Its sad that even with today’s standardized web security protocols and measures being built into all consumer routers and networks, malicious hackers (known as “black hats” in reference to Western American cowboy folklore) are still able to execute attacks in secrecy.
The situation is has become an increasing concern with the growth of free and public wi-fi hotspots in coffee shops, malls, bookstores, and libraries.
An article by Ellen Messmer posted on the Network World website exposes a technique used by hackers to “poison” webpages by setting up fake portals and caching malicious code. read the entire article here.
A Wi-Fi Ninja attacking a Starbucks public network
The latter technique is used by black hats to attack unsuspecting users far after the hacker has actually planted the malicious code; a “delayed” attack. This is analogous to a technique used in kung-fu known as “dim mak” or “death touch”. Perhaps the new age of black hats are more black belt than anything.
The Social Analyst is a weekly column by Mashable Co-Editor Ben Parr, where he digs into social media trends and how they are affecting companies in the space. Source: http://mashable.com/2010/01/24/internet-of-tomorrow-column/
Web technologies are evolving at an extremely rapid pace. just 10 years ago, the dynamic web was in its infancy and consumer sites were simply information display’s comparable to static billboards or posters. Today’s internet, Web 2.0, is a culmination of dynamic and interactive technologies such as flash and AJAX. Many dynamic sites are no longer considered “websites” but rather full fledged web-applications.
The line between traditional desktop applications and web apps is blurred as web technology evolves. One prime example of the death of traditional applications is “Microsoft Office Live“. The complexity and graphical interfaces make it hard to distiguish.
The future of the web is definitely hard to predict especially with the advent of cloud based infrastructures where everything, including entire infrastructures, are delivered as a service on demand. Yet, one thing is definitely certain; developers from all walks must constantly stay bleeding edge to keep up with the rapid pace of developments in technology.
Augmented reality is a technology that has been around for a while now but is more recently coming out into the hands of consumers and becoming more available to developers.
Augmented reality is a category of technology that allows the digital world to mesh with the real world to create a composited environment.
With the emergence of powerful smartphones, this is becoming more of a reality. A prime example of the practical uses can be found in the following video:
We are pleased to announce that Logistiq was inducted to the Microsoft BizSpark Database, which gives us access to numerous resources and support features. BizSpark serves as a database of companies and investors, which also features startups who succeed in their relative fields.
A major exploit on the popular social news site Reddit, has been uncovered using javascript and cross site scripting. Be wary when looking over comments as the exploit is activated upon hovering over links within the comment. According to the f-secure weblog (http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/00001777.html),
“This user posted some test comments exploiting the fact that Reddit wasn’t filtering out JavaScript in certain instances when you were hovering your mouse over text.”
The internals of the Reddit exploit
The full article is disclosed and updated in the link provided.
The 21st century, albeit only a few years old, has shown us that the struggle for supremacy is waged using emerging technologies. War is no longer centered around capturing territories and accumulating tribute. To put it simply, nobody is interested in flying their flag on top of destroyed buildings anymore. The war of the 21st century is being fought over mediums that can influence the minds and habits of people. Read the rest of this entry »
Web 2.0 technologies have always contributed to open – transparent organizations. In media for example, user generated news has promoted several stories local and international news has not covered. The following article presents a change in government protocols to integrate more Web 2.0 applications to create an open forum for news, discussions, and updates. The following story expands on the subject:
Hacker Kevin Mitnick achieved his infamy—and jail time—not for his technical prowess, but rather for his abilities in finding weak, unsecured holes in his target organizations. He managed to sound legitimate while at the same time prying them for information that allowed him to access systems.
This technique is known as social engineering. There is little new to report here, and it’s a bit passé to even talk about social engineering as a threat given the rise of spam, malware, mass phishing, botnets and various advanced hacking techniques. Regardless, social engineering is alive and well, and probably remains the most effective hacking technique. Read the rest of this entry »
