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PATH: BS | Technology | Computers Cats and Dogs Protect Web Sites From Spammers Posted by Pile (28043 views) [E-Mail link] [Eureka!] If you've been online for any length of time you know that many web sites now have a system called CAPTCHA which is a "human recognition system" that tries to stop automated programs from posting messages online. This is usually done by tossing up an annoying image with distorted numbers and letters and asking a user to repeat the phrase. Sometimes even humans can't read the stupid images. Enter Microsoft with their Asirra project. They're working on a new human-detection technology which also has the added benefit of promoting animal adoption. In combination with Petfinder, they display images of animals and ask the user to identify the difference between cats and dogs. This system is apparently much harder to defeat than regular CAPTCHA, and you could end up with a fuzzy new companion in the process! READ MORE | 1 comment since 2008-08-18 16:18:40 | Comment on this Article MPAA Caught Pirating Software Posted by Pile (24087 views) [E-Mail link] The Chairman of the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America). You remember the MPAA right? This is the high-and-mighty organization that is in charge of convincing and threatening people with legal action if they violate copyright or licensing terms of movies and music. It turns out the MPAA blog is run by a piece of software called "Forest Blog" - a Freeware blog, and one of the few things the author asks is that if you use the software in a commercial environment, pay about $40 for the registration, and don't remove the links to the author's original site. Of course, the MPAA apparently installed the software, didn't register and removed the links and credits from it before they let their executives use the blog software to rant and rave about the evils of piracy. To make matters worse, the MPAA ignored the author's initial requests to legitimize the software, until it became public, then they pulled the site and sent him a letter saying the blog they installed was a "proof of concept" and didn't have its own domain, so therefore it wasn't an issue. Even though then, they didn't pay for the software! READ MORE | No comments | Comment on this Article Microsoft Windows Vista May Destroy iPods Posted by Pile (18543 views) [E-Mail link] If you have an iPod, Apple is now recommending that upgrading to Microsoft's new Windows Vista may be a big mistake -- aside from the previous rants about the software nerfing your XP license, not allowing downgrades and other issues, the latest is, according to Apple, Vista could destroy your iPod! READ MORE | 11 comments since 2008-08-18 18:06:44 | Comment on this Article Nintendo Worried About Uncoordinated Wii Users Posted by Pile (10566 views) [E-Mail link] [Faulty Products] With the Wii console due to be released in Europe tomorrow and already out in other major territories, Nintendo execs have acknowledged media reports of uncoordinated gamers causing damage to televisions, furniture, and even fellow players. The next-generation, motion-sensitive controller that Nintendo's new videogame uses is apparently causing gaming nerds to flail about in their living rooms, causing damage. Nintendo's response to the issue? It's telling gamers to "calm down." Calm down? After you stood in line for several days in the freezing cold to pick up these units, maybe they're just flailing about to bring circulation back to their limbs? READ MORE Just When You Thought Your Network Was Secure Posted by Pile (8460 views) [E-Mail link] Check out this video from England demonstrating what people can find out from you in very short order... and you thought you were taking precautions so nobody could get access to your computer or data right? READ MORE | No comments | Comment on this Article Adobe PDF "features" Leave Users Vulnerable Posted by Pile (10709 views) [E-Mail link] [Faulty Products] A British security researcher has figured out a way to manipulate legitimate features in Adobe PDF files to open back doors for computer attacks. David Kierznowski, a penetration testing expert specializing in Web application testing, has released proof-of-concept code and rigged PDF files to demonstrate how the Adobe Reader program could be used to launch attacks without any user action. READ MORE Microsoft Dares Hacker Community To Expose Vista Posted by Pile (10660 views) [E-Mail link] After suffering embarrassing security exploits over the past several years, Microsoft Corp. is trying a new tactic: inviting some of the world's best-known computer experts to try to poke holes in Vista, the next generation of its Windows operating system. I'm not sure this means much, considering Microsoft has already issued several security patches to vista over the last six months, and it's still probably a year or more away from release. Chances are it'll take the hacker community about six seconds to divulge vulnerabilities. Our guess here at BSAlert is that Microsoft is asking the tech community at large to help it solve it's own security problems. READ MORE | 1 comment since 2008-08-19 02:22:31 | Comment on this Article Dude, You're Gettin' A Fireman Posted by Pile (9036 views) [E-Mail link] [Faulty Products] A person attending a conference in Japan sat just feet away from a Dell laptop computer that suddenly exploded into flames, in what could have been a deadly accident. "The damn thing was on fire and produced several explosions for more than five minutes". Should you witness such an event, his advice is, "Don't try anything courageous/stupid, stay away, away, away!" Imagine this happening on a plane? Imagine them banning laptops from airplanes. READ MORE Washington D.C. Employee Data Stolen Posted by Pile (8976 views) [E-Mail link] A laptop containing the Social Security numbers and other personal data of 13,000 District of Columbia employees and retirees has been stolen, officials said. The computer was stolen Monday from the Washington home of an employee of ING U.S. Financial Services, which administers the district's retirement plan. READ MORE | No comments | Comment on this Article Major Vulnerability Found in Symantec Norton Antivirus Posted by Pile (10182 views) [E-Mail link] Yesterday, it was publicly disclosed that users running versions of Symantec Norton Antivirus have a serious remote-code-execution vulnerability condition. No user intervention is even required. Peoples' PCs can be taken over without any action on their part. Good one Symantec! Reason #78,454,320 to not use Norton's Antivirus. READ MORE | No comments | Comment on this Article 10 Articles displayed. Show More Articles.

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