A flaw in the module pam_motd (message of the day), which displays the daily motto and other information after login (to the shell), can be exploited under Ubuntu to expand access rights. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to gain root access. Ubuntu has already provided a patch for the flaw. Operators of multi-users systems should install it as soon as possible because directions are already in circulation via Twitter on how to exploit the flaw to get access rights to the password file /etc/shadow. The file can then not only be read, but changed.
The …

The Spring version of the popular Mandriva Linux distribution is now available for download on mirrors worldwide. With the release of Mandriva Linux 2010.1 “Spring,” we definitely know that Mandriva is alive and kicking. The final release comes in three editions: One Edition, Free Edition and Powerpack Edition. Mandriva Linux 2010.1 is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, with GNOME and KDE4 LiveCDs.
Mandriva Linux 2010.1 “Spring” offers hot features, such as Guest account, a new installation method and improved Mandriva Directory Server. It also comes with some bleeding-edge applications, like Mozilla …

Microsoft has extended the life of Windows XP beyond the date that Windows 7 gets its first service pack.
Previously it had been thought that the Vole was going to discontinue the right to downgrade from Windows 7 to XP when the Windows 7 SP1 service pack came out.
Now it appears, according to a Microsoft blog, that Microsoft has decided to extend downgrade rights to Windows XP Professional beyond the previously planned end date at Windows 7 SP1.
Apparently this will help maintain consistency for downgrade rights throughout the Windows 7 lifecycle, …

Android 2.2 is barely out of the door, but one mobile fanatic has already got the skinny of what we can expect from the next Google OS update, due in October. Dubbed Gingerbread, or Android 3.0, it comes with stacks of awesome features, but also promises big changes from the Google.
Eldar Murtazin of Mobile Review has previous in getting the biggest mobile scoops and this is right up there. Android 3.0 is set to land on 15 or 16 October, with Google demanding that phones using the new OS come …

Google has remotely removed two free apps from several hundred Android phones because the apps misrepresented their purpose and thus violated Android developer policies, according to a company spokesman.
This marks the first time Google has used the Remote Application Removal Feature that allows the company to delete apps for security reasons that have been installed through Android Market.
The apps were proof-of-concept programs designed to test the feasibility of distributing a program that could later be used to take control of the device in an attack, according to Jon Oberheide, the …

Despite many folks rushing out to get 1TB and 2TB hard drives, there is still a significant demand for lower capacity hard drives, probably considering not everybody needs that much storage space. Samsung should be looking to capitalize on that as the Korean company has just introduced a new high-speed desktop drive to its Spinpoint F series of drives. that drive, the Spinpoint F4, is estimated to sport a 10 percent increase in read/write performance and a 7 percent lower potential consumption
than the Spinpoint F1. It spins at 7,200RPM, …

Apple has announced a new version of its small form factor computer, the Mac Mini.
The company claims that the new Mac Mini has twice the graphics performance of its predecessor and is also 20 per cent smaller as it has an integrated power supply.
The standard configuration includes a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 320GB hard disk and 2GB RAM and is priced at £649 inc VAT. It runs Mac OSX Snow Leopard and has iLife software installed.

Technology developed by Microsoft under the code name Project Natal was renamed”Kinect.”
The potentially revolutionary device uses a 3-D camera and gesture recognition software to let people play videogames using natural body movements instead of hand-held controllers.
It lets people play driving games, for example, by simply moving their hands as if turning a car steering wheel.
On-screen figures in sports or dance titles mimic the body movements of people in the real-world.
No price details were disclosed at the presentation, which provided glimpses at how Kinect lets players control on-screen characters with natural gestures instead …

Think that your existing LED-based projector isn’t bright enough? NEC Display Solutions might have the answer. The company is currently exhibiting an LED-based projector that boasts a brightness as high as 2000lm, touted as the world’s brightest LED-based projector; it uses RGB color LEDs as a light source.

This projector also boasts a wide color gamut, and is capable of displaying 98 percent of the color gamut defined in the Adobe RGB standard, and NEC claims that a normal front projector is only capable of displaying slightly over 60 percent of the color …

Sony 3DTVs and game and blu-ray content are now available in stores across the UK from today (11 June).
According to Sony, consumers will now be able to experience 3D gaming in the home for the first time with the launch of four 3D Playstation games: WipEout HD, SuperStardust HD, PAIN and MotorStorm Pacific Rift Demo. All titles are available to download for free when purchasing a Sony 3DTV. Playstation 3 owners can update their consoles to 3D with a firmware update.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs will be bundled with …