hacker

Hackers were right to disclose AT&T-iPad site hole

commentary If you are an iPad 3G user, it's possible that your e-mail address is in the hands of malicious hackers who could send you e-mails with malware targeted to infect your device. There's also the possibility--albeit much slimmer--that someone could use the serial number for your device to get more information on you and even track your whereabouts.

That's because of a hole in AT&T's customer Web site for iPad 3G users that became public last week. (You can read more details about it here.)

AT&T issued an apology to its affected iPad 3G customers … Read more

The 404 577: Where we will not quack at the principal (podcast)

Leave it to Wilson to make the rest of us look bad on Mother's Day. While we were all scrambling to make it to Duane Reade before closing time on Saturday, Wilson had already ordered a Fed Ex truck to deliver all the presents to his Mother down in Florida. We hope the rest of you had a fun weekend, but don't forget that just because Mother's Day is over doesn't mean that you're off the hook for the rest of the year; keep up the love!

President Barack Obama gave a commencement speech at Hampton University over the weekend where he warned the graduates about the dangers of a "24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content...some of which don't always rank all that high on the truth meter."

We were in complete agreement with everything Obama was saying...until he openly admitted to not knowing how to use an Apple iPod/iPad, an XBox, or a Playstation. It's no surprise that our Commander-in-Chief has bigger issues to worry about than dead pixels, but if a 99-year-old Grandma can pinch and pull her way around an iPad, what's Obama's excuse?

Don't forget to don your lead underwear the next time you get in line for a body scan at the airport. Rolando Negrin, a 44 year old attendant with the TSA learned that lesson the hard way when he threatened a colleague with a police baton after the bully allegedly made fun of his exposed genitalia during a routine training session at a Miami Airport.

The lesson began with Negin showing a group of trainees how to use the full body scanner, but the session soon turned into a roast when his colleagues started poking fun at the smaller-than-average size of his junk. In the bully's defense, it's completely possible that the first joke was made to relieve the tension of seeing his boss in his birthday suit, and Negin shouldn't have gotten so pissed- I'm sure they keep the air condition on pretty high during Spring and Summer.

Check out the full episode by clicking on the player below. You can also subscribe to our iTunes feed in audio and video form, and don't forget to e-mail at the404(at)cnet(dot)com or leave a voicemail on 1-866-404-CNET to share your thoughts with us!

EPISODE 577 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Ubisoft's controversial 'always on' PC DRM hacked

Ubisoft's always-on digital rights management solution, dubbed the "Online Services Network," has apparently been circumvented by hackers. News of its arrival on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks began circulating in places like social-news site Reddit Wednesday morning.

The DRM, which now ships with every new PC game made by Ubisoft, requires that gamers have a constant connection to the Internet in order to play their games. The security feature caused a large backlash by users for its inclusion in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 title, which was released last month.

The hack itself removes the DRM entirely and … Read more

Marc Maiffret--the quick rise of a teen hacker (Q&A)

For Marc Maiffret, the turning point in his life came when--at the age of 17--he woke up to an FBI agent pointing a gun at his head.

A runaway and high school dropout, he had just returned home and landed his first professional job using his computer skills for the good of companies instead of for mischief. But his past was still catching up to his present.

Young, articulate, and outspoken, Maiffret went on to become a celebrity hacker wunderkind, testifying before Congress on security issues, featured in cover stories in numerous magazines and newspapers, appearing in MTV's "… Read more

IBM, FAA partner on aviation cybersecurity

In response to past cyberattacks against the Federal Aviation Administration, IBM is teaming up with the agency to try to create a security system to protect commercial and private aviation networks from future threats.

IBM announced on Tuesday that the new security system will move beyond the typical methods of encryption, firewalls, and antivirus software to guard against hackers, botnets, and malware. Instead, the new system for civil aviation will need to be more intelligent and analytical.

Through a series of sensors and monitors, the system will keep tabs on all network traffic and user activity in real time, said … Read more

How one company stays safe with two networks

At Cryptography Research, the key number is two. There are two separate computer networks, two different systems on every employee's desk and twice the normal number of servers storing data.

To keep hackers out of the network the company runs disparate and unconnected networks--an A network for sensitive data and core engineering work that is not connected to the Internet, and a B network used for e-mail, Web surfing and other Internet activities.

"We built the networks out at least 10 years ago as soon as we started getting really sensitive client data," said Paul Kocher, founder … Read more

Cops: Notorious Twitter hacker caught, released

Twitter's equivalent of an elusive masked bandit was caught in France this week, according to an Agence France-Presse story citing police sources, after the FBI began working with authorities there. A 25-year-old who goes by the name "Hacker Croll," believed to be responsible for two high-profile Twitter hacking incidents in which both celebrity accounts and internal servers were breached, was reportedly in police custody in the French city of Clermont-Ferrand before being released later on Wednesday.

The hacker was allegedly behind an attack about a year ago in which the Twitter accounts of celebrities ranging from Britney Spears to President Obama were breached; … Read more

Firm denies hacking, stock manipulation charges

A Cyprus-based company accused of manipulating stocks on U.S. exchanges via compromised trading accounts denied the allegations on Friday, placing blame on "Russian swindlers."

A U.S. federal judge in New York agreed to freeze the assets of BroCo Investments on Tuesday, after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint alleging that BroCo and its president, Valery Maltsev, made more than $255,500 by placing unauthorized trades on the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange through the compromised investor accounts.

BroCo says a Genesis Securities account under investigation for having made legitimate trades in … Read more

The 404 541: Where we put Sweden on the map (podcast)

Longtime 404 listener Ammi took some time out of her busy vacation from Sweden to drop by our studios this morning, so we invite her on the show to tell us about her first trip to the United States...and also to help us locate Sweden on the map, because we're geographically hopeless. Ammi's only been here a few days so far, but her observations on the chaos and consumerism of American culture are on point. Like many foreigners that visit our country, she can't help but notice the obesity epidemic that we can easily trace back to the cupcake stores on every block in the city.

To Jeff's delight, Ammi also tells us that hockey gets much more attention in Sweden than it does in the US, although I'm pretty sure Swedish cable subscribers can't watch their games in 3D. On March 24, Cablevision will be broadcasting the New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders game in 3D, the first live 3D sports broadcast to hit the network. Don't worry if you're not one of the 11 people that actually own a 3D TV; Madison Square Garden will also host a viewing party on a big-screen 3D projection TV for 2,500 guests on the night of the big game. Hockey fans that can handle the real dimension can also just buy tickets to the live game.

We're all fans of old-school Pinball games, but we never thought we'd see a Bill Paxton Pinball Machine! Ben Heckendorn just put the finishing touches on a custom Paxton Pinball game that he's been working on since 2005. He even lists out the exact parts you need to make your own in a detailed "making-of" story and demonstration video. Nice work, Ben!

We've also got another story from the book of wacky DIY projects: the "Carpuccino," a converted Volkswagon powered by the carbon in loose coffee grounds. To prove its worth, the team responsible for building the Carpuccino is driving the car from London to Manchester using grounds collected from Costa Coffee. The adventure will take time and plenty of cash--the top speed is 60 miles per hour and costs a ridiculous 25-50 times more than using gasoline. Odds of seeing an official Ford/Honda/Toyota Carpuccino: zero.

Thanks again to Ammi, Samri, Sarah, and the rest of our Swedish listeners for supporting the show from abroad. We gave Ammi plenty of stickers to plaster all over the country, so expect to see some pictures of 404-branded Swedish Fish soon!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

EPISODE 541 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more