James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ Cost $500M, May Flop - Analysts wonder whether one of the most expensive movies ever stands a chance at the box-office - Softpedia: "This December, James Cameron and fantasy-film fans will be treated to what is deemed one of the most ambitious and potentially successful projects of almost two decades: Cameron’s “Avatar.” However, boasting an estimated budget of about $500 million and almost no star power, while neither a story with which audiences are familiar, analysts can’t help but wonder about the odds of it being a hit at the box-office.
According to the New York Times, if all this is handled well, then “Avatar” stands to make a profit and all the backers, sponsors and movie partners that invested heavily in it, as well as the cast and production crew actually get to make an extra buck aside from the fix salary they cashed in. However, in an industry that is seeing declining sales and shifting tendencies, it’s becoming harder and harder to predict whether a film has what it takes to sell at the box-office.
20th Century Fox, for one, as well as Cameron himself seem convinced that “Avatar” can turn a profit. What this means is that it has all the necessary ingredients to cover the $500-million budget it required to make – and then some. 3D theaters will hopefully cover some of that number of tickets the film needs to sell (with theaters being able to charge extra), DVD sales and merchandise will eventually work together to make a profit – and keep everybody involved happy, the NY Times piece says.
Cameron has already taken the extra steps to ensure things work out well. “In a further hedge, Mr. Cameron would give up part of his own participation in the film’s returns if production costs exceed a specified level, according to those who were briefed on the film. If final production costs exceeded $300 million, for instance, Mr. Cameron would effectively defer much of his payout until the studio and others were compensated, despite his years of labor on the movie.” the aforementioned publication informs.
However, it could very well be that it’s too soon to tell. There are also too many players involved, and too many unknowns in the equation for analysts to be able to make an accurate estimation. “At what point the various partners in ‘Avatar’ would see profit from the film depends on what share of revenue each receives as the movie reaches theaters, then home video and other media around the world. If domestic ticket sales reach $250 million – a level broken in the last year by five films, including ‘Star Trek’ and ‘The Hangover’ – Fox and its allies would appear to be headed into the black.” the NY Times further says."
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/James-Cameron-s-Avatar-Cost-500M-May-Flop-126503.shtml
Monday, November 9, 2009
Major Security Hole Discovered on Facebook and MySpace - The oversight allowed account hijacking and theft of user data - Softpedia
Major Security Hole Discovered on Facebook and MySpace - The oversight allowed account hijacking and theft of user data - Softpedia: "A Web developer has documented a proof-of-concept attack that could have been used to hijack accounts and steal private information on Facebook and MySpace. The attack leveraged a serious security oversight in XML configuration files used to define the cross-domain access policy for Flash applications.
The discovery was made while 24-years-old Dutch Web developer Yvo Schaap tried to find a workaround to a problem he was having with one of his Facebook applications. “I found a solution to one of my function limitations. Surprisingly, when looked into more carefully my solution allowed full access and control to the Facebook user account that accessed my application,” he notes on his blog.
As the programmer goes on to explain, this is not actually a bug, but an insecure configuration issue in crossdomain.xml. This file can be used to tell a Flash application, loaded from a URL and executed locally on the client, if it is able to access a file served from its domain. For example, if the owner of domain A wants to let an application from domain B access its files, it can specify domain B in the crossdomain.xml on its server.
While the crossdomain.xml on facebook.com whitelisted only other domains and sub-domains associated with Facebooks, the similar file on connect.facebook.com contained an <allow-access-from domain=”*” /> directive. This meant that any Flash application, hosted on any domain, was allowed to access data on the connect.facebook.com sub-domain.
“This wouldn't be a big deal if the subdomain only hosts images, but unfortunately this domain hosts the whole Facebook property, including a facebook user session,” Mr. Schaap notes. The web developer goes on to point out that if a user has auto-login enabled and is served with the URL to a specially-crafted flash file, an attacker could obtain full control of their account.
MySpace also suffered from a similar crossdomain.xml misconfiguration, though not as obvious as in Facebook's case. In particular, the crossdomain.xml on myspace.com granted access to a farm.sproutbuilder.com sub-domain. Sprout Builder is a web application building platform, which amongst other types of media, allows its clients to upload and incorporate .swf (Flash) files into their projects. As it turns out, these files are hosted on farm.sproutbuilder.com, thus opening the opportunity to create MySpace self-propagating social networking worm.
Yvo Schaap contacted both companies in advance of making this public and they moved swiftly to address the security problems. However, if two of the biggest social networking platforms left such gaping security holes opened, it is reasonable to assume that many smaller websites also have them."
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Major-Security-Hole-Discovered-on-Facebook-and-MySpace-126327.shtml
The discovery was made while 24-years-old Dutch Web developer Yvo Schaap tried to find a workaround to a problem he was having with one of his Facebook applications. “I found a solution to one of my function limitations. Surprisingly, when looked into more carefully my solution allowed full access and control to the Facebook user account that accessed my application,” he notes on his blog.
As the programmer goes on to explain, this is not actually a bug, but an insecure configuration issue in crossdomain.xml. This file can be used to tell a Flash application, loaded from a URL and executed locally on the client, if it is able to access a file served from its domain. For example, if the owner of domain A wants to let an application from domain B access its files, it can specify domain B in the crossdomain.xml on its server.
While the crossdomain.xml on facebook.com whitelisted only other domains and sub-domains associated with Facebooks, the similar file on connect.facebook.com contained an <allow-access-from domain=”*” /> directive. This meant that any Flash application, hosted on any domain, was allowed to access data on the connect.facebook.com sub-domain.
“This wouldn't be a big deal if the subdomain only hosts images, but unfortunately this domain hosts the whole Facebook property, including a facebook user session,” Mr. Schaap notes. The web developer goes on to point out that if a user has auto-login enabled and is served with the URL to a specially-crafted flash file, an attacker could obtain full control of their account.
MySpace also suffered from a similar crossdomain.xml misconfiguration, though not as obvious as in Facebook's case. In particular, the crossdomain.xml on myspace.com granted access to a farm.sproutbuilder.com sub-domain. Sprout Builder is a web application building platform, which amongst other types of media, allows its clients to upload and incorporate .swf (Flash) files into their projects. As it turns out, these files are hosted on farm.sproutbuilder.com, thus opening the opportunity to create MySpace self-propagating social networking worm.
Yvo Schaap contacted both companies in advance of making this public and they moved swiftly to address the security problems. However, if two of the biggest social networking platforms left such gaping security holes opened, it is reasonable to assume that many smaller websites also have them."
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Major-Security-Hole-Discovered-on-Facebook-and-MySpace-126327.shtml
Computer Trojan Helped Expose Secret Syrian Nuclear Reactor - Which was subsequently bombed by Israel in September 2007 - Softpedia
Computer Trojan Helped Expose Secret Syrian Nuclear Reactor - Which was subsequently bombed by Israel in September 2007 - Softpedia: "The use of a computer Trojan played a critical role in gathering intelligence regarding a now-destroyed secret nuclear reactor in Syria. The information-gathering program was planted by Mossad operatives on the laptop of a Syrian official while he was staying in London.
Journalists from the German publication Der Spiegel have recently published an article describing the events that led and followed Israel's bombing of the Syrian nuclear reactor at Al Kibar. According to them, Israel had reason to believe that Syria might be planning to launch a secret nuclear program even since 2002, but information was scarce at the time.
Their suspicions intensified in 2004 after United States' National Security Agency (NSA) informed them of an unusually high number of calls between Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, and a region in the Syrian desert situated close to the Euphrates river. This place was called Al Kibar.
Then, in late 2006, Mossad operatives succeeded in obtaining more concrete evidence. Apparently, this was achieved by installing a professional trojan on the computer of a senior Syrian government official. The clandestine program was planted on his laptop left in a Kensington hotel room during a trip to London.
The trojan stole secret documents and images depicting the Al Kibar reactor in various stages of construction. It also captured photos of Chon Chibu, a leading North Korean nuclear scientist, together with Ibrahim Othman, the director of the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission. This intelligence gathering effort eventually led to 'Operation Orchard,' the bombing by Israeli fighter jets of the Al Kibar complex in September 2007.
There is no mention as to whether the information on this laptop was encrypted or not, but generally with such sensitive information, it is. However, it doesn't matter as this is a perfect example of a so-called 'Evil Made' attack, a situation where the attacker can install a boot-level malware on an unattended device, which is then returned to the owner for use.
'People who encrypt their hard drives, or partitions on their hard drives, have to realize that the encryption gives them less protection than they probably believe,' warns cryptography guru Bruce Schneier. 'It protects against someone confiscating or stealing their computer and then trying to get at the data. It does not protect against an attacker who has access to your computer over a period of time during which you use it, too,' he explains."
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Computer-Trojan-Helped-Expose-Secret-Syrian-Nuclear-Reactor-126423.shtml
Journalists from the German publication Der Spiegel have recently published an article describing the events that led and followed Israel's bombing of the Syrian nuclear reactor at Al Kibar. According to them, Israel had reason to believe that Syria might be planning to launch a secret nuclear program even since 2002, but information was scarce at the time.
Their suspicions intensified in 2004 after United States' National Security Agency (NSA) informed them of an unusually high number of calls between Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, and a region in the Syrian desert situated close to the Euphrates river. This place was called Al Kibar.
Then, in late 2006, Mossad operatives succeeded in obtaining more concrete evidence. Apparently, this was achieved by installing a professional trojan on the computer of a senior Syrian government official. The clandestine program was planted on his laptop left in a Kensington hotel room during a trip to London.
The trojan stole secret documents and images depicting the Al Kibar reactor in various stages of construction. It also captured photos of Chon Chibu, a leading North Korean nuclear scientist, together with Ibrahim Othman, the director of the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission. This intelligence gathering effort eventually led to 'Operation Orchard,' the bombing by Israeli fighter jets of the Al Kibar complex in September 2007.
There is no mention as to whether the information on this laptop was encrypted or not, but generally with such sensitive information, it is. However, it doesn't matter as this is a perfect example of a so-called 'Evil Made' attack, a situation where the attacker can install a boot-level malware on an unattended device, which is then returned to the owner for use.
'People who encrypt their hard drives, or partitions on their hard drives, have to realize that the encryption gives them less protection than they probably believe,' warns cryptography guru Bruce Schneier. 'It protects against someone confiscating or stealing their computer and then trying to get at the data. It does not protect against an attacker who has access to your computer over a period of time during which you use it, too,' he explains."
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Computer-Trojan-Helped-Expose-Secret-Syrian-Nuclear-Reactor-126423.shtml
Two Men Accused of Hacking Their Former Employer's Computers - Failure to suspend credentials at fault again - Softpedia
Two Men Accused of Hacking Their Former Employer's Computers - Failure to suspend credentials at fault again - Softpedia: "Two former employees of an engine parts distributor have been indicted for accessing the company's computer systems repeatedly without authorization after they quit. According to the prosecutors, the men used still active credentials to access sensitive information for almost two years.
Scott R. Burgess, 45 of Jasper, Indiana, and Walter D. Puckett, 39 of Williamstown, Kentucky, were indicted on November 4 for computer intrusion, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana announces. The pair used to work for Jasper-based Stens Corporation, a distributor of replacement parts for small engine outdoor power equipment.
After quitting their jobs at Stens in late 2004 and early 2005, respectively, Burgess and Puckett went on to work for a rival company. The authorities claim that until September 2006, the two illegally accessed private information stored on computers belonging to Stens Corporation on twelve separate occasions.
The intrusions allegedly had personal and commercial gain motivation and were instrumented through the use of old login credentials. It is also mentioned that Stens' IT staff noticed unusual behavior and disabled several passwords, however the perpetrators switched to using others.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, Burgess and Puckett face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 each. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indiana State Police have collaborated in the investigation.
Failure to disable the login credentials of dismissed individuals is a popular attack vector for data breach incidents. Security experts have warned that the risk of disgruntled employees hacking their way back in is even greater now due to the harsh economic environment.
Back in September, we reported that a former IT consultant pleaded guilty to accusations of damaging a critical system used to monitor underwater oil pipelines for leaks, because an oil-extraction company refused to offer him permanent employment. In August, a computer specialist was arrested and indicted for hacking into the network of a charity he used to work for and deleting donor records."
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Two-Men-Accused-of-Hacking-Their-Former-Employer-s-Computers-126361.shtml
Scott R. Burgess, 45 of Jasper, Indiana, and Walter D. Puckett, 39 of Williamstown, Kentucky, were indicted on November 4 for computer intrusion, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana announces. The pair used to work for Jasper-based Stens Corporation, a distributor of replacement parts for small engine outdoor power equipment.
After quitting their jobs at Stens in late 2004 and early 2005, respectively, Burgess and Puckett went on to work for a rival company. The authorities claim that until September 2006, the two illegally accessed private information stored on computers belonging to Stens Corporation on twelve separate occasions.
The intrusions allegedly had personal and commercial gain motivation and were instrumented through the use of old login credentials. It is also mentioned that Stens' IT staff noticed unusual behavior and disabled several passwords, however the perpetrators switched to using others.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, Burgess and Puckett face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 each. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indiana State Police have collaborated in the investigation.
Failure to disable the login credentials of dismissed individuals is a popular attack vector for data breach incidents. Security experts have warned that the risk of disgruntled employees hacking their way back in is even greater now due to the harsh economic environment.
Back in September, we reported that a former IT consultant pleaded guilty to accusations of damaging a critical system used to monitor underwater oil pipelines for leaks, because an oil-extraction company refused to offer him permanent employment. In August, a computer specialist was arrested and indicted for hacking into the network of a charity he used to work for and deleting donor records."
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Two-Men-Accused-of-Hacking-Their-Former-Employer-s-Computers-126361.shtml
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Deal-breakers of our marriages
‘A fine marriage is like a fine wine. It improves with age.’ Of course yes…but after a wedding who cares to make it fine or how many are even ready to think about it?
In our system, normally all parents are worried more about the boy’s/girl’s family background in terms of caste, education, wealth and whether the family is labeled ‘good’. I wonder how they conclude that the family is ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Any ways, a wedding happens after scrutinizing most aspects and satisfying the majority of terms and conditions, if not all. Then, why do marriages fail several times…even the properly done arranged marriages? Many relationships end bitterly in a very shot time…why?
Even though the changing lifestyle is cited as one of major reasons, in my experience is not the real destroyer. Many elderly people are escaping from the real facts. If one observes the post-marital scenario closely, regular causes behind broken/sour marriages are mainly dowry issues, conflicts between the elders of both families or the girl and in-laws (interestingly not between the couple), sufferings in the hands of in-laws, labeled short-comings in the customs supposed to be followed by the girl’s side (in most situations the boy’s side can behave in the way they want or think is right). In the present society, where the girls and boys are treated equal in most aspects, why we are still sticking to many hopeless customs when it comes to marriage. Many times instead of bringing prosperity, these hopeless things are the deal breakers.
Have anybody ever bothered about speaking to the couple whether they feel fine after marriage, find out the problems they are facing may be in understanding each other and helping them in sorting the differences out? Huh, most elders don’t have enough time to watch the girl’s behavior, her family and criticize whenever possible. They are more bothered about whether her family respects (!) their son in the way they want and what has been done from her side for Aadi, Diwali and Pongal. Do they feel these are the aspects which can make a marriage fine?
They want the girl to follow their practices on her own. How will it happen from the next day of marriage…she should at least be made aware of what is expected from her isn’t? Does anybody bother to make her comfortable in the new environment, speak to her about her brought up/regular schedule, daily activities and tell her the need/importance of following the customs and practices in the new environment? Most in-laws however are more concerned about stabilizing their position in their son’s mind.
In our system, most of the times, two entirely unfamiliar people come together…sometimes the differences are huge. They need time first to understand each other better…am not saying that people should change their personalities…it’s about understanding first so that they can better adjust. But, before this happens, other aspects/issues peep in, which many times instead of strengthening a marriage, does the job of a destructor. The couple instead of strengthening their relationships starts quarrelling backing their family/parent’s stands. Customs are made for people but these days the reverse is happening.
And everybody involved, don’t be authoritative and don’t think you are superior. Please understand that everybody have the right to express and enjoy at least minimum freedom. Support us to live our lives
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
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