Topic: - on March 8, 2003 at 11:44:27 AM CET
Windows Root kits a stealthy threat
Now dubbed "Slanret", "IERK," and "Backdoor-ALI" by anti-virus vendors, experts say the tool is a rare example of a Windows "root kit" - an assembly of programs that subverts the Windows operating system at the lowest levels, and, once in place, cannot be detected by conventional means.
Also known as "kernel mode Trojans," root kits are far more sophisticated than the usual batch of Windows backdoor programs that irk network administrators today. The difference is the depth at which they control the compromised system. Conventional backdoors like SubSeven and BO2K operate in "user mode", which is to say, they play at the same level as any other application running on the compromised machine. That means that other applications - like anti-virus scanners - can easily discern evidence of the backdoor's existence in the Window's registry or deep among the computer's files.
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Topic: - on March 8, 2003 at 11:39:02 AM CET
Tracking The Downloading Revolution
Rightly or wrongly, it's no secret that file sharing--specifically, music downloading--has become a popular vehicle for entertainment consumption. Just how popular? BigChampagne knows. The online research company has the technology to virtually count the number of times music files are shared throughout the country...and has been doing it for almost three years.
The data, some of which can be seen on www.BigChampagne.com, reveals a startling overview of the proliferation of file sharing. In an exclusive interview with The Network, CEO Eric Garland describes how its monitoring works, the breadth of the file-sharing phenomenon, how its data could be used by radio and the record companies, and how it can impact the future of the music industry.
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Topic: - on March 8, 2003 at 11:31:24 AM CET
Moroccan heavy metal fans jailed
More than a dozen heavy metal musicians and fans have been jailed in Casablanca for moral and religious crimes, local media reported.
The 14 men, all between the ages of 22 and 35, were convicted of "acts capable of undermining the faith of a Muslim" and "possessing objects which infringe morals".
Their sentences of between one month and one year followed newspaper pieces which dubbed them "Satanists" involved in international devil-worship.
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Topic: - on March 8, 2003 at 11:24:46 AM CET
Cosmetic Breast Implants Linked to Suicide Risk
Women who opt for breast implants to enhance their natural assets are more likely to commit suicide, Dutch and Swedish scientists said on Thursday.
Breast enlargement is one of the most popular types of cosmetic surgery but researchers at the University Medical Center in Utrecht believe it could be linked to problems such as lack of self esteem or poor body image.
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