Sony USB Drives Pack Rootkit Surprise
Finnish security company F-Secure has reported on new rootkit-like software discovered on USB thumb drives manufactured by Sony. Although the software doesn't appear to cause damage to a user's system, it does create a hidden directory that is inaccessible via the Windows API and some virus scanners.
The product in question is Sony's MicroVault USM-F fingerprint reader software, included with the company's USB drives. Sony was widely derided in 2005 for bundling copy-protection software on its music CDs that utilized rootkit-like functionality. "It is our belief that the MicroVault software hides this folder to somehow protect the fingerprint authentication from tampering and bypass," says F-Secure. "However, we feel that rootkit-like cloaking techniques are not the right way to go here." The company contacted Sony about the issue, but received no response.
TorrentSpy Closes Doors to US Users
Saying it wants to protect user privacy, TorrentSpy said Monday that it will no longer allow visitors from the United States to use the site. The BitTorrent search engine's servers are located in the Netherlands, and it falls under the jurisdiction of the European Union, as do the copyright laws that govern it.
The decision to ban US users from the site was not due to any compulsion from the courts, it assured. "Rather it arises out of an uncertain legal climate in the United States regarding user privacy and the apparent tension between US and European Union Internet privacy laws," the company said.
Microsoft Opens 'Hackers' Web Site
It's no secret that Microsoft employs individuals that attempt to bypass the security restrictions built into its software products in order to make them safer, but the company has rarely publicized this fact. That's changing with a new Web log called hackers @ microsoft.
The Redmond company plans to utilize the blog to introduce its "white hat hackers" and show people what they do for Microsoft, although in keeping with tradition, those mentioned on the blog will likely go by their pseudonyms. "At his or her core, a true hacker is someone who is curious and wants to learn how systems work. This can and of course at Microsoft is done in an ethical, legal manner," techjunkie writes in the first posting on the site.
AllofMP3: 'Service Will Be Resumed'
While some may have left it for dead, the owners of AllofMP3 said Monday that they do plan to resume service. "The service will be resumed in the foreseeable future," a blog post from the company read. "We are doing our best at the moment to ensure that all our users can use their accounts, top up balance and order music."
The announcement of the return of AllofMP3 follows a decision by the Russian courts to throw out a case against the former head of Mediaservices (parent company of the site) Denis Kvasov. Although the record industry has vowed to appeal, they might be fighting an uphill battle as the courts have ruled Kvasov can't be sued under current laws.
New Yahoo Mail Leaves Beta, Adds SMS
Yahoo on Monday dropped the beta tag from its revamped webmail service, just a few months after Microsoft began rolling out its new Windows Live Hotmail. Like Hotmail, Yahoo Mail's upgrade offers a new desktop application-like interface using AJAX, but customers can choose to keep the "Classic" look.
Along with unlimited storage, new features in Yahoo Mail include an integrated RSS reader and instant messaging, along with built-in SMS text messaging support. Yahoo is targeting this feature at parents, who can quickly type a message on their computer and send it to their child's cell phone. Another addition in the final release is shortcut links, which appear in an e-mail to link to useful information like maps and calendars. The new Yahoo Mail is available to users in the United States, Canada, India and the Philippines.
Matsushita Will Cover Cost of Nokia Battery Recall
Nokia said Friday that it had reached an agreement with Matsushita Battery to cover costs related to its August 14 recall of BL-5C batteries manufactured by the company for about four dozen Nokia phone models between December 2005 and November 2006. About 100 incidents of overheating have been reported, which is due to a short circuit occurring during charging. No serious injuries or property damage have yet been made public.
"The safety of our customers and the reliability and quality of our products are our top priorities," said Robert Andersson, head of Nokia Customer and Market Operations in a statement. "We are pleased with the good cooperation between Nokia and Matsushita. Together we aim to serve consumers in the best possible manner and minimize the inconvenience this issue could cause them."
Manhunt 2 Back On for October 31 Release
After postponing the release of Manhunt 2 for the PS2, PSP and Wii back in June, Rockstar Games said Friday that it would release the game on October 31. The move follows an announcement by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) that it would rate the game "M" for Mature. It previously had been marked with an "AO" rating, for Adults Only.
With such a rating, the distribution of the game would have been severely limited. Both interest groups and review boards took issue with the extreme violence in the initial version of the game, which puts players in the shoes of a deranged man who kills his enemies in search of answers regarding what happened to his family. While the rating change only affects the North American release, no announcement was made about the British rating, which also was an "AO."
Sony Develops Environmentally Friendly Battery
Sony said Friday that it had developed a bio-conscious battery that is encased in vegetable-based plastic and runs on sugars. The sugars are poured into the battery, and are then broken down by enzymes in order to create electricity. It outputs about 50 milliwatts, and has enough power to run a music player and a set of speakers. The battery measures 1.5 inches on each side.
Sugar is a naturally occurring energy source, the company says. "It is therefore regenerative, and can be found in most areas of the earth, underlining the potential for sugar-based batteries as an ecologically-friendly energy device of the future." Sony hopes to eventually produce them for commercial use, although no date was given.
Monster Shuts Down Hackers
Hackers have infiltrated the database of online job seeker site Monster, the site disclosed Thursday. According to a statement by the site, those involved set up a server that was accessing contact information of job seekers through a compromised login of one of its employer clients. The rogue server has since been identified and shut down, Monster said. Information that may have been disclosed was limited to names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.
The exact number of those affected is not yet known, although Monster will contact those affected as needed. “ Protecting our users from malicious activity is one of Monster's top priorities. Regrettably, opportunistic criminals are increasingly using the Internet for illegitimate purposes. This problem spans the Web, particularly impacting high profile, heavily trafficked websites that serve a variety of users on a global basis,” it said in a statement.
Toshiba Announces 32GB Memory Card
Days after announcing the industry's largest notebook hard drive with a capacity of 320GB, Toshiba says it will ship early next year a 32GB memory card for cameras and digital audio players. In the SDHC format, the card will have a Class 4 rating, the middle level offering 4MB/sec. transfer speeds.
In addition, Toshiba announced a 16GB SDHC card that is due out in October, along with an 8GB microSDHC card for mobile phones and other small devices that will ship in January. Pricing for the new memory cards was not given, but Toshiba will likely make an announcement regarding the 32GB and 8GB cards at CES 2008 early next year.
Google Aims For the Stars With 'Sky'
Google turned its eyes to the stars on Wednesday, introducing Sky, its complement to the Google Earth ground mapping product. The new feature, to be made available in 13 languages, will allow the navigation of the 100 million known stars and 200 million known galaxies through the application's interface. The search company has provided a YouTube video to help users get started with the application.
To help promote the new feature, the company invited former astronaut Sally Ride to promote it in the company's official blog. As part of the promotion, Ride developed a KML showcase featuring her favorite extra-solar places. "Sky in Google Earth is great, and we plan on using it in some of our programs," she said. Ride now runs Sally Ride Science, a company that specializes in creating science materials for elementary and middle school students.
Panasonic Debuts Longer-Lasting LCD HDTVs
Panasonic said Wednesday that it had begun shipping the first of its high definition televisions to include a proprietary technology called LIFI, which is said to both ensure image brightness for a longer period of time than the standard LCD HDTV, and have a quicker start up time. The first TVs will be available in 50, 56, and 61-inch models, and will be available in both 720p and 1080p versions, ranging in price from $1700 to $2200.
LIFI HDTVs do not use electrodes as the light source, Panasonic said, which results in longer life. Additionally, that same technology reduces the time that it takes for the television to start up from around a minute to 15 seconds. “The fact that the bulb will virtually never need to be replaced is a great benefit to the consumer and one of the reasons we strongly believe that LIFI will be successful,” Panasonic vice president Dennis Eppel said in a statement.
Woot.com Offers Zune for $149.99
Discount site Woot.com has somehow managed to acquire enough white Zune players to sell them at a $100 discount from Microsoft's suggested retail price. For as long as supplies last, a new Zune player can be had for $149.99 plus $5 shipping.
Woot typically sells older items or those that have been overstocked and sitting on store shelves. The deal could be an indicator that Microsoft is trying to clear out stock in preparation for new models of the Zune that could arrive before the holidays. Either way, it's a great opportunity for those who have wanted a cheap portable audio player and aren't a fan of Apple products.
TiVo HD 'Fully Stocked' at Retailers
TiVo said Wednesday that its new lower-cost high-definition DVR is now available at retailers across the United States after being announced in late July. The $299 TiVo HD sports much of the same feature set found in TiVo's high-end $799 Series3.
The company says TiVo HD is arriving as many consumers are looking to upgrade their television setups to high-definition. TiVo did not say when it plans to activate the TiVoToGo portability features for either HD model, but news on that front is expected sometime in the near future. TiVo service costs $16.95 per month on a 1-year basis, or $12.95 per month with a 3-year contract.
Michael Bay Tries HD DVD, Likes It
A day after protesting a decision by Paramount to only support HD DVD and threatening not to make a second "Transformers" movie, Michael Bay has apparently had a change of heart after seeing the format in action. He apologized in a forum post Tuesday evening for drinking the Blu-ray "kool aid."
"I heard where Paramount is coming from and the future of HD and players that will be close to the $200 mark which is the magic number. I like what I heard," Bay wrote. "As a director, I'm all about people seeing films in the best quality possible, and I saw and heard firsthand people upset about a corporate decision. So today I saw 300 on HD, it rocks! So I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!"
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