Tuesday, June 04, 2013

The Pocket-Picking Facebook Malware That No One Knows How to Stop

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-pocket-picking-facebook-malware-that-no-one-knows-h-511219716

The Pocket-Picking Facebook Malware That No One Knows How to Stop

A particularly nasty breed of malware is raiding people's Facebook profiles and emptying their bank accounts. Its name is Zeus, and yes, it is all powerful. Because despite the fact that this money-grubbing, Likejacking malware has been around for years stealing both private and government data, cybersecurity experts are still stumped about how to stop it.

The methods of Zeus malware are relatively simple. "Zeus is a particularly nasty Trojan horse that has infected millions of computers, most of them in the United States," The New York Times's Nicole Perlroth explains. Once Zeus has compromised a computer, it stays dormant until a victim logs into a bank site, and then it steals the victim’s passwords and drains the victim’s accounts. In some cases, it can even replace a bank’s web site with its own dummy page, in order to get even more information– such as a Social Security number– that can be sold on the black market.'

So that's basically all of the worst things that could happen to you in the event of a hack, all rolled into one piece of software that even the good hackers can't crack. And when I said that this has been around for years, I didn't mean, like, two of them. Zeus appeared online as early July 2007. It's broken into everywhere from Amazon to NASA, stolen tens of millions of passwords and led to over 100 arrests in the United Kingdom and Eastern Europe. It's even evolved after the source code leaked back in May of 2011, and a bunch of black hat hackers started retooling it for malicious purposes.

The really bad news about this global Zeus attack is that its gaining some momentum. In the first five months of this year, there was a steady rise in the number of attacks. Oh, actually, worse than that is the allegation that Facebook's not doing anything to stop it. And that's really bad since experts view Facebook as a—if not the—prime target for attacks. Hackers evidently prefer snatching up personal data via Facebook rather than try to break into the more robust security of credit card providers.

Why?

Because all your financial and personal info is probably there anyway. "If you really want to hack someone, the easiest place to start is a fake Facebook profile," one advocate told The Times. "It’s so simple, it’s stupid." [NYTimes]

Images via Deviant Art, Wikimedia

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ASUS' ET2702 all-in-one is its first with a 2,560 x 1,440 screen

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/asus-et2702-all-in-one-hands-on/

Even if you just skim our Computex coverage, you'll quickly see there's a theme tying it all together: displays. Super-high-resolution displays. It's true of every company we've seen, really, but moving beyond 1080p seems especially important to ASUS. So far, the firm has shown off a pair of 4K displays, along with its first 2,560 x 1,600 tablet. Now, it's unveiling its first all-in-one desktop with QHD resolution. That would be the ET2702, which comes standard with a 27-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 IPS screen. Though we admittedly only spent a few moments with it, we noticed the colors held up even under the glare of the harsh lighting in Taipei's Nangang Exhibition Center. We were also taken with the design, which includes an edge-to-edge glass display layered over a long speaker grille. There are some other modern touches, too, like white LED lights, a matte aluminum pedestal and a metal mouse to match. Speaking of that mouse, it's one of the nicer ones we've seen tossed in with an all-in-one: aside from the quality build materials, it has a touch strip providing haptic feedback. The included keyboard is well-spaced and easy to type on as well.

In the US, at least, there will be just one configuration to start, with key specs including: a Core i7-4770 processor, a 2GB AMD Radeon HD 8890A GPU, 16GB of RAM, a 2TB hard drive, 802.11ac and a Blu-ray drive. It'll arrive in either late July or early August, we're told, with a price around $2,000, if not slightly less. For a closer look, we've got hands-on photos below and a short walkthrough video after the break.

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Engadget Giveaway: win an Octa-core Samsung Galaxy S 4, courtesy of SellCell.com!

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/engadget-giveaway-gs4-octacore/

Engadget Giveaway win an Octacore Samsung Galaxy S 4, courtesy of SellCellcom!

Samsung has sold over 10 million units of the Galaxy S 4 worldwide, and we have one of them in our possession and just waiting to find a home. This particular version is the GT-I9500, which is an unlocked international model that sports the octa-core Exynos chipset, and we have SellCell.com to thank for the opportunity to hand it out to a lucky reader! If you're looking to sell your phone and get something new, the website -- which bills itself as the "number one mobile phone and tablet trade-in price comparison site" -- invites you to come and see how much your phone is worth. So head below and enter via the widget for your chance to grab an octa-core GS4 for yourself!

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Pentax's WG-3 ruggedized camera scores a white paint job

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/white-pentax-wg-3-ruggedized-camera/

Pentax's WG-3 ruggedized camera scores a white paint job

If you'd like a ruggedized camera to match that white Nexus 4 of yours, Pentax has you covered. The outfit has just unveiled an alabaster WG-3 that boasts the same specs and price tag as its vibrantly colored siblings. Dropping $300 on the shooter nets risk-prone photographers a 4x, f/2-4.9 lens backed by a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, a 3-inch LCD screen, video capture at 1080/30p and 720/60p, and even GPS for an additional $50. A toughened exterior makes the hardware cold-proof, crush-proof, drop-proof, shock-proof and water-proof. Yearning to get your hands on the ivory cam? Pentax says it'll see a "limited distribution" at brick-and-mortar establishments and head to online shops this July.

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Source: Pentax

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Splashtop partners with Intel, lets you remotely wake WiFi-connected PCs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/splashtop-wake-wifi/

Splashtop partners with Intel, lets you remotely wake WiFi-connected PCs

So you need to grab that hilarious gif from your desktop remotely. No worries, you can tunnel in with, wait, darnit your office PC is switched off and not on the wired network (so not even wake-on-LAN to the rescue). Splashtop's woken up to that scenario, though, and in a collaboration with Intel will be bringing "wake over WiFi" functionality to its popular remote desktop app. Your target PC will need Intel's Smart Connect Technology to make use of the feature, which is coming to Splashtop 2 Remote Desktop for iPad and iPhone first, with Android and other platforms to follow.

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SoftKinetic teases embedded 3D depth camera, coming to Intel devices next year (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/softkinetic-embedded-3d-depth-camera-intel/

SoftKinetic previews its embedded 3D depth camera at Computex 2013 video

At Intel's Computex keynote earlier today, the chip maker teased that it expects embedded 3D depth cameras to arrive on devices in the second half of 2014. Luckily, we got an exclusive early taste of the technology shortly after the event, courtesy of SoftKinetic. This Belgian company not only licenses its close-range gesture tracking middleware to Intel, but it also manufactures time-of-flight 3D depth cameras -- including Creative's upcoming Senz3D -- in partnership with South Korea-based Namuga. Read on to see how we coped with this futuristic piece of kit, plus we have a video ready for your amusement.

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ASUS' 31.5-inch 4K monitor priced at $3,799, 39-inch version coming in Q3 (eyes-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/03/asus-31-5-inch-4k-monitor-priced-at-3-799-39-inch-version-com/

ASUS' 31.5-inch 4K monitor priced at $3,799, 39-inch version coming in Q3 (eyes-on)

Yeah, we want one too. Here at Computex, ASUS is showing off its new 31.5-inch 4K monitor, which we just learned will cost $3,799. (Oh come now, don't get all sticker-shocked on us.) The photos below speak for themselves, really, but suffice to say, the combination of that 3,840 x 2,160, 140-ppi panel and that matte, anti-glare finish make for some stunning images. And because the bezels are so thin, photos more or less extend from one end of the screen, uninterrupted. Still think you'll have room to spare after taking into account this monitor's big footprint? ASUS is also prepping a 39-inch version with mostly the same specs (except for pixel density, obviously). We've got pictures of that guy too, though we still don't know how much it'll cost. Look for the 31.5-inch model to ship in June, with its big brother following sometime in Q3. And if a $3,800 monitor isn't in the cards, well, that's what hands-on galleries are for.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

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Acer upgrades its PCs with Haswell, new models include the Aspire V7 Ultrabook

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/acer-haswell-refresh-v7-ultrabook/

Acer upgrades its PCs with Haswell, new models include the Aspire V7 Ultrabook

This is hardly the biggest Acer news of the week (that would be this, this and this), but it's worth a PSA nonetheless. Now that Intel's formally unveiled Haswell, Acer announced it'll be refreshing much of its PC lineup with those fourth-generation chips -- 23 notebooks and six desktops, to be exact. Obviously, that includes too many models and configurations for us to discuss today, but Acer did say the updates will span the S7, M, V3, V5, V7 and E Series laptop lines, with prices ranging from $600 to $1,600. On the desktop side, the changes are limited to AT3-605 series and the Predator AG3-605 series, with prices running the gamut from $700 to $1,500.

If there's one model that caught our eye, though, it would be an Ultrabook from Acer's recently announced Aspire V7 series. The V7-482PG-9884-U (how's that for a name?) has 14-inch IPS display, a Core i7-4500U processor, a 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GT750M GPU, 12GB of RAM and a 1TB HDD. That'll be available this month for $1,300, putting it squarely at the high end of what Acer has to offer.

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Dell refreshes its XPS 12 Ultrabook, XPS 27 all-in-one and XPS 8500 desktop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/dell-refreshes-xps-12-xps-27-xps-8700/

Dell refreshes its XPS 12 Ultrabook, XPS 27 all-in-one and XPS 8500 desktop

Now that it's unveiled its next-gen Ultrabook, Dell's taking the opportunity to refresh the machines it's already got. Starting with the XPS 12 convertible Ultrabook, the company is adding an NFC chip, Haswell processors and a bigger battery (50Wh, up from 47Wh). Between that CPU change and the enlarged power pack, Dell says the system will now last up to 9.5 hours on a charge -- more than three hours longer than the OG version. Fortunately for you, the starting price is staying put at $1,200, with shipments beginning July 9th in most regions.

Moving on, the XPS 27 all-in-one is stepping up to a 2,560 x 1,440 screen with improved brightness (350 nits vs. 300) and a wider color gamut (99 percent, up from 72). As you'd expect, Dell also swapped in fresh Haswell processors and a 2GB, next-gen NVIDIA GPU, along with a Thunderbolt port, TPM and Dell's ProSupport service offering. Finally, the machine's getting a bigger storage option: a 2TB 7,200RPM HDD paired with a 256GB SSD. That's available today for $1,600 and up -- the same price you would've paid for the last-gen model with a touchscreen. Finally, Dell replaced the XPS 8500 desktop tower with the XPS 8700, which brings Haswell, along with four HDD bays, up to 4TB of storage and up to 32GB of RAM. Additionally, the SSDs offered now include Intel's Smart Response Technology. That's available today too for $700 and up. Happy shopping!

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Intel targets Bay Trail '2 in 1' tablet / laptops for the holidays starting at $399

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/intel-targets-bay-trail-2-in-1-tablets-for-the-holidays-starti/

Intel is in the middle of its Computex 2013 presentation, and it's already putting a target price for some of those tablet / laptops we're expecting around the holidays: $399. While more premium experiences will be powered by Intel's fourth generation Core "Haswell" CPU, the quad-core Atom "Bay Trail" are going in cheaper ultrathin and light notebooks with touchscreens with 2 in 1 editions swinging the keyboard out of the way for use as tablets. That puts them slightly above the $200 floor predicted by Intel execs for basic touchscreen laptops, we'll see if any of the numerous OEMs on stage can bring out convertible devices worth the extra cash this holiday season.

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Source: Intel (Twitter)

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Intel teases fanless Haswell Core processor tablet at Computex

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/intel-teases-fanless-core-processor-tablet-at-computex/

It was barely a glimpse, but Intel's pushing the physical limits of its 4th generation Haswell processors. Here on stage, at Computex, we saw one very slender (and as-yet unnamed) tablet that packs the aforementioned processors without the need for fans for cooling. Sure, we've seen fanless Windows 8 tablets with Clover Trail-based hardware, but never with the potency of Intel's Core processor series. Alas, slimline profile (and hybrid skills) aside, that's all we can say for the moment. We'll update if we glean any more details from Intel.

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Intel announces Creative Senz3D Peripheral Camera at Computex 2013

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/intel-announces-creative-depth-vision-camera-at-computex-2013/

Intel announces Creative Depth Vision camera at Computex 2013

Intel's just announced the Creative Senz3D Peripheral Camera at the company's Computex keynote in Taipei. The camera lets users manipulate objects on the screen using gestures and is able to completely eliminate the background. It appears to be an evolution of the Creative Interactive Gesture Camera we recently played with at IDF in Beijing. This new 3D depth camera is expected to become available next quarter and Intel plans to incorporate the technology into devices during the second half of 2014. "It's like adding two eyes to my system," said Tom Kilroy, VP of marketing. The company's been talking about "perceptual computing" for some time and this certainly brings the idea one step closer to fruition.

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Sandisk introduces Extreme II SSD, boasts 19nm tech and faster speeds

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/sandisk-extreme-ii-ssd/

Sandisk introduces Extreme II SSD for enthusiasts, gamers

We haven't heard a peep about Sandisk's solid state drives since CES, so we perked our ears when the flash maker announced a new consumer SSD today. It's called the Extreme II, a SATA III SSD the company claims is fast and responsive enough to please gamers or just anyone hungering for a performance boost. Built with 19nm process and nCache technology, the Extreme II promises quicker boot-ups and faster runtimes. The hardware boasts up to 550MB/sec sequential read and 510MB/sec sequential write speeds, and up to 95,000 random read Input/Output Operations per Second (IOPS) and 78,000 random write IOPS. You can snag one now in 120GB, 240GB and 480GB capacities for $129.99, $229.99 and $439.99 each. Or you can save some cash and get something a little more budget-minded.

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Dell unveils Haswell-powered laptops and desktops for professionals (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/dell-enterprise-haswell-revamp/

Dell unveils Haswellpowered laptops and desktops for professionals video

Between Computex and the launch of Intel's fourth generation Core Haswell processors, June's shaping up to be a big month for the PC industry. Fresh from letting us play with its new folding hybrid, Dell is whipping out new OptiPlex 9020 and XE2 desktops, an OptiPlex All-In-One and the Latitude E6540 business laptop. Given that they're Dell machines, customization options will be limitless when they arrive in the forthcoming weeks, backed by all of those enterprise-friendly vPro, WYSE and Cloud management services that Dell's attempting to become famous for.

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Via: Electronista

Source: Dell

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Monday, June 03, 2013

Gigabyte shows four prototype BRIX mini PCs, including models with projectors and wireless charging

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/03/gigabyte-shows-four-prototype-brix-mini-pcs/

Gigabyte shows four prototype BRIX mini PCs, one with a projector

Gigabyte said that we'd have at least a few BRIX mini PCs to choose from. At Computex, however, it's showing four new prototypes that could lead to a much larger catalog. Two of them are run-of-the-mill designs with AMD Kabini and Intel Haswell processors -- nice enough, but more evolution than revolution. The other two are decidedly more exotic, though. One includes a wireless charging pad to charge a smartphone in a pinch, while the other carries a pico projector for on-the-spot presentations. Although Gigabyte hasn't mentioned whether or not these BRIX models will reach production, we'd wager that the conservative systems are more likely to reach our desks.

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Source: Engadget Chinese (translated)

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