AT&T Declares First Android Phone, the Backflip
AT&T announced that a its 1st Android phone is definitely the folding Motorola Backflip, that will carry on sale on March 7.
Customers can buy the BackFlip on Mar. 7 for $99, using a $100 rebate, using a two-year agreement required to make discount.
In 2008, AT&T said it would be open to selling phones based on the Android OS in January, AT&T said it would sell a Dell Android-based smartphone
As the name suggests, the most innovative feature in regards to the Backflip may be the hardware design. Closed, the laptop keyboard and screen both face out. A user can flip it flat, or into a sort of V-shape to stand it on the table and watch a movie clip. Propped up in its V shape, it also works being a digital picture frame or alarm clock.
The Backflip is basically a hacked Motorola CLIQ. Its specs have become similar: a 528-MHz Qualcomm MSM 7200A processor, 320-by-480 screen, 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, 3G and Google Android 1.5 OS (a minimum of in January) with Motorola’s MOTOBLUR social-networking add-ons. AT&T wouldn’t officially disclose which version of the Android OS that Backflip would include, but Motorola showed the device off using 1.5 OS.
The Kneber Botnet
“The ZeuS compromise” may appear to be an excellent movie, but it’s actually a newly uncovered, massive hacking network — and it is just a doozy, affecting more than 74,000 PCs in 2,400 business and government systems everywhere. And it’s still up and running.
But worse, the protection analysts who discovered the underground network believe the criminals behind it aren’t despite money. Instead they’ve built a secret underground network to rent seem to gangs, cybercrooks — and even rogue governments.
Here’s the thing you need to know:
ZeuS: ZeuS is a trojan horse, a botnet system designed to steal information from an infected computer. It records specific, targeted keystrokes of the infected computer and relays them to remote computers.
Kneber: Kneber uses the internal name “BTN1,” the default name given to ZeuS botnets. NetWitness has called it “Kneber” after the username linking the infected systems worldwide.
Waledac: Waledac is a peer to peer spamming botnet often used to deliver additional malware to PCs. According to NetWitness, Waledac can reinstall Kneber and vice versa.
Size of Botnet: By counting unique IDs assigned to the botnet, NetWitness estimates that 764,126 computers have been compromised at 2,411 companies.
Age of Botnet: The campaign has been running for nearly a year and is still active. Initial reports from NetWitness tie the origin of the network to 25 March, 2009.
Origin of Attack: By associating domain names with IP address, NetWitness was able to tie the attack to a global network of servers, with a clear focus on Chinese IP addresses.
Targeted Countries: The top five sources for compromised computers: Egypt, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United States.
Type of PC Infected: The ZeuS bot is purpose-built to infect the Microsoft Windows operating system, notes NetWitness. The top five versions of Windows infected: XP Pro SP2, XP Pro SP3, XP Home SP3, XP Home SP2, Vista Home SP2
Information Stolen: NetWitness discovered over 68,000 stolen credentials during a 4-week period. The top 6 credentials stolen: netlog.com, sonico.com, metroflog.com, hi5.com, yahoo.com, facebook.com.
adapted from:
Toyota Recall Update
The auto giant is on the verge of announcing a comprehensive recall program for cars that are at risk of a sticky accelerator.
“We have a remedy,” says Celeste Migliori, national manager of business and field communications for Toyota Motor Sales. “We’re finalizing the details of our accelerator pedal-repair program.” It will be released “soon.”
For Toyota owners and dealers, it means that they will finally be able to put an end to more than a week of uncertainty after the automaker had acknowledged the problem but had no solution.
Owners of recalled Toyotas who are having problems with the accelerator should contact their dealer. Owners with no accelerator problems should check their vehicle identification number (VIN) and call Toyota’s hot line: 800-331-4331 (open Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST and Saturdays 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST).
