If exploited by a booby-trapped webpage the bug would allow attackers to take control of an unprotected computer.

Code to exploit the bug has already been published though Microsoft said it had no evidence it was currently being used by hi-tech criminals.

A workaround for the bug has been produced while Microsoft works on a permanent fix.

Code injection
 
The bug revolves around the way that IE manages a computer’s memory when processing Cascading Style Sheets – a widely used technology that defines the look and feel of pages on a website.

Hi-tech criminals have long known that they can exploit IE’s memory management to inject their own malicious code into the stream of instructions a computer processes as a browser is being used. In this way the criminals can get their own code running and hijack a PC.

Microsoft has produced updates that improves memory management but security researchers discovered that these protection systems are not used when some older parts of Windows are called upon.

In a statement Microsoft said it was “investigating” the bug and working on a permanent fix. In the meantime it recommended those concerned use a protection system known as the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit.

Installing and applying the toolkit may require Windows XP users to update the version of the operating system they are using. But even if they do that some of the protection it bestows on Windows 7 and Vista users will not be available.

“We’re currently unaware of any attacks trying to use the claimed vulnerability or of customer impact,” said Dave Forstrom, the director of Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing group, in a statement.

“As vulnerabilities go, this kind is the most serious as it allows remote execution of code,” said Rik Ferguson, senior security analyst at Trend Micro, “This means the attacker can run programs, such as malware, directly on the victim’s computer.”

He added: “It is highly reminiscent of a vulnerability at the same time two years ago which prompted several national governments to warn against using IE and to switch to an alternative browser.”

 Source: BBC

A number of employees of the Qihang Salvation Training Camp in Nanning have been arrested over the death, his father Deng Fei told the Global Times.

The camp had promised to put Deng Senshan, 15, under 24-hour supervision.

China is increasingly taking action against what it sees as a pandemic of web addiction.

Some estimates suggest up to 10% of the country’s 100 million teenage web users could be addicted, and a growing number of rehabilitation services exist.

However, there is little consensus on how to treat the addiction. In July, China’s Ministry of Health formally banned the use of electroshock therapy as a treatment option.

According to the China Daily newspaper, an agreement the teenagers’ parents signed with the camp said: “The centre can take necessary approaches including punishment to educate the teenager, as long as the approaches will not abuse the child or impair his health.”

Camp staff are alleged to have put the teenager in solitary confinement on Saturday and then beaten him that evening.

Source: BBC News

The Airbus A380, which had originated in London and was carrying 459 people, suffered trouble with one of its four engines shortly after it had left the island state en route for Sydney. Australian officials said no one on board was injured.

Qantas, which operates six A380s, said it was grounding the aircraft pending a full investigation.

“We will suspend all A380 takeoffs until we are fully confident we have sufficient information about (flight) QF32,” Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce told reporters in Sydney.

“…The A380 is a fantastic aircraft. This issue of an engine failure is one we have not seen before. We are obviously taking this very seriously, because it was a significant engine failure.”

There have been no fatal incidents involving A380s since they were launched in 2005 amid great fanfare as the greenest, quietest — as well as the biggest — jetliner.

Singapore Airlines said it was not grounding its A380 fleet but that it was closely assessing the situation.

Earlier this year, one of the planes operated by Qantas burst two tires when landing in Sydney, and in September 2009 an A380 was forced to turn around in mid-flight and return to Paris.

“This is probably the most serious incident involving the A380 since it began flying in commercial service,” said aviation expert Tom Ballantyne, chief correspondent of Orient Aviation magazine. “There have been minor engine incidents before but nothing like this.”

Qantas A380s use Rolls-Royce engines. This particular plane had Trent 900 engines and was built in 2008.

Initial media reports said the plane had crashed after an explosion over the Indonesian island of Batam, near Singapore.

The reports sent the Australian carrier’s shares lower but they later recovered.

NO FATAL QANTAS ACCIDENTS

Singapore’s Channel NewsAsia said the plane circled Singapore to burn fuel before making an emergency landing.

Passenger Christopher Lee told ABC radio the passengers heard a bang, and reported rattling in the cabin.
“Some of the passengers then alerted cabin staff that there was an explosion, there was smoke or something to that effect. We circled in a holding pattern above Singapore for about an hour.” He said passengers were kept informed at all times.

A Reuters reporter said the plane was surrounded on the ground by emergency vehicles but there was no sign of any smoke or fire. One of the four nacelles — structures that house the engines — was missing and there appeared to be charring around that area of the plane.

Indonesian TV showed pictures of a small amount of debris on the ground near Batam airport which it said belonged to the Qantas plane.

Rusdi, a witness in Batam, told Indonesia’s Metro TV: “After an explosion, the plane was still moving but smoke was trailing from one of its wings.”

Qantas has never had a fatal accident. A mid-air explosion blew a minivan-size hole in the side of a Qantas 747-400 in 2008 which Australian air safety investigators blamed on an oxygen bottle.

Thursday’s incident came just days before Qantas was due to celebrate its 90th anniversary with a special open day in Brisbane.

The A380 has been bedeviled with production delays. More than 200 orders have been placed for the aircraft, and 37 are in operation worldwide, according to Airbus. Qantas said the incident did not impact its standing orders for more A380s.

Source: Reuters

No one has disclosed exactly how the case was resolved but Apple now owns the “iAds” trademark, and last week a company peripherally involved in the suit posted a note to the Web that said Apple paid a “seven-figure settlement.”

At Apple’s iOS 4 event on April 8, CEO Steve Jobs announced Apple’s iAds program. A month later, Innovate Media, an online ad agency headquartered near Los Angeles, filed a trademark suit against Apple. Innovate Media had used the term since 2006 and was granted two trademarks (3,515,183 and 3,515,184) for “iAds” in October 2008.

We’ve seen Apple caught up in plenty of these trademark disputes before and just like many of those, this one was settled without a peep from either party about the terms. That likely would have been the last of it but on Thursday, Consor, a company that helps evaluate intellectual property, posted a release to the Web titled “Consor Intellectual Asset Management Secures Success for Four Clients.”

In a teaser line under the headline, the company wrote: “iAds, a 7-figure settlement from Apple Computer in a trademark infringement case.”

Now here’s the odd part: Consor is now backpedaling from that release. Not long after posting the note to the Web, Consor tried to take it down. Doug Bania, who oversees Consor’s business development and licensing units, at first told CNET that the announcement was never posted. When he was informed that the note was on the Web, he said some of the information “wasn’t accurate” and declined to say anything more. Apple representatives weren’t immediately available for comment.

In the body of the release the company wrote “Imagine [Innovate Media's] surprise earlier this year when Steve Jobs announced Apple’s new advertising platform for the iPhone called “iAd.The comprehensive confusion analysis and quantification of economic damages performed by Consor were instrumental to Innovate Media reaching a highly favorable settlement with Apple.”

So what? A big company is accused of trampling over someone’s trademark and pays them to end the dispute. These settlements are typically done quietly, without disclosing how much money changed hands — unless the amount is so large it will have an impact on the company’s earnings. That goes double for Apple, where silence and secrecy are golden.

So did Consor err in the post and Apple didn’t pay seven figures to settle the case? Or did Consor err by spilling the beans?

This is Apple. We may never know.

Source: Cnet News

Despite a corporate restructuring, criticism that it’s failing to innovate in certain sectors, the departure of Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie and analysts downgrading its stock, Microsoft (MSFT) trumpeted a record first quarter yesterday. Overall revenue rose 25% to $16.2 billion and net income rose 51% to $5.4 billion compared to the same period last year. One the biggest movers? The Xbox 360. (The other big mover– its stock. Nearly flat for a decade, MSFT is up about 6% so far today.)

The Xbox 360 platform, which includes hardware, games, its Xbox LIVE online community, and accessories, are all considered part of the company’s Entertainment and Devices Division [EDD], which posted sales of $1.8 billion between July and September compared with $1.4 billion the same time last year. Microsoft credited that overall 27% division increase in large part to the console’s growing success.

Console sales spiked 38%, selling 2.8 million units and outselling the Nintendo Wii and Sony’s Playstation 3 in the U.S. for each of the last four months. In mid-June, the company introduced the redesigned Xbox 360 “S” console that is 17% smaller, houses significantly quieter, cooler and more power-efficient hardware, and offers built-in WiFi. The unexpected uptick comes at a time when Nintendo’s own financials have stumbled — the company, which dominated this console generation’s console sales until recently, reported a $24.7 million loss during the first half of the year, marking the first time in seven years that the gaming giant did not turn a profit.

Microsoft also pointed to Halo: Reach for robust sales. The first-person shooter experienced the biggest game launch ever, racking up $200 million in global sales on day one and banking $350 million in revenue for the company to date.

The success, particularly in EDD, is a good sign for the company that has arguably struggled to keep up with current trends like mobile and tablets. In May, division president Robbie Bach announced his retirement, effective this fall. Former division Chief Experience Officer and Chief Technology Officer J Allard, the guy behind the Xbox, Zune and the aborted Courier tablet, also announced his fall departure as well. Given the timing, it’s fair to say the success of EDD is due at least in some part to the direction and actions set in motion set by Bach. (Senior VP Don Mattrick of Interactive Entertainment and Senior VP Andy Lees of Mobile Communications began reporting directly to CEO Steve Ballmer as of July.)

Other bright spots for the company were attributed to the launch of Windows 7, which the company has said is the fastest selling operating system in history with more than 240 million licenses sold since its July launch and enterprise interest in the latest edition of Microsoft Office. The company did not disclose sales figures for Office.

Said Microsoft CFO Peter Klein in a statement: “Our ability to grow revenue while continuing to control costs allowed us to deliver another quarter of year-over-year margin expansion.”  The Xbox’s impressive staying power also shows that the company is not giving up on reaching into consumers’ homes, not just their offices and server rooms.

Source: CNNTech

The investigation, being handled by Rome public prosecutor Eugenio Albamonte, was opened at the request of the national Privacy Authority and on the basis of information provided by Google.

Google spokesman Marco Pancini apologized for the privacy breach Wednesday. “The accidental collection of Wi-Fi data by Street View cars was an error for which we are deeply sorry and for which we apologize. We reiterate our willingness to collaborate with the authorities,” Pancini said in a statement.

Privacy Authority Chairman Francesco Pizzetti confirmed that the request for the investigation came from his office. “The problem does not so much concern the images taken by the cars as the fact that Google has also captured signals transmitted by wireless networks, including fragments of communications,” Pizzetti told the ANSA news agency. It was illegal to intercept data transmissions without authorization, he said.

Google owned up to the privacy breach in a blog posting on its website a week ago. “In May we announced that we had mistakenly collected unencrypted Wi-Fi payload data using our Street View cars. We work hard at Google to earn your trust, and we’re acutely aware that we failed badly here,” Alan Eustace, senior vice president for engineering and research, admitted in the posting.

Examination of the data revealed that “while most of the data is fragmentary, in some instances entire emails and URLs were captured, as well as passwords,” Eustace wrote.

Eustace said the company wanted to delete the data as soon as possible and pledged to improve its internal privacy and security practices.

In an article for an Italian online magazine, legal expert Fulvio Sarzana di S. Ippolito argued that the magistrates should really be investigating illegal interception of communications rather than “illicit interference in private life,” as is currently the case. The choice of which possible offense to investigate could have a bearing on how voluntary Google’s conduct was deemed to be and influence the outcome of a possible trial, he said.

Earlier this week the Privacy Authority issued detailed instructions on how Google was required to publicize the activities of its Street View cars, taking the lead on the issue in Europe thus far.

The cars’ visits were to be announced at least three days in advance, with advertisements in two local newspapers, on the radio and on Google’s website. The cars must also be clearly identified, so that citizens can avoid being filmed, the Authority said. Failure to comply could lead to fines of up to €180,000 (US$250,000).

Writing on the La Repubblica.it website, blogger Vittorio Zambardino said Google should be given credit for owning up to the privacy breach.

“The case that is opening in Rome risks introducing a conflict between innovation and the pre-existing culture, between the judiciary and the technology industry, which leads judges to deal with ‘borderline issues’ and where it is difficult to establish the frontier between sensible laws and interference in technological development,” Zambardino wrote. “Given that no one can dispute the beauty and utility of the Street View service.”

Source: Computer World

The timing of the Energy Department award to Chrysler is fluid, but sources with knowledge of the financing and the industry say the automaker will likely receive approval for new credit before General Motors Co GM.UL.

GM is in the midst of preparing a initial public offering for mid-November, and cannot take on the government awards without complicating its IPO.

Chrysler, which is nearly 10-percent owned by the U.S. Treasury and was placed under management control of Italy’s Fiat SpA (FIA.MI) during its restructuring, has applied for roughly $10 billion in loans.

It is unclear how much of that request will be granted.

New loans would be welcomed by investors as a sign of government confidence in the U.S. auto industry and plans for capital investment in fuel efficient technologies.

For Chrysler specifically, Energy Department financing would improve cash flow and enable it to accelerate payment of some $7 billion in pricey government loans extended as part of bankruptcy.

Terms are steep for Treasury financing as lender of last resort. According to its August financial update, Chrysler still owes the Treasury $5.7 billion. The interest rates on that debt range from 7.22 percent to 14.33 percent.

The cost of servicing its debt was a chief reason why Chrysler reported a net loss in its second quarter.

Chrysler, planning for an IPO in late 2011, is in the process of revamping its lineup and introducing vehicles with Fiat-based technology. The automaker could be expected to use new government loans to overhaul assembly, engine and transmission plants.

Chrysler declined to discuss any time frame for approving its bid.

“Our application covers a wide variety of technologies including electric vehicles, (gasoline/electric) hybrids and advanced gasoline engine technology,” a Chrysler spokeswoman said.

The Energy Department could approve some or all of Chrysler’s requested financing, but several loans have already been made to other companies and pending loan requests from carmakers and suppliers exceed an estimated $17 billion in available funds.

The $25 billion auto loan program was created by Congress in 2007 to help U.S. companies overhaul assembly facilities to make more fuel efficient cars, including electric vehicles.

President Barack Obama wants a 50 percent reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions in cars and trucks within 20 years to reduce U.S. oil imports and ease global warming.
The loans are separate from the Treasury corporate bailout program that financed GM and Chrysler bankruptcies in 2009 and has become a political drag for Obama’s Democrats ahead of next Tuesday’s elections.

GM has submitted four applications for Energy Department funds totaling $14 billion. This includes a bid from supplier Delphi, a former GM unit and now a private company.

The Energy Department last year awarded more than $8.5 billion in loans to handful of companies including Ford Motor Co (F.N), Japan’s Nissan Motor (7201.T), Tesla Motors (TSLA.O), and Fisker Automotive. Some of the money is going to improve standard engine and transmission technology, while a large chunk of financing is dedicated to electric car development.

Nissan will roll out its electric Leaf later this year.

The Energy Department said it would not discuss specific loan applications but has said previously it was in active discussions with GM and Chrysler.

“The secretary (Steven Chu) has made expediting the department’s loan process a priority and has instituted changes to ensure that loans are made as quickly as possible,” agency spokeswoman Stephanie Mueller said.

Source: Reuters

Developed by researchers at the University of Arizona (UA) and Carnegie Mellon University, the robot—named “Hala”—speaks both Arabic and English, and can tailor conversation to a person’s cultural background.

At Carnegie Mellon’s campus in Qatar, an existing version of the roboceptionist already greets visitors in the two languages. But because the machine is not sensitive to cultural cues, miscommunications often occur. For example, a user might request a meeting “week after week,” which in English means “every week,” but in some Arabic dialects means, “every other week.” Sandiway Fong, a UA associate professor of linguistics and computer science, is now joining the team to fix cultural glitches like these.

“They invited me to join the team because they saw opportunities to generalize and improve the limited language capabilities of Hala,” Fong said in a statement. “They needed Hala to be more flexible in dealing with language input from users. And that is where the University of Arizona comes in. We will provide both the language-specific and inter-language-related cultural capabilities so that this robot can be not just bilingual, but bicultural.

“You may speak Arabic, but you may choose to converse with the robot in English,” said Fong. “You may be conversing with the sensibility and the cultural background and the idioms from the Arabic world. This robot needs to understand both.”

Ahead of the Apple event we rounded up some rumors: Rumors about a MacBook Air refresh heated up just before Apple held its “Back to the Mac” media event. SSDs, upgradable RAM, more ports, and “amazing” boot times could be in store.

New 11.6″ MacBook Air starts at $999 with 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo: Apple introduced two new MacBook Airs with 13.3″ and 11.6″ screens, starting at $999. The laptops boast 30 hours of standby battery life and solid-state storage.

After the announcement, we got to play with one: Ars gets some hands-on time with the new MacBook Air models announced at Apple’s “Back to the Mac” event.

Then we explain why it has a “gimped” CPU: Many were disappointed with the CPUs Apple chose for its updated MacBook Air ultraportables. Given the design constraints, however, Apple had few other options.

Finally, we answered your burning questions about the 11.6″ MacBook Air: Ahead of our full Ars review (coming soon!), we decided to answer as many reader questions as we could about the 11.6″ MacBook Air. Come on in to get our first impressions about the display, heat, performance, and more.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: “Mac OS X meets the iPad”: Apple demoed a handful of features of the next major version of Mac OS X on Wednesday. CEO Steve Jobs highlighted how Apple engineers are bringing features developed for iOS “back to the Mac.”

Steve Jobs drops by Apple earnings call to take jabs at competition: Apple CEO Steve Jobs took time during the company’s quarterly earnings call to point out that many competitors in the mobile space “don’t get it.” Apple’s record numbers are one indication that Jobs’ strategy is paying off.

Apple announces iLife ’11, FaceTime for Mac: Apple announced new features for iPhoto, GarageBand, and iMovie, as well as FaceTime for Mac, which will allow Mac users to video chat with iPhone users.

FaceTime for Mac opens giant Apple ID security hole: FaceTime for Mac was released with an apparently lax attitude toward password security, so be careful who you call.

Source: Arstechnica