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Security Bites 114: Desktop application risk

It may seem trivial to you what applications are on your desktop, but from a business or organization's perspective, it can be a serious matter. If an application provides unfiltered access to the outside world, this could create regulatory issues. Certain desktop applications can also indirectly or directly introduce malware inside the perimeter through file sharing. At the very least, some applications simply take away bandwidth (for example, streaming audio or video).

In its second report on Application Usage and Risk, Palo Alto Networks finds that 56 percent of the desktop applications surveyed use HTTP. Use of port 80, … Read more

'Wrath of the Lich King' release date announced

As a part of my morning routine, I do a little Web surfing before leaving the house. One of the pages I read is Wowhead.com, a World of Warcraft database. When I opened the page Monday morning, instead of the usual plain black background, I was treated to a Wrath of the Lich King graphic. In oversize font at the bottom of the page were the letters "In Stores 11.13.08."

After taking a second to confirm that today was not April 1, I quickly went to the official WoW page and, sure enough, there was … Read more

'Warcraft' players to get 'Wrath' expansion features early

Hot on the heels of its new expansion's cinematic debut last week, Blizzard Entertainment on Monday announced that it will release a World of Warcraft patch "in coming weeks" that will include features from its second expansion Wrath of the Lich King. Blizzard said the patch is designed to "bridge current game content with that of the expansion."

Among the additions players should expect:

New talents and spells for existing classes The implementation of barber shops for players Two new arenas featuring more dynamic terrain than previous arenas Guild calendar The hunter pet skill revamp … Read more

You are not prepared for the 'Warcraft: Wrath' intro

Blizzard Entertainment on Thursday released the CG intro for its next game, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. This is the second expansion for WoW. The first, The Burning Crusade was released in January 2007 and sold 2.4 million copies in 24 hours to become the fastest-selling PC game in history.

The CG intro for The Burning Crusade appeared about a month before the game's release. Blizzard has commented already that it expects Wrath to be released sometime in the fourth quarter. The fact that it's debuted the intro for the game is evidence that … Read more

The 404 160: Where we're Ogg at heart

On the show today: Erica Ogg from CNET's Crave takes time out of her NY vacation to chat with us about the Olympics, hockey, Chinese smile deficiencies, Facebook spam, Barack Obama's twitters, Antivirus XP, and Batman spoilers!>

Even though the Montauk Monster has thrown New York into a typhoon, our buddy Erica Ogg still makes it to the studio to join us for today's show. And what a great change of pace from our normal Monday show, huh? This is just what The 404 needs to brighten up our day. Erica writes for Crave, CNET's … Read more

'Wrath of the Lich King' looking good, 'WoW' fans say

Since its launch in the fall of 2004, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft has shattered expectations at every turn.

Prior to its release, no American massively multiplayer online game (MMO) had ever reached what was then seen as the magical million subscribers level--even major hits like EverQuest and Ultima Online. Yet almost before anyone could blink, WoW, as it's known, had surpassed 4 million paying users and now has more than 10 million worldwide, and at $15 a month for most users, it may well be bringing in more than $1 billion a year.

Then, prior to the January 2007 release of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, no one had ever heard of the kind of nationwide midnight madness lines associated with iPhone and Xbox launches for a game expansion. Sure enough, however, people lined up at game stores everywhere for hours for the right to be among the very first to buy Burning Crusade, and the update went on to sell millions of copies.

And now, with the second major WoW expansion, The Wrath of the Lich King, in beta testing, Blizzard is getting ready to prove yet again that when it comes to American MMOs, it is the undisputed gold standard.

"It's just beautiful," said longtime WoW player and Lich King beta player Katrina Glerum. "The game really feels epic in a way that The Burning Crusade didn't....Burning Crusade felt like an extension of the (original) game. This really feels epic, and that you're part of something grand." … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 774: The feel-good episode of the year

That's sarcasm, I'm afraid. Lots of bad news today, including the tragic end to the Spam King escape story, the cell-phones-and-cancer debate makes a resurgence with some serious recommendations for careful use, and AOL starts up a fire sale. In good news, though, a new iPhone firmware upgrade is on deck, and it may bring turn-by-turn GPS AND copy and paste. But you know, don't get your hopes up. Have a great weekend! Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 774

Escaped ’spam king’ allegedly kills self, family http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-9999451-83.html

Cancer doc urges … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 773: Spam on the lam

UPDATE: We just learned that the escaped Eddie Davidson, the "spam king," was found dead after having apparently murdered his family. Obviously, we did not know this at the time we recorded our podcast, and we apologize for any insensitivity that could be inferred from our remarks. We will definitely address this horrible turn of events in tomorrow's show.

The recently imprisoned "Spam King" goes straight-up mint jelly and escapes from federal prison (check your barns and garages, Coloradoans), Yahoo Music makes the MSN Music mistake with the benefit of hindsight, and Walt Mossberg slams … Read more

WiiWare and Virtual Console releases for this week

This week you can try your luck at an arcade-racer or destroy cities with the wag of your tail. Virtual Console

King of the Monsters (1991, NeoGeo, 900 Wii points): From SNK comes King of the Monsters, an action/fighting game that allows you to play as skyscraper-tall monsters in a worldwide battle to become the champion.

WiiWare

SPOGS Racing (D2C Games, 1,000 Wii points): SPOGS Racing is an arcade-style racing game that lets you upgrade your vehicle on-the-fly for instant advantages during gameplay.

What games do you think are missing from the Wii Virtual Console? Sound off here!… Read more

Royal mount with optional 50 caliber

All the king's horses include this "Stallion," a 4x4-wheeled, all-welded armored scout car with optional 50-caliber weapon station designed and built by the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) in Amman Jordan.

The cozy three-seater was designed to be used by peacekeepers, "internal security," and what looks like divot repair out on the Bisharat back nine.

KADDB was established by Royal Decree in 1999 to supply "independent, high-quality, scientific, and technical services" to the Jordanian armed forces and to help the nation in creating a sustainable industrial base along the way.… Read more