Apple Updates Malware Definitions to Protect Against Botnet Threat Coordinated Via Reddit
Last week, Russian anti-virus firm Doctor Web disclosed a newly discovered piece of OS X malware known as Mac.BackDoor.iWorm that at the time had affected roughly 17,000 machines around the world. While the exact mechanism of infection was unclear, an interesting twist to the story involves compromised machines running search queries on Reddit to obtain instructions about which command and control servers should be used to manage the botnet.
It is worth mentioning that in order to acquire a control server address list, the bot uses the search service at reddit.com, and — as a search query — specifies hexadecimal values of the first 8 bytes of the MD5 hash of the current date. The reddit.com search returns a web page containing a list of botnet C&C servers and ports published by criminals in comments to the post minecraftserverlists under the account vtnhiaovyd.
Once connected to a command and control server, the backdoor opened by the malware on the user’s system can receive instructions to perform a variety of tasks, from stealing sensitive information to receiving or spreading additional malware.
In an effort to address the threat, Apple has now updated its “Xprotect” anti-malware system to recognize two different variants of the iWorm malware and prevent them from being installed on users’ machines.
First introduced with OS X Snow Leopard, Xprotect is a rudimentary anti-malware system that recognizes and alerts users to the presence of various types of malware. Given the relative rarity of malware targeting OS X, the malware definitions are updated infrequently, although users’ machines automatically check for updates on a daily basis. Apple also uses the Xprotect system on occasion to enforce minimum version requirements for plug-ins such as Flash Player and Java, forcing users to upgrade from older versions known to carry significant security risks.
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Ten years ago, SpaceShipOne proved commercial spaceflight could be a reality
Back in 2004, companies weren’t fighting over NASA contracts and nobody was selling tickets for suborbital space flights just yet. The commercial space industry was still in its early stages, and it wasn’t until October 4th that year when one of its earliest and biggest victories took place. On this day, a decade ago, SpaceShipOne reached space for the third time, winning the $10 million Ansari X Prize and proving that there’s future for privately-funded extraterrestrial endeavors in the process. The first Ansari X Prize challenged teams worldwide to build a reusable spacecraft that can carry up to three people to the boundary of space, or 62 miles above sea level. SpaceShipOne, the 28-foot-long vehicle created by Mojave Aerospace Ventures (backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen), flew half a mile higher than the minimum in June that year and repeated the feat two more times.
According to George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic, the event was truly monumental, because:
It showed that a small, nongovernment team could carry off a major human spaceflight program. And that was a really important existence proof for a lot of the work that has come in those intervening years.
If you’re wondering what happened to SpaceShipOne in the end, well, you’ll be happy to know that it didn’t go to waste — Sir Richard Branson licensed its technology and used it as the foundation on which to build Virgin Galactic. In fact, it led to the development of VG’s SpaceShipTwo, which could take Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and anyone willing to pay 250 grand to the edge of space as soon as 2015.
[Image credit: WPPilot/Wikimedia]
Filed under: Transportation, Science
Source: Space
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The Spree SmartCap: All the benefits of a hat, plus a fitness tracker
Spree Wearables is taking on the chest strap with the creation of the Spree Pod. The small device can fit inside Spree wearables. Currently, they offer a headband and the Spree SmartCap.
The Spree SmartCap is probably exactly what you imagine it to be. It is a baseball cap with a small pouch to fit the Spree Pod. Well, less of a baseball cap, and more of a fitness hat. The Pod tracks a number of pieces of data and sends the information, via Bluetooth, to the Spree Fitness App. The app can then share your information with a number of other apps including MapMyRun, Runtastic, Runkeeper, and more.
The Spree Pod monitors your heart rate, speed, distance, time, calories burned and body temperature.
According to Spree Wearables,
Spree’s advanced technology integrates the wireless Performance Optimization Device, or POD. It uses a triple axis accelerometer to gain accurate movement readings and an advanced plethysmograph for body temperature monitoring. The POD can be easily interchanged between the Spree SmartCap and Spree Headband depending on your fitness needs.
The Spree SmartCap comes in black, white, teal, and pink. The hat and Pod combo will set you back $199.
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The post The Spree SmartCap: All the benefits of a hat, plus a fitness tracker appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5 size comparison, as well as other major flagship devices
The Nexus 6 is now an inevitable release in the future, with only the release date in question. However, the main concern for the device isn’t when it’s going to release, but how big is it really. We know it has a 5.9-inch display, which for many sounds far too big, but how does that shape up to some of the devices we already know, particularly the Nexus 5, it’s soon-to-be predecessor? Thanks to Canoopsy, we have a great video comparing the sizes of different flagship devices to the Nexus 6, in particular a Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5 size comparison which really shows the Nexus 6′s size difference. Check it out below:
While it was always going to be much bigger than the Nexus 5, some of the other comparisons of the Nexus 6 show some interesting results. In particular, I was surprised to see that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is almost exactly the same size as the Nexus 6 – with a 5.7-inch display, it clearly makes less efficient use of its front side real-estate with the Nexus 6 employing some slim bezels to help keep the size down. There’s not all that much to be surprised about here – it’s going to be a big phone – even if some of the comparisons are surprising, but it’s nice that we can see them compared as accurately as possible.
What do you think about the Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5 size comparison? Which size comparison had you most surprised? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: YouTube via Phone Arena
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The post Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5 size comparison, as well as other major flagship devices appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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That’s not “Disney”: Disney pulls Tiny Death Star from Play Store without telling developer Nimblebit
Not cool, Disney. Of all the Star Wars themed games released over the last decade, particularly on mobile, I would say Tiny Death Star is one of the better ones and extremely charming. The game based on Tiny Tower and developed by the same developer, Nimblebit, is only 11 months ago, but if you want to download it, as of yesterday, you can no longer do that on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. What’s even more perplexing is that this move was initiated by publisher Disney, but when Nimblebit was asked whether they were aware it had happened, they said they had no forewarning of the move.
Another Star Wars themed game, Star Wars Assault team was also removed from app stores, but while Star Wars Assault Team was not the most popular game, Nimblebit says that Tiny Death Star was still “a significant source of revenue for us, so it stings that much more.” We can’t really understand why Disney wouldn’t at least inform Nimblebit, but Gamezebo has acquired information that suggests the two games in question were pulled so that Disney could focus on other Star Wars titles like Star Wars Commander, a Clash of Clans-esque game. We’re getting mixed reports on whether Android users are still able to download the game on its still active Play Store page, but it may well be that Disney has since reinstated the game due to all the unfavorable press.
Did you enjoy Tiny Death Star? If you are able to still see and download the game on the Play Store, feel free to drop us a line in the comments below.
Source: Gamezebo via Android Police
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The post That’s not “Disney”: Disney pulls Tiny Death Star from Play Store without telling developer Nimblebit appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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Windows 10, the GoPro Hero4 and other stories you might’ve missed
The weekend is here, and you know what that means? It’s time to catch up on all the best tech news from the last seven days — we went hands-on with Windows 10, explored the world of vape modding, launched our own web series, and more. Oh, and be sure to subscribe to our Flipboard magazine!
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Picture this: the best of the Paris Auto Show
The Paris Auto Show is the biggest in the world and the event for car makers’ most madcap models and concepts. We saw Lamborghini’s 910HP Asterion hybrid, the first supercar that can get groceries on battery power. Another crazy hybrid was Citroen’s Cactus Airflow 2L, which stores braking energy as compressed air to get 115mpg. Finally, we took a look at two different connected car takes, with Honda going all-in on Android and Nokia showing off new Here Auto tech. But what about the rest of the show? Some of the wildest crossover designs we ever saw (like the Peugeot Quartz, above) were flaunted, along with plenty of interesting EV and hybrid tech — and, of course, supercars. If you haven’t already skipped over there, hit the gallery below for more.
Filed under: Transportation
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AIVAnet 
