Security Researcher Warns of Hyperlink based DDoS attack

A security consultant with Sophos systems is warning that users may be inadvertently participating in the DDoS assault against various .gov websites by clicking on a link being circulated by the hacker collective.
In a blog post on Sophos’ “Naked Security” blog, Sophos’ Graham Cluley says that members of Anonymous distributed links via social media websites that when clicked launch a Web version of the Low Impact Ion Cannon tool — Anonymous’ favoured vehicle to coordinate DDoS attacks — coded in JavaScript.
“Anonymous might be hoping that participants could argue that they did not knowingly assist in the DDoS attack, and clicked on the link in innocence without realizing what it would do,” wrote Mr. Cluley.
Anonymous has been actively recruiting participants to its campaign — some willing and some unwilling.
By mid-day Friday, these links were being shared at a rate of 10 to 18 times per minute.
As of Friday afternoon, justice.gov and FBI.gov still appeared to be operating normally.

Microsoft Shows Off Windows 8 Mobile Broadband Improvements

Windows 8 will contain built in support for mobile broadband devices, and will use metered internet devices in a smarter fashion, according to a blog post published Friday on Microsoft’s “Building Windows 8” blog.
“We looked at the fundamentals of wireless connectivity and re-engineered Windows 8 for a mobile and wireless future, going beyond incremental improvements,” wrote Billy Anders, a Microsoft group program manager and the post’s author.
“We knew that if we were to give you true mobility, that Wi-Fi alone would not be enough. Therefore, for Windows 8, we fully developed and integrated mobile broadband (MB) as a first-class connectivity experience within Windows — right alongside Wi-Fi,” Mr. Anders wrote.
Windows 8 will include a mobile-broadband driver that is common to all devices and operators. Microsoft claims that this will work with plug and play like compatibility.

When a Windows 8 tablet users inserts a SIM card into their device, Windows will automatically detect the carrier and download the relevant mobile broadband application from the Windows app store.
Windows 8’s network settings console will allow users to assign connection priorities so their machine will automatically connect to a WiFi network if available, and then opt for a 3G connection if no network can be found.
Windows 8 will allow applications to treat connections that are metered, such as 3G, differently from unmetered ones. A web browser, for instance, would only fetch low resolution images and video while using a metered connection.

Mr. Anders claims that Windows 8 will “learn” about the user’s connection priorities based on their previous actions.


“You do not have to do anything special for this — Windows just learns which networks you prefer and manages everything for you. This work was a major part of the architectural work we did in the networking stack and with our hardware partners,” Mr. Anders wrote.
For more details, check out the “Engineering Windows 8 for mobile networks” post on Microsoft’s Building Windows 8 blog.
A Windows 8 beta is expected in February, with the final release of the OS before the end of 2012.

MegaUpload: We Want Our Site Back

MegaUpload, which was shutdown Thursday over allegations of copyright infringement, is attempting to get its servers back and get the website back online according to the company’s lawyer.
“The company is looking at its legal options for getting back its servers and its domain and getting its servers back up online,” Megaupload’s lawyer Ira Rothken told Reuters. “Megaupload will vigorously defend itself.”
MegaUpload and seven of its executives were charged on Thursday, and are currently being held by American authorities.
“It is really offensive to say that just because people can upload bad things, therefore Megaupload is automatically responsible,” Mr. Rothken said to Reuters.
Mr. Rothken was adamant that the company only offered online storage.