Month: January 2013

Hortonworks adds a Hadoop sandbox

Those who want to try the much-hyped Hadoop but haven’t got a cluster or two to spare can now test the data processing platform on their desktops, thanks to a new release from Hadoop distributor Hortonworks.

Those who want to try the much-hyped Hadoop but haven't got a cluster or two to spare can now test the data processing platform on their desktops, thanks to a new release from Hadoop distributor Hortonworks.

Experts prod Oracle to fix broken Java security

Beset by some very public vulnerabilities in Java, and apparently unable to properly patch those bugs, Oracle must dramatically step up its security game, experts said.

Beset by some very public vulnerabilities in Java, and apparently unable to properly patch those bugs, Oracle must dramatically step up its security game, experts said.

the Stuxnet computer worm

When first discovered in 2010, the Stuxnet computer worm posed a baffling puzzle. Beyond its sophistication loomed a more troubling mystery: its purpose. Ralph Langner and team helped crack the code that revealed this digital warhead’s final target. In a fascinating look inside cyber-forensics, he explains how — and makes a bold (and, it turns out, correct) guess at its shocking origins.

Ralph Langner’s Stuxnet Deep Dive is the definitive technical presentation on the PLC attack portion of Stuxnet. He did a good job of showing very technical details in a readable and logical presentation that you can follow in the video if you know something about programming and PLC’s.

The main purpose of Ralph’s talk was to convince the audience with “100% certainty” that Stuxnet was designed specifically to attack the Natanz facility. He does this at least four different ways, and I have to agree there is no doubt.

Ralph Langner is a German control system security consultant. He has received worldwide recognition for his analysis of the Stuxnet malware.

  • Stuxnet worm hits Iranian centrifuges – from mid-2009 to late 2010
  • Iran complains facilities hit by Stars malware – April 2011
  • Duqu trojan hits Iran’s computer systems – November 2011
  • Flame virus targets computers in PCs across the Middle East, including Iran and Israel – June 2012
  • Iran says Stuxnet worm returns – December 2012

Continue reading “the Stuxnet computer worm”

Tech hotshots: The rise of the UX expert

Blame Apple’s aesthetic: Even the stodgiest of enterprise shops are engaging user experience experts who can design logical, beautiful interfaces for mobile computing’s limited spaces.

Blame Apple’s aesthetic: Even the stodgiest of enterprise shops are engaging user experience experts who can design logical, beautiful interfaces for mobile computing’s limited spaces.