SECURITY...

• Phishers target Christmas shoppers - According to IT security firm CyberGuard, the latest scam uses fake e-commerce sites offering "bargain" Christmas gifts. The sophisticated fraud works when people search on the internet for items they want to buy, and click on a link. They are then directed to a legitimate looking web page and instructed to 'Click here to download images' of what they want to buy.
• Microsoft is investigating reports of a security issue - Microsoft is investigating reports of a security issue with Microsoft Windows Internet Name Service (WINS). This security issue affects Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server, Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition, Windows 2000 Server, and Windows Server 2003. This security issue could make it possible for an attacker to take control of a WINS server remotely. As of November 26, 2004, Microsoft is not aware of this security issue affecting any customers.
• Sun stamps on Java bug - Sun Microsystems claimed yesterday that its attempt to stamp on a recently discovered Java Virtual Machine (JVM) security bug has been successful. Security experts warned that the potentially devastating flaw in the JVM Run Time Environment could leave millions of desktops open to attack. However, Sun stated: "Early indications are that Sun's response to this issue has been effective. As of 29 November 824,244 users have downloaded the upgraded version of J2SE 1.4.2_06 that corrects the vulnerability."
• Unprotected PCs can be hijacked in minutes - Each PC was connected to the Internet via a broadband DSL connection and monitored for two weeks in September. Break-in attempts began immediately and continued at a constant and high level: an average of 341 per hour against the Windows XP  machine with no firewall or recent security patches, 339 per hour against the Apple Macintosh and 61 per hour against the Windows Small Business Server. Each was sold without an activated firewall.
• CuteFTP 6.0 Professional Remote Buffer Overflow Vulnerability - When CuteFTP Professional process replies to many commands from a
  malicious FTP server, if the reply code is big than 500(4xx works sometimes) and the length of text following is big than 65530, the Cute FTP Professional will crash. Only some command's replies are not affected(like USER, PASS). It becomes even worse when the CuteFTP connects to server to wait for the welcome message reply, the malicious server could send such a reply to crash it.
• Hackers deface SCO website - The hack replaced the main image on the www.sco.com homepage with the words: "We own all your code, pay us all your money."  The image still retains the original alt text 'Click here to learn about SCO's Webinar Schedule.' At the time of going to press, the hacked image was still on the company's site. SCO was unavailable for comment.
• Lycos Europe Aims To Thwart Spammers with DDoS Attacks - Lycos Europe yesterday announced that it has created a downloadable screensaver aimed at putting spammers out of business with distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attacks

OFF-TOPIC...

• US Scientists Claim Breakthrough in Hydrogen Fuel Research - U.S. scientists said yesterday they have made a breakthrough in their quest to make low-cost hydrogen, a technology which is key to finding new sources of energy to end U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The conversion rate of water into hydrogen ranges between 45 and 50 percent in high temperatures, compared with about 30 percent in electrolysis, researchers said. "This is ... a crucial first step toward large-scale production of hydrogen from water, rather than from fossil fuels," said Stephen Herring, consulting engineer at INELL.
• Lying Makes Brain Work Harder - This Wired News article say it seems to take more brain effort to tell the lie than to tell the truth according to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans
• Turn yourself into a diamond: tips from science on a good life, and death  - A thinktank of British scientists has come up with a new way of quickening the national intellect - a brain-taxing spin on the old formula of 100 things to do before you die. The group, which includes the evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins, astronomer Sir Patrick Moore, neuroscientist Susan Greenfield and the inventor James Dyson, urges us all to take samples of our own DNA, measure the speed of light with chocolate, and solve the mathematical mystery of the number 137.
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King trailer - A six-minute trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Extended Edition, has been released.
• Rambo IV: Holy War details - Rambo IV: Holy War, as it's called, sees Stallone's iconic super-soldier return to the screen as the matured sage; he's married, with an adopted son, influenced by Islamic Sufism, and now working as an environmentalist at the United Nations. When the UN Assembly is hijacked by sadistic Islamist terrorists, Rambo tries to take the terrorists down, knowing that his Afghani-adopted son, Tomask, is part of the terrorist mission....apparently Stallone has nothing better to do! :)

TECHNOLOGY...

• China Blocking Access to Google News Site - China is blocking access to the Web site Google News, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said on Tuesday, and accused the U.S.-based company of being complicit by filtering its Chinese-language site.  The Paris-based group said the government had been blocking Google's English-language Web site (www.news.google.com) for about 10 days, after the company launched a Chinese-language version that removed politically sensitive reports. Attempts by Reuters to access the site in China on Tuesday resulted in a search freeze.
• Linux goes Live on Gentoo CD release - The next version of Gentoo, due for release in February 2005, will include a Live CD that allows users to run the operating system off a CD, and a graphical installer that allows users to automatically install the same set-up on multiple machines.
• RIM intros BlackBerry Java developer tools - Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the availability of its Java Development Environment for BlackBerry v4.0, claiming that the platform's improved API set gives developers enhanced flexibility and support.
• Satellite Failure Hits Broadband Users - The failure of a communications satellite has knocked out broadband services supplied by StarBand Communications, according to a statement posted on the company's Web site. The irreparable failure of Intelsat Americas-7 at 2:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday is forcing StarBand to move customers to a different satellite. Meanwhile, the company is attempting to provide temporary dial-up service to customers affected, the statement says. The satellite owner, Intelsat, says the craft had suffered a sudden and unexplained electrical anomaly and that it was permanently lost.
• Google TV? - Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are quietly developing new search tools for digital video, reports ZDNet.
• TiVo will add advertisements and add Macrovision's copy protection - TiVo's plans for pop-up ads and restrictions on copying have sparked worries that the service may be eroding consumer control in favor of Hollywood and advertiser interests.
• Toshiba Wins Support for HD DVD from 4 Film Studios - Toshiba said on Monday it had won support for the HD DVD optical disc standard from Warner Bros. Studios, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and New Line Cinema, advancing its cause in the battle for the next-generation DVD. Toshiba, with NEC and Sanyo, is promoting a next-generation DVD technology called HD DVD, while Sony Corp. and several other giants of the electronics, computer and movie industries are backing a competing standard dubbed Blu-ray.
• New PlayStation Chip Is Getting a Preview - Industry analysts expect the new PlayStation to be released in late 2005 or early 2006. The advanced chip will include multiple processors versatile enough to provide richer video images, multiplayer gaming and the addition of still pictures, audio and other media, the companies and analysts said. Sony plans to introduce high-definition televisions powered by Cell in 2006, while IBM says the Cell chip has the potential to be included in other consumer electronics and computing products, the companies said. IBM and Sony also said they were testing a workstation driven by the Cell chip that will be used by video game makers and producers of special effects.
• New Wi-Fi Nearly Doubles Speed - Wireless networking products are never modest in their performance claims. However, Belkin's new Wireless Pre-N Router ($150) and Notebook Network Card ($100) promise--and deliver--dramatically faster speeds and much better range than their fastest 802.11g predecessors.
• LG Unveils Big, Pricey Plasma TV - South Korea's LG Electronics unveiled a 71-inch Plasma Display Panel (PDP) TV set last week, claiming it is the biggest of its kind available. The package will set customers back a cool $75,700 (!), says Park.
• Company develops coating to write on recorded side of discs - DualDisc and DVD(plus) discs have until now been devoid of graphics, apart from limited text on the inner ring. Because both sides of these CD/DVD hybrids contain optical data, it has been impossible to apply graphics to them. But MediaCoat technology from Spectra Systems, a developer of systems for marking, tracking and authenticating documents and products, has opened the door to graphics, text and barcodes on the "play" side of a disc. MediaCoat is an add-on process that takes place at the end of a standard disc-manufacturing line, Lawandy explains. A coating is applied and cured, then an image is transferred to the disc using ultraviolet irradiation. A second coat is added to protect the disc from excessive exposure to light and to add scratch resistance.
• Pentium 4 6xx series could come in February - TheInquirer is reporting that Intel's Pentium 4 6xx series could launch as early as February of next year. The new chips will boast 2MB of L2 cache, EM64T 64-bit extensions, and an enhanced version of Intel's clock-throttling SpeedStep technology that promises to lower power consumption by up to 15W.

HARDWARE...

• Sony takes on iPod with new 20GB hard-disk Walkman - The product (pic + earlier CNew coverage) will be available in Britain before Christmas at $462.70 (249 pounds) and elsewhere in Europe in early 2005 at $489 (369 euros).
• Cisco updates Ethernet switches - On Tuesday, the company announced a slew of enhancements to its Catalyst line of switches, including new Supervisor Engines for its Catalyst 6500 and 4500 switches, and several new capabilities across its product line. The new products and enhancements are designed to help customers more affordably extend security and resiliency across their entire network from the core all the way to access switches, where individual servers and desktops are connected.
• Tatung DV-990 Region Code Free/Multi-System DVD Player review - The DV-990 is a region code free DVD player that also has built-in PAL/NTSC - NTSC/PAL and international voltage conversion. Also included are all needed AV outputs for international use including a European SCART connector. Other bonuses include two-microphone karaoke input and a built-in Dolby Digital/DTS decoder with 5.1 channel analog audio outputs (standard digital optical and digital coax outputs also included)
• Sony Cyber-shot DSC P150 - Beautifully made, the Sony P150 is a classy little camera that offers a level of resolution not normally the preserve of such small digicams. Despite some image noise, fringing and a slight softness to 'standard' images, the camera offers an accomplished specification, a modicum of manual control and fast operation all within a camera that easily fits into a shirt pocket - all at a reasonable price, too
• Hush E2-MCE - Silent Media Center PC - The front fascia of the Hush E2-MCE (pic) looks superb, in a kind of Tag-Mclaren minimalist/industrial HiFi component kind of way. On the left is a single, round power button that's circled in blue light (what else?) when the unit is powered on. The right hand side is dominated by the optical drive and the front mounted ports. The optical drive tray is long, with rounded edges - there's a single eject button, an activity light and a manual eject hole.
• AMD 90nm Athlon 64 first impressions - Currently the Athlon 64 3200+ 90 nm core runs at 1.4 volts, as compared to the 130 nm versions which run at 1.5 volts. Again, this is with the stock cooler and stock thermal material, so nothing really high end was used to achieve these initial results. Some people have been able to get more than 2.5 GHz out of these cores fairly easily, with no real heroic measures involved (as in watercooling, liquid nitrogen, etc.).
• AMD: Athlon 64 3500+, 3200+, and 3000+ 90nm - The major distinguishing feature of the Winchester core besides the 90nm production process is the 512 L2 cache and dual-channel memory controller supporting DDr400 SDRAM. This way, 90nm Winchester core can be considered an analogue of the 130nm NewCastle core used in Socket939 CPUs in the first place. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the first Athlon 64 processors to use the new Winchester core appeared CPUs for Socket939 platform
• Athlon 64 S754 Memory Roundup - MadShrimps compared 5 different TCCD powered modules and discovered some surprising performance differences between them.
• Soltek SL-K8TPro-939 motherboard - Like most Athlon64 motherboards these days, the SL-K8TPro-939 is very nicely equipped with IEEE 1394, 7.1-channel audio, Gigabit Ethernet, a Promise PDC20579 SATA/IDE RAID controller and the always useful Port 80 diagnostics card. There are five 32bit PCI slots, four 184-pin DDR slots, as well as a standard 8XAGP port.
• Leadtek WinFast A400 TDH (GeForce 6800) - With a core speed of 325Mhz and an effective RAM clock of 700Mhz, the A400 is well on its way to running the latest games at the resolutions and frame rates you crave. Read ahead to see how Leadtek's A400 TDH fares against last generations technology.
• PowerColor X700PRO 256MB PCI-Express - The PowerColor Radeon X700PRO 256MB PCI-Express graphic card will be a good buy for a mainstream users, as the price is very affordable and the performance you get is very worth with the price you pay. The performance of the PowerColor X700PRO is out perform the ATI 9800 series. The overclocking results of the card is even excellent. There was an increment of 50MHz for the core and 190MHz for the memory that brings up from the default at 425/860MHz to 475MHz/1050MHz. Another review can be found here.
• nVidia GeForce 6200 GPU - Overall the GeForce 6200 graphics card is something that nVidia really needed to stand out with as the budget sector simply had died off since the GeForce 4 MX died its slow death. The 6200 guarantees a good performance while in the process wiping out the ATI Radeon X300 in our benchmarks along with compatibility with the PCI express architecture, along with the 128-bit memory bus and DDR SDRAM support. You will find these cards coming out very shortly to a store near you.
• External 250GB HDD from Maxtor: OneTouch II E01G250 - The OneTouch II family consists of three models of 200, 250 and 300GB capacities. The drives use 100GB platters and rotate their spindle at 7200rpm. The amount of cache memory differs, though. The junior model has a standard 8MB buffer, while the senior two models are equipped with a 16MB buffer. This fact, of course, can seriously affect the performance of the devices. The manufacturer specifies an average seek time of less than 0.9 milliseconds.
• MSI DR16-B 16x Internal DVD writer  - This 16x Dual Format Double-Layer DVD writer possesses the fastest burn speed for DVD±R media, supports 4x DVD±RW writing and has a speedy 16x DVD-ROM read speed. CD users are not neglected and the write speed for CD-R and CD-RW is at 40x and 24x respectively; though these specifications are no longer the fastest around anymore, they should suffice nonetheless.
• Creative Labs Audigy 2 NX External Sound Card - In conclusion, the Creative Audigy NX is a superb external sound card. Although small, it is great sounding and offers a perfect solution to people with laptops who prefer not to have their music sound like it was bellowing from a tin can. Any windows system with USB is supported, but you need USB2.0 to get the most out of this sound card.
• Thermaltake PurePower 350W Fanless PSU - The Thermaltake PurePower 350 watt Fanless Power Supply pretty much proves that when it comes to power supplies, size is not everything. Even at a relatively low rating of 350 watts it is able to supply stable voltages rails to a power hungry, overclocked system. The silent operation of the PurePower Power Supply would be great for use in a Home Theater PC or for anyone trying to set up a quiet PC.

GUIDES...

• How to recognize if your computer has a virus or trojan - It isn't always easy to tell if your computer has become infected with a virus or similar anti-social piece of software. Normally, your antivirus software will locate and identify any malicious programs that find their way onto your computer. However, in the event that you haven't yet installed the antivirus software, or have let it get out of date (shame on you), here are a few things to look for as clues that you have an infection of some sort on your machine.
• Half-Life 2, all you need to know when upgrading - What we're looking for is a system that can sustain a minimum frame rate of 45 frames per second, under any circumstance and at a minimum 1024x768 resolution
• A Guide to Choosing the Right 19" LCD Monitor - 7 Models Reviewed - Our Samsung 193P won our hearts in almost every benchmark - colors were great, the design is awesome and we noticed no motion blur. Unfortunately, that amazing performance comes with a $700 price tag - you could almost get two NuTech L921Gs for that price!
• Ars holiday gift guide -  What do you buy the geek in your life? Or what do you tell your not-tech-inclined family to buy you? That's where we come in.

SOFTWARE...

• Mandrake Linux 10.1 - Mandrake Linux 10.1 Official is now available for download.
• Python 2.4 Final - The final release of Python 2.4 was just released. New features are, but not limited to, function decorators, generator expressions, a number of new module and more
• PHP 5.0.3 RC1 - PHP 5.0.3RC1 has been released for testing. This is the first release candidate and should have a very low number of problems and/or bugs.
• PowerPoint Viewer 2003 - PowerPoint Viewer 2003 lets you view full-featured presentations created in PowerPoint 97 and later versions. This viewer also supports opening password-protected Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. You can view and print presentations, but you cannot edit them in the PowerPoint Viewer 2003.
• BWMeter 2.2.0  - BWMeter (download) is a powerful bandwidth meter and monitor, which measures and displays all traffic on your network. Unlike other products, it can analyze the data packets (where they come from, where they go, which port and protocol they use).
• TaskInfo 2003 6.0.0.120 Beta - TaskInfo2003 (download) is combination of Task Manager and System Information Utility, It visually monitors different types of System information in Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP.
• RightMark Memory Analyzer 3.43 - The RightMark Team has released a new version of their RightMark Memory Analyzer (download). It aims the detailed, stable and accurate measurements of the most important low-level characteristics of the CPU/Chipset/RAM subsystem of your PC
• DVD Region+CSS Free 5.60 - DVD Region+CSS Free enables you to watch and copy any region-coded/CSS-encrypted DVD movies on any DVD drive! It fully supports region-protected (RPC2) DVD drives, and does not require any firmware modifications. It will even work if you have used up your region counter and can no longer change the DVD drive's region. This new version Remove Structure Protection (such as Sony ARccOS)" now supports movie "Walking Tall", R2 (German) and fixes crash problem on several games (such as doom3) caused by "Audio CD Free".
• NEC ND-3100 firmware (unofficial) - Firmware expert Liggy has released a new firmware that brings DVD-R(W) writing to the NEC ND-3100A