TechEye |  |
- Microsoft goes all out to push upgrade
- Indonesians hackers fume at Aussie spooks
- Microsoft leaks CEO short list
- Evil malware gives people a second chance
- IPad Air cheaper to make than iPad 3
- The mystery that is HTC continues
- Shakespeare hits out at Intel, Microsoft
| Microsoft goes all out to push upgrade Posted: 06 Nov 2013 02:47 AM PST Software king of the world, Microsoft is going out of its way to convince the world+dog that it is much better to upgrade to Windows 8.1. A statement which has crossed our desk implies that while users might not actually like Windows 8.1 they are better off upgrading to it because it has much better security. Even those who do not like Windows 8 should consider it for its superior security as opposed to older Microsoft operating systems, if nothing else, the company tells us. As you might expect the latest Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, seems to be targeted at Windows XP users which Vole is preparing to abandon. Windows XP users are six times more likely to become infected than machines running Windows 8, the report says. The raw numbers are that 9.1 Windows XP machines need to be cleaned per 1000 versus 1.6 Windows 8 machines. In addition, Windows XP machines also encounter more malware than Windows 8 machines, with 16.3 percent of XP machines encountering it vs 12.4 percent of Windows 8 machines, the report says. Windows XP machines also encounter more malware than Windows 8 machines, with 16.3 percent of XP machines encountering it vs 12.4 percent of Windows 8 machines, the report says. However the report also attacks Windows 7 which is widely seen as a better alternative to XP and Windows 8. Windows 7 computers have the highest encounter rate with malware with 19.1 percent and Windows 7 machines are more than three times more likely (5.5 per 1000) to become infected than Windows 8 machines. It looks like Microsoft is attempting to convince the world that the main reason to upgrade to Windows 8.1 is security, part of which is supplied by Windows Defender anti-virus. What appears to be the problem is that many users of older operating systems do not use Defender or any third-party AV software. |
| Indonesians hackers fume at Aussie spooks Posted: 06 Nov 2013 02:45 AM PST Indonesian hackers have declared war on Australian businesses and hit more than 100 targets including a major Queensland hospital, a children's cancer association and an anti-slavery charity. More than 100 Australian websites were hit by the wave of cyber-attacks, which were launched in retaliation the news that the Aussies had been spying on Indonesia from its Jakarta embassy. It turned out that the Jakarta embassy, were being used for widespread electronic surveillance in a secretive operation unknown to most embassy staff. The Java Cyber Army said that the press should warn the Australian government that the attacks would continue until there is a clear recognition of spying on Indonesia. Attacks were launched by groups including the Indonesian Cyber Army and Java Cyber Army, which claim affiliation with Anonymous. The sites were hijacked and posted with messages such as: "This is not a joke or a dream, this is f---ing reality. Stop illegal spying on Indonesian [sic]." A spokesman for the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane, run by UnitingCare Health, said the cyber-attack was fixed quickly and there was no chance that patient information had been compromised. A spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald that he didn’t have a clue why the hospital had been attacked. In fact it looks like the attacks were random, ranging from charities to small businesses and even a strip club. The Children's Tumour Foundation of Australia, which supports people and families affected by the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis said that it could not understand why someone would attack a small charity. |
| Microsoft leaks CEO short list Posted: 06 Nov 2013 02:44 AM PST Microsoft has released the short list of candidates to replace Chief Executive Steve Ballmer . According to Reuters, five people including Ford Motor chief Alan Mulally and former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, have been named and shamed in a leaked list. There are three internal candidates for the job including Skype CEO Tony Bates, who is now responsible for Microsoft's business development, and Satya Nadella, the company's cloud and enterprise chief,. Apparently, it will take a few more months to weed out the weedy from the list. We guess there have to be interviews, bake-offs, and obstacle courses. Gordon Ramsey will be called into to shout at candidates that their medium business plan is so rare that it would be impossible to have it aborted in Texas. Reuters said that it could not find the name of the other candidates who were involved in the selection process. It seems that there were about 40 of them. News that Alan Mulally was shortlisted was news to Ford, which said that he remained fully focused on continuing to make progress on his glorious One Ford plan. Investors want someone like Mulally or Computer Sciences CEO Mike Lawrie, to succeed Ballmer. They also want Bill Gates to go because he stands in the way of a radical shake-up which would result in more cash going to them. We probably should not look to investors to come up with a sensible technology plan to make Vole more relevant. Mulally, 68, is credited with inspiring a cultural change that helped Ford reverse its losses and avert a federal bailout in 2009. He has said that he will stay with the company until 2014. |
| Evil malware gives people a second chance Posted: 06 Nov 2013 02:43 AM PST A group of malware writers who hoped that people could be blackmailed into paying up for their data apparently have been shocked that people would be happier to scrap their hard drive rather than pay up. CryptoLocker has been an obsession for the local television shows in the US where it is depicted as the worst malware ever created. CryptoLocker encrypts or freezes large parts of a Windows PC's hard drive, then asks the user to pay up to regain access. What makes the software different is to add a time limit. It said that users have three days to pay the ransom of $300, 300 euro or two Bitcoins before the encryption key is "destroyed" and the data lost forever. A displayed countdown clock adds to the sense of urgency. However, according to Tom's Guide, it seems that the threat is not working on its victims and the code has now been altered so that victims who missed paying the ransom for their encrypted files will receive a "second chance" option to get back their data. People will be allowed to purchase decryption keys, but at a much higher price of 10 Bitcoins or about $2,200. Unfortunately, for the malware writers, the second chance has shown their hand, despite the CryptoLocker claims that decryption keys are destroyed after three days, the criminals must actually store the keys somewhere. The scam has evolved. It started out with the demand for credit-card information which was daft because the last think you would want to do is hand over your credit-card details to a cyber-scammer. The criminals added a Bitcoin option so that users could keep their financial information private. Apparently, the malware can be spotted by most AV software but it can do a lot of damage before it is spotted. |
| IPad Air cheaper to make than iPad 3 Posted: 06 Nov 2013 01:58 AM PST Apple is notorious with its suppliers for screwing the last penny out of them. That was demonstrated recently by the Bosch debacle with the iPhone 5s. |
| The mystery that is HTC continues Posted: 06 Nov 2013 01:32 AM PST It’s widely recognised that Taiwanese phone firm HTC has some nifty products right now but the trouble is not many people seem to be buying them. |
| Shakespeare hits out at Intel, Microsoft Posted: 05 Nov 2013 11:46 AM PST ACT I
Now is the Wintel of our discontent |
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