Virus attacks Android phones in China

Virus attacks Android phones in China

A powerful virus targeting smart phones in China running Google Inc's Android operating system may represent the most sophisticated bug to target mobile devices to date, security researchers said on Thursday.

Anti-virus firm Lookout Mobile Security estimates that the number of phones that have been infected by the virus, dubbed Geinimi, ranges from the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.

Researchers said that the virus has yet to wreak havoc, though, and that they were unsure what its authors were seeking to accomplish.

"It is not clear to us what the purpose of it is," said Kevin Mahaffey, chief technology officer for Lookout. "It could be anything from a malicious advertising network to an attempt to create a botnet."

A botnet is an army of enslaved computers that its controllers can compromise for identity theft, use to launch attacks to shut down websites or turn into spam email servers.

Still, the emergence of Geinimi underlines concerns that hackers are shifting from focusing on attacking PCs to targeting mobile devices as sales of the powerful handheld computers take off and users increasingly put sensitive data in their pockets.

Phones become contaminated with Geinimi when users download software applications that have been repackaged to include the virus, according to researchers from Lookout and Symantec Corp.

Tainted programs include versions of the video games Monkey Jump 2, President vs. Aliens, City Defense and Baseball Superstars 2010, according to Lookout.

Lookout researchers said that so far they have only found the tainted software at third-party apps stores targeting the Chinese market. Legitimate versions of the applications in the official Android market appear to be safe, they said.

Compromised phones call back to a remote computer for instructions on what to do at five-minute intervals. Then they transmit information on the device's location, its hardware ID and SIM card back to the remote computer.

So far the remote computers have been collecting data but have not issued any other orders to the infected phones, Mahaffey said.

Liam Murchu, a research manager with anti-virus software maker Symantec, said that infected devices could be ordered to make calls, send text messages and download other malicious software onto the phones.

Top 10 Forbidden Technology

Top 10 Forbidden Technology

The very notion of technology is to help the human race live better. However, in certain countries, some technologies are ban. Below is a list of the Top 10 Technology Bans.

1. UAE, Saudi Arabia Ban the BlackBerry

Americans are used to having BlackBerrys glued to their hands, but after Oct. 11, travelers who fly to the United Arab Emirates will have to check their precious data service at the border. The UAE's telecommunications regulator announced Aug. 1 that because of security concerns, visitors and the some half-million local subscribers will have to learn to live without BlackBerry messaging, e-mail and Internet. The Emirates, and other countries such as India and Kuwait, have long battled with Research in Motion, the Canadian company that makes the BlackBerry, over the device's encryption, which makes it virtually impossible for governments to monitor the content for politically or morally objectionable material.
2. Pakistan Bans Facebook

Turns out South Park + Muhammad + Facebook + Pakistan is not a good combination. On May 19, Pakistan issued a court order banning the social-networking site nationwide, in response to a campaign by some Facebook members called "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day!" The campaign, in the name of free speech, was initially meant to defend a highly criticized South Park episode that featured Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, in a bear suit. The Facebook page prompted users to submit drawings of the Prophet — some of which were rather explicit and racist — and was seen as "deliberately and recklessly" blasphemous by the Lahore-based court.
3. The Great Firewall of China

China has more Internet addicts than most countries have people, and its leadership knows full well the power of the Web. A government white paper in June hailed the Internet as "a crystallization of all human wisdom" but, in typical Beijing speak, reminded the world that "within Chinese territory, the Internet is under the jurisdiction of Chinese sovereignty. The Internet sovereignty of China should be respected and protected." What this alludes to is the vast, often mysterious set of blocks and bans the authoritarian government has imposed, sometimes relaxed and then reimposed on whole swaths of the online world.

4. Laser Pointers

It seemed like such a good idea. As PowerPoint overtook slide projectors, lasers, once the preserve of missile-defense systems and rock concerts, allowed a presenter to emphasize a point without getting in the way of the pretty slides. Soon, laser pointers became smaller and more powerful. You could have one on your key chain and dazzle your boss in a budget meeting. You could point to the constellation Orion and wow your kids. You could even use one to ward off bears while camping. Or you could shoot a soccer goalie in the eye during a World Cup qualifier (Saudi Arabia vs. South Korea, 2008) or perhaps point it at passing planes. In 2008, following a rash of laser attacks on Sydney passenger jets, the Australian government banned high-powered lasers. Most of Europe followed suit, and while the U.S. allows medium-powered pointers (up to 5 mw), anything more powerful will get you in trouble with the law.
 

5. Colleges Ban Napster

At the turn of this century, there were pretty much two ways to get music: watch MTV (when it played music) or shell out nearly 20 bucks for a CD. Enter Shawn Fanning, a Northeastern University student who invented Napster, a computer program that allowed users to share songs over the Internet. Music was suddenly everywhere, and it was all free. In one of the first great battles over intellectual property in the Internet era, mega-metal band Metallica sued Napster for copyright infringement. But college students had more immediate concerns. Colleges began banning Napster, because the website's file sharing used up all available bandwidth

6. Israel Blocks the iPad

Israel is home to some of the most cutting-edge technology in the world, but its gadget geeks fumed for two weeks in April when Tel Aviv barred the introduction of the iPad on Israeli soil. During that spell, any passenger landing in the country with the device had it confiscated and was forced to pay $12 a day to have it kept in storage. State authorities said at the time that the wi-fi functions of the iPad conformed to U.S. standards, not the European ones in place in Israel, and therefore constituted a potentially disruptive threat to the country's military frequencies — a claim with little evidence to support it. The ban was lifted on April 25, after much hand-wringing and with little explanation.

7. Cell Phones in Cuba

When Fidel Castro decided to officially hand over the reins of power in Cuba to his younger brother Raúl on Feb. 24, 2008, it would have been illegal for Fidel to notify him via commercial cell phone. Over the course of his half-century of rule, Fidel defended the restrictions he placed on Cuba's 11 million citizens by saying they were necessary sacrifices in the "battle of ideas" against enemy numero uno — the U.S. By the time mobile technology spread its networks throughout the interconnected world, it was just another innovation that wasn't destined to arrive on the communist island. Officially, that is. The thriving Cuban black market, facilitated by help from friends and family in Miami, and its pricey cell phones flew in the face of the Commandante's revolutionary rhetoric. So when Raúl consented to reality and had the cell-phone ban lifted on April 1, 2008, it was the first of several major modernizations he would usher in.

8. Music-Free Marathons

You know that sinking feeling you get when you arrive at the gym and realize you've forgotten your iPod at home? Now imagine running 26 miles without music. In 2007, USA Track & Field, the governing body for running, banned headphones and portable audio players like iPods at its official races. The measure was meant to protect the runners' safety (maybe they wouldn't hear course directions) and ensure there wasn't a competitive advantage (because, you know, Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" can really getcha movin'). Luckily for music-loving racers, the rule is nearly impossible to enforce, given the throngs of runners and smallness of the devices. USA Track & Field amended the rule in 2008 to allow the use of headphones and music players in nonchampionship races.
 

9. Google Street View

Street View is the next generation of Google mapping — why squint at the world from the remove of a satellite when you can get a full panoramic view on the ground? By 2008, the company started rolling out its Street View maps, compiled in part by teams of cameramen in cars patrolling nearly every nook and cranny of America's cities and eventually cities in Europe and Asia. But Street View raised obvious privacy concerns. Who wants to be shown exiting a strip club or urinating in public (as some Street View snapshots that went viral revealed)?

10. Apple's Sexy Apps

These apps would have taken the concept of AppleCare to a whole new level. In late February 2010, Apple officially banned from its iTunes Store applications that were deemed too lewd and lascivious. Among the apps deemed out of bounds was iBoobs, in which users toggle through wobbling bosoms on display. Techies saw the move as a sign that Apple would maintain a heavy hand in regulating its marketplace. And it was in that spirit that Apple had earlier rolled out parental controls in the summer of 2009. As for deciding what crosses the line — indeed, some swimsuit-centric apps have gotten the okay — Apple might be wise to embrace the classic threshold for obscenity offered in 1964 by that great temple of romance, the U.S. Supreme Court

How to make money from your blogs

How to make money from your blogs

Many of the individual who write blogs today simply want to share their opinion on something. But then there are the business-minded folks, who have found a way to use blogs, or Web logs, to bring in a little extra pocket money too.

If you're interested in taking it further — blogging for money, if you will — here are five simple strategies that could turn your blog into a moneymaker.

1. Sell advertising. 
This is likely the most common means of leveraging a blog to generate income. If yours happens to become a well-known blog, or one that is well-received in a particular niche, it's always possible to sell ad space on your own. For lesser-known blogs, services such as Google's AdSense or BlogAds enable bloggers to establish ad programs. AdSense's — which lets you select several ads that are consistent with the content of your blog — pays you based on how many readers click on the ads for further information. Even better, it's free. BlogAds, on the other hand, hooks bloggers up with would-be advertisers and levies a commission in return for any ad placements that result. "The nice thing, too, is that the ads are relatively unobtrusive," says Scott Allen, co-author of "The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online." 

2. Help sell others' products. 
Here is another click-through opportunity. Affiliate programs enable your blog to serve as a conduit between readers and online sites offering various goods and services. All you need to do is to get the traffic volume up.

One popular choice is Amazon.com. If, for instance, you offer book reviews or even just mention a book in passing in your blog, an affiliate program provides a means for your readers to click directly from your blog to Amazon to obtain further information about the book. If they break out the checkbook or charge card, you get paid as well.

3. Solicit contributions for 'worthy cause' blogs.Not every blog-related income opportunity involves hawking goods or services. As Blanche DuBois did in "A Streetcar Named Desire," consider relying on the kindness of strangers. Ask for contributions or donations or to some, beers money. If, for instance, your small-business blog supports a cause or issue in some fashion — say you repeatedly mention tax reform, health care or some other topic — you can always ask for reader support. Even if you've attracted a group of regular followers who simply enjoy reading what you have to say, they may be willing to underwrite their loyalty with a little financial help. Programs such as PayPal make it easy to establish a simple on-site contribution collection button. "There are lots of worthy 'cause' blogs that would qualify for donations from grateful members of the blog community," says Las Vegas communications consultant Ned Barnett.

4. Market your services in your blog. 
Many people associate blogs exclusively with a cyberspace-based soapbox — a place to shout your opinions and little more than that. Granted, blogs are an ideal venue to share your thoughts with others, but don't overlook their capacity to generate new business as well. When appropriate, work in references to what you do and, in turn, what you may be able to offer any would-be client or customer who may be reading your blog. That can spread your opinion and your business moxie at the same time. Instead of short commentaries that begin a dialogue with readers, as many blogs do, write the equivalent of journal articles that demonstrate your abilities, strategies and perspectives on specific issues. When it resonates, it means money.

5. Use a blog to deepen your existing customer relations.
Nor does any marketing material inserted in blog content have to be limited to bringing in completely new business. By using a blog to regularly communicate with existing clients as well as other readers, you can take advantage of the opportunity to fully inform them about everything your business does. That may expand your readers' understanding of the full scope of your products or services. "My blog has helped existing clients determine the range of my skills and services," says Ted Demopoulos of Demopoulos Associates, a Durham, N.H. consulting and training concern. "One client who had only used me for training in the past was surprised at my range of expertise and is now using me for a consulting project. Another who only used me on technical projects is now considering me for a more business-oriented project.