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Just in case all of the warnings that we gave you before about SCDA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) devices and how insecure most of them are was not enough. We now find that a new piece of malware that appears to be intended spy on industrial networks as a precursor to a future attack like the Stuxnet malware that hit last year. Dubbed Duqu because of a prefix attached to files the new malware creates this new bit of code is very concerning to security experts.


The code was found on several Windows based systems across multiple companies in Europe. These companies were not directly identified but all appear to have connections to industries that directly interact with basic infrastructure services.  As of right now Duqu appears content to just gather information and report back to its command and control servers (including using an internal key logger).  Duqu also appears to be sending JPG files back and forth between the server and the infected system, but as many found out to their dismay you can embed quite a bit of information in a JPG files so these could be used to send control instructions and responses or could be nothing more than test files right now.

So far researchers are at a loss as to what Duqu is collecting and why this is happening. They do know that the attacks have been going on since at least December 2010 and that the first variant identified used a stolen certificate much like the original Stuxnet did. Researchers at Symantec and McAfee also feel that the creators of this code had access to the source code of Stuxnet as the two pieces of Malware are very similar in the way they operate and the coding used. Both McAfee and Symantec have also stated that Duqu does not spread and that it does not appear to use any known exploits. This would indicate that the malware uses tactics like drive-by, or social engineering based exploits. These rely on human intervention to download and install the malicious code on a system usually via email or web link.

We personally wonder if this is related to some of the rumors about Anonymous stepping up their attacks on Governments and Large Corporations. After all with what they can gather using some fairly simple techniques (and a nice bit of coding) they can put some rather devastating plans into action very quickly. If this is the case (and this is all just speculation) then we might be looking at an attack that no one is really prepared for. Then again this could all be nothing more than a reconnaissance mission, especially considering the fact that the code uninstalls itself after 30 days…

Source Symantec and McAfee
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So the unheard of happened today; Apple reported their 4th quarter revenue and it was *gasp* under expectations. This was after so many people were heard to make predictions on Apple reporting another record quarter. The total revenue for the 4th Quarter of 2011 was 28.27 Billion which fell shy of expectations by just over a Billion Dollars. Revenue was still up over 8 Billion from Q4 2010 and Net Profits were up by 2.3 Billion. Apple products also enjoyed an increase quarter over quarter with iPhone sales increasing 21%, iPad sales up almost 170%, and Personal Computing Systems sales up 26%. iPod sales, which many are seeing as obsolete, were down around 27% from last year. Apple’s nest egg also grew to $84 Billion.

In the meantime Intel Corporation posted a record $14.3 Billion in revenue and $3.7 Billion in net income. This is up 3.2 Billion over Q4 2010 and represents their recapturing of market share from Rival CPU maker AMD. Intel’s PC group had a growth of 22% over Q4 201o while their Data Center Group grew 15%. Intel has an Operating Income of 5.1 Billion which was also up 22% over Q4 2010. This is all coming at a time when many analysts are predicting the death of the PC as more and more tablets arrive on the market. However, Desktop and Server CPU sales remain strong and have increased more than expected. Meanwhile the poor Atom had a drop of 32% in revenue ($268 Million) over last year’s Q4.

The results are very interesting indeed and only go to show you that sometimes analysts forget to take a look at the raw data and the market before making predictions. We will be interested to see if Apple continues to drop in revenue through Q1 and Q2 of 2012 and Intel continues to climb. We know there will be some fallout from the loss of Steve Jobs, we just are not sure how much that will be.

Source Apple and Intel

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It seems that nothing is sacred anymore as someone has hacked Sesame Street’s YouTube channel. The channel was hacked on Sunday and all of the content replaced with Porn. On the profile page was a note from someone claiming responsibility for the attack (See Below). So far one of the people listed has already denied any involvement in the attack. The inappropriate content was visible for about 20 minutes before Google’s own internal mechanisms shut it down for “repeated or severe violations of our Community Guidelines.".


The attackers replaced the profile information with the statement below;
“WHO DOESN'T LOVE PORN KIDS? RIGHT! EVERYONE LOVES IT! IM MREDXWX AND MY PARTNER MRSUICIDER91 ARE HERE TO BRING YOU MANY NICE CONTENT! PLEASE DON'T LET SESAME STREET TO GET THIS ACCOUNT BACK KIDS :( PLEASE...LET ME AND MRSUICIDER91 HAVE IT AND WE GONNA MAKE ALL THE AMERICA HAPPY!”

This latest attack shows just how vulnerable YouTube is and how important it is for companies to maintain security on their sites. It also is a good lesson for parents that forget how bad the Internet can be. There really is no place where you can just let your kids browse freely, even sites like Disney.com can be hijacked and replaced with something bad.

Stunts like this are rather distasteful and while I have supported (to a limited degree) many of the “activist” activities in the hacking community I feel that a single act like this ruins any positive actions that are currently on-going. I do wonder how long it will be before the conspiracy theories about this start popping up though. In the mean time I hope that the community find and “corrects” the people that are responsible whoever they turn out to be.

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Well it is time for another Apple Legal Round up. On Friday October 14th 2011 we find that Apple has managed to get a preliminary injunction on the sales of some of Samsung’s products in Australia. Most notable in this ban is the Galaxy Tab 10.1. This injunction and ban was handed down after Apple rejected a compromise offer to Apple. Apple is using this offer to bolster their claim that the Tab is a copy of their iPad and that it infringes on their Intellectual Property. On the other hand their rejection of this could be seen as an indication that they are not looking to cooperate and just want a competing product off the market. Either way the ban will be in place until after the case in heard in court.

In the Netherlands, Apple has managed to avoid having their own products banned. It seems that Samsung put in a complaint stating that Apple has infringed on their patents involving 3G technologies. However the judge in this case was not buying it. Samsung’s complaint and accusations were thrown out along with Apple’s own counter complaints. It is quite possible that they are getting a little tired of the bickering between these two companies. In this case Samsung has stated they will pursue other avenues to protect their IP.

In the US a judge has refused a preliminary ban on Samsung products stating that Apple has to prove their claims before any ban or injunction will be put into place. This case is a little interesting as it seems that the judge may hold some doubts to the validity of the patents in the first place. At one point US District Judge Lucy Koh held up both tablets and asked the Samsung lawyers present to identify them. It took a few moments before the answer could be supplied.  Apple maintains that their design is what makes all of the difference and that no one should be copying it. The problem with that comment is that all tablets are going to have a similar design. They are rectangular devices with a screen on one side. Only logos and color differentiate most of them in terms of appearance. In any case Apple now has to not only prove that Samsung has violated these patents, but now also has to prove that the patents are valid.

These items are just the latest news in the patent war between Samsung and Apple. As of this writing there are over 20 legal cases in progress around the world. The enmity between these two comes from a bad ending to a partnership that Samsung and Apple enjoyed right up until Apple began designing their own chips for their products. May have felt that Apple used the information and technology provided by Samsung to start this venture only to find themselves not only left out, but being the target of Apple’s legal team attempting to suppress their products.

I doubt that we will ever know what really kicked all of this off but one thing is fairly clear IP or not; Apple wants Samsung’s (and others) phones and Tablets off the market. They know that even a temporary delay in sales can hinder or even kill a product.

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