Huge Security Breach at Security Firm Symantec - hacker stole the source code behind Symantec's antivirus program -

Huge Security Breach at Security Firm Symantec - hacker stole the source code behind Symantec's antivirus program - 


One of the biggest security firms in the world may need to boost its own security: A hacker stole the source code behind Symantec's industry-leading antivirus program.
The code theft from the security giant will not likely affect the average computer user or compromise his computer, an analyst told FoxNews.com -- but the breech is certainly to leave the Fortune 500 company red faced.
"This is going to end up being egg on the face of Symantec more than anything else," Anup Ghosh, founder and CEO of Virginian security firm Invincea, told FoxNews.com. "What they're trying to do here is embarrass companies. These guys are out there flexing their muscles, saying 'Hey, I have source code from Symantec to publicly humiliate them."





Ghosh called the security breech a real business risk more than anything else, one that may lead to a loss of confidence in Symantec and potential loss of market share for the publicly traded firm.
"The headline is very embarrassing to Symantec," Ghosh continued. "But this has now become the normal in securities. Every single corporation is susceptible to threats."
Calls seeking comment from Symantec were not immediately returned on Friday.
In a statement to Computerworld.com late Thursday, the Californian firm confirmed that source code used in two of its older enterprise security products was publicly exposed by hackers this week.




Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/06/symantec-source-code-theft-likely-no-threat-to-average-user-analyst-says/#xdm_e=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com&xdm_c=default5605&xdm_p=1&?test=latestnews

Welcome to a brave new world: Genetic scientists create freakish man-made monster ants with huge heads and jaws -

Welcome to a brave new world: Genetic scientists create freakish man-made monster ants with huge heads and jaws - 


Nightmarish ‘supersoldier’ ants with huge heads and jaws have been created by activating ancient genes.


Scientists believe the monster ants may be a genetic throwback to an ancestor that lived millions of years ago.


Scientists say they can create the supersoldiers at will by dabbing normal ant larvae with a special hormone – the larvae then develop into supersoldiers rather than normal soldier or worker ants.


Read more - 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2082799/Supersoldier-ants-gigantic-jaws.html

Microsoft Patents ‘Avoid Ghetto’ Feature For GPS Devices -

Microsoft Patents ‘Avoid Ghetto’ Feature For GPS Devices - 


Microsoft has been granted a patent for its “avoid ghetto” feature for GPS devices.


A GPS device is used to find shortcuts and avoid traffic, but Microsoft’s patent states that a route can be plotted for pedestrians to avoid an “unsafe neighborhood or being in an open area that is subject to harsh temperatures.”


Created for mobile phones, the technology uses the latest crime statistics and weather data and includes them when calculating a route.



The patent, written in a combination of tech-speak and legalese, was awarded to Microsoft earlier this week. It also described other uses for the new GPS technology.


One section of the patent mentioned that advertisers can use the technology to navigate a user through a newly set up ad campaign.


Read more - 
http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2012/01/06/microsoft-patents-avoid-ghetto-feature-for-gps-devices/

May the bun be with you: Special Darth Vader burger goes on sale - with a jet black bun -

May the bun be with you: Special Darth Vader burger goes on sale - with a jet black bun - 


It’s a promotional campaign that crosses over to the dark side.


French-Belgian fast food chain Quick will introduce Star Wars Phantom Menace-themed burgers before the movie’s 3D re-release in February, including a Dark Vador burger (that’s the way Darth Vader is spelled, en français) with a jet black bun.


The burger ad calls upon hungry fans to choose which side of the force they’re on — and to eat up accordingly. A Jedi burger and a Dark burger will be featured alongside the intimidating Dark Vador burger named after the famous Sith lord.


While all three burgers have two patties and could provide the average moviegoer with enough force to stay awake for the 2.5 hour film, the Jedi and Dark burgers appear significantly more edible than the Dark Vador.


Perhaps Quick is encouraging customers to steer clear of evil — or a dyed black bun. The burgers will be available until the beginning of March.


North American fans might have to travel to a country far, far away should they want to sample the unusual burger. Quick operates in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Algeria, Russia and New Caledonia.


Read more - 
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1111485--may-the-bun-be-with-you-special-darth-vader-burger-goes-on-sale?bn=1

Top 1% of Mobile Users Consume Half of World’s Bandwidth, and the Gap Is Growing -

Top 1% of Mobile Users Consume Half of World’s Bandwidth, and the Gap Is Growing - 


The world’s congested mobile airwaves are being divided in a lopsided manner, with 1 percent of consumers generating half of all traffic. The top 10 percent of users, meanwhile, are consuming 90 percent of wireless bandwidth.

Arieso, a company in Newbury, England, that advises mobile operators in Europe, the United States and Africa, documented the statistical gap when it tracked 1.1 million customers of a European mobile operator during a 24-hour period in November.

The gap between extreme users and the rest of the population is widening, according to Arieso. In 2009, the top 3 percent of heavy users generated 40 percent of network traffic. Now, Arieso said, these users pump out 70 percent of the traffic.

Michael Flanagan, the chief technology officer at Arieso, said the study did not produce a more precise profile of extreme users. But the group, he said, was probably diverse, with a mix of business users gaining access to the Internet over a 3G network while traveling, and individuals with generous or unlimited mobile data packages watching videos, the main cause of the excess traffic.

“Some people may draw the parallel to Occupy Wall Street, and I’ve already heard comments about ‘Occupy the Downlink,’ ” Mr. Flanagan said. “But the situations are very different, and the mobile situation doesn’t break down along socioeconomic lines.”

The Arieso survey found that 64 percent of extreme users were using a laptop, a third were using a smartphone and 3 percent had an iPad.

The imbalance in mobile phone consumption is another example of a relatively small group of individuals dominating the consumption of a particular resource. The United States, with less than 5 percent of the world’s population, consumes about 23 percent of the world’s daily oil production, according to American government figures. Japan, Germany and Italy, whose populations together make up less than 4 percent of the world’s total, accounted for 31 percent of global natural gas imports in 2010, according to the International Energy Agency.

Read more - 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/technology/top-1-of-mobile-users-use-half-of-worlds-wireless-bandwidth.html?_r=2