Monsters and Critics

Phishing: Verified by Visa scam targets holiday shoppers

20. Nov 2009, 16:30

Use some caution if you get an email asking you to join Verified by Visa over the next few weeks. Taking advantage of the holiday rush to shop online, the public awareness of the Verified by Visa brand, and the security it offers, criminals are pushing a Phishing scam that offers very little in the way of true protection. ... more

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Spam campaigns offer bill collecting and vampires

20. Nov 2009, 16:00

Heading off into the weekend, there are two Spam campaigns worth a mention. One of them offers a chance to see a glittery vampire and a wolf that looks more like a teddy bear, while the other wants you to pay someone. ... more

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YouTube launches auto-caption feature for deaf viewers

20. Nov 2009, 12:45

Last week, online video-sharing service YouTube extended its usage appeal with the formal unveiling of 720p and 1080p high-definition clip support. This week, the Google-owned Web site is enhancing its level of accessibility by introducing a machine-generated automatic caption feature for deaf viewers.

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Modern Warfare 2 writer defends bloody terrorist gameplay

20. Nov 2009, 12:05

Speaking with videogame magazine GamePro, screenwriter Jesse Stern insisted that the interactive sequence, which comes with an on-screen warning and can be skipped without affecting the overall narrative, was a risk the development team at Infinity Ward simply had to take. ... more

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Microsoft beats its chest about Windows 7

20. Nov 2009, 10:35

Arriving in the same week Google has publicly previewed an early build of its Web-based Chrome operating system (OS), market leader Microsoft has moved to reiterate its positional strength by enthusiastically beating its Windows 7 drum.

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Google Chrome OS boots in just seven seconds

20. Nov 2009, 07:35

Having already established its speedy and streamlined Chrome browser as a steadily growing force in the Microsoft-dominated Web market, online powerhouse Google has this week offered up a tantalisingly brief glimpse at its upcoming Web-based Chrome computer operating system (OS).

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PlayStation 3 to dump default browser in favour of Firefox?

19. Nov 2009, 18:15

Having recently broadened the capabilities of its PlayStation 3 console through the integration of Facebook, electronics giant Sony Corp. is now rumoured to be preparing to give online PS3 customers access to Mozilla’s open-source Firefox browser.

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AOL hopes 2,500 workers will voluntarily quit

19. Nov 2009, 17:40

Adding to the long list of technology titans continuing their attempts to evade the grip of recession, online specialist AOL has embarked on something of an unusual restructuring plan that involves employees offering themselves up for a sweeping job cull.

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Donbot botnet pushing Twitter-based Spam

19. Nov 2009, 17:19

According to a new alert from MessageLabs, the Donbot botnet has started pushing Spam that uses the popular micro-blogging service Twitter as a tie-in. Within 24-hours, what started out as a small run is now a Spam campaign that accounts for 4-percent of global Spam. ... more

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Casio gives its Exilim EX-G1 the G-Shock treatment

19. Nov 2009, 13:15

Arriving as the latest entrant to Casio’s popular Exilim camera range, the EX-G1 has been positioned by the gadget maker in an “endurance” category designed to cater to the demands of top athletes and adventurers who never quit challenging both extreme conditions and their own limits. ... more

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Festive delays indicate high demand for Sony Reader

19. Nov 2009, 10:25

Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony Corp. has warned that pre-orders placed for its new Reader ‘Daily Edition’ might not be delivered in time for the festive holiday because demand for the device has outstripped the company’s sales expectations. ... more

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Modern Warfare 2's momentum shows no signs of slowing

19. Nov 2009, 09:55

Leading third-party publisher Activision Blizzard has said Modern Warfare 2’s first five days at retail have seen it racking up staggering sales of $550 million USD, which has successfully deposed the $500 million USD amassed by previous five-day record holder Grand Theft Auto IV. ... more

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California comes down hard on Plasma and LCD televisions

19. Nov 2009, 09:25

In a move that will see California emerge as the first U.S. state to enforce compulsory energy consumption restrictions on TVs, state legislators have this week revealed that sets falling outside the new ecological profile will be banned in order to help save consumers some $8 billion USD over the next decade.

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Windows 7 from a vendor perspective - a chat with BeyondTrust

18. Nov 2009, 17:00

When Symark acquired BeyondTrust, in our opinion, the business deal was one that honestly merged two solid programs into one. BeyondTrust has a good deal of experience with Windows-based security, so we asked them about Microsoft’s newest family member. ... more

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AT&T sues Verizon over map commercials (Update)

17. Nov 2009, 22:36

AT&T is apparently unhappy with the Verizon commercials offering “a map for that” when it comes to the reasoning behind alleged network coverage issues. So unhappy, they are asking for temporary restraining order blocking the ads. If you haven’t seen them, both commercials are below in high quality. ... more

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Malicious search results hit Google on a large scale

17. Nov 2009, 17:40

Cyveillance has discovered a new breed of attacks, masked within Google search results, that use Web redirects to infect users. In the last week, Cyveillance has identified more than 350,000 links that infect Google search results, acting as a gateway to Rogue anti-Virus infections and other Malware. ... more

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Windows 7 activation crack comes as no surprise

17. Nov 2009, 17:20

Weekend reports that Windows 7's product activation system has been cracked - less than a month after the new Microsoft operating system was officially released - come as no surprise, says application vulnerability vendor Fortify. ... more

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Metasploit 3.3 is official

17. Nov 2009, 17:15

After 12 months in development, Metasploit version 3.3 is available to the masses. The new version packs in a ton of features, fixes, exploits, and payloads, thanks to contributions from the community. ... more

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Budget problems and IT collaboration issues present challenge to security

17. Nov 2009, 17:10

According to a new study by the Ponemon Institute and Lumension, the adoption of mobile devices, cloud computing, and collaborative technologies is happening faster than companies are able to adapt security policies. Part of this is due to poor budget allocation and broken IT collaboration. ... more

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Xceedium launches GateKeeper 5 and inks deal with Raytheon

17. Nov 2009, 17:00

Xceedium, who provides access control and auditing solutions to the enterprise, announced on Tuesday that the newest version of GateKeeper now supports virtualized and mainframe environments. ... more

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