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- Volume 9, Issue 45 Atari Online News, Etc. November 9, 2007
-
-
- Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2007
- All Rights Reserved
-
- Atari Online News, Etc.
- A-ONE Online Magazine
- Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
- Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
- Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor
-
-
- Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
-
- Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
- Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
- Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
- Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips"
- Rob Mahlert -- Web site
- Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame"
-
-
- With Contributions by:
-
- Brian Bagnall
-
-
-
- To subscribe to A-ONE, change e-mail addresses, or unsubscribe,
- log on to our website at: www.atarinews.org
- and click on "Subscriptions".
- OR subscribe to A-ONE by sending a message to: dpj@atarinews.org
- and your address will be added to the distribution list.
- To unsubscribe from A-ONE, send the following: Unsubscribe A-ONE
- Please make sure that you include the same address that you used to
- subscribe from.
-
- To download A-ONE, set your browser bookmarks to one of the
- following sites:
-
- http://people.delphiforums.com/dpj/a-one.htm
- Now available:
- http://www.atarinews.org
-
-
- Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi!
- http://forums.delphiforums.com/atari/
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- A-ONE #0945 11/09/07
-
- ~ Salesforce Is Phished! ~ People Are Talking! ~ EA Donates SimCity!
- ~ Web Networks, No Merge ~ Atari 2600 Makes Hall! ~ Target Pulls Game!
- ~ AOL Spam Scammer Jailed ~ Microsoft Kills Mac IM ~ Jack Tramiel Update!
- ~ ~ Russian Malware Site! ~
-
- -* OLPC Laptops In Production! *-
- -* Click A Mouse, Feed A Mouth For UN! *-
- -* Microsoft's Hacker-Speaker Gets Arrested! *-
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- ->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
- """"""""""""""""""""""""""
-
-
-
- Well, we're pulling out the extra blankets up here in the Northeast this
- week. It's been downright cold around here lately; and we've experienced
- a few hard frosts the past few days. However, we're looking to see some
- warmer temperatures next week. If I'm lucky, I might get in one or two
- more rounds of golf before the course closes. That would be nice.
-
- We've started our annual fall clean-up, and attacking those falling
- leaves. We've cleaned up the yard twice already, and will likely head
- out again this weekend if the weather manages to hold. So far it hasn't
- been too bad, as long as I manage to keep up with it.
-
- This week, I've done something that I've never done before. As I stated
- last week, my seasonal job at the golf course has ended with the usual
- lay off. I convinced myself to file for unemployment benefits, and was
- finally able to do so this week. After a number of bouts with lengthy
- voice mail hell, and waiting on the phone, I got it done. It was always
- my philosophical belief not to take money if I didn't earn it; and it was
- a tough decision to make. But, I've been convinced that I've earned the
- right to collect. It will likely be a very small amount, but it will be
- something to help the household. Heating oil and gasoline prices aren't
- going down anytime soon! So, we'll see what happens. Meanwhile, I'll
- start to hit the want ads again shortly. So much for retirement again!
-
- Until next time...
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- PEOPLE ARE TALKING
- compiled by Joe Mirando
- joe@atarinews.org
-
-
-
- [Editor's Note: Due to the relatively limited number of messages in the
- Atari Newsgroups this past week, there will be no People Are Talking
- column this week.]
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- ->In This Week's Gaming Section - Target Pulls 'Manhunt 2'!
- """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" "Call of Duty" Is 'Modern'
- Atari 2600 Enters Hall!
- And more!
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- ->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
- """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
-
-
-
- Target Pulls Violent Video Game
-
-
- Target Corp. said Wednesday it has pulled the "Manhunt 2" video game from
- its stores due to particularly gruesome content that can be unlocked by
- hackers.
-
- In "Manhunt 2," by Rockstar Games, two prisoners go on a bloody rampage
- after escaping from a secret asylum for the criminally insane. Players
- take the escapees' point of view.
-
- The game is rated "mature" by the Entertainment Software Rating Board,
- whose ratings cover a series of levels from "early childhood" through
- "adults only." The original version of "Manhunt 2" was gruesome enough
- to earn an "adults only" rating so Rockstar blurred out some of the nasty
- bits and got the rating lowered to "mature" before it went on sale on
- Halloween.
-
- Like many retailers, Target sells video games and software rated
- "mature," which are deemed suitable for players ages 17 and older, but
- doesn't stock "adults only" games.
-
- "Target strives to provide merchandise that will appeal to a wide variety
- of guests," the Minneapolis-based retailer said in a prepared statement.
- "We also want guests to be comfortable with the purchasing decisions they
- make at Target."
-
- It took hackers about 24 hours to figure out how to un-blur the imagery
- on the version of the game for PlayStation Portables, though only on PSPs
- that have been illegally modified.
-
- Officials with Rockstar Games did not immediately return messages seeking
- comment Wednesday about Target's decision.
-
- Two years ago, after hackers found a hidden sex scene in "Grand Theft
- Auto: San Andreas," the ratings board slapped an "adults only" rating on
- it.
-
- Ratings board President Patricia Vance said the board is standing behind
- "Manhunt 2's" "mature" rating, noting the difficulty of unlocking the
- offending content.
-
-
-
- "Call of Duty" Casts Players In Modern Combat
-
-
- The sniper crouches down in the tall grass, then pauses using his scope
- to draw a bead on an enemy soldier, who staggers back in a spray of
- blood.
-
- It is easy to mistake the scene for footage from a war movie but it is
- actually from "Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat," a new video game that is
- storming its way onto the wish-lists of many armchair soldiers this
- holiday season.
-
- "Call of Duty 4" casts players in the role of various elite warriors such
- as U.S. Marines or British SAS in missions that jump around the world and
- even in time.
-
- It's a departure for the series which has produced three popular World
- War Two-era games.
-
- Expectations are high in part because the game was made by Infinity
- Ward, a highly regarded studio that was founded by the folks behind
- "Medal of Honor," widely held to be the seminal World War Two shooting
- game.
-
- "We're all huge fans of World War Two and there are still a lot of
- stories to be told in a World War Two setting but I think we really need
- to prove to the public that 'Call of Duty' is not just a World War Two
- franchise. It's a war-based shooter and there are wars at all times,"
- Infinity Ward founder Grant Collier said in an interview.
-
- "There were a lot of doubters when we first announced the game ... none
- of those people have those concerns any more."
-
- The simExchange, an online prediction market for video game sales,
- expects "Call of Duty 4" to sell 1.3 million copies this November and
- December just for Microsoft's Xbox 360, with total sales for all versions
- to eventually top 6.5 million copies.
-
- It's all adding up to another breakout hit for Infinity Ward parent
- Activision, which has been on a roll this year thanks to games like
- "Guitar Hero 2."
-
- The game stands to benefit from stumbling by competitors. When Take-Two
- delayed its sure-fire blockbuster "Grand Theft Auto IV" from its planned
- October release date to next year, analysts immediately pointed to "Call
- of Duty 4" as the biggest beneficiary.
-
- The game aims to be THE military action title of its time, supplanting
- popular but aging shooter staples such as EA's "Battlefield 2" and
- Ubisoft's "Rainbow 6."
-
- "Is there a threat from any other game this holiday season that could
- hurt 'Call of Duty' sales? No. 'Call of Duty' is the threat to other
- games' sales," said simExchange analyst Jesse Divnich.
-
- There is some grumbling among fans that the single-player campaign can run
- as short as four or five hours on the easiest settings, but where the game
- is really expected to shine is in its online multiplayer.
-
- Players will be kept busy teasing out the intricacies of an in-depth
- weapons upgrade system and menu of "perks" that bestow special abilities
- such as moving silently or bullets that pack extra punching power.
-
- As with most military games, realism was a priority.
-
- "Graphically, the goal was to be most photo-realistic game ever made. We
- created the first next-gen title ever with 'Call of Duty 2'. That was
- back when all these art techniques were in their infancy. With 'Call of
- Duty 2' under their belt, these guys have really mastered them," Collier
- said.
-
- Developers visited military bases and tagged along for live-fire
- exercises, and the very people the game portrays are some of the game's
- biggest fans.
-
- "Talking to World War Two vets, the ones that are still around, they
- don't play video games and don't really care. But these guys are hot to
- trot for video games," Collier said of the Marines.
-
- "Call of Duty 4" was released on November 6 for the Xbox 360, Sony
- PlayStation 3 and Windows-based computers.
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- ->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
- """""""""""""""""""
-
-
-
- Jack Tramiel Update
-
-
- Last week I received a call from Karen Tucker, who is organizing the
- December 10th appearance of Jack Tramiel at the Computer History Museum
- in California. The event will include key people from Apple, IBM, and
- Amiga (see below). When writing the book "On the Edge: the Spectacular
- Rise and Fall of Commodore" I tried getting an interview with Jack by
- calling him almost a dozen times, writing several letters to him, and
- getting his son Leonard to convince him - everything short of showing up
- at his ranch and demanding an interview. I'm in awe that Karen has been
- able to make this happen. Apparently she and Leonard convinced Jack that
- it was important for him to talk about his experiences before it was too
- late.
-
- Karen wanted me to pass on some information. Basically Jack is done with
- the confrontational period of his life where he had to be hard nosed in
- order to run a company in a cutthroat industry. He's now a retired
- grandfather who spends most of his time traveling with his family. Karen
- wants Jack to feel welcome, where everyone in the audience can listen to
- his history with an open mind. Hopefully if he feels welcome at the
- museum he will participate in other events and we can eventually piece
- together his experiences in the early computer industry. Karen knows that
- most people will be receptive to Jack, but she was a little worried that
- a few might decide to throw his kind gesture back in his face by
- confronting him. If you know of anyone who plans to do this, please
- discourage them from attending.
-
- From what I could gather, this is in celebration of the 25th anniversary
- of the C64. There will first be a one-on-one interview with Jack
- moderated by John Markoff of the NY Times. After that, Steve Wozniak
- (Apple II), Bill Lowe (IBM PC) and Adam Chawniac (Amiga) will take to the
- stage for more discussion. The discussions will probably focus on
- Commodore, though it's possible his Atari history will be included.
- Everyone is welcome and if you aren't in the area there will be a video
- webcast of the event available on their website. This promises to be a
- great event, and I hope to see you there!
-
- More information should be available soon at:
- http://www.computerhistory.org/events/
-
- All the best,
-
- Brian Bagnall
-
-
-
- Atari 2600, Raggedy Andy, Kite Enshrined
-
-
- To celebrate the toys inducted Thursday in the National Toy Hall of Fame,
- hug a red-haired doll, grab a single-button joystick or go fly a kite.
-
- Raggedy Andy, the Atari 2600 video game system and the kite were chosen
- for entry into the Strong National Museum of Play's all-star lineup,
- joining the bicycle, Lionel model trains, Mr. Potato Head and 33 other
- classic playthings.
-
- "They are outstanding toys that have engaged multiple generations over
- time, inspiring them to create, learn, discover," said the Rochester
- museum's president, G. Rollie Adams.
-
- In 1977, Atari converted a television set, for good or bad, into a toy.
- While it wasn't the first home video game system, it popularized the
- fledging electronic games genre with its bright colors, catchy music and
- pop-in cartridge versions of arcade favorites such as Pac-Man, Frogger
- and Space Invaders.
-
- "It may look primitive compared to the advanced video game systems
- available today, but it helped make these possible," said the museum's
- curator, Patricia Hogan.
-
- The game system is the most recently invented member of the hall. The
- kite, believed to have originated in China almost 3,000 years ago, is
- among the oldest.
-
- Kites remain a universal favorite, with some cultures in Asia and the
- Middle East turning kite contests into a national pastime.
-
- While its uses have extended to warfare, aerial photography, meteorology
- and experiments in electricity, the kite endures for its capacity to
- exercise a handler's agility, endurance and knowledge of scientific
- principles, Hogan said.
-
- At its heart, however, "a kite needs only a bit of breeze, a wide open
- field and a kid who wants to play," she said. "And nothing sends the human
- spirit soaring so well as a colorful kite aloft."
-
- The kindly rag doll character Raggedy Andy follows his sister, Raggedy
- Ann, into the hall.
-
- "It really seemed like the two of them should be one unit together," said
- Christopher Bensch, the museum's vice president for collections.
-
- Raggedy Ann, inducted in 2002, was created in 1918 in a children's book
- series by illustrator and author Johnny Gruelle, and her brother was
- introduced two years later. They come to life when humans aren't looking
- and embark on stirring adventures, and have been featured through the
- years in stories, poems, cartoons and greeting cards.
-
- Strong acquired the five-year-old National Toy Hall of Fame from A.C.
- Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem, Ore., in 2002. The toys enshrined
- so far range from Barbie to Jack-in-the-Box, Legos to Lincoln Logs,
- Slinky to Play-Doh and Crayola crayons to marbles.
-
- On the Net:
-
- http://www.museumofplay.com
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- A-ONE's Headline News
- The Latest in Computer Technology News
- Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
-
-
-
- Nonprofit Group Starts Making Low-Cost Laptops
-
-
- A nonprofit group said on Tuesday production of a new laptop computer for
- children in developing countries had begun, a milestone that could shake
- up the PC industry by ushering in a new era of low-cost computing.
-
- The One Laptop per Child Foundation, started in 2005 by Massachusetts
- Institute of Technology professor Nicholas Negroponte, said Taiwan's
- Quanta Computer had started mass production of its first product, the
- lime-green-and-white XO laptop computer, at a factory in Changshu, China.
-
- The group has already announced orders for children in Uruguay and
- Mongolia. It also plans to offer the laptops to Americans and Canadians
- through a $399 holiday charity program that covers the cost of providing
- a second machine to a child overseas.
-
- The device, which runs on free Linux software, has already had a
- significant impact on the industry.
-
- Negroponte has traveled the globe meeting world leaders and talking to
- the public about speeding introduction of computers to children in the
- developing world. The XO is designed for elementary school students who
- are given the machines to take to and from school, like textbooks.
-
- Analysts say the publicity he generated, along with concern his
- foundation's laptop might take business from commercial products, prompted
- companies, including chipmaker Intel Corp and software maker Microsoft
- Corp, to boost investment in developing countries.
-
- It has also spurred the launch of a new class of low-cost computers for a
- market broader than school children.
-
- Intel has developed the Classmate PC for the education market in
- developing countries, a laptop that it says costs $200 to build. So far
- its biggest customer is Pakistan's Allama Iqbal Open University, which
- ordered 700,000 of them.
-
- Taiwan's Asustek Computer Inc recently introduced a line of notebook
- computers, the Eee PCs, that retail for as little as $245 in some
- countries and are targeted at children and women.
-
- On Friday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc offered a limited number of laptops from
- Acer Inc for $348. It is possible that Wal-Mart might repeat the
- promotion or that other retailers will offer similar deals during the
- holiday shopping season.
-
-
-
- EA Donates SimCity to OLPC Laptops
-
-
- With the launch of a limited-time "Give 1, Get 1" sales effort for the
- groundbreaking XO computer slated for Monday, Electronic Arts added to
- the momentum behind the green machine by announcing it is donating the
- original SimCity game to the One Laptop Per Child project.
-
- "By gifting SimCity onto each OLPC laptop, EA is providing users with an
- entertaining way to engage with computers as well as help develop
- decision-making skills while honing creativity," the company said in a
- statement.
-
- It's the first donation of a game to the effort.
-
- "SimCity is entertainment that's unintentionally educational. Players
- learn to use limited resources to build and customize their cities. There
- are choices and consequences, but in the end, it's a creativity tool
- that's only limited by the player's imagination," said Steve Seabolt,
- vice president of global brand development, The Sims Label.
-
- "The game should prove to be an incredibly effective way of making the
- laptop relevant, engaging, and fun, particularly for first time players.
- We are thrilled to be making this contribution to OLPC to help meet their
- goal of educating the children of the world."
-
- The donation comes on the heels of several partnerships with OLPC,
- including T-Mobile's donation of a year of free hotspot use for XO owners
- and Hosting.com's donation of an XO machine for every server it sells in
- November and December.
-
- OLPCNews editor Wayan Vota called the donation of SimCity "another great
- achievement of Nicholas Negroponte's dream."
-
- Negroponte started the OLPC project in 2005 with the idea that developing
- countries would buy millions of the machines to distribute to children.
- That vision has not panned out as OLPC has only received one solid
- commitment to buy, from Uruguay. That has led Negroponte to switch
- largely to a philanthropic model.
-
- Give 1, Get 1 (G1G1) is the first initiative under that model and it has
- a certain sector of technophiles fired up to get their hands on one. The
- program runs from November 12 to 26 and allows consumers in the U.S. and
- Canada to buy two machines, one to keep, one to donate to a child in the
- developing world.
-
- Vota faults OLPC for limiting the G1G1 program to North America. "This
- has more to do with logistics, support, and other bureaucratic reasons
- that apply to international commerce of electronic equipment and not an
- arbitrary decision that forgot or ignored the rest of the world," an OLPC
- representative said on the project's Wiki.
-
- But Vota said he wonders why OLPC can't just use a transatlantic courier
- to deliver the machines. Whatever the cost could be tacked on for
- purposes of the G1G1 program.
-
- Vota has proposed a way for consumers outside of North America to route
- around OLPC's policy. They can simply set up a mail forwarding account so
- they can order the machines sent to a U.S. address and then have them
- shipped anywhere in the world. Vota has set up such an arrangement
- himself at a UPS store in Washington D.C.
-
-
-
- Click A Mouse, Feed A Mouth In U.N. Campaign
-
-
- A food-linked word game put on the Internet a month ago has proved a
- runaway success and has already generated enough rice to feed 50,000
- people, the United Nations World Food Programme said on Friday.
-
- FreeRice offers participants multiple choice definitions to the meaning
- of a word, with each correct click generating 10 grains of rice for the
- WFP.
-
- The brainchild of American online fundraising pioneer John Breen, the Web
- site (www.freerice.com) relies on advertising revenue to underwrite its
- rice campaign.
-
- "FreeRice really hits home how the Web can be harnessed to raise
- awareness and funds for the world's number one emergency," said Josette
- Sheeran, executive director of the Rome-based WFP.
-
- "The site is a viral marketing success story with more than one billion
- grains of rice donated in just one month to help tackle hunger
- worldwide," she added.
-
- The day it was launched on October 7 just 830 grains of rice were donated.
-
- But the Internet community quickly caught on, and on November 8 alone 77
- million grains were donated - equivalent to more than seven million
- correct clicks.
-
-
-
- Ultra-Fast Internet Networks Won't Merge
-
-
- The on-again, off-again talks to merge two ultra-fast nonprofit Internet
- networks have ended again - for good this time, it appears.
-
- Internet2 and National LambdaRail serve many of the nation's universities
- and research institutions by offering fast Internet connections that
- physicists, astronomers and other researchers need to exchange large
- amounts of data.
-
- The two next-generation networks began with separate missions, but their
- technologies and services converged over the years. And Jeff Lehman,
- chairman of Internet2's board, said their clients backed the merger
- because the organizations largely served the same community.
-
- Talks resumed this year, and a committee with top leaders from each
- network worked out a compromise in August.
-
- Internet2's board approved it, despite misgivings by some of its board
- members, but LambdaRail's board sought more concessions. And last week,
- both sides called it quits.
-
- "A lot of us are disappointed," said Internet2's Lehman, a member of the
- merger committee. "We knew it was a challenge, and we were hopeful that
- we would find a way to get to the end this time."
-
- Many LambdaRail participants felt they had invested in the system and
- wanted greater returns, Lehman said. He said Internet2 offered as much
- financial benefits as it could.
-
- LambdaRail Chairman Erv Blythe, in a statement, described his organization
- as an atypical nonprofit, one that tracked how much individual members
- gave and received. He said LambdaRail needed additional concessions to
- satisfy its obligations to contributing members.
-
- "Under the circumstances, we agree that our respective organizations have
- no choice but to move forward independently," Lehman and Blythe said in a
- joint statement.
-
-
-
- Microsoft Kills Mac IM, Updates Office For Mac
-
-
- Microsoft is going to kill off MSN Messenger for Mac and replace the IM
- software with a new product. The company last night also released its
- latest software update for Office 2004 for Mac.
-
- Microsoft revealed its IM plans during a presentation at the Georgia
- Institute of Technology's IEEE Student Branch. The company plans to ditch
- its existing IM solution for Mac in order to develop and deliver a more
- advanced client.
-
- While details are scarce at present, the new Mac software is expected to
- appear by the end of next year and will support AIM, Google Talk, and ICQ
- and be compatible with Windows Live Messenger 9.0.
-
- The Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.3.9 update fixes an issue that
- causes Word 2004 to quit unexpectedly when users print a document.
-
- Microsoft notes that this update is recommended for Office 2004 Standard
- Edition, Office 2004 Student and Teacher Edition, Office 2004
- Professional Edition, Word 2004. The update weighs in as a 2.49MB
- download.
-
-
-
- Salesforce.com Falls For Phishing Scam, Warns Customers
-
-
- Salesforce.com is warning customers that they may be the targets of
- malicious software or phishing scams after one of its employees was
- tricked into divulging a corporate password.
-
- In a note to customers, Salesforce said that online criminals have been
- sending customers fake invoices and, starting just a few days ago,
- viruses and key logging software. The e-mails were sent using information
- that was illegally obtained from Salesforce.com.
-
- Salesforce.com bills its Web-based CRM products as easier to use and
- maintain than traditional CRM software, but this latest development
- underlines the security risks that come with this more open model.
-
- The problems began a few months ago when a Salesforce.com employee fell
- for a phishing scam and divulged a company password that gave attackers
- access to a customer contact list. With this password, the criminals were
- able to obtain first and last names, company names, e-mail addresses, and
- telephone numbers of Salesforce.com customers.
-
- "As a result of this, a small number of our customers began receiving
- bogus e-mails that looked like Salesforce.com invoices," Salesforce.com
- said.
-
- Some of those customers then fell victim to the scam and gave up their
- passwords to the criminals, too. When Salesforce.com started seeing
- malicious software being attached to these e-mails, the company decided
- to issue a general alert to its nearly 1 million subscribers.
-
- According to the Washington Post, Suntrust Banks was one of the customers
- victimized by this scam.
-
- Salesforce.com is working with law enforcement to resolve the problem,
- but in the meantime, it is recommending that customers implement a number
- of security measures in order to cut down on the phisher's chance of
- succeeding.
-
- Suggested actions include restricting Salesforce.com account access to
- users who are within the corporate network, phishing education or the use
- of stronger authentication techniques to log on to the Salesforce.com
- servers.
-
- On Tuesday, Salesforce.com declined to comment further on the matter.
- "Everything that they have to say about it is in this note," a spokesman
- with the company's public-relations agency said.
-
-
-
- Microsoft Stands By Its Invite to Arrested Hacker
-
-
- Microsoft's security team took a bit of a chance a few weeks ago, when it
- invited Roberto Preatoni to give a talk at its Redmond campus.
-
- Preatoni is the founder of Wabisabilabi, a Switzerland-based company that
- bills itself as an auction site for the software bugs that companies like
- Microsoft never want anybody to see. He spoke at Microsoft in late
- September as an invited guest at Microsoft's semi-annual Blue Hat
- security conference.
-
- But what had been an edgy invite by Microsoft's Blue Hat planners took on
- a new dimension this week, when Preatoni was arrested in Milan on charges
- relating to a national spying scandal at Telecom Italia, Italy's largest
- telephone carrier.
-
- Preatoni's company confirmed his arrest in a statement Thursday, saying
- that his work for Telecom Italia was unrelated to Wabisabilabi (the
- incidents at Telecom Italia took place before Wabisabilabi was founded)
- and that the company was "confident that his innocence will be
- established if a case ever comes to court."
-
- The charismatic Preatoni was a popular speaker at security conferences but
- his company's controversial business model raised some eyebrows.
-
- So was it a miscalculation to invite him to Blue Hat? Not at all, said
- George Stathakopoulos, general manager of Microsoft's Response and Product
- Centers "Look, if you think of Blue Hat as being [for] someone who comes
- to work with us, that's a mistake," he said. "We brought HD Moore in."
-
- Moore, no fan of Microsoft, is the is the author of the open-source
- Metasploit hacking tool and he has written code that exploits dozens, if
- not hundreds, of critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft's products.
-
- According to Stathakopoulos, the whole point of the Blue Hat conference is
- to bring in new voices that will challenge Microsoft developers.
-
- "If you bring this guy in and he talks to your development force, he says
- I am buying vulnerabilities against your products and they have value.
- Make your products better because I am your enemy," he said. "So the fact
- that he got arrested, I'm not happy about it because I thought he was a
- good guy. But what do I know?"
-
- But not everybody reacted positively to Preatoni's talk. "Some people say
- god I hate this guy; people say 'why did you bring him over here?'"
- Stathakopoulos said. "But when people internalize it and step back and
- they think about it a little they think, 'I've got a lot of work to do.'"
-
-
-
- NJ Man Gets Two Years Jail For AOL Spam Scam
-
-
- A New Jersey man was sentenced to more than two years in prison on Friday
- for helping send "spam" e-mails to more than 1.2 million America Online
- subscribers.
-
- Todd Moeller, 28, was sentenced 27 months in prison in a federal court
- in New York after he was caught making a deal with a government informant
- to send junk e-mails - known as spam - advertising a computer security
- program in return for 50 percent of the profits, the U.S. Attorney's
- Office in Manhattan said.
-
- Moeller and Adam Vitale of New York pleaded guilty earlier this year to
- breaking anti-spam laws and defeating AOL's filter system by using a
- variety of computer servers and changing the header information on
- e-mails to ensure they could not be traced, court papers said.
-
- Moeller told the informant via instant messaging he could conceal the
- source of the e-mails through his access to 40 different servers and had
- profited $40,000 a month from other spam e-mail scams that promoted
- stocks, prosecutors said.
-
- In one week in August 2005 Moeller and Vitale sent e-mails on behalf of
- the informant to more than 1.27 million addresses of subscribers at AOL,
- the online division of Time Warner Inc.
-
- Vitale will be sentenced November 13.
-
-
-
- Major Russian Malware Site Goes Offline
-
-
- One of the Internet's most notorious malware and software exploit hubs,
- the Russian Business Network, has suddenly gone offline.
-
- Trend Micro reports that Internet domains associated with the network
- went down at 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Tuesday, Nov. 6, taking
- with it a network provider accused of hosting some of the worst
- criminal activities the Internet has to offer, including various
- high-profile software exploits, voracious Trojan malware, and even
- hosting sites used for child porn.
-
- "That RBN, currently, has no Internet connectivity means that the Web is
- a somewhat safer place today. Unfortunately, this may not be for long.
- RBN may find new upstream providers," suggests the Trend blog.
-
- It is not clear precisely what has caused the downing of the RBN, but
- Trend speculates that some problem with an upstream ISP might be to
- blame.
-
- The Washington Post times the downing as having happened on Nov. 4, and
- states that the RBN has been in trouble since the newspaper publicised
- its activities in October causing upstream providers Tiscali.uk and the
- Russia's C41 to drop it.
-
- The RBN is significant enough to have spawned numerous articles
- detailing its activities, an extensive entry on Wikipedia, and a number
- of sites dedicated to documenting its alleged nastiness. Recent malware
- events it has been blamed for include October's Adobe PDF exploit, and
- the hacking of the Bank of India in September.
-
- One RBN watch-blog claims it was behind 40 of 57 fake anti-malware
- software products came from it.
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
-
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