iPad users targeted by hackers

Users tricked in to downloading fake iTunes update that contains malicious code

Security experts have warned that Apple iPad users are being targeted by cyber criminals. Hackers are trying to dupe iPad owners in to downloading a fake iTunes update on their Windows computer, which, when installed, creates a backdoor for cyber criminals, allowing them to remotely access the machine or even use the computer to send spam messages.

A dialog box pops up telling the user that a recent iTunes update has been released for the iPad. Users who click on a link are taken to a site that looks exactly like the iTunes download web page, but the file the user downloads is actually a Trojan that installs malicious code on the machine. The Backdoor. Bifrose. AADY virus tries to steal passwords and login details for email accounts and instant-messaging services.

"The trick is pretty simple," said Catalin Cosoi, a senior researcher for BitDefender, which uncovered the scam. "They're clever to do it this way. If they were able to target Mac customers, it would have spread like wildfire, but because most antivirus companies detect this Trojan, it's aimed at Windows users who have bought an iPad and who also don't run a security product."

BitDefender has advised iPad owners not to click on any links that appear in dialog boxes or alerts, and to download iTunes directly from the Apple website. The company also emphasised that the iPad itself remained unaffected by the Trojan.

Could Gizmodo face iPhone leak charges?

Police in California are investigating Gizmodo’s purchase of an apparent iPhone prototype, according to reports. CNET.com said it has spoken to “a law enforcement official” who said that an investigation was being carried out to see whether there is enough evidence to press criminal charges.

Gizmodo, a gadget blog owned by Gawker Media, says it paid $5,000 for the device, which was left in a bar by an Apple engineer and appears to be a prototype for the next generation iPhone. Gizmodo has been posting articles and videos about the phone since Monday but has now returned the phone to Apple.

As I wrote earlier this week, many technology experts suggested that Apple could sue over the missing device. I thought that was unlikely, since Apple would have nothing to gain from prolonging the attention on the device. However, it is not up to Apple to press criminal charges.

Gawker has not spoken to the police, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Bloomberg quotes Peter Henning, a law professor at a Detroit law school, who says: “The finder may have broken the law. The law of theft isn’t ‘finders, keepers.’ If you know that something has just been mislaid, you can take it and return it, but you can’t take it and keep it, or sell it.”

China Puts Three More Online Activists in Prison

A Chinese court in the city of Fuzhou has sentenced three Chinese Internet activists to prison terms for posting material to the Internet in hopes of pressuring authorities to re-examine a case involving the death of a young woman. The court found the activists guilty of slander, saying that that their actions went against the interests of the Chinese state.

According to the Associated Press, one of the activists—Fan Yanqiong—was sentenced to two years in prison, while two others—Wu Huaying and You Jingyou—were sentenced to one year prison terms.

The three activists had posted online videos and information in an effort to help an illiterate mother, Lin Xiuying, get Chinese authorities to reopen an investigation into the death of her daughter. Police had ruled her death the result of an abnormal pregnancy, but Lin contended her daughter died from injuries resulting from a gang-rape by criminals with ties to local police.

According to multiple reports, Fan met Lin as she was sobbing outside a government office in summer of 2009; he took down details of her story and posted them online You and Wu later conducted a video interview with Lin and posted it online.

The trial became something of a spectacle, with several hundred people turning up at the Mawei District People’s Court in a show of support—police cordoned off the area. Some online reports put as many as 2,000 people at the scene, many of whom where shooting cell phone video of events and posting updates to Twitter.

The case is another example of Chinese authorities targeting online speech and growing street-level, grass-roots activism enabled by new Internet technologies. The Chinese government frequently blocks and bans information it believes to be against the interest of the Chinese state.

Motorola, Android Bing Deal Reached

A deal that has been done for phones that Motorola, Google's Android use, Microsoft corp that will put Bing search and mapping services on its phone.

Motorola said the partnership with Microsoft means that a Bing bookmark and search widget will be loaded on cell phones, starting in the coming weeks with phones in China. The move follows shortly after Motorola struck a similar deal to let consumers in China use Baidu Inc, among others, as the default Web search instead of Google on Android based phones.

The partnerships come against a backdrop of Google's dispute with China over censorship, which, if it leads to Google withdrawing from the country, could cause big headaches for Motorola. Motorola is banking on its ties to Google's Android and its sales in China to help in a big turnaround effort. Having search alternatives on the Android phones should lessen Motorola's dependence on Google, in China or elsewhere, analysts have said.

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Interview with CEO McAfee, Santa Clara: Security tactics for technology's new threats

Interview with CEO McAfee, Santa Clara: Security tactics for technology's new threats
The President and Cheif Executive of McAfee and santa clara. He gave the answers of the three question that are asked by him.

Q: Last week during the security industry's annual RSA Conference in San Francisco, many researchers presented their research and speculated about the next challenges in the security field. What are your top concerns?

A: Whether it's mobile computing, social networking, analog-to-digital conversion projects to digitize our infrastructure, or new types of operating environments like virtual environments, we've seen all kinds of new technologies that have created new threats as well.

In some cases it's an increase in cybercrime; in others it's now moving to political and religious-type terroristic threats to espionage and a kind of nation-state cold war cyberwar.

Most people believe that the next plane flying into a building won't come in that form like it was in 9/11, but potentially a much more disastrous cyberattack that could critically affect our infrastructure and our relations with nations around the world.

Q: What are the areas of growth and the business opportunities you detect from them? In what are you investing and wanting to expand?

A: I think of them in two vectors. No. 1 is the cloud and what it can do for us in terms of our intelligence.

Our goal was to create the most intelligent database in the world for solving security threats that first came in the form of knowledge about content and malware. We call it Artemis.

We then added things like Web reputation in the cloud so that anytime users could access the Web site, we could instantaneously give it a reputation and say how good or bad that site could be.

The second major strategy is what we call "silicon to satellite." We have created partnerships to put security on a chip, a silicon wafer, things like removable storage, USB sticks, operating systems and printers, to potentially automobiles and aircrafts, and all the way up to satellites.

With some of the Global Positioning Systems in the sky, they need security. So our goal there is to create a model that allows for elasticity of our sensors from the largest of IT infrastructure to the smallest.

Q: Every day we hear about the increased volume and sophistication of cyberattacks and the growing threats they present to national security. Are we losing the battle?

A: I'm very optimistic that we are making a lot of strides in solving the world's problems related to cyber. Despite all the obstacles - the lack of a governing architecture for the Internet, the lack of cross-border law enforcement that can govern the Internet - we have made tremendous strides in stopping major attacks.

The biggest obstacle is education in some cases. But we feel optimistic that there are remedies for these things.

AT&T my Wireless Mobile App Available for BlackBerry

On BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Curve devices

Mobile phone carrier AT&T announced on Thursday the expanded availability of its AT&T myWireless Mobile application, which is now compatible with the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Curve customers. The software solution enables users of such a device to easily manage family and individual accounts directly from their smartphone, the carrier notes.
According to AT&T, the mobile app edition is meant to offer greater ease and simplicity when wireless account management is involved. Among the features of the AT&T myWireless Mobile application we can count Bill Payment, enabling users to pay their bill directly from their phone; Voice and Data Usage, which offers them the possibility to view usage for minutes, data and messaging; and Features, through which one can add or remove features, such as new texting plans and more, all straight from the mobile phone.

Those interested in downloading the application will find it available at www.att.com/mybb, which can be accessed from the browser on their BlackBerry handsets. Those who would like to learn more details on the software solution should find an interactive video plus additional information at www.att.com/mybbmobile. Users will have to own a myWireless account to benefit from the application's features, the carrier notes, adding that they can create an account on the wireless carrier's website here.

The AT&T MyWireless Mobile app, now available for BlackBerry devices too, is compatible with the following smartphones from Research In Motion: BlackBerry Bold 9700, BlackBerry Bold 9000, Blackberry Curve 8900, BlackBerry Curve 8520, BlackBerry Curve 8320, and BlackBerry Curve 8310. Moreover, it should also be noted that the application is available for download for free, and that the BlackBerry smartphones need to run under the 4.3 operating system or above.

AT&T is a leading provider of services in the US and around the world, including wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services, and the expanded availability of its AT&T myWireless Mobile application to BlackBerry devices is meant to demonstrate its leadership in the wireless market.

Officially, Windows Phone 7 Won't Support WM Apps

Developers will have to use .NET and Silverlight

Ever since Microsoft announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona the launch of Windows Phone 7 Series, most people were wondering whether existing applications for Windows Mobile 6.5 will enjoy support in the new OS. Speculations emerged, some suggesting that they might while others saying that there is no chance for that to happen, and now it is all official: no application written for Windows Mobile 6.5 will be compatible with Windows Phone 7 OS.
Charlie Kindel, Microsoft Partner Group Program Manager for the Windows Phone Application Platform & Developer Experience, stated in a recent blog post that existing apps wouldn't run on the new platform. It seems that Microsoft changed the developer experience with the new operating system, and those willing to create applications for the new Windows Phone 7 will have to base them on .NET, Silverlight, XNA platform, Microsoft’s developer tools and Web 2.0 standards.

“Different is often good. Especially when it’s different for good reasons. Windows Phone 7 Series is different because we reset everything we were doing to focus on end user experience. This extends directly to the developer platform. […] To enable the fantastic user experiences you’ve seen in the Windows Phone 7 Series demos so far we’ve had to break from the past. To deliver what developers expect in the developer platform we’ve had to change how phone apps were written. One result of this is previous Windows Mobile applications will not run on Windows Phone 7 Series,” he says.

As stated above, some of the previous rumors on the matter already suggested that existing applications would not be supported on the upcoming mobile client, and that the OS would bet a lot on Microsoft technologies, including .NET and Silverlight. “If you are a .NET developer today your skills and much of your code will move forward. If you are Silverlight or XNA developer today you’re gonna be really happy,” Kindel notes. He also adds that those developers who are new to the platform will find all the necessary tools available for them, so that they can start building as soon as possible.

All the needed information on what developing applications for Windows Phone 7 OS is all about was said to come at the MIX conference in mid-March. Although Kindel unveiled some details on the matter, he also noted that developers would learn more on this at the event. “At MIX you will find out that it’s never been easier, more fun, or more rewarding to create beautiful & compelling phone experiences. Windows Phone 7 Series is a different kind of phone and the development platform offers a different kind of opportunity,” he concludes.