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TDL4 – Top Bot TDSS variants Yet another affiliate program The ‘indestructible’ botnet Encrypted network connections An antivirus of its own Botnet access to the Kad network Extended functionality The proxy server module 64-bit support Working with search engines Botnet command and control servers Command and control server statistics To be continued… TDSS variants The malware detected by Kaspersky Anti-Virus as TDSS is the most sophisticated threat today. TDSS uses a range of methods to evade signature, heuristic, and proactive detection, and uses encryption to facilitate communication between its bots and the botnet command and control center. TDSS also has a powerful rootkit component, which allows it to conceal the presence of any other types of malware in the system. Its creator calls this program TDL. Since it first appeared in 2008, malware writers have been perfecting their creation little by little. By 2010, the latest version wa...

Security researchers discover 'indestructible' botnet Cracking the TDL-4 botnet is going to be hard, say security experts. Continue reading the main story Related Stories Spam kings sought after takedown Dark corners of the net FBI closes in on zombie PC gang More than four million PCs have been enrolled in a botnet security experts say is almost "indestructible". The botnet, known as TDL, targets Windows PCs and is difficult to detect and shut down. Code that hijacks a PC hides in places security software rarely looks and the botnet is controlled using custom-made encryption. Security researchers said recent botnet shutdowns had made TDL's controllers harden it against investigation. The 4.5 million PCs have become victims over the last three months following the appearance of the fourth version of the TDL virus. The changes introduced in TDL-4 m...

UK population sees biggest increase in half a century The difference between numbers of births and deaths is the main driver of UK population growth Continue reading the main story Related Stories Population growth must slow - UN The UK population increased more last year than at any time in almost half a century, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. By mid-2010 the estimated resident population was 62,262,000, an increase of 470,000 (0.8%) on the previous year. The growth rate is the highest since 1962, during the "baby boom" years. 'Natural change' - the difference between the numbers of births and deaths - accounted for 52% of the population growth. The number of births in the UK is now at its highest since 1991, with 797,000 during the year to mid-2010. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says two factors are significant - rising fertility among UK...

Ed Miliband's failure to support strikes 'a disgrace' Mary Bousted accused Ed Miliband of being "ill-informed" about planned pension changes Continue reading the main story Public sector strikes PCS strikers' anger at Miliband Robinson: Unaffordable pensions? In pictures: Protest march Fact check: Cost of public pensions The head of one of the unions striking over pensions has said Ed Miliband "should be ashamed of himself" for urging workers to call off the action. Mary Bousted, leader of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, t...

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Giuseppe Randazzo Creates Primal Patterns From Thousands Of Virtual Rocks Randazzo can see the art in the math, like Neo looking at the code. The first time you see Giuseppe Randazzo 's "Stone Fields" designs, you may think he's ripping off Andy Goldsworthy : in each image, thousands of stones and rocks are artfully arranged into circular patterns that evoke timeless nature and human creativity at once. But there's a catch: none of the stones are real, and an algorithm did all the arranging. It's all based on fractal math and some seriously photorealistic rendering. Randazzo can see the art in the math, like Neo looking at the code. But Randazzo doesn't just change some numbers, hit a button and see what happens. "I have a pretty clear idea of the final image, due to the generative process that is based on different kinds of scalar fields that are defined a-priori by me," he tells Co.Design via email. In ...

Cleaning Up with Small-Scale Sanitation Submitted by Julia Bucknall on Thu, 2011-06-30 10:48 [View] One of the most repulsive moments in cinematic history is the outhouse scene in the Oscar-winning films Slumdog Millionaire . The hero, Jamal, is trapped in an outhouse when his favorite celebrity lands nearby in a helicopter. The only way to see his hero is to jump into the excrement. Happily, he gets to see the star and get an autographed photo: nothing parts a crowd like a filth-covered child. Perhaps the director included the scene for shock value. But it also highlights a health issue that is reality for 2.6 billion people: a lack of safe sanitation. Of this group, 1.4 billion defecate in the open. The implications reach far beyond offended noses and human dignity. Over 5,000 children die every day from diseases related to human waste, particularly diarrhea, which kills more children than malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis combined. So ...

Don’t overlook the Baby Boomers! 29. Jun, 2011 0 Comments If you think that the place to reach Baby Boomers (born between 1946 – 1964) is anywhere that does  not include technology, think again!  Boomers in the U.S. are technology-savvy enough to comprise 1/3 of all TV viewers, online users, social media users and Twitter users. If that’s not enough to make you think twice about where you’re putting your social media marketing dollars, consider that there are 78 million Boomers in the U.S., many who have “shown a willingness to try new brands and products.” In fact, they spend 38.5% of CPG dollars! (source:  Nielsen ).  You can’t afford to overlook them! Online is becoming the perfect place to reach Boomers.  They are being neglected in brick-and-mortar retail stores which mostly cater to younger consumers — with low lighting, loud music,...

Walking Around In Circles: As Google+ Opens Up Will People Start Using It Correctly? in Share 340 106 Comments MG Siegler 14 hours ago Last night, I wrote up my initial thoughts on Google + after using it for a day. Overall, I find it pretty compelling so far. While there is a bit of a learning curve, after about 15 minutes, I found myself at home using the service. And little things (namely notifications) kept bringing me back. But let’s be realistic, it has only been a day . The new car smell has yet to wear off. And I have also noticed a few other things that may spell trouble down the road. Right now, almost every single post I see on Google+ is shared with the Public. Perhaps this is to be expected si...

Skype For Android Now Supports Video Calls, Works Over WiFi And 3G in Share 179 12 Comments Robin Wauters 6 hours ago Thanks to an update of Skype’s Android application, you can now make one-to-one video calls over both WiFi and 3G connections. You can download the Skype app from the Android Market or point your browser to Skype.com/m from your phone. Note that your smartphone needs to be running Android Version 2.3 (or above) and have a front-facing camera. Supported handsets include the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia pro and the Google Nexus S. This is just the first phase, Skype says, so expect support for more devices soon. Once installed, you can have video calls from...

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Haiti If you haven’t heard already, 16 of us Degrassi kids are going to Haiti this summer with Free The Children. FTC is truly an unbelievable organization, and I am so happy to be involved. Three years ago I went to Ecuador with them, and my life was changed. I was hesitant about going at first; it was my first year on degrassi as a regular, the farthest I had ever travelled from my family at that point was California. But I decided I would risk it. And I’m convinced it’s the best decision I ever made. We worked tirelessly on a kitchen building for the whole community. We sanded, plastered, and created a mural that we painted in the main room. I had so much fun on this trip, and I met so many beautiful kids, who get to eat in a clean, safe kitchen thanks to FTC. Two summers later, I went to India. This trip, of course, was as amazing and life changing as the last. We worked on several classrooms, and played with the kids who went to school in the already completed sec...

IBM announces computer memory breakthrough Phase-change memory offers 100 times the write performance of NAND flash By Lucas Mearian June 30, 2011 06:00 AM ET 1 Comment Computerworld - IBM Thursday announced a breakthrough in computer memory technology, which may lead to the development of solid-state chips that can store as much data as NAND flash technology but with 100 times the performance and vastly greater lifespan. Currently, NAND flash memory products, such as SSDs, have write rates as high as 2Gbit/sec . IBM said it has produced phase-change memory (PCM) chips that can store two bits of data per cell without data corruption problems, somethin...

What does Dual SIM cell phone mean? Improve In: Mobile Phones , Wireless Communication [ Edit categories ] Answers.com > Wiki Answers > Categories > Technology > Electronics > Consumer Electronics > Telephones > Mobile Phones > What does Dual SIM cell phone mean? Answer:   Improve If you've followed the developments in the China cellphone wholesale market lately it seems that one SIM card is not enough, and there's a proliferation of mobile phones with at least two SIM cards. Major wireless cell phone manufacturers like Samsung, Nokia and Motorola have been slow to catch up with Samsung only just releasing a model at the time this article was written. So what's going on? Are the makers of these China cellphone whol...