Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions

[jaclaz]

Computer Insecurity ...

Wi-Fi-Hopping Malware Behaves Like Actual Virus ( Tom's Hardware 2014-03-03 )

This malware is sick: The experimental "Chameleon" malware spreads rapidly among Wi-Fi networks in densely populated areas, much as a disease spreads through crowded urban areas.

Developed in a laboratory at the University of Liverpool in England, Chameleon is the first malware known to propagate by hopping from one Wi-Fi network to another.

Kinda neat theoretical artificial intelligence in action here. Shades of skynet. As is mentioned in the article, it is actually a worm, not a malware at all, it does not enter the network and collects Wi-Fi passwords that it cracks. This one is definitely worth watching.

No .

That is just FUD/fluff.

See:

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/171151-first-contagious-wifi-computer-virus-goes-airborne/

I will cite (from the original article) http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186%2F1687-417X-2013-2 :

The virus has been designed and practically^[1] demonstrated in a laboratory setting. This information was then used to inform an infection model to test the application of the virus in two^[2] urban environments: Belfast, Northern Ireland and London, England, with data extracted from Wigle.net. The region of Belfast under analysis contains approximately 14,553 APs, of which 22% are open, 61% are WiFi protected access (WPA) 2-encrypted and 14% are WEP-encrypted. The section of London under analysis contains approximately 96,433 APs, of which 24% are open, 48% are WPA/WPA 2-encrypted and 19% are WEP.

APs are considered to be connectable if their separation lies within a certain radius, varied between 10 and 50 m in the model. The model initiates the virus by infecting an AP at random to act as a seed and then calculates how many days would be required to either infect or blacklist all APs in the area.

[1] please read as "theoretically" instead

[2] please assume that here the missing addjective "simulated" is actually present

jaclaz

[bpalone]

From ARStechnica:

Google and Microsoft are out to stop dual-boot Windows/Android devices

Asus is the current target of their ire.

It looks like Microsoft isn't the only one that thinks you/we don't own OUR HARDWARE. This is quite unbelievable, but it is happening today. Where or when did we fall off this cliff into the Abyss?

The entire article can be read here: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/google-and-microsoft-are-out-to-stop-dual-boot-windowsandroid-devices/

bpalone

edit was attempt to separate the lines in ONE quote box, which we can all was not a real success. GEE, I really do like all new software.

Edited March 14, 2014 by bpalone

[bphlpt]

edit was attempt to separate the lines in ONE quote box, which we can all was not a real success. GEE, I really do like all new software.

You mean like this?:

From ARStechnica:

Google and Microsoft are out to stop dual-boot Windows/Android devices

Asus is the current target of their ire.

When the WYSIWYG mode is being a pain, try toggling into BBCode mode by clicking the little button in the top left of the edit box directly above the B (Bold) button. That will expose all of the BBCode for the post which then will just be text that is then sometimes easier to manipulate. It's a little bit of a pain but can be very handy.

Cheers and Regards

[bpalone]

edit was attempt to separate the lines in ONE quote box, which we can all was not a real success. GEE, I really do like all new software.

You mean like this?:

From ARStechnica:

Google and Microsoft are out to stop dual-boot Windows/Android devices

Asus is the current target of their ire.

When the WYSIWYG mode is being a pain, try toggling into BBCode mode by clicking the little button in the top left of the edit box directly above the B (Bold) button. That will expose all of the BBCode for the post which then will just be text that is then sometimes easier to manipulate. It's a little bit of a pain but can be very handy.

Cheers and Regards

Thanks for the tip, will leave as is above, so that if someone else has the same issue, they can see and understand what the issue was.

bpalone

[bpalone]

Mozilla scraps Firefox for Windows 8′s Metro citing low adoption of the platform

Well, it looks like all that is left is the Wake.

Unfortunately, Nightingale says that as the team built, tested, and refined the product, Metro’s adoption has remained “pretty flat” and that Mozilla should focus its efforts “in places where we can reach more people.” While millions of people test pre-release versions of Firefox desktop on any given day, he notes the company has “never seen more than 1000 active daily users in the Metro environment.”

The entire article can be read here: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/03/14/following-multiple-delays-mozilla-scraps-metro-firefox-windows-8-due-low-adoption/

Almost makes one truly question Microsoft's numbers as far licenses are concerned. Granted, I doubt many of the lovers of the PlaySkool Interface would be of the type that would bother themselves with beta testing to help their cause. We have questioned it all along, but this adds some fuel to the fire.

bpalone

[jaclaz]

Almost makes one truly question Microsoft's numbers as far licenses are concerned. Granted, I doubt many of the lovers of the PlaySkool Interface would be of the type that would bother themselves with beta testing to help their cause. We have questioned it all along, but this adds some fuel to the fire.

Well, it seems to me obvious that once taken aside the fanboys (which may even - though I personally doubt so - knowledgeable and aware of the existence of this beta of Firefox, but refuse it for ideological reasons) what remains are victims

Whether they are "home users" that had Windows 8 forced upon them when buying their new PC (and the category historically comprehends very little numbers of knowledgeable people), or they are "business users" that had Windows 8 forced upon them in the office by some senseless corporate decision (and the category - even if possibly the knowledge level s higher than "home users" - historically has very little power when it comes to installing new apps, let alone beta's) matters very little, the final effect is that noone is likely to use a non-MS browser on NCI (and *any* people that would beta test such software wouldn't choose to run the NCI anyaway).

I find the results of this experiment by the good Mozilla guys both plausible and not surprising.

But, the real sign that humanity is doomed is the success that Unity has seemingly on the Linux/Ubuntu side .

Surely the typical Linux user (no offence intended) often has some sort of political/phylosophical/ethical agenda (though nothing compared with the MS shills), still, on average, he/she should have more common sense than praising that horror.

If you ever used Ubuntu, maybe you can contribute to steering it in the right direction (the one it lost with the Unity nonsense):

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/03/ubuntu-2014-community-survey-goes-live

Though the question whether the provided default background image is of your liking and whether it is "professional" work remains a sign that they are still living on another planet.

BTW, and to be fair, the consensus is not unanimous, so, there is still hope :

http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/reviews/ubuntu-12-04-review-precisely-what-we-feared

I like the comparison with the C5 (notwithstanding my firm belief that Sir Clive Sinclair was a genius):

It puts us in mind of Sir Clive Sinclair’s C5 personal electric vehicle. It was a product arguably 30 years ahead of its time, but Sinclair’s quintessentially British electric three-wheeler, with its canopy permanently open to the elements, simply wasn’t compatible with the quintessentially British weather. Once off the production line no amount of iteration could have saved it – it was never going to work.

jaclaz

Edited March 15, 2014 by jaclaz

[TELVM]

For the benefit of american friends who might be wondering WTF is Jaclaz talking about :

Edited March 15, 2014 by TELVM

[bpalone]

But, the real sign that humanity is doomed is the success that Unity has seemingly on the Linux/Ubuntu side .

Surely the typical Linux user (no offence intended) often has some sort of political/phylosophical/ethical agenda (though nothing compared with the MS shills), still, on average, he/she should have more common sense than praising that horror.

If you ever used Ubuntu, maybe you can contribute to steering it in the right direction (the one it lost with the Unity nonsense):

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/03/ubuntu-2014-community-survey-goes-live

Though the question whether the provided default background image is of your liking and whether it is "professional" work remains a sign that they are still living on another planet.

BTW, and to be fair, the consensus is not unanimous, so, there is still hope :

http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/reviews/ubuntu-12-04-review-precisely-what-we-feared

I like the comparison with the C5 (notwithstanding my firm belief that Sir Clive Sinclair was a genius):

It puts us in mind of Sir Clive Sinclair’s C5 personal electric vehicle. It was a product arguably 30 years ahead of its time, but Sinclair’s quintessentially British electric three-wheeler, with its canopy permanently open to the elements, simply wasn’t compatible with the quintessentially British weather. Once off the production line no amount of iteration could have saved it – it was never going to work.

jaclaz

I did go and leave my $0.02 worth at the survey, but I fear it is FAR to late to do any good.

I noticed that Ubuntu was heading down a path I didn't care for, within a year or so after I made the move to Linux as my primary OS. Right now, I feel that when I do upgrade my Linux OS, that it will be to either a straight Debian with a Mate Desktop or Linux Mint with a Mate Desktop. The good folks at Gnome lost their way, too. May have something to do with having all this horsepower available today and all the available ram that most people never even touch with what they use a computer for. They figure that it is THEIR playground and we are going to make the user use all that horsepower and storage, never mind the the performance grinds down to the point that an old 8088 starts to look really fast.

I have some 98SE computers around here and every time I fire one of them up and shut it down, I ask myself, "Have we really advanced?" as the speed of it is mind boggelling. And, that is on hardware from its era.

As for political agenda, I just want to get my work done without being hassled by an overweight clumsy OS or Software.

bpalone

[jaclaz]

For the benefit of american friends who might be wondering WTF is Jaclaz talking about :

Yep.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinclair_C5

Remember this is dated 1984 (the actual vehicle was launched in January 1985):

jaclaz

[JorgeA]

"Mark [Penn] brings a blend of data analysis and creativity that has led to new ways of working and strong market outcomes such as the 'Honestly' campaign and the Super Bowl ad, both of which were widely cited as examples of high-impact advertising across the industry," he explains in the memo.

[emphasis added]

What Super Bowl ad?? High-impact, I see...

And we tape the Super Bowl every year for the express (and only) purpose of watching the commercials!

--JorgeA

P.S. Honestly, I don't recall ever seeing anything from an "Honestly" campaign.

[JorgeA]

Good to see you back, Charlotte.

We do appreciate the avalanches of material. Dang, and I was going to do my taxes this weekend -- I guess that's out the window now.

[...]Interestingly, MicroNokia appears to be trying to invent a way to produce an Android phone that won't sell by sabotaging the appearance with a pseudo-WP skin on a forked Android OS. If anyone can find a way to accomplish this ( creating an Android that does not sell ), it will be Microsoft

[emphasis added]

Few can match their skill at this!

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Google, Microsoft agree: Cloud is now safe enough to use ( CNet 2014-02-26 )

The two Internet powerhouses agree that it's time to stop fearing cloud security and embrace the future at the annual RSA Conference.

The cloud is secure enough to use, said panelists at the annual RSA Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. From left to right: Bruce Schneier, independent security analyst; Eran Feigenbaum of Google; Wade Baker of Verizon; and Bret Arsenault of Microsoft.

Haven't read much about this meeting, but I highly doubt that Bruce Schneier is as onboard as they describe ( God forbid he gets bought off and jumps over to the darkside ) . I certainly have no doubt that Microsoft and Google are in damage control mode though, hence this stupid conference. Paul Thurrott also mentioned it ( and the latest GCHQ story ) here.

I don't know (and am skeptical) about the cloud services that Google and Microsoft offer, but I was going to post the following when I saw your post above.

Loaded and locked: 3 seriously secure cloud storage services

Wuala is a secure cloud storage service offered by storage company LaCie. This service differs from mainstream cloud storage providers in two ways:

Client-side encryption of files: All of your files are encrypted locally on your device before being sent to the cloud, which ensures that even on a non-encrypted transfer, no readable data would leak out. This process is more secure than a secure transfer, mainly because it means that nobody except you ever has access to your data.

[...]

Tresorit is a cloud storage provider that claims to offer “a truly secure cloud storage service.” Security features include client-side encryption, secure data transfer, and secure data centers that are equipped with physical security measures against intrusion as well as uninterruptible power and backup systems.

From the looks of it, these could really be the sort of safe (from snooping) cloud storage services that we'd like to see.

It goes without saying that we're still dependent on these services to be actually up and running the moment we need to use them.

Comments on potential vulnerabilities welcome!

--JorgeA

[jaclaz]

[...]Interestingly, MicroNokia appears to be trying to invent a way to produce an Android phone that won't sell by sabotaging the appearance with a pseudo-WP skin on a forked Android OS. If anyone can find a way to accomplish this ( creating an Android that does not sell ), it will be Microsoft

[emphasis added]

Few can match their skill at this!

--JorgeA

Well, to re-connect with Unity, Canonical would not be that bad at it either, judging from the known indiegogo hiccup with Ubuntu Edge:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ubuntu-edge

jaclaz

Edited March 15, 2014 by jaclaz

[JorgeA]

More, um, "clouds" on the horizon:

U.S. to relinquish remaining control over the Internet

While the U.S. government's attitude toward Internet privacy is disappointing when not outrageous, turning governance of the Internet over to the likes of Russia, China, and Iran can only make things much worse.

Are we headed for a future where our choices on the Web are limited to ads and government-filtered propaganda?

The NSA scandal in this case is a red herring IMO. The NSA can tap into server traffic no matter who's in charge.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

[...]Interestingly, MicroNokia appears to be trying to invent a way to produce an Android phone that won't sell by sabotaging the appearance with a pseudo-WP skin on a forked Android OS. If anyone can find a way to accomplish this ( creating an Android that does not sell ), it will be Microsoft

[emphasis added]

Few can match their skill at this!

--JorgeA

Well, to re-connect with Unity, Canonical would not be that bad at it either, judging from the known indiegogo hiccup with Ubuntu Edge:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ubuntu-edge

jaclaz

You're correct, they're right up there too. The Ubuntu folks have made two of the same fundamental mistakes as Microsoft: grafting an ugly, ridiculous UI onto the desktop; and believing that all computing devices are equivalent.

You can hear it in the very first sentence spoken in the presentation that you linked to: "Convergence is the future of computing."

--JorgeA