-malware" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9t3UTqrlfY5pcf_GiIUSSnNZfInisRxrkHMlhFBX_GJYkkwvd804Amj48Cag3xGb9FkIHUmjKjOSFhlGTVNUyO35DOxlhPWRxeJwrq4wjKWBUComad1KLFFcLsYHSsIUEvqPgfBPT74A/s1600/android-malware.png" /></a></div>A new flavor of <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-keep-malware-off-your-android.html">Android malware</a> is disguising itself as a Google+ app in an attempt to capture instant messages, GPS, location, call logs, and other sensitive data.<br /><br />Uncovered by the team at Trend Micro, the new malware known as <a href="http://about-threats.trendmicro.com/Malware.aspx?language=us&name=ANDROIDOS_NICKISPY.C">ANDROIDOS_NICKISPY.C</a> can also automatically answer and record phone calls. To capture data, the app loads at boot-up and runs certain services that can monitor messages, phone calls, and the user's location, thereby stealing e-mail and other content.<br /><br />Detailing its findings in a <a href="http://blog.trendmicro.com/android-malware-eavesdrops-on-users-uses-google-as-disguise/">blog</a> Friday, Trend Micro said it discovered that the malicious app tries to trick people by installing itself under the name Google++.<br /><br />But instead of providing access to Google's new social network, the app sends its stolen user data to a remote site where presumably cybercriminals can grab it. Unlike some malware in the past that <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/08/android-trojan-records-phone.html">masqueraded as legitimate apps through Google's Android Market</a>, this particular one must be downloaded by an unsuspecting user from a malicious Web site and then manually installed.<br /><br />And even if installed, the app can be uninstalled from an Android device by selecting Settings > Application > Manage applications, choosing Google++ and then clicking Uninstall, according to Trend Micro.<br /><br />Trend Micro gives the app a low-risk rating, but it's still something that Android owners should be sure to avoid.<br /><br />Android users concerned about security can learn how to better protect themselves through Trend Micro's online guide "<a href="http://about-threats.trendmicro.com/ebooks/5-simple-steps-to-secure-your-android-based-smartphones/#/1">5 Simple Steps to Secure Your Android-Based Smartphones.</a>"

Android Malware Posing as Google+ app

A new flavor of Android malware is disguising itself as a Google+ app in an attempt to capture instant messages, GPS, location, call logs, ...

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Mozilla Releases Firefox 6 for Coders

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6m-I8D26md1ZjZN0R60RFnBGV5viKyiacEbNA4UD3YjG3SJ0kyha13aZJC7SmuCYvpJwa_v1wEWqqnaO0OUF9l_LnBCAR3U1mt7ZrX6Gi3xyZwA2BwmrvYVgrL1W1WFSmfLrM32n6Ty8/s1600/20070306-firefox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="firefox" border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6m-I8D26md1ZjZN0R60RFnBGV5viKyiacEbNA4UD3YjG3SJ0kyha13aZJC7SmuCYvpJwa_v1wEWqqnaO0OUF9l_LnBCAR3U1mt7ZrX6Gi3xyZwA2BwmrvYVgrL1W1WFSmfLrM32n6Ty8/s1600/20070306-firefox.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2010/11/15-hidden-firefox-tricks-you-must-know.html">Mozilla</a> has officially released Firefox 6, offering a new JavaScript editor and several other tools aimed at web developers.<br /><br />Over the weekend, the open source outfit posted the latest stable version of Firefox to its <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/15/firefox_6_code_lands/">FTP servers</a>, but the browser wasn't formally released on the web until Tuesday.<br /><br />Firefox 6 is the second incarnation of the browser released under Mozilla's new quarterly development cycle. Previously, the organization rolled out a new Firefox every eighteen months or so, but then Google upped the ante.<br /><br />With the latest version, Mozilla says, it has improved the startup time of Panorma, a means of organizing your browser tabs, and it has tweaked the "Awesome Bar" – the Firefox address bar – to make it easier to identify exactly where you are on the web. But the biggest changes are for developers.<br /><br />Mozilla has added a text editor called Scratchpad that lets developers enter, execute, test, and tweak JavaScript code. The idea to offer an alternative to <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2010/11/15-hidden-firefox-tricks-you-must-know.html">Firefox's Web Console</a> or the Firebug command line, which are designed around a single-line interface. "Interaction with Scratchpad is quite different. It throws away the 'one line of input gives you a line of output' interaction in favor of a text editor that knows how to run JavaScript," <a href="http://blog.mozilla.com/devtools/2011/08/15/introducing-scratchpad/">Mozilla says</a>.<br /><br />But if you prefer the Web Console, Mozilla has updated it as well, improving the auto-complete tool and letting you change where the console is located. In the past, the console was anchored to the top of the browser window, but you can now move it to the bottom or open it in a separate window.<br /><br />The open source outfit has also added a "Window.matchMedia" API to help developers optimize their site or web app across disparate platforms, and "Prefixed WebSockets" and "server-sent event" APIs, designed to facilitate communication between Firefox and back-end web servers.<br /><br />Packed with all sorts of additional security and bug fixes, Firefox is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can download it <a href="http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/new/">here</a>.<br /><br />Mozilla also released a new version of Firefox for Android on Tuesday, adding a new welcome screen designed to provide quicker access to various tools, working to improve image rendering, and rolling in a few tools for those building mobile web apps. This includes a "single touch events" API, for detecting screen touches and gestures, and IndexedDB API, which provides local database storage for apps that need to work offline.<br /><br />The new Firefox for Android is now available from Google's Android Market.

Mozilla Releases Firefox 6 for Coders

Mozilla has officially released Firefox 6, offering a new JavaScript editor and several other tools aimed at web developers. Over the weeke...

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Apple's Mac OS X 10.7 Available on Flash Drive for $69

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZcmg2b5cq1W0yUUYghG0N9Eygu3aUa9Bju6fMQ1J8d5OxRm2v-eX3INjJ7qRRTa7cPMevcpq2EhjPShn-H_rRz5eYG1b-9NPggjcjwpAHk7oqQIP99ubU1RUrOelwIGm0xtz_otdnd8/s1600/lion_thumb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="lion_thumb" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZcmg2b5cq1W0yUUYghG0N9Eygu3aUa9Bju6fMQ1J8d5OxRm2v-eX3INjJ7qRRTa7cPMevcpq2EhjPShn-H_rRz5eYG1b-9NPggjcjwpAHk7oqQIP99ubU1RUrOelwIGm0xtz_otdnd8/s1600/lion_thumb1.jpg" /></a></div>You can now purchase Apple's Mac OS X 10.7, aka Lion, on a flash drive for $69 – and, yes, it's the exact same operating system that's available at the online Mac Store for $29.99.<br /><br />The USB thumb drive is available through <a href="http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD256Z/A?fnode=MTY1NDAzOA&mco=MjQ1MzY1NjU#overview">Apple's online store</a>, where Apple explains that the $69 lets you install the company's new OS without a broadband connection. That's a $40 convenience free.<br /><br />Apple doesn't note the size of the flash drive upon which Lion resides, but the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/os-x-lion/id444303913?mt=12">Mac App Store download </a>weighs in at 3.49GB, so we're betting that their slim, oh-so-sexy, Apple-branded thumb drive is a 4GB model.<br /><br />Do note that you can pick up a 4GB Kingston DataTraveler 101 Gen 2 for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041Q38O4/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=profehackitri-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0041Q38O4">$7.99</a> at Amazon (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-DataTraveler-101-G2-flash/dp/B003MULNRO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313510992&sr=8-3">£4.26</a> in the UK).<br /><br />If you don't feel like shelling out seventy bucks for the privilege of owning your own Lion-installation flash drive, Lifehacker has a handy tutorial on how to <a href="http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2011/07/how-to-burn-your-own-lion-install-dvd-or-flash-drive/">make your own</a> – or an installation DVD, for that matter. We haven't needed to give their method a try, and we don't vouch for its legality, but you're mature enough to make your own decisions, right?

Apple's Mac OS X 10.7 Available on Flash Drive for $69

You can now purchase Apple's Mac OS X 10.7, aka Lion, on a flash drive for $69 – and, yes, it's the exact same operating system that...

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Exclusive: Google Buys Motorola For $12.5 Billion

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5x5sU2upH9m2e4nL-pGAQ_wyQl-0oqZWH3hUfWlS4-sXhcdayU1kUcXwxu4Xhzu8d_bg5iP6k-YZPaD67ELnXWOWfZI9DPqa7OdaQU1T9Z9a4tfoFwzht7b94ixkpu8DC4imvtVufcdM/s1600/Motorola-Mobility.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Motorola-Mobility" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5x5sU2upH9m2e4nL-pGAQ_wyQl-0oqZWH3hUfWlS4-sXhcdayU1kUcXwxu4Xhzu8d_bg5iP6k-YZPaD67ELnXWOWfZI9DPqa7OdaQU1T9Z9a4tfoFwzht7b94ixkpu8DC4imvtVufcdM/s1600/Motorola-Mobility.jpg" /></a></div>Nobody saw this coming: <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Google">Google</a> just <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110815005745/en/Google-Acquire-Motorola-Mobility">announced</a> that it is acquiring <a href="http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/XW-EN/Home">Motorola Mobility</a>. The search and online advertising company is buying the company for approximately $12.5 billion (or $40 per share), in cash. As the press release puts it,<br /><br />The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.<br /><br />According to a <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/supercharging-android-google-to-acquire.html">blog post</a>, Larry Page CEO & co-founder of Google writes that Google has acquired Motorola not only because of its strength in Android smartphones and devices, but also for being a “market leader in the home devices and video solutions business.”<br /><br />He said the move is to also strenghten the company's patent portfolio as it will “enable us to better protect <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Android">Android</a> from anti-competitive threats from <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Microsoft">Microsoft</a>, <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Apple">Apple</a> and other companies”.<br /><br />Full press release is as follows:<br /><br /><blockquote>Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility<br /><br />Combination will Supercharge Android, Enhance Competition, and Offer Wonderful User Experiences<br /><br />MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Google will acquire Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of about $12.5 billion, a premium of 63% to the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares on Friday, August 12, 2011. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.<br /><br />“Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”<br /><br />The acquisition of Motorola Mobility, a dedicated Android partner, will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google will run Motorola Mobility as a separate business.<br /><br />Larry Page, CEO of Google, said, “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”<br /><br />Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola Mobility, said, “This transaction offers significant value for Motorola Mobility’s stockholders and provides compelling new opportunities for our employees, customers, and partners around the world. We have shared a productive partnership with Google to advance the Android platform, and now through this combination we will be able to do even more to innovate and deliver outstanding mobility solutions across our mobile devices and home businesses.”<br /><br />Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, said, “We expect that this combination will enable us to break new ground for the Android ecosystem. However, our vision for Android is unchanged and Google remains firmly committed to Android as an open platform and a vibrant open source community. We will continue to work with all of our valued Android partners to develop and distribute innovative Android-powered devices.”<br /><br />The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals in the US, the European Union and other jurisdictions, and the approval of Motorola Mobility’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2011 or early 2012.</blockquote>

Exclusive: Google Buys Motorola For $12.5 Billion

Nobody saw this coming: Google just announced that it is acquiring Motorola Mobility . The search and online advertising company is buying...

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Adobe Releases Muse, Building Website without Coding knowledge

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRTLnKQjrDE5A8U0K4xNkJrt0EQ224tL4QiRTsKXF6gulKUdYFFiGmVa5aE3fAI9w-7BlRJzdcL63mnuHhBtAi8et-I7oqACk3MtWIXq8iCForKoH_lYIVq2arM-dDxd2O-uE4_5Yp-A/s1600/Muse-code-name.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Muse-code-name" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRTLnKQjrDE5A8U0K4xNkJrt0EQ224tL4QiRTsKXF6gulKUdYFFiGmVa5aE3fAI9w-7BlRJzdcL63mnuHhBtAi8et-I7oqACk3MtWIXq8iCForKoH_lYIVq2arM-dDxd2O-uE4_5Yp-A/s1600/Muse-code-name.png" /></a></div>Adobe Systems today is expanding its efforts at putting Web design tools within reach of those who don't want to learn how to hand code.<br /><br />The company is introducing a new application codenamed <a href="http://muse.adobe.com/">Muse</a>. Built on its AIR platform, Muse lets users create and publish Web sites like they would make a site mock-up in the company's InDesign or Illustrator software. Adobe promises it will simplify the process for designers who would have previously had to hand off their designs to developers to do the coding necessary to turn that mock-up into an actual site.<br /><br />Adobe says part of the reason to build such a tool stemmed from a study it did that found most Web design products require users to learn code, something that could be problematic for the more than half of designers surveyed who still did mainly print work.<br /><br />"What we're seeing is that the tools that have been made available for designers to be able to create digital experiences require people to learn code. And most designers either don't want to, or they're not interested--or they've learned, and it's just not the way their brain works," said Jane Brady, the senior product marketing manager of Adobe's creative suite. "What they kept telling us is that they want to be able to create a Web site or other kinds of digital content as easily as if they're working in InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop."<br /><br />The company's solution was to grab some former InDesign engineers and put them to work on a product that would do just that, with Muse being the result.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdGIJzDxzZ1lFdz24HlIEroPZLQZgy4x1LnZzzWV2IyC_YQEvLZQY18spFUFFot1b8pAelTwxwlgfgKOpj74vupDZiqZOKHkM-lnNoA4UolUit2plj4mMTRzH7CScxd4KUrTbU48ZS_Q/s1600/Muse.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Muse" border="0" height="373px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdGIJzDxzZ1lFdz24HlIEroPZLQZgy4x1LnZzzWV2IyC_YQEvLZQY18spFUFFot1b8pAelTwxwlgfgKOpj74vupDZiqZOKHkM-lnNoA4UolUit2plj4mMTRzH7CScxd4KUrTbU48ZS_Q/s1600/Muse.png" width="540px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Adobe's Muse software aims to give designers a way to mock up site designs that are actual full-working Web sites.</div><br />The software (which Adobe says will get a new name when it's out of beta) lets users design a Web site using a familiar Adobe creative tool set, plugging in backgrounds, headers, footers, menus and Web widgets in a what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) menus. Page assets like photos and image elements can then be worked on in the company's other design software including Photoshop. All the while, any code that's powering the site sits quietly behind the scenes. Designers can see how their work looks by loading it up in a built-in, Webkit-based browser, or sending it to open in a browser that's installed on their computer.<br /><br />Muse is being offered up as a standalone app, and has not been designed to interact with Dreamweaver, the company's other Web design software product. It cannot, for instance, open up Dreamweaver files, or offer a way to make edits to Muse code within Dreamweaver.<br /><br />"We're in an interesting world where our primary goal is to support that visual designer, but they don't live in a vacuum. There's so much going on around them, that we do need to make Muse extensible," said Danielle Beaumont, Muse's group product manager. "But a little bit like a PDF or a Postscript file, we feel like it's our job to generate fantastic code that loads very very quickly and is cutting edge, but we're not looking at generating code that a hand-coder would like to take forward and try to wrap it back into Muse."<br /><br />Muse has, however, been set up to accept chunks of arbitrary HTML, and make use of Web widgets that can be embedded into pages, things like YouTube videos and Google Maps.<br /><br />One thing you won't find in the initial release are templates, a mainstay of consumer-facing Web site builders, and even Adobe's own Dreamweaver site building software. "I'll be really honest--templates sometimes really insult visual designers," said Beaumont. "Examples of Web sites that [designers] might want to emulate? Sure that makes a lot of sense." What Beaumont said the company doesn't want is something where users plug in a different photo and consider their work done. Users, however, can import things like .png, .gif, animated .gif, and .flv files, along with content from the company's Edge product.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Building a builder</b></span><br /><br />Like the reason for making the software in the first place, the ramp-up to actually build Muse centered on consumer research. Following its market research, Adobe's plan involved hosting workshops in San Francisco and Seattle to talk with designers about work flows and features. The company also tapped print-centric designers at a local San Francisco design academy, giving them early access to the software and seeking feedback on ways to improve it.<br /><br />"Early on we realized that as we developed the product, we wanted input from the community. But the community we're working with isn't a Web community necessarily," Beaumont said. "These are visual designers, they're probably highly accomplished. They're not necessarily folks who play with beta software that hasn't been stabilized. They don't necessarily search the Web and go to pre-release sites and post comments in forums to figure out how to intuit a product that's being evolved."<br /><br />That puts Adobe in a tight spot with the product's release since that's exactly what Muse will be during its beta phase. The company's answer to that is to offer as a free beta for the next six months in order to squash bugs and tighten up features, followed by a version 1.0 software in the first quarter of next year. Following the end of that beta period, Adobe's going to offer it as a subscription service that users pay $20 a month to use, or $15 a month if they buy a whole year at a time ($180). The company admits that the system may not be for everyone but notes that offering it as a subscription service comes with some benefits as a result.<br /><br />"The way we recognize revenue, once you ship something, we can't add another feature until we add another version," Brady said. "We want to be able to add functionality, and from a product development standpoint, if we know everybody on the marketplace is on the same version, we don't need to worry about different versions--with a subscription they're always on the latest version." That's especially important given the rapid development of browsers and Web standards, Brady argued.<br /><br />That strategy also continues the trend of Adobe offering its software as a subscription, something it took a big step in as part of an update to its Create Suite product line <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2011/04/introducing-adobe-creative-suite-5-5-product-family.html">in April</a>. One big difference in that case is that you can continue to purchase that software bundle up front. The big incentive Adobe's offering with both the subscription-based version of its Creative Suite and Muse is giving paying subscribers the most up to date version of those products.<br /><br />Muse follows hot on the heels of Adobe's <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/08/adobe-edge-unvield-in-preview-mode-as.html">public preview of its Edge software</a>. That tool lets people create animation effects for Web pages using a timeline approach, akin to a video editor, as opposed to having them hand-code everything. Like Muse, that product too is being offered up as a preview ahead of becoming a paid service next year.<br /><br />Adobe has set up a website where interested parties can <a href="http://muse.adobe.com/">download</a> the free beta, <a href="http://muse.adobe.com/showcase.html">view a gallery</a> of Muse-created websites, and access instructional tutorials. Some 40 websites designed with Muse have already been published by Adobe's pre-release community. <br /><br />Muse requires a dual core Mac running OS X 10.6 or higher and Adobe AIR 2.7 or higher. The program is cross-platform. Complete <a href="http://muse.adobe.com/tech-specs.html">system requirements are listed</a> on Adobe's website.

Adobe Releases Muse, Building Website without Coding knowledge

Adobe Systems today is expanding its efforts at putting Web design tools within reach of those who don't want to learn how to hand code....

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Anonymous hacks SF’s myBART website. Thousands of names, addresses & numbers released.

Anonymous has apparently made good on a <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/2011/08/anonymous-plans-to-take-down-bart-web.html">promise to wreak havoc</a> on the Web site of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System today, although not exactly as planned.<br /><br />Earlier, the amorphous collective had threatened to take Bart.gov offline for six hours today, or twice the amount of time BART managers took cell phone service offline at some BART stations Thursday night in order to head off a planned protest then. The distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack was supposed to begin at noon pacific time, according to a release from Anonymous.<br /><br />As of 30 minutes past noon, the BART site was still online but running a little slow and with one notable change to the mybart.org Web site, which currently displays the Anonymous logo as seen below.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1KOTleahd8p_6sMvBJ6Si0w4aXblFSD16yMksz4_kxRoH03IYUpR6rk6dfr1kLoUJorjjyeAovcDr5KN4OsTg6wstoagqbUJol75ChzC5GSjPcbSfwHQdhfPP88BXYMN4tR7d7Hp3vY/s1600/mybart_610x356.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="mybart" border="0" height="286px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1KOTleahd8p_6sMvBJ6Si0w4aXblFSD16yMksz4_kxRoH03IYUpR6rk6dfr1kLoUJorjjyeAovcDr5KN4OsTg6wstoagqbUJol75ChzC5GSjPcbSfwHQdhfPP88BXYMN4tR7d7Hp3vY/s1600/mybart_610x356.PNG" width="540px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">MyBart.org was still defaced as of 12:35 PM Pacific time on Sunday.</div><br />As screen captures of the defacement began rocketing around Twitter, news came that Anonymous hackers had also accessed and posted online a database of mybart.org with user e-mails and some addresses and phone numbers.<br /><br />Shortly after the mybart.org defacement, a more elaborate mark was left on californiaavoid.org, a Web site maintained by the California Office of Traffic Safety. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/opBART/242787715761748">#opBART Facebook page</a> claims the defacements are part of Anonymous' protest effort against BART.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9hL8G1z2b7gxbakylKRRgG8eo7CQN9dZgZaVXAkS_sbDI5Fs7rYtjtdm42RBU6679I2TpuCfIAmXWJH-GfqxjA-00mFSwvNv0JCVpmGkuVF0PpOXXY0h096tttSLcqfCFUpQL-EDFNE/s1600/caavoid_610x431.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="caavoid" border="0" height="361px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9hL8G1z2b7gxbakylKRRgG8eo7CQN9dZgZaVXAkS_sbDI5Fs7rYtjtdm42RBU6679I2TpuCfIAmXWJH-GfqxjA-00mFSwvNv0JCVpmGkuVF0PpOXXY0h096tttSLcqfCFUpQL-EDFNE/s1600/caavoid_610x431.PNG" width="540px" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Californiaavoid.org as of 12:40 PM Pacific on Sunday.</div><br /><br />For a brief period, BART posted two news releases on its Web site, <a href="http://twitpic.com/66460b">one advising customers</a> that its Web site could be attacked and go offline Sunday afternoon, another warning of possible interruptions to train service due to Anonymous' planned peaceful, in-person protest during Monday evening's rush hour. As of this writing, both releases are no longer visible, and BART.gov remains online almost an hour after Anonymous planned to take it down for the remainder of the afternoon.<br /><br />

Anonymous hacks SF’s myBART website. Thousands of names, addresses & numbers released.

Anonymous has apparently made good on a promise to wreak havoc on the Web site of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System today, although not exa...

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Anonymous plans to take down BART Web site today

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVUCdBRCxdXAEOZo1UJAcWl7E57G7kYc_rI5deicOCb-85V0TK09tB9f0BCwr1JjMhVlg13X4H9GJB_zw4B8tEptUhbQ9plDgBUKPN2YIhxFZ0WjhmJnGhT3foFDxF-lmX5eeVXRR_-Q/s1600/opbarttw.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="opbarttw.PNG" border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVUCdBRCxdXAEOZo1UJAcWl7E57G7kYc_rI5deicOCb-85V0TK09tB9f0BCwr1JjMhVlg13X4H9GJB_zw4B8tEptUhbQ9plDgBUKPN2YIhxFZ0WjhmJnGhT3foFDxF-lmX5eeVXRR_-Q/s320/opbarttw.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>Hacktivist group <a href="http://prohackingtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/Anonymous">Anonymous</a> says it will take the Web site of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system off line later today for six hours while also inundating BART fax lines and e-mail accounts. A <a href="http://youranonnews.tumblr.com/post/8894155866/this-is-just-a-brief-release-to-clarify-for-the">press release</a> published online detailing the group's plans says the actions are in retaliation for BART's unilateral shutdown of cell phone service Thursday night at some BART stations to prevent another planned protest.<br /><br />The Thursday demonstration had been planned to protest the fatal <a href="http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-07-08/bay-area/29750147_1_bart-officer-police-officer-man-shot">shooting of a man</a> by a BART police officer last month. BART <a href="http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2011/news20110812.aspx">officials said</a> they took cell phone service offline in an attempt to disrupt the planned protest, which was to be coordinated via mobile devices, because they worried the demonstration could "lead to platform overcrowding and unsafe conditions for BART customers, employees and demonstrators." An earlier protest last month had disrupted BART service.<br /><br />Chatter about #OpBART cropped up Friday on Twitter, but few details could be found until plans for a <a href="http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/8877530155/1/tumblr_lpvwgcUpE91qjkzz8">peaceful protest</a> Monday evening outside a central San Francisco BART station began circulating. That was followed with this posting late Saturday of the planned attack on BART's e-mail, faxes, and Web site:<br /><br /><blockquote>Anonymous will take the following actions over the next 48 hours.<br />1) We have begun at once a massive Black Fax and E-Mail Bomb action, where we will fill every inbox and fax machine at BART with thousands of copies of our message that this outage was unacceptable<br />2) Tomorrow, Sunday - August 14, 2011 at High Noon Pacific Time we, Anonymous - will remove from the internet the web site of BART located at www.bart.gov for exactly six hours. That's twice as long as they shut off the cell phones for.<br />3) On Monday - August 15, 2011 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time there will be a physical protest at the Civic Center Bart Station. Expect us !</blockquote>BART spokesman Jim Allison said, they are aware of both the planned cyberattacks and Monday's planned protest. He would not elaborate on any plans to deal with either, but said that BART will "continue trying to provide information to our customers [via the BART Web site.]"<br /><br />Allison says he has not yet heard or seen any evidence of the e-mail and fax "bomb" campaign that the Anonymous release claims is already underway.<br /><br />As Sunday commuting was just getting underway, at least one sympathetic Twitter account was already reporting support for Anonymous' cause:<br /><br />"Wow...walking to the @SFBART and I'm starting to see people with masks on. "<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEsguOuvAZ50VTFZ1yofe9yCzy-JiDzLHRvPMAOAnGDY7dGzVY59YNWnk7_WC9ms3DuLOnb3FE4AOs8XkzrP2hMMOvA7QFOLHE-1QxFR6fS8QHu1f1OVCPhRe2yx4KkHGx1izSVFMUXg/s1600/opbart2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEsguOuvAZ50VTFZ1yofe9yCzy-JiDzLHRvPMAOAnGDY7dGzVY59YNWnk7_WC9ms3DuLOnb3FE4AOs8XkzrP2hMMOvA7QFOLHE-1QxFR6fS8QHu1f1OVCPhRe2yx4KkHGx1izSVFMUXg/s1600/opbart2.PNG" /></a></div>

Anonymous plans to take down BART Web site today

Hacktivist group Anonymous says it will take the Web site of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system off line later today for six hours wh...

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PC Revolution from the Beginning (Photos)

The original IBM 5150, the personal computer that helped launch an industry, made its debut at a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York on August 12, 1981.<br /><br /><b>Photo by</b> IBM<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsBiRM1ghBj3fcuG3hIy2T8RAy4LzfWVAABPurugSPvOyP_DgKl0nD0nqGOvaid1l7twQVlnxNkNBEcAuUNANbKXZUBObUmoLzCkXBEna68A6g45usBum2bUGAXPb3vv4NmJDGruu4aM/s1600/PC5150_color_a_540x348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsBiRM1ghBj3fcuG3hIy2T8RAy4LzfWVAABPurugSPvOyP_DgKl0nD0nqGOvaid1l7twQVlnxNkNBEcAuUNANbKXZUBObUmoLzCkXBEna68A6g45usBum2bUGAXPb3vv4NmJDGruu4aM/s1600/PC5150_color_a_540x348.jpg" /></a></div><br />A marketing photo of the IBM 5150 illustrated how the company wanted to push the new personal computer into the workplace.<br /><br /><b>Photo by </b>IBM<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkDlYlAXFIsyk7FOwQgUN_2_OMfX3Jvg7vpCni01d427JZmlJxbqx2g3pLEUggsPf-0DGY7qNLcER-NYOAp5tEKQSVELQqQFMywwHBOUBO_0OtYRW479YnVlUdNBgnXyeyL1lTpWGS4A/s1600/PC5150_withman_540x425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkDlYlAXFIsyk7FOwQgUN_2_OMfX3Jvg7vpCni01d427JZmlJxbqx2g3pLEUggsPf-0DGY7qNLcER-NYOAp5tEKQSVELQqQFMywwHBOUBO_0OtYRW479YnVlUdNBgnXyeyL1lTpWGS4A/s1600/PC5150_withman_540x425.jpg" /></a></div><br />Don Estridge, later called "the father of the PC," led the team at IBM that developed the 5150, the personal computer that sparked the PC revolution.<br /><br /><b>Photo by</b> IBM<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrt3qhIQM50EREJjuf9VPgTKVCDeHJ-xe5BzY8_eHiK3Iy7kLZBOL3iURHS7SnYfbbn2gKMhFMm9VBYJ3DUvl2xtlWZYrJ53h1wq_1a5xZnq4UVPoqNLiRIwnLrPkX2DchfnuwOHH5AaU/s1600/estridge1_540x786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrt3qhIQM50EREJjuf9VPgTKVCDeHJ-xe5BzY8_eHiK3Iy7kLZBOL3iURHS7SnYfbbn2gKMhFMm9VBYJ3DUvl2xtlWZYrJ53h1wq_1a5xZnq4UVPoqNLiRIwnLrPkX2DchfnuwOHH5AaU/s1600/estridge1_540x786.JPG" /></a></div><br />An advertisement for the IBM 5150 noted: "IBM believes that the age of the personal computer has arrived."<br /><br /><b>Photo by </b>Computer History Museum<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tXkRtpQHSc5-qZ00-7ZcBywuung_44Xf-YyXmkssIZsrXvOUr6No-WmmbQ8nUgF4ls796X3aiSMeCRvo7FfKKDyzx4wgS58zAlj_STiX-0FTwkN7uxEsxbcIHWiB_HG6x-Y7dcqpCls/s1600/IBM_PC_ad_%2528from_computer_museum%2529_540x540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tXkRtpQHSc5-qZ00-7ZcBywuung_44Xf-YyXmkssIZsrXvOUr6No-WmmbQ8nUgF4ls796X3aiSMeCRvo7FfKKDyzx4wgS58zAlj_STiX-0FTwkN7uxEsxbcIHWiB_HG6x-Y7dcqpCls/s1600/IBM_PC_ad_%2528from_computer_museum%2529_540x540.jpg" /></a></div><br />IBM sped up development of the 5150 personal computer, worried about the encroachment of the popular Apple II into homes and businesses.<br /><br /><b>Photo by</b> Computer History Museum<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qgDA7-m74dG1YS9ASPuUH1Bpyldrsyuk6fpxKDAgl6jSCku_PkrSceHt2wnfqu0kZIlsyGS7nMFoAovh0kuJ-hcq0d7e1OmMiPJIpobmXCqv7K34So6orBmlwppBdgkXduVQQOZXl90/s1600/Apple_II_%2528from_computer_museum%2529_540x540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qgDA7-m74dG1YS9ASPuUH1Bpyldrsyuk6fpxKDAgl6jSCku_PkrSceHt2wnfqu0kZIlsyGS7nMFoAovh0kuJ-hcq0d7e1OmMiPJIpobmXCqv7K34So6orBmlwppBdgkXduVQQOZXl90/s1600/Apple_II_%2528from_computer_museum%2529_540x540.jpg" /></a></div><br />IBM turned to a young company, Microsoft, and its co-founders Paul Allen and Bill Gates, for the operating system for the 5150. This photo was shot shortly after Microsoft signed the contract with IBM. The image was featured in the Seattle Business Journal's October 19, 1981 article, "Building on success, Microsoft owners shoot for $100 million target."<br /><br /><b>Photo by</b> Microsoft<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SX5Dhxg03PuJOTpNZkWf-XgR-05Hg9WtMu85cJC02yUvzgQNDnqgG5KDg9vEHTcqdLao_I248yAgX8cgyZcAXkRjLtLQydA3n6E5ObHT0vnGhkqlyrOucENzr8wxyQU_FKvtCj2kNK0/s1600/gatesandallen_%2528from_MSFT%2529_540x380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SX5Dhxg03PuJOTpNZkWf-XgR-05Hg9WtMu85cJC02yUvzgQNDnqgG5KDg9vEHTcqdLao_I248yAgX8cgyZcAXkRjLtLQydA3n6E5ObHT0vnGhkqlyrOucENzr8wxyQU_FKvtCj2kNK0/s1600/gatesandallen_%2528from_MSFT%2529_540x380.jpg" /></a></div><br />An advertisement for MS-DOS 1.0, the operating system that got its start on the IBM 5150 and was used on the so-called clone PCs.<br /><br /><b>Photo by</b> Microsoft<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRAEvsAwuAkSC8jsQNibjaayHHnoxfuhdhkxIRREZTCKY1S7OQVLwdRH7t_4RQnKGyibAV-zmhtKEDPcBINHxqLbmpINVN-QH5pzak-NkFQlW0fSli0lBzwFyO4HWYy_WcHziFxqkCn8/s1600/msdosad_%2528from_MSFT%2529_540x733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRAEvsAwuAkSC8jsQNibjaayHHnoxfuhdhkxIRREZTCKY1S7OQVLwdRH7t_4RQnKGyibAV-zmhtKEDPcBINHxqLbmpINVN-QH5pzak-NkFQlW0fSli0lBzwFyO4HWYy_WcHziFxqkCn8/s1600/msdosad_%2528from_MSFT%2529_540x733.jpg" /></a></div>

PC Revolution from the Beginning (Photos)

The original IBM 5150, the personal computer that helped launch an industry, made its debut at a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria Hot...

Read more »