Stuxnet is a gift to criminals and nation states with malicious intent
A week ago the big malware news was the code known as Flame, Flamer, or sKyWIper (detected by ESET as Win32/Flamer.A), then on June 1, this news broke: "A damaging cyberattack against Iran’s nuclear program was the work of US and Israeli experts and proceeded under the secret orders of President Obama" (Washington Post). Clearly, the antivirus community is going to have a lot to say about this news and there will probably be several posts on the topic from ESET researchers.
Just to give some background, the attack was Stuxnet, a piece of malware that was documented in detail in the ESET white paper Stuxnet Under the Microscope. The goal of Stuxnet was to attack and sabotage Iran’s nuclear program, and as the New York times puts it: "the last of that series of attacks, a few weeks after Stuxnet was detected around the world, temporarily took out nearly 1,000 of the 5,000 centrifuges Iran had spinning at the time to purify uranium".
Android isn't in trouble
Asymco's Horace Dediu asks an interesting question today: "Trouble with the Robot?" -- referring to Android. He hones in on two seemingly convergent trends: a slight sequential dip in US Android share and sharp decline in US subscribers switching from feature phones to smartphones.
Based on his analysis of April data, iPhone sales remain fairly constant, while Android disproportionally declines. "Broken out by platforms, we see signs that the slowing in smartphone growth seems to be attributable to a slowing in Android adoption", Dediu explains. Stated differently, referring to comScore data he adds: "We see the lowest user growth for Android since 2009". The easy interpretation -- Android is now declining before iPhone -- would be wrong.
Instapaper finally lets Android users save sites for offline viewing
Instapaper, the popular iOS application that lets users save web pages for offline reading, was released for Android on Monday, and can now be downloaded in Google Play.
Instapaper's creator Marco Arment released the app exclusively for iOS, and showed a public preference for the platform, hence earning him the label of "Apple Fanboy" from much of the platform-partisan Web. But due to the undeniable success of Android tablets such as Amazon's Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble's Nook, Arment and Android app makers Mobelux have ported Instapaper to Android.
Is backing up your data too much trouble? Try Auslogics BitReplica
Australian utilities developer Auslogics, perhaps most famous for the excellent Disk Defrag tool, has extended its range with the release of BitReplica, a straightforward and free backup tool.
The program clearly aims for simplicity above all else. Create a new backup job, say, and you’re able to choose common backup sources (Documents folder, Pictures, browser and Outlook Profiles) by just checking boxes, which works for us.
Okay, Americans, Samsung Galaxy S III preorders start this week from major carriers
If you're ogling Galaxy S III and thinking "I want", perhaps you should be asking "i what?" Galaxy S III arrives on these shores from all major carriers this month. As for iPhone 4S, well, whatever. Preorders start tomorrow (from Sprint, T-Mobile); June 6 (from Verizon).
But to get lower-cost, subsidized US models, many buyers will gain in network connectivity but lose in raw processing power. US models, also from AT&T, Sprint and US Cellular, are dual-core -- not the quad-core beauts shipping overseas. To get one those babies, unlocked, expect to plunk down at least $650. US, locked, contractual commitment S3s start at $199.99.
Passware Encryption Analyzer hunts down hidden archives
If you manage one or more PCs then you’ll know it can be difficult to make sure they’re all being used as you might like. Should someone want to conceal files from you, say, then if they zip them up and password-protect the archive then there’s very little chance of you ever finding out.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though, not if you install Passware Encryption Analyzer Free, a simple tool that will scan whatever areas of a PC you define and highlight almost any encrypted or password-protected files.
Don't believe the lies, you can have a Start menu on Windows 8 Release Preview
The Internet is awash with dark rumors that the brand newWindows 8 Release Preview Microsoft is getting heavy with users who have bypassed attempts to remove the traditional Start button and menu from the traditional desktop. No doubt you've heard that Microsoft has removed all support for the Start menu in this latest release, bringing a host of Start menu apps grinding to a halt.
We’re here to put you straight. Windows 8 Release Preview works fine with all of the Start menu replacement tools we threw at it, including two of our favorites: Classic Shell and Start8 from Stardock. But while they work now, will the same be true when the final release surfaces later this year?
Windows 8 just got cooler: Asus unveils 'Taichi' dual-screen ultrabook
At Computex 2012 in Taipei, Taiwanese PC maker Asus unveiled a new Windows 8 ultrabook design that features a full-sized HD IPS touchscreen display on the "lid" portion of the device. This second screen allows the device to be used as a tablet when the lid is closed, or as a presentation/screen-sharing tool when it is open.
The Asus Taichi is currently a working design, and Asus says the specs are not yet finalized. However, the company says the Taichi will be available in both 11.6” and 13.3” profiles, will have third generation Intel Core processors with 4 GB of DDR3 memory, and an undisclosed amount of SSD-based storage.
Nintendo jumps and stomps! First to start major announcements for E3
Nintendo filled the lull of the Sunday before E3 -- typically slow with rehashed quick posts of news for most video game journalism. Rather than wait until its Tuesday keynote, Nintendo decided to jump the gun last minute, with details about new Wii U console, including several finalized product specs of the Wii U controllers. The news beat Microsoft and Sony as the first to wow with their console news, coming today.
Now simply called the "Wii U Gamepad", it has been polished down and made thinner, placing joy pads and buttons inward in off-set locations as to help with the ergonomics, adding handgrips on the bottom, making it slightly wider. But all these also make it similar to that of a traditional modern game controller / joy pad. The thumbsliders similar to what was on the Sony PlayStation Portable have been switched for analog thumbsticks, providing support L3 and R3 button presses as well, similar to Playstation and Xbox 360 joypad sticks. There has also been an update with more sensitive motion and gyroscope sensors rounding out the typical video game controller specs.
I'm still confused about Asus Open Cloud Computing [video]
Computex is underway in Taipei, and Asus has a slew of mobile announcements we'll get to in other posts today. I'm scratching my head trying to grok the computer maker's cloud strategy, which looks good in this video but far removed from the reality I live in, or you. It's an idealized future of everywhere sync and help holograms that's more Star Trek than today's tech.
But the concept has meaning, and so there's no misunderstanding: Windows 8 plays an important role in Asus' cloud strategy. Microsoft issued Windows 8 Release Preview on May 31 and anticipates new PCs shipping with gold code for the holidays.
Firefox 13 arrives with major new features -- get it NOW!
Ahead of its official release, Mozilla has uploaded Firefox 13 FINAL to its servers, the latest version of its open-source, cross-platform web browser. Version 13 will be officially unveiled on June 5, when it should also become available as an update to existing Firefox users.
Version 13 is a landmark release, containing a number of major new features: redesigned home and new tab pages, support for “tabs on demand” loading of pages on restoring the previous browsing session to speed up startup, and a new Reset Firefox feature for attempting to fix major problems with a single click.
Game Over! Giant Robot has the video game culture art you crave
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While getting ready for the E3 Expo I decided to stop by Giant Robot in the Los Angeles Japanese cultural district of Sawtelle. There, Giant Robot Owner/Publisher Eric Nakamura was hosting a show of video game culture influenced art.
Techies, June will be the most amazing month EVER
Save your greenbacks now. During these thirty days you'll hear about lots of innovative and imitative products coming for the holidays. There's no coal in Santa's stocking this year, just too much tech to fit your gift list.
Not since the late 1990s, when seemingly every day some vendor announced a new PC that was ever-so-better than the one you bought the week before, is there so much new tech coming so close together. The cloud connected-device era ushers in a storm of tech. Save up now so you don't break the bank account or exceed credit card limits later.
Start off June with one of these 23 software downloads
By far the biggest releases of the past week come from Microsoft. The up-coming Windows 8 is now really not too far away and you can check to see whether your computer is going to be able to run it by downloading yourself a copy of Microsoft Windows 8 Release Preview Setup. This simple little tool can also be used to obtain a product key that can be used to install Microsoft Windows 8 Release Preview (32-bit) or Microsoft Windows 8 Release Preview (64-bit).
Whether you are using the very latest version of Windows or a slightly older one, security is of the utmost importance, and ZoneAlarm Free 10.2.47.0 is a free firewall that helps to protect your internet connection, while IObit Advanced SystemCare 5.3.0.246 is a complete security suite with added optimization options. From the same stables, there is also IObit Advanced SystemCare with Antivirus 2012 (v5.5.2) Beta 2 add virus protection in this preview release.
What's in game at E3 Expo? You wanna know, and we're gonna tell you
Follow me, Patrick Roanhouse, as I cover major press news from the E3: Electronic Entertainment Expo -- the the biggest video game trade show in the United States. Developed and birthed when the video game industry outgrew the once gigantic consumer electronics tradeshow Comdex, E3 expo first pressed the start button in 1995.
Historically Los Angeles based, E3 Expo marks the start-off point for the titans of the video game industry to sell their newest wares to retail corperate buyers for the Latin, American, and European markets in Las Vegas-level neon showcases. An industry, journalism, and buyer only tradeshow, attending E3 Expo typically is the the dream for most video game nerds eager to see the next big thing.
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