 XP Update Skimps WiFi Security Compliance
The confusion over Wi-Fi security certification and interoperability has moved into a new gear, with Microsoft shipping a Windows XP update that is not fully compliant with the latest wireless security specification.
Microsoft Corp.'s update, released earlier this month, promised support for WPA2, aka Wi-Fi Protected Access 2, the newest wireless security specification approved by the IEEE.
However, security researchers quickly discovered that the update fell well short of full WPA2 compliance, a situation that adds to the confusing state of the WLAN (wireless LAN) market.
At the center of the latest hubbub is the Wi-Fi Alliance, the nonprofit group that handles the certification of WLAN gear. Back in April, the Alliance announced the addition of four EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) types to the WPA and WPA2 enterprise certification programs.
The new EAP types, all nonproprietary, are considered significant additions because of the way they fit into the 802.1x framework to support a range of diverse authentication mechanisms.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 29, 2005, 1:31 pm
News Source : eWeek
 BitTorrent v4.1.1 Beta with Trackerless support
BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer protocol designed to transfer files. Users connect directly to send and receive portions of a file, while a central tracker coordinates the action of all peers and manages connections without knowledge of the contents of the files being distributed.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 26, 2005, 1:48 pm
News Source : Warp2Search
Download : BitTorrent
Messenger Plus! 3.54 Released
Messenger Plus! is an add-on for MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger, the two popular Instant Messaging softwares from Microsoft. Messenger Plus! adds different features to Messenger to make it more enjoyable, day after day. A list of the main features can be found on the features section of this site. Remember that Messenger Plus! is not a chat program, it only adds functionalities to Messenger, it can't be used as a standalone application.
Patchou writes:
A small update for Messenger Plus! is now available. Version 3.54 only fixes a couple of small bugs found in version 3.52 in addition to restoring proper Unicode compatibility in every area of the software. Nothing is really new in this release, everything is working fine, users seem to be happy with the current features so there's no point in bloating the software with useless options. Thanks to my new subscription to the Windows Error Reporting system, I've been able to locate and fix a couple of bugs affecting a percentage of my user base.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 26, 2005, 1:45 pm
News Source : Neowin
Download : Messenger Plus
Revenge of the Phishers
Never ones to miss out on the opportunity to hijack some popular culture to spread their evil wares, virus makers have been attacking IM services with a worm and phishing scam around the new Star Wars movie, Revenge of the Sith.
AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger users have reportedly been targeted by the virus. In the case of the AOL worm, the message text adds: "hehe, i found this funny movie." The word "this" is a hyperlink. The Yahoo! message references "StarGames" in the link.
The AOL message downloads malicious code which experts warn could grant someone control over your computer - the Yahoo! one, meanwhile, is a phishing scam redirecting to a page which looks like Yahoo! and encourages visitors to enter personal details.
McAfee warned there had only been one report of the AOL worm in the wild so far, but it could spread over the coming days.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 26, 2005, 1:44 pm
Bypass found for Windows piracy check
Cnet news is reporting that Researcher Debasis Mohanty (bio) has posted a full explanation on how to bypass Microsofts WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) Check.
A quick search on Google returned this post, originally submitted to the Full Disclosure mailing list, titled 'Defeating Microsoft WGA Validation Check'. Microsoft replied to Mohanty in an email stating "The generated code is partly made up of a timestamp, which would prevent use after a short period". Further testing by Mohanty returned a different result; "However, I checked this on a pirated copy of Windows XP Pro and installed couple of public beta products and tools for testing purpose. They are still up and running since past 1.5 months."
In a response to Cnet, an unnamed representative from Microsoft maintained that this posed "very little threat to Microsoft". The WGA check tool, which is downloaded to the computer and executed is still in testing and won't be fully implemented until around the middle of this year. After that date all Windows 2000 & XP users will be required to 'validate' their copy, before downloading anything from Microsofts websites.
WGA was added to the Microsoft Download Center late last year, and does not require Windows XP to be activated. Microsoft has not yet responded to Neowin on this issue, but we'll be keeping our eyes & ears on the ground for any more developments to this story.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 24, 2005, 1:21 pm
News Source : Seclist.org
BitTorrent to launch Search Engine
Wired News is reporting that whiz kid inventor Bram Cohen and a small cadre of developers and entrepreneurs are in the final stage of launching an advertising-supported search engine dedicated to cataloging and indexing the thousands of movies, music tracks, software programs and other files for download over Cohen's popular BitTorrent protocol.
The service was briefy available at http://search.bittorrent.com until late last night after Slashdot readers commented about it's location, after which it was taken offline, it now defaults to an Apache Web Server page.
The service will no doubt be popluar to a horde of ex-napster/kazaa users who illegally trade music and movies online, but in the end, the content industries may find the BitTorrent search engine too useful to mess with. "The copyright owners can now identify the most-trafficked materials that are infringing their copyrights and go after them in a more efficient way," says Lemley. "It's kind of ironic."
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 24, 2005, 1:20 pm
News Source : Wired News
 PS3 to launch first outside Japan
In what would represent a massive break with tradition for the company, Sony Computer Entertainment America boss Kaz Hirai has suggested that the PlayStation 3 may not launch in Japan first. Hirai dismissed rumours that Sony has already decided to follow the console's Japanese launch with a US release in the autumn, telling the CNBC network: "We haven't determined which territory we will go with first this time around just yet.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 23, 2005, 9:36 am
News Source : GamesIndustry.biz
Current-gen Xbox games to be "recompiled" for Xbox 360
Following earlier indications that the Xbox 360 will only be backwards compatible with some Xbox games, Microsoft has admitted that existing software will need to be recompiled before it can be run on the new console. The problem, it says, is down to hardware incompatibility - since the current Xbox uses an Intel processor, but the 360 will use IBM's PowerPC architecture, while NVIDIA's graphics solution is being replaced with an ATI one.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 23, 2005, 9:35 am
News Source : GamesIndustry.biz
Quake 4 screenshots
Half a dozen new screenshots for Quake 4 are now available for download in medium and ginormous resolutions to reveal more of the futuristic first-person shooter sequel in the works at Raven Software. If you prefer, you can also check out the images online.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 23, 2005, 9:34 am
News Source : 3D Gamers
 TDK Develops 100GB Blu-ray Disc
TDK has developed a prototype Blu-ray Disc that can store twice as much data, and record it at twice the speed, as existing Blu-ray Discs.
The disc, unveiled at a TDK exhibition in Tokyo this week, can record data at 72 megabits per second, double the 36 mbps rate for current Blu-ray Discs. TDK increased the write speed by using a more powerful laser and making some changes to the material of the disc's recording layer, says Nobuyuki Koike, a spokesperson for TDK.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 23, 2005, 9:33 am
News Source : PCWorld
AMD to launch dual-core Athlon 64 on May 31
Advanced Micro Devices will launch the first dual-core version of its Athlon 64 desktop processor at Taiwan's Computex trade show on May 31. The AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor will be launched on the first day of Computex, the mammoth show that brings most of Taiwan's computer hardware, software, and technology industry face-to-face with technology buyers from around the world, the company said Friday. AMD has used Computex in prior years to launch new processors. If previous years are a guide, the processor will likely be accompanied by the introduction of compatible motherboards produced by Taiwanese companies.
Dual-core processors contain two processors on a single piece of silicon and give users improved performance. This is because processor-intensive tasks like editing video and burning optical discs can be handled independently so they don't slow each other down as might happen in a single-core processor. Until now, most desktop and server processors have had a single core but several dual-core chips have been launched.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 23, 2005, 9:32 am
News Source : Neowin
 Apple recalls notebook batteries - again
Apple has asked 128,000 notebook computer users to return their PowerBook or iBook batteries on the off-chance the components could overheat and catch figure. The batteries were produced by South Korea's LG Chem, which also made the 15in PowerBook batteries Apple was forced to recall last August. The recall, which covers all 12in and 15in PowerBooks, and 12in iBooks sold worldwide between October 2004 and May 2005, inclusive. The batteries in question are model numbers A1061, A1078 and A1079, with serial numbers HQ441 - HQ507, 3X446 - 3X509 and 3X446 - 3X510, respectively. You can view your battery's model and serial number by removing the cover and taking a peek.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 23, 2005, 9:32 am
News Source : Neowin
Google's Home Page Gets Personal
Google launched a new personalized service this week that incorporates features such as Google News and Gmail onto the company's notoriously sparse home page. The service allows visitors to Google's site to display content of their choosing below the query box on Google.com. Examples include headlines from The New York Times or the British Broadcasting Corp., stock quotes, weather information, and as many as nine incoming Gmail messages, says Marissa Mayer, director of consumer Web products at Google.
The Mountain View, California, company demonstrated the service during a press event at its headquarters. Currently available for preview at Google Labs, the personalized service allows visitors to include information from 12 different feeds on their view of the Google home page. Google will add support for a variety of RSS feeds to the personalized service within one to two months, Mayer says. Anyone with a free Google Account can set up a page, she says. The service was rolled out as a beta product, similar to how Google News and Gmail, the company's Web e-mail service, were introduced.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 23, 2005, 9:31 am
Fake Microsoft Patch Triggers Virus Attack
Like day follows night, a bogus "cumulative update" with a malicious attachment has followed Microsoft's patch day.
In what has become a monthly staple, virus writers are taking advantage of the heightened public interest around Microsoft's patching cycle to trick users into executing a malicious attachment.
The latest social engineering trick arrives via e-mail with an attachment that purports to be a "cumulative patch" for May 2005.
The claim is that the executable file contains patches for vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express, three widely used products with a history of serious security bugs.
The file is actually an executable for a variant of W32.Pinfi, a memory-resident polymorphic virus capable of replicated via mapped drives and network shares.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 23, 2005, 9:30 am
News Source : eWeek
 Details of ATI's Xbox 360 GPU unveiled
With Microsoft's official announcement of the next-generation Xbox 360 console this week, ATI has decided to disclose some of the architectural details of the graphics processor that it created for the system. I had a brief but enlightening conversation with Bob Feldstein, Vice President of Engineering at ATI, who helped oversee the Xbox 360 GPU project. He spelled out some of the GPU's details for me, and they're definitely intriguing.
Feldstein said that ATI and Microsoft developed this chip together in the span of two years, and that they worked "from the ground up" to do a console product. He said that Microsoft was a very good partner with some good chip engineers who understood the problems of doing a non-PC system design. Also, because the part was custom created for a game console, it could be designed specifically for delivering a good gaming experience as part of the Xbox 360 system.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 23, 2005, 9:29 am
News Source : The Tech Report
U.S. Army licenses Unreal Engine 3 technology
West Point, NY May10, 2005 - The U.S. Army today announced that it is expanding its technology agreement with Epic Games. Since 2000, Epic's Unreal? Engine 2 has served as the foundation for America's Army, the Official U.S. Army Game. To take advantage of leap-ahead capabilities afforded by Epic Games' newest engine, the Army will begin developing its next generation versions of America's Army on the Unreal Engine 3? in the coming months. "The Unreal Engine has enabled us to develop one of the most popular games in the world. At the same time, the Unreal Engine has provided us the power and flexibility to develop revolutionary training and education applications for use across the government," said Colonel Casey Wardynski, project director and originator of the "America's Army" concept. "The gameplay, environments and immersive action generated using Unreal Engine 3 will allow us to create ever more realistic scenarios and environments through which young adults can learn about Soldiering and through which Soldiers can master skills ranging from lifesaving to countering IEDs in the Global War on Terrorism."
The America's Army game (www.americasarmy.com) has placed Soldiering into popular culture by providing young adults the means to explore key Soldier lifecycle experiences from basic training to operations in the Global War on Terrorism. Since the America's Army game launched, gamers have completed more than 1.34 billion missions and 94 million hours virtually exploring progressive developmental experiences ranging from basic training to the Special Forces Qualification Course. Upcoming versions of the game include America's Army: Special Forces Overmatch, which will release this fall; and America's Army: Stryker-Overmatch to be released this winter. By harnessing the power of the Unreal Engine, America's Army produces extraordinarily engaging and realistic environments and experiences. As a result, a wide variety of agencies from the U.S. Navy to national laboratories have repurposed America's Army for applications ranging from appended training devices for weapon systems to adaptive thinking and leadership training simulations.
"Our relationship with the Army has proven that Unreal Engine 3's flexibility, versatility and wide array of features can be deployed for greater purposes beyond traditional gaming," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "We are delighted that our technology is supporting the Army in achieving its mission of showcasing the Army and helping to drive the America's Army game series to new levels. It's also really exciting for us to see how our technology can be used to help the Army prepare its Soldiers for the challenges they confront in real-life scenarios."
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 12, 2005, 3:11 pm
News Source : Shacknews
Midway announces Unreal Tournament 2007
Next installment in Epic Games' popular sci-fi shooter series will ship for the PC in 2006 and will be on display at E3 next week.
While Xbox owners got a fresh injection of Unreal action last month with the release of Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict, PC owners will have to wait a little longer for their fix. Midway Games today took the wraps off Unreal Tournament 2007, the successor to the highly praised Unreal Tournament 2004. Like all previous Unreal games, UT2007 is being developed by North Carolina-based Epic Games. It will be based on the developer's much-ballyhooed Unreal 3 engine and will be released for the PC in 2006.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 12, 2005, 3:09 pm
News Source : Gamespot
Far Cry AMD64 / WinXP Pro x64 upgrade
Ubi Soft sends along an AMD64 / WinXP Pro x64 upgrade for Far Cry along with an "exclusive content" add-on for the tropical island first-person shooter by Crytek Studios. Word on the massive downloads is: "The AMD64 upgrades of Far Cry are meant to run on the final released version of the new Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. If you are running a Beta version of this software, we cannot insure compatibility. Please note that the goal of the AMD64 upgrades is to transform the 32-bit version of the game into a 64-bit version of the game to be played on the Windows XP Pro x64 Edition OS."
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 12, 2005, 3:08 pm
News Source : 3D Gamers
Download : Upgrade
Remedy unveils their self funded title: Alan Wake
First screenshots of the new Remedy's new game title, Alan Wake, have been unveiled.
Also according to the official homepage we can except the game to be "A Psychological Action Thriller".
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 12, 2005, 3:07 pm
First Everquest II expansion pack announced
Sony sent along a press release this afternoon detailing the first expansion pack and the second adventure pack for Everquest II. Desert of Flames which is the expansion pack will retail for $29.99 and will be released September 12th 2005. And The Splitpaw Saga which is the second adventure pack will cost $7.99 and be available through digital download only on June 28th 2005.
?Through our regular live updates for EverQuest II we?ve not only added a couple thousand quests and dozens of new adventure instances, we?ve changed the way people play our game with new features,? said Scott Hartsman, senior producer, Sony Online Entertainment. ?Expansions and adventure packs, however, let us do even more. In Desert of Flames we?ve created a home for some great new player versus player gameplay, with some unique twists. The Splitpaw Saga does more than tell an interesting story; it also includes the addition of dungeon instances that scale to your group?s level. Both of these additions to EverQuest II let us do things we?ve never done before and we?re excited about our plans for the next six months.?
In Desert of Flames, players will experience exciting gameplay-changing features and can explore never-before-seen areas filled with new quests, monsters, and loot. Desert of Flames is centered around the newly discovered, vibrantly colorful city of Maj?dul. Set in an Arabian Nights theme, players can choose to battle in special new arenas either against other players or against creatures in a new style of player versus player combat. Other exciting features include a dozen new zones and epic encounters, over 40 new creatures, a level range increase to 60 for all players and new voice-over emotes for player characters.
The Splitpaw Saga is the second adventure pack for EverQuest II, following the success of EverQuest?II The Bloodline Chronicles, released by SOE in March 2005. Adventure packs offer players downloadable story-rich content whereas expansion packs add gameplay changing features and large amounts of land. The Splitpaw Saga leads players through a series of event-based zones by using moveable planks, crates, and barrels. These zones add both replay value and cater to players of all levels since the content dynamically scales to the level of the group.
For more information visit the Desert of Flames website and the Splitpaw Saga website.
News Posted by : DoDgEtHiS On
: May 12, 2005, 3:06 pm
News Source : Neowin
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