Computer Virus No Joke On April Fools' Day

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - April Fools' Day has brought serious concern that millions of computers could be hit by a virus called Conficker.

Conficker, a virus that has been around since 2008, was supposed to receive new instructions from its master hacker on April 1, 2009.

Conficker has confounded computer experts for months. Fortunately the only thing the worm has been doing is asking for further instructions, but it can hijack computers even without users noticing.

The threat has been serious enough that Microsoft has even offered a quarter million dollar reward for anyone who can stop the virus.

The hacker who created the worm could be able to steal personal information like bank account and social security numbers, but experts don't seem to think this virus is specifically aimed at individuals.

"These worms are targeted at big corporate networks and for the average home user like you and me it might not be that big of a deal," said Molly Wood with CNET.

Among other things, the worm blocks PCs from accessing the antivirus vendors' and Microsoft's Web sites. That keeps its PC victims from getting updates about the worm and downloading removal tools, so there's only one sure fire way to know if Conficker has attacked your computer.

Go to the Web site of an anti-virus software company like www.Symantec.com or www.Microsoft.com. If you get in then you're probably fine.

If your computer has already been infected, have a friend whose computer is not infected download a removal tool and e-mail it to you.

For more information about the computer virus and ways to protect your computer click here.

How NSA access was built into Windows

Careless mistake reveals subversion of Windows by NSA.

A CARELESS mistake by Microsoft programmers has revealed that special access codes prepared by the US National Security Agency have been secretly built into Windows. The NSA access system is built into every version of the Windows operating system now in use, except early releases of Windows 95 (and its predecessors). The discovery comes close on the heels of the revelations earlier this year that another US software giant, Lotus, had built an NSA "help information" trapdoor into its Notes system, and that security functions on other software systems had been deliberately crippled.

The first discovery of the new NSA access system was made two years ago by British researcher Dr Nicko van Someren. But it was only a few weeks ago when a second researcher rediscovered the access system. With it, he found the evidence linking it to NSA.

Computer security specialists have been aware for two years that unusual features are contained inside a standard Windows software "driver" used for security and encryption functions. The driver, called ADVAPI.DLL, enables and controls a range of security functions. If you use Windows, you will find it in the C:\Windows\system directory of your computer.

ADVAPI.DLL works closely with Microsoft Internet Explorer, but will only run cryptographic functions that the US governments allows Microsoft to export. That information is bad enough news, from a European point of view. Now, it turns out that ADVAPI will run special programmes inserted and controlled by NSA. As yet, no-one knows what these programmes are, or what they do.

Dr Nicko van Someren reported at last year's Crypto 98 conference that he had disassembled the ADVADPI driver. He found it contained two different keys. One was used by Microsoft to control the cryptographic functions enabled in Windows, in compliance with US export regulations. But the reason for building in a second key, or who owned it, remained a mystery.

A second key

Two weeks ago, a US security company came up with conclusive evidence that the second key belongs to NSA. Like Dr van Someren, Andrew Fernandez, chief scientist with Cryptonym of Morrisville, North Carolina, had been probing the presence and significance of the two keys. Then he checked the latest Service Pack release for Windows NT4, Service Pack 5. He found that Microsoft's developers had failed to remove or "strip" the debugging symbols used to test this software before they released it. Inside the code were the labels for the two keys. One was called "KEY". The other was called "NSAKEY".

Fernandes reported his re-discovery of the two CAPI keys, and their secret meaning, to "Advances in Cryptology, Crypto'99" conference held in Santa Barbara. According to those present at the conference, Windows developers attending the conference did not deny that the "NSA" key was built into their software. But they refused to talk about what the key did, or why it had been put there without users' knowledge.

A third key?!

But according to two witnesses attending the conference, even Microsoft's top crypto programmers were astonished to learn that the version of ADVAPI.DLL shipping with Windows 2000 contains not two, but three keys. Brian LaMachia, head of CAPI development at Microsoft was "stunned" to learn of these discoveries, by outsiders. The latest discovery by Dr van Someren is based on advanced search methods which test and report on the "entropy" of programming code.

Within the Microsoft organisation, access to Windows source code is said to be highly compartmentalized, making it easy for modifications to be inserted without the knowledge of even the respective product managers.

Researchers are divided about whether the NSA key could be intended to let US government users of Windows run classified cryptosystems on their machines or whether it is intended to open up anyone's and everyone's Windows computer to intelligence gathering techniques deployed by NSA's burgeoning corps of "information warriors".

According to Fernandez of Cryptonym, the result of having the secret key inside your Windows operating system "is that it is tremendously easier for the NSA to load unauthorized security services on all copies of Microsoft Windows, and once these security services are loaded, they can effectively compromise your entire operating system". The NSA key is contained inside all versions of Windows from Windows 95 OSR2 onwards.

"For non-American IT managers relying on Windows NT to operate highly secure data centres, this find is worrying", he added. "The US government is currently making it as difficult as possible for "strong" crypto to be used outside of the US. That they have also installed a cryptographic back-door in the world's most abundant operating system should send a strong message to foreign IT managers".

"How is an IT manager to feel when they learn that in every copy of Windows sold, Microsoft has a 'back door' for NSA - making it orders of magnitude easier for the US government to access your computer?" he asked.

Can the loophole be turned round against the snoopers?

Dr van Someren feels that the primary purpose of the NSA key inside Windows may be for legitimate US government use. But he says that there cannot be a legitimate explanation for the third key in Windows 2000 CAPI. "It looks more fishy", he said.

Fernandez believes that NSA's built-in loophole can be turned round against the snoopers. The NSA key inside CAPI can be replaced by your own key, and used to sign cryptographic security modules from overseas or unauthorised third parties, unapproved by Microsoft or the NSA. This is exactly what the US government has been trying to prevent. A demonstration "how to do it" program that replaces the NSA key can be found on Cryptonym's website.

According to one leading US cryptographer, the IT world should be thankful that the subversion of Windows by NSA has come to light before the arrival of CPUs that handles encrypted instruction sets. These would make the type of discoveries made this month impossible. "Had the next-generation CPU's with encrypted instruction sets already been deployed, we would have never found out about NSAKEY."

source:www.heise.de

ScanGauge II Automotive Computer

See what's going on under the hood

New model is more compact with a larger display and backlight colors!

As a general rule geeks like to have access to as much data and statistics as possible. We pretty much figure this applies to a geek's motor vehicle as well. So, to allow you to access extra information about your car we would like to introduce the ScanGauge II Automotive Computer. This gadget is easy to install and provides a set of digital gauges, a comprehensive trip computer, and an engine trouble code scan tool.

The digital gauges mode displays four different properties on the screen (for example, fuel economy, battery voltage, coolant temperature, and engine speed). The trip computer tracks your vehicle's maximum speed, average speed, driving time, driving distance, trip fuel economy and several other pieces of trip data. The engine trouble code scan tool lets you read standard engine trouble codes as well as clear the "check engine" light and other warning lamps.

The ScanGauge II is simple to use and install and mounts in, on or below the dash. It plugs into the diagnostic OBD-II connector found under the dash on 1996 and newer cars and light trucks. The functions are accessed viaa simple on-screen menu interface. There is an automatic delayed power-down after engine shutoff and automatic power-up when engine is started. User and vehicle settings are automatically saved.

Also has these features.

• Reads engine trouble codes and can reset the "check engine" light
• Trip computer that automatically tracks various elements of trip data
• Expanded digital gauges (fuel economy, battery voltage, coolant temp., etc.)
• No tools needed to install - plugs into the OBD-II diagnostic connector
• Simple menu driven operation
• User-settable backlight color and brightness - 126 possible color/brightness settings
• Batteries not required
• Dimensions: 4.8"W x 1.5"H x 1"D
• Connector cord length: 6 feet
• User adjustable contrast and update rate (slow, normal and fast)
• ScanGauge II compatibility list
• Big display - 50% larger than the original ScanGauge
• Cable detachable - can be connected on the back or side - RJ45 connection
• One year manufacturer warranty
  

Source:/www.thinkgeek.com

USB Hidden Flash Drive Watch

How to properly hide a flash drive

Small USB flash drive fits completely inside of the watch!

Since you are probably the clever type, we suspect you could easily find many places to hide a small USB flash drive. Some of these hiding spots may be perfectly legit, but others might just be too clever for your own good. So, to protect you from yourself we'd like to introduce a watch with the ideal hiding spot already built-in. This watch features an ample 4GB capacity USB flash drive that slips neatly into the watch case. Simply remove, add data and then re-insert and you're ready to conduct secret missions to building B on the other side of campus.

This watch has a plastic case covered by stainless steel mask with brushed silver finish and convex mineral glass with shiny raised index. The USB flash drive fits flush with the watch case – ready to hold your data safe and secure. You may even forget it's there until you're ready to use it.

• Small USB flash drive fits completely inside of the watch
• Perfect for carrying your data on secret missions
• Japanese quartz movement
• Black polyurethane strap
• Luminescent hands
• 4GB capacity
• Watch dial size: 1.1" x 1" (29 x 25mm)
• Flash drive size: 1.5" x .5" x .25" (38 x 13 x 6mm)

Mindware, Microsoft host Qatar channel event

Mindware, an IT distributor in the Middle East, together with IT software giant Microsoft, recently hosted a channel partner event at the Millennium Hotel in Doha, Qatar. During the event, which took place on 4 February 2009, officials highlighted the achievements and benefits of Microsoft products, as well as volume licensing policies.

This is in line with Mindware and Microsoft to reach out and increase its reseller network, thereby leveraging the stable IT spending projected in the country amidst the growing pressure for companies to strengthen their IT infrastructure to combat the effects of the current economic crisis.

Moderate growth is being expected in IT spending within the Middle East region, as well as in Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America, according to recent reports. Leveraging its extensive channel network of 2,500 regional partners, Mindware has seen outstanding growth in its revenues, which peaked at USD 200 million in 2007. Mindware has gathered considerable experience marketing its state-of-the-art products, which has further strengthened its relationship with the global IT leader.

“Our commitment to build a stronger reseller network for Microsoft products is aimed at maintaining a wider channel breadth that can provide outstanding coverage in the country’s markets. We have seen our relationship with Microsoft grow at the same pace as the expansion of our operations in the region, which made us even more enthusiastic to provide excellent coverage for their products,” said Jeff Jacob, Microsoft Unit Manager at Mindware. “We are also seeking to give our channel partners a heads up on Microsoft’s newest and most successful products, more information on the volume licensing policies and how they can use these to their advantage.”

In addition to high-impact events staged in partnership with the most prominent IT brands, Mindware also provides value-added distribution (VAD) services to its regional channel partners. With a focus on logistics, promptness and reliability, Mindware’s expanded suite of VAD services include a whole range of networked services such as pre-sales consultancy, marketing, service implementation and after-sales support, which have facilitated market penetration and profitability for its partners and for its company.

In line with its aims to establish a stronger presence within the Kingdom, Mindware has recently invested in a state-of-the-art office in Riyadh, which will serve as a domestic hub for its KSA operations.

source:http://computernewsme.com

Breaking Apple Event News: iTunes 8 and iPod Nano revealed

The Let's Rock Apple Special Event has been running for nearly an hour now, so what's new and exciting in the world of Apple? iTWire brings you the announcements so far regarding iTunes 8 and the new iPod Nano...

Steve Jobs kicked off the much anticipated Let's Rock event in San Francisco with a joke about how his death had been exaggerated. But things soon got serious with the news we had predicted about iTunes 8.

After the usual marketing and statistical waffle, as interesting as it was recounting that there are some 8.5 million songs available on iTunes around the planet, as well as 125,000 podcasts and even 3500 hours of TV, the iTunes 8 specific announcements started.

First up was confirmation that high definition television content is to be included in iTunes 8. Initially these will apparently be restricted to the US and cost USD $2.99 an episode.

There will be HD versions of Heroes and The Office, and they will play on Apple TV or on your computer. Which is nice.

As is the much rumoured Genius functionality that will make music recommendations that are based upon songs already in your music library, what you play and what stuff you buy. The Genius sidebar will also make recommendations from the iTunes Store, of course.

What has not changed is the user interface, despite speculation that it would. If you want a look then Apple says iTunes is available from today, although I would not bank on being able to get it courtesy of the mad upgrade rush that is likely to happen.

iPods were next on the agenda, and more marketing stuff: 160 million iPods sold since day zero.

Things are changing on the iPod front pretty much as expected, with the Classic 160GB being discontinued at long last. However the 80GB model will now come with an extra 40GB for no extra cost, which is good news.

The new iPod Nano is exactly the same as those pictures, making it so Apple says, the thinnest iPod ever. It has some nifty tricks up its sleeve as well, like being able to create Genius playlists without being connected to a computer.

Now that is cool, the Nano does the calculating and analysing on-board. It also does the really cool iPhone accelerometer thing for auto portrait and landscape viewing. Nice.

Oh, and want to shuffle then shake it. Yep, you shake the Nano and it shuffles. Now I like that, but I am a mug for silly gimmicks it has to be said.

Pricing has been announced as USD $149 for the 8GB version, USD $199 for 16GB.

More to come...
source:www.itwire.com

Texas state Senate bans Vista from use in government agencies

The Texas state Senate yesterday gave preliminary approval to a state budget that includes a provision forbidding government agencies from upgrading to Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista without written consent of the legislature.

Sen. Juan Hinojosa, a Democrat from McAllen and vice chairman of the Finance Committee, proposed the rider because "of the many reports of problems with Vista."

"We are not in any way, shape or form trying to pick on Microsoft, but the problems with this particular [operating] system are known nationwide," Hinojosa said during a Senate session debating the rider Wednesday evening (starting at 4:42 of this RealMedia video stream). "And the XP operating system is working very well."

The rider requires state agencies to get the written approval of the Legislative Budget Board before purchasing Vista licenses, upgrades or even new PCs with Vista pre-installed on it.

A Microsoft spokeswoman, in an e-mail, wrote, "We're surprised that the Texas Senate Finance Committee adopted a rider which, in effect, singles out a specific corporation and product for unequal treatment. We hope as the budget continues to go through the process, this language will be removed."

Microsoft has 1,500 employees in the state. It also opened a $500 million data center in San Antonio last year, the spokeswoman said.

According to Texas Department of Information Resources data shared with The Houston Chronicle, 44 state agencies have already spent a total of $6.1 million to upgrade to Vista in the last several years. They range from a low of $122 spent by the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying to $1.6 million spent by the Health and Human Services Commission.

State agencies make their own IT purchasing decisions independent of the DIR. They may, however, buy through contracts procured by the DIR, according to DIR spokesman David Duncan.

"As a state agency, we are prohibited from saying anything that is positive or negative towards legislation," he said. "We will comply with the will of the legislature."

The DIR's 265 employees remain on Windows XP and Mac OS X, Duncan said. Windows users are likely to skip Vista entirely and upgrade to the upcoming Windows 7 operating system, he added, because of the timing of the agency's regular upgrade cycle.

"We're not holding off as a reaction to what Microsoft is producing," he said. Texas' two-year $182.2 billion budget was passed by the Senate last night by a vote of 26-5. It awaits final approval next week. The state House of Representatives is crafting its own version of a state budget. The rider must still be approved by a conference committee comprising both Senate and House members to reconcile the two versions of the budget, said a spokesman for Hinojosa.

source:www.computerworld.com

Apple hints at launch of Nehalem-based Xserve

An Apple online store is set to take preorders of new Xserve servers carrying Intel's new Xeon chips, hinting at launch of the devices in the near future.

A notice on Apple's Hong Kong online store is offering to take preorders of the Xserve based on Intel's latest Xeon server chips. However, preorders cannot be placed as the link hasn't been activated yet, and customization capabilities for the old Xserve products have been disabled.

"Preorder the new Xserve with Intel Xeon (Nehalem)," the Web page states.

Apple does not comment on future products, an Apple spokesperson said. It is unclear when the servers would be released, though enthusiast sites including AppleInsider have predicted availability in a few weeks.

The upcoming servers could carry quad-core chips from the Xeon 5500 and 3500 family, which Apple has already included in its Mac Pro workstations launched last month. Intel has said the Xeon chips are its fastest server chips to date, which can be cranked up to run at speeds of 3.46GHz.

Intel's Nehalem microarchitecture improves system speed by cutting bottlenecks that plagued Intel's earlier chips. In certain circumstances, the chips could double server performance while consuming less power compared to its predecessors.

The chips' improved energy consumption relative to performance gives users a reason to upgrade, said Dean McCarron, principal analyst at Mercury Research

"The idea of saving power is more pervasive in Nehalem. You're seeing a much more fine-grained level of power control across [switches] on the chip," McCarron said. The current Xserve servers run chips belonging to Intel's earlier Penryn family.

One of the major improvements involves Intel integrating the memory controller on the CPU, which helps processors communicate faster with memory. It removes the memory latency affecting earlier Intel processors, which should translate to better server performance.

Data-intensive applications like video processing frequently require processors to fetch information from memory, and Intel's earlier chips had to go through a bus called the front-side bus (FSB). After years of criticism, Intel removed the FSB and integrated the memory controller into the CPU with Nehalem chips.

Nehalem also offers a faster pipe for a CPU to communicate with other processors and system components. That helps servers execute more tasks in parallel and tackle larger workloads. The faster communication improvements are bundled under a technology Intel calls QuickPath InterConnect, or QPI.

The chip advancements bode well for Apple's effort to push parallelism through its future Mac OS X server operating system, code-named Snow Leopard Server. The OS is built for a multicore system, and includes Grand Central technologies that will help server software better allocate tasks across multiple cores while saving power.

Details about the server operating system that will ship with these new servers are scarce, but it could possibly have hooks to crank down the clock speed as it executes tasks in parallel, McCarron said. Intel allows reduction in clock speed through the Turbo Mode feature that can crank down chip clock speed to save power.

source:www.itworld.com

Russia may increase oversight of Microsoft

The Russian government is exploring whether Microsoft deserves closer scrutiny under its antitrust laws, specifically whether the software maker should be added to a government-maintained list of companies with high market share.

A copy of the Russian edition of Windows XP Starter Edition. Russia was among the places where Microsoft tested the low-cost version of Windows aimed at first-time PC buyers.

source:http://news.cnet.com

Report: IBM cuts price on Sun deal

IBM has reportedly cut its purchase price for Sun Microsystems to a range of $9 to $10 a share. And Sun is apparently willing to accept the lower range providing IBM agrees to pursue the deal, even in the face of antitrust scrutiny, according to a report Thursday in The Wall Street Journal.

(Credit: Yahoo Finance)

Previously, IBM was contemplating a buyout price of $10 to $11 a share, according to the Journal. Big Blue had recently been delving into Sun Microsystems' contracts for any possible conflicts, as part of its due diligence on the company.

Sun Microsystems stock spiked 6.25 percent to $8.50 a share on initial reports Thursday that IBM lowered its price and Sun was willing to accept it, but then Sun's shares tempered as more news filtered out that the deal was still under discussions and there was no guarantee it will ultimately go through.

Sun subsequently was up a mere 1.63 percent to $8.13 a share in intra-day trading Thursday.

Prior to reports last month that IBM was interested in buying Sun for approximately $6.5 billion, Sun Microsystems' shares had largely languished below $5 a share for the past five months.

Netbook stages a comeback with dual storage

Established in 1986 as a hardware supplier, Micro Star International (MSI), initially offered a product line of motherboards, graphics accelerator cards, notebook computer, server/work stations, industrial PCs, barebone systems, communications devices, consumer electronics, and automobile electronics and has rapidly emerged as an important IT manufacturer in Taiwan. To expand its global presence, MSI has employed a multi-product strategy, making inroads into the brand-name product market. Its netbook line, for example, has accumulated enough shipment volume and brand-name publicity to compete with products made by top-tier international assemblers. That’s why the MSI’s netbook currently takes much of the focus of the market. .

With the 10-inch netbook being the most popular item in the market, netbook makers are scrambling to come up with their own 10-inchers. Having successfully launched a 10-inch WIND U100 netbook in 2008, MSI plans on following that up this year with a new 10-inch WIND U115 Hybrid, due to hit the market at COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2009. WIND U115 Hybrid comes with a 10-inch wide-screen panel, Intel Menlow platform, memory expandable up to 2GB, built-in XD/SD/MMC/Memory Stick four-in-one card reader, 1.3mn-pixel web cam, three USB 2.0 portals, and supports 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN and Bluetooth connection.

For storage, WIND U115 Hybrid is equipped with both state-of-the-art solid-state drive (SSD) and the conventional SATA HDD, for a brilliant division of labor. That is, the operating system (OS) is installed on the SSD, which effectively speeds boot-up and enhances operating efficiency, while the SATA HDD offers ample space for the user’s documents, music, and clutter. Working under MSI’s exclusive ECO power-saving mode, WIND U115 Hybrid will shut off SATA hard drive upon boot-up and run solely on SSD until further notice. Coupling this power-saving mode and a 6-cell battery, WIND U115 Hybrid can work as long as 12 hours straight, taking users to a new level of mobility.

source:www.computextaipei.com.tw