Beware of fake versions of FileZilla FTP Client packing malware
It seems malware is everywhere these days, and many a user falls prey to it through emails, downloaded files and malicious websites. One trick is to name a bad file after a popular existing app -- Flash is a top target for this sort of thing.
The FileZilla FTP Client seems to be the latest target in this type of attack. Security researchers at Avast discovered this happening with versions 3.7.3 and 3.5.3 of the software. “We have noticed an increased presence of these malware versions of famous open source FTP clients”, the firm announces.
Create professional video slideshows with PhotoFilmStrip
Converting your favorite photos into a video slideshow can be a great way to share them with others, and there are plenty of free tools to handle the task (Pic View EXESlide, say). But most deliver only very basic results, simply cutting from one static image to another: not exactly interesting.
PhotoFilmStrip takes this idea a little further by making smart use of the Ken Burns effect, where your slideshow smoothly pans and zooms across each image. It produces a much more engrossing and professional video, and is surprisingly easy to set up.
Securely delete confidential files with BitKiller
If you ever work with personal or confidential documents then you’ve probably considered using a shredder, a tool which overwrites your files so they can’t be recovered by others. And there are plenty around: searching for "secure delete" returns lots of capable programs in just the first few hits.
Which file shredder is best for you, though? Most recommendations focus largely on the length of their feature list, but if you’re just looking for something simple, a convenient way to get the job done with the minimum of hassle, then BitKiller could be more interesting.
Google will pay you for improving Android security
Android's success, in the smartphone and tablet markets, makes the operating system's users a popular target for malware writers. Some of the concerns which researchers and security firms frequently expose translate into real threats, while others will likely never see the light of day as they're squashed in their infancy.
Luckily, Google is taking a proactive stance to improving Android's security as the search giant has expanded the patch reward program that was introduced in early October, to also include its Android Open Source Project.
Red Hat OpenShift PaaS now half-price and coming to 14 new countries
When an enterprise is looking to utilize a Platform as a Service (PaaS), there are many options. However, one of the more popular options that emerged in 2011 is Red Hat's OpenShift (the enterprise-class public Silver tier launched in June 2013). Amazingly, the user base has grown 259-percent, while the application count grew by 322-percent year-over-year -- a remarkable feat to say the least.
Today, Red Hat announces that it is not content with this growth, as the company looks to take it even further. "Red Hat is expanding Silver tier availability to 14 new Eurozone countries, including Greece, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Cyprus and Malta. With this expansion, Red Hat’s world-class technical support and additional platform resources is available for developers and application providers in more than 30 countries", says Red Hat Inc.
Google wants to pay Linux and open-source users to be 31337
A company paying developers and users to discover and report bugs is not new. In fact, these bounty programs are rather widespread. Heck, Microsoft even got into the game back in June of this year. However, Google is expanding on that concept and announces that it will pay users for simply improving open-source software; such as components of the Linux kernel.
"We thought about simply kicking off an OSS bug-hunting program, but this approach can easily backfire. In addition to valid reports, bug bounties invite a significant volume of spurious traffic -- enough to completely overwhelm a small community of volunteers. On top of this, fixing a problem often requires more effort than finding it", says Michal Zalewski of the Google Security Team.
Ubuntu Linux finally defaults to 64-bit
I still remember buying my first 64-bit processor -- the AMD Athlon 64 3200+. I bought it a decade ago for a system built in 2003. At the time, home computers were still mostly using 32-bit processors and running 32-bit software. However, one of my favorite Linux distributions, Ubuntu, has been offering 64-bit versions since 2004 with the Warty Warthog release.
Even though Ubuntu has offered a 64-bit version since then, Canonical has always suggested the 32-bit variant as the recommended or default download option -- even today. However, things are about to change. According to Dmitrijs Ledkovs of Canonical, "on the download pages starting from 13.10 release the messaging will be adjusted to direct users by default at the 64-bit image, and hints will be given as to when users should select a 32-bit option instead."
PeaZip 5.1 simplifies scheduled archiving, improves bookmarks
Cross-platform open-source archiving tool PeaZip 5.1 is here. Also available as a standalone 64-bit build and in portable format for Windows users, the latest version adds a new Schedule tab in machines running Windows Vista or later.
The new tab, which is fully integrated with the Windows Task Scheduler, makes it easier to create scheduled archiving and extracting tasks, such as backing up or restoring data from an archive at set intervals.
Linux gets hit by a trojan -- it's time to sudo apt-get scared!
When evangelists pontificate the benefits of Linux, the topic of security always comes up. A big selling point of Linux-based operating systems are that they are generally immune to viruses, trojans and malware. However, this is a falsehood -- no OS is 100 percent safe when it comes to these things. According to security company RSA, a team of Russian cyber-criminals have developed a trojan, named "Hand of Thief", which targets Linux.
The security company explains that the trojan is "designed to steal information from machines running the Linux OS. This malware is currently offered for sale in closed cybercrime communities for $2,000 USD (€1,500 EUR) with free updates. The current functionality includes form grabbers and backdoor capabilities, however, it's expected that the Trojan will have a new suite of web injections and graduate to become full-blown banking malware in the very near future. At that point, the price is expected to rise to $3,000 USD (€2,250 EUR), plus a hefty $550 per major version release".
openSUSE Education says 'get a Li-f-e'
If Linux is good enough for the International Space Station, why not your school computers? The developers over at openSUSE must think so, today releasing Li-f-e (Linux for Education) 12.3-1.
I confess to not being familiar enough with Linux (go ahead, beat me with a stick -- or with words in comments). But a reader complained this week about BetaNews' rather absent coverage of the open-source operating system. He's absolutely right about that. Reporters here tend to write about what they use, and we don't have a Linux lover currently on staff. Please pardon my light treatment of the news, in place of someone more qualified.
Tough luck Windows 8, the international space station is going Linux
Some critics (and, oh, there are many) claim Windows 8 is out of this world -- or not meant for it. That Microsoft reached for the stars but fell to earth. How right they may be. The operating system won't achieve escape velocity anytime soon, and an older version is about to burn up on reentry.
The International Space Station, better known as the ISS, runs on Windows, but that is changing. Launched in 1998, the orbiting home, which circles the earth at an altitude of just over 400 kilometers (it varies), is home to a team of astronauts who depend on, not only supplies from home, but also a computer system that keeps everything running smoothly. That computer system is moving to Linux.
Google Glass is modder-friendly
Unlike many other Android devices, Google's Nexus smartphones and tablets do little to spoil the fun for avid modders. The bootloaders are unlockable and root is just a few steps away. It's no wonder then that the Nexus threads on forums are crawling with custom kernels and green droid distributions and all sorts of apps meant to provide even more functionality than what Google throws in out-of-the-box.
As a result, the fact that Google Glass comes with modder-friendly software shouldn't come as a surprise to any Android enthusiast. The idea is fairly simple -- get developers involved in the process of improving the pair of smart glasses. Why? If Android 4.2 is of any indication, the software giant can take some good custom bits and add them into what will be the next Android iteration available for Google Glass.
Sony releases AOSP project for Xperia Z on GitHub
It is refreshing to see a big Android manufacturer give something back to the enthusiast and developer community that supports its devices. After the Xperia S AOSP (Android Open Source Project) experiment, which came to life in August last year, Sony announces that the recently-introduced Xperia Z will also get an AOSP makeover through an open-source project available on GitHub.
"This is a way for us to continue our commitment to support the open Android community. It is also a tool for us to facilitate and verify contributions to AOSP on the MSM8064 Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro platform", says Sony. "The software will be open for you as a developer to use and contribute to".
'Slightly closed Android ecosystem could be reality by the end of 2015'
That's the prediction Aapo Markkanen, ABI senior analyst, makes today. It's the right call, as Larry Page starts his third year returning as Google CEO. Page resumed duties on April 4, 2011, and the company's direction took a hard turn. Business is more aggressive, altruistic goals less and so-called openness a waning thing. As I asserted a year ago, "Google has lost control of Android". That Page and Company would try to wrestle back control is no surprise.
Facebook Home is good reason. The user interface debuting April 12 takes over the more app-centric Android homescreen, putting the social network first before anything else, including Google+. Facebook's OEM program could put Home on many more devices. HTC already is on board with the First smartphone. Then there is Samsung, which during fourth quarter accounted for 42.5 percent of all Android handset sales, according to Gartner. TouchWiz, which gets a big update with forthcoming Galaxy S4, is the user experience -- not that determined by stock Android. These are but two examples of many.
Intel brings Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean alongside Windows 8
Intel Open Source Technology Center has released an Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean developer preview build of "pre-alpha quality", which is also "buggy and not highly optimized", albeit one that has a major trick up its sleeve. Unlike the common version of the green droid operating system, which mostly runs solely on the ARM architecture, the aforementioned developer preview build -- dubbed Android-IA -- is designed to work on Intel's x86 processor architecture used on Windows-compatible devices.
So what would you need to run this "buggy and not highly optimized" Android 4.2.2 build? Intel says that Android-IA can only boot with UEFI mode enabled within the BIOS, which straight off the bat narrows down the list of compatible devices and therefore the ability to run this green droid build, and includes support for dual-boot alongside Windows 8. The chip maker also warns that even if your device is theoretically compatible, in order to dual-boot with Windows 8 onboard there are certain aspects to be considered beforehand.
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