Yahoo Mail bugs may be behind Android 'botnet' spam, says researcher

Jul 06, 2012 02:12 pm | Computerworld

Botnet-not-a-botnet dustup between Microsoft and Google may have another explanation, says Lookout Security: Yahoo Mail for Android vulnerabilities

by Gregg Keizer

Accusations that an Android-based botnet is spewing spam may, in fact, be no such thing, but instead a sign that criminals are exploiting bugs in the Yahoo Mail app for Google's mobile operating system, a security firm said today.
"There's no smoking gun, but my guess is that it's not malware," said Kevin Mahaffrey, co-founder and CTO of San Francisco-based Lookout Security, essentially dismissing the botnet possibility. "It's more likely an issue with the Yahoo Mail app."
Lookout has discovered what Mahaffrey called "potential security issues" in Yahoo's Android app, and reported its findings to the California search company's security team.
"They've acknowledged that they're looking into and working on these [issues], but until they complete their investigation, we are not disclosing any more information," Mahaffrey said in an interview Friday.
In a blog post Thursday, Lookout also said the vulnerabilities it found "have potentially broader implications for all Android users of Yahoo! Mail."
News first circulated Tuesday about a possible Android-based botnet -- if accurate, a first -- when Terry Zink, a program manager for Microsoft's enterprise-grade Forefront security product team, reported that spam messages were originating from Yahoo's servers and being sent from Android devices.
Other security researchers, including those at U.K.-based Sophos, reached the same conclusion after analyzing some of the spam messages.
Google has denied that the spam is being sent by an Android botnet.
"Our analysis suggests that spammers are using infected computers and a fake mobile signature to try to bypass anti-spam mechanisms in the email platform they're using," Google told the IDG News Service -- like Computerworld, a division of IDG -- yesterday.
Several security experts took Google's side, theorizing that the spam actually originated from a run-of-the-mill botnet composed of compromised Windows PCs, and as Google said, had been disguised as mobile mail to avoid detection.
Since Google's denial, Zink and Sophos have backtracked somewhat from their claims, but both continued to argue that an Android botnet was one of the possibilities.
Mahaffrey and Lookout, however, offered a third explanation, that Yahoo Mail on Android contained vulnerabilities that spammers were exploiting.
"The potential security issues in Yahoo Mail for Android could have allowed the type of behavior that we, and others, have witnessed," said Mahaffrey, who again declined to go into specifics until Yahoo had investigated and if necessary, fixed its app.
The current version of Yahoo Mail for Android is 1.4.4, which was last updated June 23, according to Google Play, the official Android app e-market.

The Week in iPad Cases: Helter swelter

With record temperatures being reported across the continent, it's hard to resist the temptation of sipping a
cold drink while you read a book or play a round of Angry Birds by the pool. Alas, dangers for your beloved tablet
lurk around every corner: sand, water, dirt, and the occasional pair of sticky hands. Since you can't lather your
iPad with sunscreen, we've put together another of our weekly roundups of new iPad protection.
ACase: The
Concept Hard Shell (iPad 2 and iPad 3; $32) is a form-fitted folio case that combines a sturdy hardshell back
and an elegant PU leather front for a unique, classy look. The case, which is compatible with the iPad's magnetic
sleep/wake feature, can be used to prop up your iPad for viewing or typing in landscape orientation. It also
features a microsuede interior to help keep your screen clean, and it's available in black or white.
Ballistic: The Tough Jacket
Series (iPad 2 and iPad 3; $70) is a two-piece protective case made to withstand active use; its three-layer
construction ensures maximum protection, with added padding in the corners to keep the weakest points of your
tablet extra-safe. A removable covers doubles as a kickstand for viewing, while the front is built so that, even
when face down, the screen never touches the surface on which the tablet rests. The Tough Jacket is available in
black, red/black, or white/black.
FlowFold: This company's iPad
Sleeves (iPad, iPad 2, and iPad 3; $36) are made of durable sailcloth, designed to be impervious to weather and
resistant to dust and water. The secure internal closure helps keep your iPad safe inside an environmentally
friendly layer of insulation made from recycled plastic bottles. Despite the sturdiness, FlowFold hasn't skimped on
looks, with three striking designs--dubbed Black Pearl, Gridlock, and Sandstorm--available for purchase.
Gavio: The Duetto
(iPad 3; $70) combines a snap-on back cover with a removable front plate that doubles as a stand. Rubber feet keep
your iPad secure in any of three different positions, while a central hub allows you rotate your device 360
degrees, giving you plenty of viewing and mounting options. It comes in black or white.

Windows 8 falls further behind Windows 7 in pre-launch stats

Computerworld - Users remain significantly less enthused about Windows 8 than they were three years ago about the then-unfinished Windows 7, according to data from an analytics firm.

The new numbers from California-based Net Applications hint at a lukewarm reception for Windows 8.

Just 0.18% of all the computers that went online during June ran one of the previews of Windows 8, statistics Net Applications showed last week. Of those PCs running Windows, 0.2% -- or 20 out of 10,000 -- were powered by Windows 8.

As in April, when Computerworld last used Net Applications' data to analyze Windows 8 uptake, the new OS' June numbers were dramatically lower than Windows 7's at the same point in its development.

In June 2009, four months before its launch, Windows 7 accounted for 0.75% of all computers and 0.80% of all Windows machines. In other words, Windows 7's share was four times that of Windows 8.

Even when the different release dates of the previews for each operating system are taken into account, Windows 8 still comes up short, although the disparity is not as pronounced. In the first full month after each sneak peek's release, Windows 7's share of all Windows PCs was two to three times greater than Windows 8's.

(Windows 7's beta reached users seven weeks earlier in 2009 than Windows 8 Consumer Preview did this year, while Windows 7's release candidate preceded Windows 8's Release Preview on the calendar by nearly four weeks.)

Four months after its Consumer Preview's debut, Windows 8's share of all Windows machines was lower than Windows 7's just seven weeks after the launch of its beta.

Other comparison also put Windows 8 in a poor light.

Windows 8's June 2012 share of 0.18%, for example, represents about 2.9 million machines of last year's estimated global installed base of 1.6 billion PCs. Windows 7's 0.75% from June 2009, meanwhile, translates into about 9.4 million systems of that year's smaller installed base of approximately 1.25 billion.

The bottom line: More than three times the number of people ran Windows 7 at the T-minus-four-month mark than ran Windows 8 at the same point in its development.

Breaking IT News and Analysis

Apple sued over noise reduction technology

IDG News Service - A small Silicon Valley company is suing Apple, alleging the computer maker infringed its patent covering noise-reduction technology for cell phones.

Noise Free Wireless said it presented its technology at several meetings at Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters and provided it with detailed technical information prior to Apple filing its own patent for a similar technology. The technology has gone on to be used in the iPhone 4 and 4S and all three iPad models, it said.
The case centers on U.S. patent 7,742,790, which was filed by Noise Free in May 2007 and awarded to the company in June 2010. It covers a method for reducing or cancelling environmental noise, such as wind, from a voice transmission on a cell phone.
After filing its patent, Noise Free began approaching consumer electronics companies with details of its technology, according to its complaint. It first had contact with Apple in mid-2007 and presented its work to the company in September that year, it said.
Over the next three years the companies held a number of meetings at Apple's headquarters at which confidential material including an evaluation circuit board were made available, Noise Free said. The companies initially agreed verbally to confidentiality and then signed a formal non-disclosure agreement in September 2008.
The relationship between Apple and Noise Free went sour in August 2010 when Noise Free learned Apple had decided to use technology from a rival company, Audience, in its products.
In June that year, while the companies were still talking, Apple filed U.S. patent application 2011/0300806 covering a system for suppressing noise in a signal while retaining the user's voice.
Noise Free's complaint alleges Apple "extracted Noise Free's proprietary and confidential object code, determined Noise Free's noise reduction software and measured and duplicated the signal traces from the circuit board and microcontroller," and supplied the information to Audience.
Further, it says the Apple patent filing contains some of the ideas and inventions it disclosed to Apple.
Apple and Noise Free did not return calls for comment.
Noise Free Wireless, based in nearby Santa Clara, is asking the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to find Apple misappropriated trade secrets, breached contract, and engaged in unfair business practices. It wants damages for the alleged patent infringement and an invalidation of Apple's patent.
The case is number 12-03483, filed on July 3.


http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9228886

My lovely Apple!



My Iphone collection from 3gs until 4s. Waiting patiently for iphone 5!



New Smartphone - Samsung Galaxy S3

Smart stay

It waits till you're asleep: the screen
maintains a bright display as long as
you're looking at it.

Direct call

It knows when you want to talk: if you're sending
a message but decide to call instead, simply lift
the phone to your ear and it will dial your friend's
number automatically.

4.8 HD
Super AMOLED

Seeing for real: 4.8 inches of high-definition display;
true and perfect color with ultrafast response time.

The Avengers

I watched the movie I anticipate most this year. Having enjoyed Iron Man, Thor and Captain America previously, I was really looking forward to The Avengers.

The Avengers is AMAZING. The story line and script are brilliantly written. From the story, action, graphics to the relationships between the Avengers, there isn't a single dull moment! I know it's not just me, because when it ended, the local cinema I went to was almost full (normally it's only two-row full) and people were cheering and giving an applause. It's the kind of movie you'd love to watch twice or more - I dare call it the best Marvel movie to date.

Have FUN!

How many times have you talked to your c♥mputer?

We are all familiar with what a computer is in a specific, contemporary sense. Personal computers are found in most aspects of daily life, and for some it is hard to even imagine a world without them. But the term computer means more than simply the Macs and PCs we are familiar with. A computer is, at its most basic, a machine which can take instructions, and perform computations based on those instructions.

It is the ability to take instructions — often known as programs in the parlance of computers — and execute them that distinguishes a computer from a mechanical calculator. While both are able to make computations, a calculator responds simply to immediate input. In fact, most modern calculators are actually computers, with a number of pre-installed programs to help aid in complex tasks.

The computer is one of the most powerful innovations in human history. With the use of computers, people are suddenly able to perform a staggering amount of computations at dazzling speeds. Information can be crunched, organized, and displayed in the blink of an eye. As technology continues to advance, the computer will no doubt become even more pervasive — and in many cases, likely even less recognizable.

"How do I click send?"  Enjoy!!!!

What did you try to google? GOOGLE!!! lol :P