Massive DDoS attack on .cn domain brings down Chinese websites

China found itself on the receiving end of a massive denial-of-service attack this weekend that reportedly disrupted and slowed access to millions of websites, including major properties like Amazon.cn, Sina’s social networking site Weibo and Bank of China. According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the attack specifically targeted the country’s .cn servers, starting at around 2 a.m. local time on Sunday and followed by a more intense attack at 4 a.m. Service has been gradually restored since then.

Erase Yourself From the Internet With JustDelete.me

Deleting yourself from the Internet is hard work. First, you have to decide where exactly you want to disappear — from social media sites to retailer databases — and then you have to figure out how you're going to do all that.

Amazon privately tests wireless network in California

Amazon has tested a wireless network in Cupertino, California, that could allow customers to wirelessly connect to the Internet in a manner that isn’t unlike those offered by traditional wireless providers. The trial run was conducted with the help of satellite communications company Globalstar Inc. according to people familiar with the matter as reported by Bloomberg.

Google launches 1Gbps Fiber network in Kansas City, unveils TV service

Google has officially flipped the switch on its first self-built, high-speed citywide network today. Lucky residents of Kansas City on both sides of the Kansas - Missouri state line are now able to get 1,000 Mbps download and upload speeds with no monthly bandwidth caps and no overages. The service also includes 1TB of cloud storage, access to a new Google Fiber Television service, and a few other goodies.

Google’s TV service includes traditional channels from major broadcast networks, "hundreds of fiber channels”, on-demand content from services such as Netflix and YouTube, and optional premium movie channels for an additional fee. It offers a fully searchable interface and DVR functionality for up to 500 hours of HD content.

Several TVs within the home can tune in at the same time by hooking each of them up to a small set-top box that also acts as a wireless hotspot. Additionally each home installation requires a Network Box, which offers gigabit routing, Wi-Fi, four ethernet ports, and "simple network management,” and an identical looking Storage Box with 2TB of space to serve as the DVR for all devices in the house.

Google is also making a remote app for iOS and Android tablets that will support video streaming in an upcoming version, and they’re even throwing in a Nexus 7 at no extra charge with every TV package.

There’s an initial $300 construction fee to get the fiber installed at your house but Google is currently waiving it and offering three different packages: Gigabit Internet + TV for $120 a month, an Internet-only plan for $70 a month, and the option to pay the $300 construction fee and get 5Mbps internet access for free for "at least" seven years. Key institutions are getting the full gigabit access for free as well.

Google will deploy the fiber network in areas where there is most interest first. Kansas City residents can vote on where the next rollout should be by paying a $10 fee to preregister.

The first picture ever uploaded to the web and the story behind it

July 18, 2012 will mark the 20th anniversary of the very first picture ever uploaded to the web. Few people are aware of the photo or its significance largely in part to its nature. If you aren’t already familiar with it, you’d likely imagine it would be of something technological or profound in nature, but you’d be dead wrong.

The first photograph ever uploaded to the web and clicked on with a browser is of a poorly Photoshopped image depicting members of the comedy band Les Horribles Cernettes. The full story of how this came to be has never been told before and as you can imagine, is a bit on the strange side.

Silvano de Cennaro was backstage at the Hardronic Music Festival on July 18, 1992. He was working for CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) at the time, managing the comedy band and writing their songs on the side.

The group, consisting of administrative assistants and significant others of scientists, was preparing to go on stage to perform. That’s when de Gennaro asked the four ladies to pose for a photo to use as the upcoming CD cover. He snapped the picture with his Canon EOS 650, not knowing that this image would one day be famous.

The photographer worked near Tim Berners-Lee, one of the inventors responsible for creating the web. Original band member Michele was dating de Gennaro, and the two became friends with Berners-Lee through an amateur operatic society.

A short time later, Berners-Lee and his research team had released a new version of the web that supported photo files. He asked de Gennaro for a Cernettes-related image to upload. Michele told Motherboard that Berners-Lee was into crossdressing, perhaps a clue as to why he wanted an image of attractive ladies in dresses.

De Gennaro obliged, handing over a scanned .gif of the image he wanted to use for their CD cover, edited with version one of Photoshop on his color Macintosh. The rest, as they say, is history.

Coincidentally, the band is scheduled to play their final concert this coming Saturday. It’s unclear if members of the group will mention the photo during the event.

Hundreds of thousands may lose web access July 9 due to virus

July 9 is the day thousands of PCs (and Macs) infected with DNSChanger will lose their ability to surf the web. Although the virus was introduced in 2007, according to the DCWG's data, as many as 500,000 computers may still be infected. This is a friendly reminder to make certain your computers are malware-free and that their DNS settings are nominal.

In 2011, the FBI busted the unscrupulous band of individuals responsible for DNSChanger, shutting down their Eastern European servers -- a move which actually knocked millions of infected users off the web. Although those servers run by the criminals were used to feed infected users profitable ads, phishing attempts and malware, they also provided victims with a working DNS service -- servers which allow human-friendly hostnames to point to Internet locations that computers understand (IP address numbers). 

Victims were left with computers configured to use DNS servers which no longer existed. As a result, nearly 4 million people were left without Internet access.

As a courtesy, FBI technorati organized an effort to temporarily provide DNS service for DNSChanger victims. After a period of time though, the FBI handed off this responsibility to the Internet Systems Consortium, a non-profit organization who has managed to keep the DNS flowing to infected users. However, this act of kindness will end on Monday.

How do I find out if I'm infected with DNSChanger?

Google and Facebook have been warning infected users. You can also manually check using this tool.

What should I do if I'm infected?

Visit DCWG for instructions and a list of utilities capable of removing DNSChanger from your computer. If none of these tools seem to work, your router's settings may have been changed by the virus (it does do that, believe it or not). You'll need to enter your router's web configuration (instructions vary) and change its DNS settings.

Virus scanners have been able to detect and prevent DNSChanger infections for some time now. Protect yourself!

Hacker gets three years in prison for selling 'rooted' cable modems

A 28-year-old Oregon man has been sentenced tothree years in prison for selling illegal products and services that allowed users to bypass restrictions imposed by ISPs. Ryan Harris, known online as DerEngel, reportedly earned between $400,000 and $1 million over several years through the illegal activity, which included the modification of cable modems to remove filters set by ISPs, allowing users to enjoy faster connections sans limitations without the provider's blessings.


It's reported that through his company, TCNISO, Harris sold hacked cable modems for up to $100 that supplied buyers with free Internet. He also offered various hacking products including "Sigma," "Blackcat" and "DreamOS" that granted free or enhanced Internet access. One product, "Coax Thief," intercepted MAC addresses and configuration data from neighbors. Harris went as far as writing a book titled "Hacking the Cable Modem: What Cable Companies Don't Want You to Know."


"Mr. Harris acted with absolute, knowing malice," said prosecutor Mona Sedky, adding that he was motivated by greed and a desire to "punish" cable companies. "He acted on a grievance, as a lot of young people do," said Charles McGinty, Harris' federal public defender. McGinty insisted that while Harris was misguided, he was motivated by anger that ISPs could control the speed and quality of a customer's connection.


Laurie Jill Wood, director of security for Charter Communications, commented on the case Wednesday, claiming the company spent years combating Harris' wrongdoings. Because he cloned so many modems, Harris caused various headaches for Charter, including the accidental disconnection of legitimate subscribers. Even worse, Charter has been unable to identify users suspected of unrelated computer crimes.


"I think you committed a very serious crime," US District Judge Mark L. Wolf told Harris. In addition to a three-year prison sentence starting September 4, Harris will have three years of supervised release and must pay roughly $200,000 in fines and restitution.

Google earns top spot in Nielsen's Tops of 2011

Google narrowly edged out Facebook as the top Internet destination for US web surfers in 2011. The data was compiled by market researcher Nielsen as part of their Tops of 2011: Digital series that also includes the top social media sites, video destinations and smartphone devices.

Google recorded an average of 153.4 million unique visitors each month in 2011, just ahead of Facebook with 137.6 million monthly unique. Yahoo, MSN / Windows Live / Bing and YouTube rounded out the top five with 130.1 million, 115.8 million and 106.6 million visitors, respectively. Data was collected from January through October 2011 on home and work computers.

Facebook earned the top spot as the most popular social network / blog by a landslide at 137.6 million average monthly unique visitors. Blogger ranked second at 45.7 million followed by Twitter, WordPress and Myspace with 23.5 million, 20.3 million and 17.9 million each. The same set of data and collection process was used to record these stats.

YouTube outpaced all other contenders as the most popular destination for online videos with 111.1 million monthly visitors. VEVO ranked second with 34.5 million uniques followed by Facebook with 29.8 million. Hulu came in seventh place with 13.1 million unique and Netflix ranked 10th with only 7.4 million.

Apple ranked first in the smartphone manufacturers list with a 29 percent market share. HTC earned the silver medal with a 21 percent share followed by RIM at 17 percent. Samsung and Motorola both held an 11 percent market share during the data collection timeframe of August to October 2011.

Internet processed 9.57 zettabytes of information in 2008

Ever stop and wonder just how much data flows through the miraculous series of tubes we know and love as the Internet? Three UC San Diego scientists set out to answer that question last year by analyzing the total work capacity of servers around the globe and their findings were published in report this week (PDF).

According to their estimate, the world's servers processed 9.57 zettabytes (ZB) of information in 2008. To reflect the magnitude of such a number, the report equates 9.57ZB to stacking Stephen King's longest novel (2.5MB of data) from Earth to Neptune and back 20 times. That data is even underestimated as it excludes private servers built by Google, Microsoft and others.

No matter how you slice it, it's incredibly difficult to conceptualize. "Most of this information is incredibly transient: it is created, used, and discarded in a few seconds without ever being seen by a person," said co-author Roger Bohn. "It's the underwater base of the iceberg that runs the world that we see."

Server sales totaled $53.3 billion in 2008, on par with the previous four years. During the same timeframe, server performance increased five to eight times. Entry-level servers costing less than $25,000 processed about 65% of the world's information in 2008, mid-range servers crunched about 30%, and high-end servers costing $500,000+ handled the remaining 5%.