The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

27th August 2008 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • CERT: Linux servers under 'Phalanx' attack

    Stolen keys unlock back door

    Attacks in the wild are under way against Linux systems with compromised SSH keys, the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team is warning. The attacks appear to use stolen SSH keys to take hold of a targeted machine and then gain root access by exploiting weaknesses in the kernel. The attacks then install a rootkit known as …

    Security 27 Aug 2008, 00:13

  • US data breaches booming in '08

    Have you seen my identity?

    The number of personal information leaks reported in the US this year have already exceeded the total amount in all of 2007, San Diego-based Identity Theft Resource Center said today. With four months left in 2008, the firm found that 449 US businesses and government agencies have thus far reported lost or stolen customer and …

    Crime 27 Aug 2008, 00:22

  • UK etailer punts bovine coitus thumb drive

    'A niche market'

    An army of online deal seekers has called for a boycott of Boffer.co.uk, after the "daily deal" site fooled them into coveting a non-existent bovine sex device. With each new day, Boffer offers up a single "amazingly low priced" piece of consumer merchandise, and late last night, at 11:59pm Greenwich Mean Time, it tempted …

    Music and Media 27 Aug 2008, 01:55

  • Nvidia rolls out budget GeForce 9 chip

    Low, low cost

    Nvidia has introduced its latest GeForce 9 graphics chip, punting the part as an ultra-low cost alternative to integrated GPUs. Nvidia's GeForce 9400 GT: cheap, cheerful The GeForce 9400 GT is expected to appear in cards costing as little as $59 (£32/€40). That buys you just 16 unified shader pixel-processing cores, all …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 08:34

  • iPhone hackers post latest jailbreak tool

    Problems solved?

    The iPhone Dev Team has posted PwnageTool 2.0.3.1, a revised version of the iPhone hacking utility released yesterday then quickly removed. The earlier release had mis-set file-access permissions, preventing upgraded iPod Touch - the code works with the music player as well as Apple's phone - from retaining Wi-Fi passwords and …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 08:50

  • Apple slapped for dodgy ads

    Jesusphone fails ASA test

    The Advertising Standards Authority has told Apple UK not to show an advert which suggested the iPhone contained "all parts of the internet" any more. The iPhone cannot access websites which use Java or Flash despite its claim that "all parts of the internet are on the iPhone". Two members of the public complained about the TV …

    Applications 27 Aug 2008, 08:56

  • Dell turns to Linux, Atom for budget biz boxes

    Vostro revamped

    Dell still hasn't formally announced its Eee PC rival but it did at least unveil some cheap Linux machines today based on Intel's Atom processor - the forecast revamp to its Vostro budget business box line-up. Dell's Vostro A860 Centre-stage were two new notebooks: the 15.6in A860 and the 14.1in A840, both set to be offered …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 09:34

  • Nikon debuts D90 DSLR... and short-shooting camcorder

    720p recording

    Nikon has unveiled a digital SLR snapper that lets you shoot HD video - provided you like short movies. Nikon's D90: shoots 720p video The D90’s ability to capture video at resolutions up to 720p and at a 24 frames per second in Motion JPEG format is, according to Nikon, a world’s first for a DSLR camera. It’s worth noting …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 09:39

  • Electoral officers oppose edited register

    Local gov hates marketeers

    Most local authority electoral officers support the information commissioner's recommendation to scrap the edited electoral roll, according to a new survey. The survey of 204 councils, taken during August by the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Association of Electoral Administrators, found that 98 per cent of …

    Law 27 Aug 2008, 09:49

  • Samsung samples SSDs for SCCs

    32GB unit offers speed boost

    Samsung has begun punting a compact 32GB solid-state drive card at makers of Small, Cheap Computers. The SSD - which is also sampling in 8GB and 16GB versions - incorporates Samsung's multi-level cell (MLC) Flash chips. MLCs are usually held to be less responsive than single-level cell chips, but they're key to getting as much …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 09:54

  • McCain: Keep Shuttle flying, don't trust Russia

    Show us the money, says NASA

    Presidential contender John McCain and two other bigshot Republican senators have written to George Bush urging that NASA keep the Space Shuttle fleet alive beyond 2010. The politicians are concerned about US reliance on Russia for manned space transport in the early years of the next decade. According to the Orlando Sentinel …

    Space 27 Aug 2008, 09:54

  • Serco buys US government reseller

    Playing with the big boys now

    Serco is to acquire SI International, an IT reseller specialising in the US federal market, for $423m cash - a 40 per cent premium on SI's closing price on NASDAQ yesterday. Serco is also asssuming net debt of $87.3m, so the enterprise value of the deal is $510m - a multiple of 12.3 on forecast EBITDA for 2008. Serco is …

    Channel Register 27 Aug 2008, 10:20

  • Freesat signs fourth hardware maker

    Not a big name

    UK free-to-air satellite TV service Freesat has recruited another hardware maker: French digital TV receiver specialist Metronic. The manufacturer will offer Freesat HD set-top boxes and put them on sale by the end of the year, Freesat said today. Freesat launched back in May with standard-definition receiver hardware from …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 10:28

  • iPhone passwords not worth the paper they're written on

    Push two keys to bypass password

    iPhones protected by a password aren't actually protected at all, as just by pressing a few keys a miscreant can access all the phone's functions without needing the password at all. The trick, reported by MacRumours, is simply a press of the "Emergency Call" key from the passcode entry screen, followed by a double-tap on the …

    Mobile 27 Aug 2008, 10:42

  • Portsmouth punts naval boy-on-boy to innocent kiddies

    Rum, sodomy and the lash

    Avast there and unfurl the Twat-O-Tron ye scurvy landlubbers of Middle England, lest Portsmouth Historic Dockyard make barrel boys of ye all, damn their eyes: Yes indeed, me buckaroos, that's how Portsmouth punts Blighty's nautical heritage, as a suitably shaken Igor Z can attest. Mr Z admits his gasts were well and truly …

    Bootnotes 27 Aug 2008, 10:51

  • Microsoft dishes dirt on IE8 'pr0n mode'

    Updated 'Off the record' browsing is go

    Microsoft has outlined the new privacy tools available in its forthcoming browser Internet Explorer 8 (IE8). Earlier this week the company’s program manager Andy Zeigler confirmed rumours from last week that Microsoft would include a privacy browsing feature affectionately known as "porn mode". He said four new controls with …

    Applications 27 Aug 2008, 10:58

  • Nokia 6210 Navigator phone

    Review Modest GPS-enabled mobile from Nokia

    The upgraded successor to last year’s 6110 Navigator, the 6210 is a tidy slider-design handset, bearing more than a passing resemblance in looks and specs to the recently-launched 6220 Classic. It’s another of Nokia’s S60 3.2 smartphones, packing in much of the functionality and applications found on Nokia’s higher-end N …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 11:02

  • Euro guidelines will allow Bluetooth spam

    But UK punters still protected

    The Mobile Marketing Association has published its guidelines for advertising pushed over Bluetooth connections, and considers anyone who hasn't opted out to be fair game for spammers. The guidelines are now available for public review until 26 September, and take a distinct step beyond the UK's Direct Marketing Association ( …

    Mobile 27 Aug 2008, 11:02

  • SanDisk pitches SDHCs at Nikon D90

    Anyone smell cross-sell?

    The Nikon D90 DLSR has only just been announced, but SanDisk is already punting a compatible SDHC on the back of the camera-cum-camcorder's launch. SanDisk's Extreme III SDHC cards: 4, 8 and 16GB SanDisk’s Extreme III 30MB/s Edition SDHC reads data at - you've guessed it - 30MB/s, enabling each of the 4GB, 8GB and 16GB …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 11:09

  • Which is the best Linux for laptops?

    Q&A

    I have been a user of Windows for ages now, literally using WinXP Pro since its first public release, and I have a fairly good understanding of how the OS works. I have been starting to venture into the Linux/Unix world, currently using the Ubuntu 8.04 on my ThinkPad X60. But is there a distribution that would fit best my …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 11:11

  • Credit crunch bites into mobile sales

    Handset sales continue to soar

    Global mobile phone sales will exceed 1.2bn handsets this year, although tough economic conditions are already biting into phone sales, market watcher Gartner has warned. The analyst discovered that approximately 305m handsets were sold worldwide during Q2 - some 86m of them into Europe and North America - up just 3.7 per cent …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 11:25

  • Election watchdog makes ID card U-turn

    Unnecessary for fraud clampdown

    UK election scrutineers are pushing for polling stations to require tougher proof of identity to reduce the risk of ballot-rigging, but do not want voters to be forced to bring photo ID. The stance is a reversal of statements made by Electoral Commission chairman Sam Younger just a year ago. Launching the Electoral Commission …

    Government 27 Aug 2008, 11:47

  • Crayola colours keyboard... you know... for kids

    Crayon crafter Crayola has created a colourful keyboard designed to prepare kids for a lifetime spent mindlessly tapping numbers and text into computers. Crayola's USB EZ Type Keyboard Each of the USB EZ Type Keyboard’s numerical keys is painted orange, while the Qwerty key arrangement is a sickly lime green. Special- …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 11:48

  • Tech repair shop to the UK flees Manchester

    130 redundancies at A Novo UK

    A Novo UK, which services mobile phones, monitors and set-top boxes, is laying off at least 130 staff and closing its Manchester repair centre. The company provides after-sales support and repairs for lots of tech companies including BT Vision, Sky, Dell and Philips. The redundancy plan, part of a strategic review of UK sites …

    Channel Register 27 Aug 2008, 11:58

  • British boffins perfect process to make any item '100% waterproof'

    Gore-Tex killer?

    UK company Plasma Product Innovations (P2i) today demonstrated a chemical process it claims can render any material 100 per cent waterproof. Grappling at an ungodly hour this morning with words like 'hydrophobic', 'nanotechnology' and 'submicroscopic-surface-enhancement', a small number of half-asleep hacks were shown how a …

    Reg Hardware 27 Aug 2008, 12:03

  • MS beefs up WinXP Pro's anti-piracy nagware

    More false positives ahoy?

    Microsoft wants to rein in more Windows XP pirates over the coming weeks, by pushing out a new version of its “nagware” which detects when a machine is running a fake copy of the OS. The company’s Genuine Windows director Alex Kochis said yesterday that Redmond will release the latest version of its Windows Genuine Advantage ( …

    Software 27 Aug 2008, 14:05

  • Brit firm to demo serious flying robo-saucer in 2009

    Peterborough Attacks

    A small British company developing a unique form of hovering aircraft says it will soon demonstrate a new and much more serious version of its technology. Saucer technology in action. GFS Projects of Peterborough was registered in 2002, following early efforts by former hovercraft engineer Geoff Hatton to develop a working …

    Physics 27 Aug 2008, 14:26

  • Android's missing Bluetooth: Limitations laid out

    Parlez-vous GoogleTalk? Er, no

    Android developers have admitted that Google's mobile phone platform won't support GoogleTalk in its first version, and that Bluetooth support will be severely limited. The revelations come as no great surprise - version 0.9 of the SDK was launched last week with the same omissions - but the Android Developers Blog has now …

    Mobile 27 Aug 2008, 14:43

  • Finnish blogger amputates Google from Google

    A road map for regulators of the future

    Getting a head start on the world's antitrust regulators, an astute Finn is offering a bastardized version of Google's search engine that ignores sites served up by Google itself. Inspired by a recent New York Times piece that questioned whether the Mountain View search monopoly is morphing into a media company - which it is …

    Software 27 Aug 2008, 18:45

  • AMD's dual-core 'Kuma' specs listed?

    German spies Phenom X2

    Quite contrary to rumors AMD scrapped its plans to bring dual-core K10 parts to the market, the chip maker may have already begun selling the line to its partners on the sly. German tech site Hardware-Infos says its snooped out what appears to be the primary lineup of the processors (codenamed "Kuma") from a listing on the …

    PCs & Chips 27 Aug 2008, 18:49

  • Google's MapReduce suddenly not so backward

    SQL tools plug gaps

    What was seen as a major hole in Google's MapReduce database technology has been plugged, not once but twice. In the same week. Californian start-up Aster Data and its more established rival Greenplum have both launched SQL integration for MapReduce. The lack of SQL tools was one of the main criticisms levelled at MapReduce …

    Developer 27 Aug 2008, 20:46

  • Feds cuff blogger for Guns N' Roses leak

    Chinese Democracy, American Extremism

    The FBI has arrested a 27-year-old American blogger for leaking some unreleased Guns N' Roses tunes to the internet. According to The Associated Press and Los Angeles Times, the Feds cuffed Culver City, California's Kevin Cogill on Wednesday morning, two months after his web site Antiquiet served up nine tunes from "Chinese …

    Music and Media 27 Aug 2008, 20:48

  • Hijacking huge chunks of the internet - a new How To

    It's easy. Those tubes are busted

    More evidence that the intertubes are fundamentally broken has been served up by Wired.com in an article laying out a technique to surreptitiously hijack huge chunks of the internet and monitor or even modify unencrypted traffic before it reaches its intended destination. The exploit of the routing protocol known as BGP, short …

    Security 27 Aug 2008, 21:16

  • Microsoft and Immersion settle settlement settlement

    The semantics of force feedback

    Microsoft and the force-feedback technology firm, Immersion, appear to have come to final terms after six years of suing each other. In the end, Immersion has agreed to pay $21m to settle its legal dispute with Redmond, and will join Microsoft's Certified Partner Program. By our count, today's settlement settles a settlement …

    Law 27 Aug 2008, 22:02