Our word on Sony, PlayStation Network and recent hackings
Here at Coburn’s Domain, we’ve been observing the recent attacks that Sony’s online intrastructure has been copping from unknown identities. While the details vary, we can confirm, from a trusted news source and local news and current affair programs, that the Australian side of the PlayStation Network was indeed hacked and large number of Australian PlayStation Network gamer profiles (that contained personal data and also credit card identification) were crippled as a result along with the massive hack that the global network suffered.
iDroid Developers: androidoniphone.com is a SCAM, DON’T be a victim
Image credit: iDroid Dev Team. We are not claiming that image as our own.
The iDroid Project crew have recently discovered that some scammers are attempting to drain your wallet by monetizing the iDroid Android port for jailbroken iPhone 2G/3G/4s, and iPod Touches which allow you to boot Android natively on the hardware itself. The annoucement was made on twitter under the name of @iDroidProject:
What the Firefox 4 Do Not Track Feature really does
Privacy on the internet is an issue that should be taken seriously. For example, some websites (and Google themselves owns one such website) out there do nothing else but mine information users send to websites to display targeted ads to unwary people.
What people do on the internet can been seen by the big ad companies who don’t care about user privacy – they are more interested selling information (such as user browsing habits, if a user clicked on their ads, etc) for a quick lump sum of cash from other interested parties that use their collected data to make their advertising material more “personalized”.
Quick ‘n’ Easy Howto: Flvtubesearch.co Malware Removal
Having been infected with a nasty piece of malware (aka malicious software) that slipped past my computer’s defenses, I decided to remove this virus/malware from my Toshiba M300 laptop, as it was causing erratic behaviour.
This flvtubesearch.co malware had been a pain in the butt and every time I wanted to search something, instead of using Google or Bing. I tried my ways of getting rid of it, but no dice. Enter the inner geek.
Phishing Email from Adobe (supposedly), “new Acrobat Reader 2011 update notification”
It was all peaceful this morning, when our inbox got a innocent-looking email from Adobe that stated that a new 2011 version of their Adobe Reader product is available.
We don’t use Adobe Reader, so we assumed that it was a suspicious email. Here’s what the email said:
From: [removed]@acrobat-reader-downloads.org
To: Coburn’s Domain [email removed]
Subject: New Adobe Acrobat Reader 2011, Upgrade Available NowADOBE ACROBAT READER 2011 UPDATE NOTIFICATION
HTC Peep Twitter App leaks Twitter usernames and passwords in clear text; major security issue
HTC Peep, a Twitter updating client that ships with HTC phones that have the Sense UI (aka Rosie) installed has been found to leak usernames and passwords of Twitter accounts that HTC Peep users use. The issue apparently affects both Windows Mobile and Android Peep versions. Users are advised to switch to alternative Twitter clients to safeguard their twitter details, and also remove linked accounts that use Peep.
For the full security low-down on the matter, head over to the Taddong Security Blog.
Dawn of the Big Apple: Your iPhone apps are leaking your private data
A recent investigation conducted by the Wall Street Journal has revealed that smartphones don’t keep your personal details private – they are sharing your data widely and regularly.
The investigation collected 101 applications for Android and iPhone devices, and it was revealed that 56 (55.45%) of the collected apps sent personal data such as device ID, the user’s name and age, gender and other personal info to outsiders.
Radio Paradise – Commerical Free Internet Radio
Radio Paradise is a commerical free internet radio station. And to help them gain listeners, they’ve asked us to spread the word. By using streaming techologies, all you need is a media player supporting playback of internet streams.
The owners have a wide selection of music, ranging from Electronica and Classic Rock, to World Music and beyond. Best thing about Radio Paradise is if they don’t have what you want to listen to, listeners can easily upload your own tracks for them to add into the playlists.
How to turn Google Translator into a beatbox hit machine
Beatboxing is cool and all, but when Google Translator can help you make your beatboxing sound 200% better, it becomes awesome. The bright sparks over at TechCrunch have managed to turn Google Translator into a beatboxin’ machine, thanks to some cool tricks.
The article in question is over here, and is sure to give some laughs. It’s quite simple, as it involves tricking Google Translator into thinking that the input are German words, and thus, Google’s Text-to-Speech plays back the words, beatboxer style.
“Boring” Couple takes Google to court; “Street View Car” snapped picture of house without permission
When people thought privacy infringement lawsuits couldn’t get any crazier, it just did.
Back in April 2008, Google was taken to court by a couple with the surname of “Boring” over the fact that a Google Street Car photographed their house, located down a private road, without permission. After a period of two and a half years, the case has finally has started rolling.