Trojan malware infects 600,000 MACs in U.S., Canada
Windsor Genova – AHN News News Writer Cupertino, CA, United States (AHN) – A Russian anti-virus developer has unmasked the vulnerability of Mac OS X baring that 600,000 Mac computers have been infected with a Trojan malware used by cyber criminals to hijack PCs and steal its users’ passwords. Dr. Web said the Macs that have been turned into botnets by the Flashback Trojan are in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Australia, including nearly 300 computers in Cupertino, where Mac maker Apple Inc. is based. Apple, which produces Mac computers, responded by releasing a Java software update on Wednesday to prevent the Flashback Trojan from installing on the machines when users visit websites masquerading as a source of Adobe Flash Player plug-ins. The security firm F-Secure also posted online instructions on how to know if a Mac is infected with the Trojan and how to remove the malware. Anti-virus researchers discovered the Flashback Trojan in September on fake Flash Player updates. The Trojan, once downloaded, deactivates the Mac’s security software. A new version of Flashback Trojan comes from bogus Flash Player sites and infects Macs through its Java programming language, according to Dr. Web’s chief executive Boris Sharov. The Trojan’s code then informs the computer hijackers, who then starts to control the machine and look for user’s personal data. Sharov said they were able to study the new version of the malware by hijacking and recovering a Mac botnet. Java developer Oracle fixed the vulnerability of the Java language in February but this did not help Mac users as Apple alone handles Java updates on Mac OS X. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
How to Defrag a Mac Hard Drive
Defragging a Mac hard drive is a thing of the past because of the way that OS X manages files. After installing system updates or new applications, the computer will optimize itself. There are ways to periodically clean up your computer and defrag a Mac hard drive, but it can take a few hours and [...]
French Ban Words ‘Twitter’ And ‘Facebook’ From TV, Radio
How do you say Twitter and Facebook in French? You don’t say them at all. France has banned the names of both social networking sites from being spoken on radio or television, unless they are part of a news story. The reason for the ban goes back to a 1992 decree that says mentioning such services by name is an act of advertising. Therefore, using the terms “Twitter” and “Facebook” constitutes preferential treatment. Christine Kelly, a spokesperson for France’s Conseil Superieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA), explained the ban. “Why give preference to Facebook, which is worth billions of dollars, when there are many other social networks that are struggling for recognition,” she told L’Express . “This would be a distortion of competition. If we allow Facebook and Twitter to be cited on air, it’s opening a Pandora’s Box– other social networks will complain to us saying, ‘why not us?’” But critics highlight the absurdity of such an edict. TechCrunch writes: Instead of referring to specific social networking pages, like saying “Find us at Facebook.com/Audi” or follow us on “Twitter.com/Pepsi” brands will have to skirt around the issue, saying things like “Find us on social networking sites!,” or directing viewers to their community pages and hoping that viewers will just pick up on where to go. Ex-pat blogger Matthew Fraser attributed the new restrictions to traditional French protectionism when it comes to the spread of American culture. “Facebook and Twitter are, of course, American social networks,” he wrote. “In France, they are regarded — at least implicitly — as symbols of Anglo-Saxon global dominance — along with Apple, MTV, McDonald’s, Hollywood, Disneyland, and other cultural juggernauts. That there is a deeply-rooted animosity in the French psyche towards Anglo-Saxon cultural domination cannot be disputed.” Back in 2003, the French banned the use of the word “email” in all government communications and publications. Read more: France Facebook , France Bans Facebook , France Twitter , French Ban Facebook , Csa , France Bans Twitter , French Ban Twitter , Technology News
Coming Soon: Verizon’s New Plan For Families
By Sinead Carew NEW YORK (Reuters) – Verizon Wireless expects to offer family plans for data services supporting multiple devices including smartphones and tablet computers at some point in the future, according to a top executive of parent company Verizon Communications. (VZ.N) Verizon Wireless plans to kick off pricing changes this summer by eliminating smartphone plans that allow unlimited Web access for a flat fee. It will replace them with tiered pricing that forces heavy data users to pay more for mobile data. After this change the company will look to soften the blow by offering more options such as family plans for data services, Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo told the Reuters Global Technology Summit. While families can share a bucket of minutes for phone calls today, each family member with a smartphone has to pay $30 per month each for data services. If they own a tablet computer they pay another separate data fee. “We had individual minutes for individual users. Then we eventually got to what we call family share where everyone in the family shares the same minutes,” Shammo said. “I think it’s safe to assume that at some point you are going to have mega-plans (for data) and people are going to share that mega-plan based on the number of devices within their family. That’s just a logical progression,” he said, but did not provide a time frame for such mega-plans. HIGH-SPEED IPHONE? Like its rival AT&T Inc (T.N), Verizon is limiting usage of data services to avoid putting a strain on its network or increasing network costs out of proportion with monthly fees. But since they are also dependent on data services for revenue growth, operators are still figuring out how to cap usage in a way that makes data services affordable enough for consumers to use devices other than phones on their network. In February Verizon ramped up its competitive efforts against AT&T by launching a version of the Apple Inc (AAPL.O) iPhone, which had previously been exclusive to AT&T. While Verizon has sold fewer iPhones than some analysts expected, Shammo said he was happy with sales of the “six-month-old phone” that only works in some countries. When the next iPhone model launches Verizon will be able to offer it at the same time as AT&T. Verizon’s version will also work in as many …
Judge overturns $625 million Apple patent award (Reuters)
Reuters – A Texas judge has overturned a $625 million patent infringement award against Apple Inc, saying the jury erred in finding the maker of Mac computers used technology owned by Mirror Worlds LLC illegally.
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