Sony hackers have reportedly been traced back to a hotel in Bangkok

Anthony Garreffa | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 8, 2014 2:30 AM CST

The hack against Sony has been all over the news for a couple of weeks now, but it has reportedly all been tracked back to a single, posh hotel in Bangkok. North Korea has stepped up saying that it was not responsible for the hack, which had people thinking the country had attacked Sony over its movie "The Interview" with Seth Rogen and James Franco.

The hackers were traced back to St. Regis Bangkok, which is a 4.5-star resort where even the most basic rooms cost over $400 per night. We don't know if the hack was done from inside of one of these hotels, or outside in a public area of the hotel, but we do know they came from the St. Regis Bangkok. The investigations into the breach of Sony Pictures Entertainment servers took place on December 2, at 12:25AM local time.

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North Korea says its supporters could be behind Sony cyberattack

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 8, 2014 1:25 AM CST

Pro-North Korean hackers could be responsible for a cyberattack that crippled Sony Pictures, according to a statement broadcasted on a state-run television channel. The successful breach will likely cost SPE millions from interrupted business operations, data theft, and screener versions of the movie that have leaked online.

The KCNA news agency said that the "hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment might be a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathizers with the DPRK in response to its appeal."

There are digital fingerprints that point towards North Korea, and cybersecurity experts and the FBI are helping SPE investigate the incident. Despite extreme poverty that most of the country's citizens endure, the controlling government has reportedly invested a great deal into developing hackers with developed cyberattack capabilities.

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Microsoft says Windows 10 will run on 'billions of devices'

Anthony Garreffa | Software & Apps | Dec 8, 2014 12:35 AM CST

Microsoft has said that it wants to see its next generation desktop operating system, Windows 10, on "billions of devices". Kevin Turner, the Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft said: "Our goal is to have Windows 10 run across billions of devices" at the Credit Suisse 18th Annual Technology Conference.

He continued: "Being able to tap into that entire ecosystem from Internet-of-Things all the way up, as I said, to the TV, is an important element and an important opportunity for us". With Microsoft designing Windows 10 from the ground up to be run on countless devices, and not just personal computers, Microsoft could truly see Windows 10 on "billions of devices".

Turner wasn't finished, where he added: "The thing that I want to tell you about Windows 10 is that it is very unique from any operating system we have ever built and any operating system that exists today. We have actually taken those four OSes ... and built that single kernel across all of those entities. One experience on every device for everything in your life is the promise that we are delivering on Windows 10. It is going to be a very good opportunity for us to reinvigorate the entire Windows ecosystem around that".

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Aussie companies Foxtel and Channel Seven are fighting Netflix

Chris Smith | Business, Financial & Legal | Dec 7, 2014 9:55 PM CST

Foxtel and Channel Seven (Seven West Media) are teaming up to support a Netflix-competitor option, Presto. We've recently broken the news that Netflix is looking to launch down under early in 2015, set to provide competitively-priced online streaming of popular movies and TV shows - this news comes to light as local offerings show a desperate need to 'keep up with the times', continue generating profit and maintain their market share.

In response to Netflix's coming, popular Australian cable company Foxtel have teamed up with 'Free TV' Channel Seven to provide their content on top of the library already offered by Presto. There haven't been any TV shows officially announced for this new service yet, however according to their release they will provide a "broad range of locally commissioned and internationally acquired content including drama, comedy, factual and entertainment programming."

Presto will currently set users back $9.99 per month, with speculation hinting that this pricing will not fluctuate once this partnership is underway. Also set for a launch around March 2015, which service are you more likely to operate with?

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EB Games Mad Monday sales with a mixed response - what's the issue?

Chris Smith | Gaming | Dec 7, 2014 8:55 PM CST

Surrounded by a Steam-like frenzy, Australian game and accessory retailer EB Games has launched their 'Mad Monday' sales to a mixed reception.

Offering up some crazy discounts like last-gen consoles including the PS3 for $198 AUD with 8 pre-owned games, all the way to a massive $70 AUD discount on one model of Audio-Technica headphones throughout their one day sale, set to help you kick off your working week.

Overall these discounts were quite hefty and seemingly widespread through many different products, however there are quite a few consumers who aren't exactly pleased with the 'crazy deals' that EB Games have on offer. Taking a look through their #MadMonday trend on Twitter, some of these 'deals' aren't really deals at all.

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Microsoft hopes to finally see its Xbox One overtake the PlayStation 4

Michael Hatamoto | Gaming | Dec 7, 2014 6:44 PM CST

The Sony PlayStation 4 has largely dominated the Microsoft Xbox One throughout 2014, but a recent price cut - and unbundling the Xbox One from the Kinect - has helped generate more interest in the Xbox One. The price cut helped spur sales for the Xbox One, with Microsoft trying to build on a strong end of 2014 leading into the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early 2015.

The Xbox One snatched up 53 percent of console sales on Black Friday, while the PS4 trailed with 31 percent - and both companies likely saw strong sales on Cyber Monday - as sales continue leading up to Christmas.

Microsoft added this tidbit: "Since the new Xbox One offering launched on June 9, we've seen sales of Xbox One more than double in the U.S., compared to sales in May."

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Win a copy of 'Expendables 3' on Blu-ray, thanks to Roadshow

Ben Gourlay | Contests & Giveaways | Dec 7, 2014 6:31 PM CST

To celebrate this week's release of 'Expendables 3' on Blu-ray HD and DVD, we have ten copies of the Blu-ray extended cut to give away to readers, thanks to our friends at Village Roadshow Home Entertainment.

In the latest 'Expendables' mission, Barney (Sylvester Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill ... or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has other plans. The fight becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables' most personal battle yet.

To go into the running to take a Blu-ray home, simply correctly answer the following question:

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Ralph Baer, 'Father of Video Games' dies aged 92

Ben Gourlay | Celebrities & Entertainment | Dec 7, 2014 5:00 PM CST

Some sad news today, with news of the death of video game figurehead Ralph Baer, aged 92.

Often referred to as the 'Father of Video Games', Baer was a pioneer of what became a multi billion dollar industry, when in 1966 he developed the world's first video game console, known as the "Brown Box" which was sold to the Magnavox company, and marketed as the Magnavox Oddyssey. The success of the console drew attention by competitors, including Nolan Bushnell's Atari, who took Baer's table tennis game and reconfigured into 'Pong'.

Baer also developed the very first video game peripheral; a light gun for the Maganavox, which was bundled with the 'Shooting Gallery' game for the Odyssey. A prolific inventor, Baer held over 150 video game related patents at the time of his death.

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Intel spending billions to boost progress in mobile tech development

Intel continues to invest billions of dollars into mobile hardware development, with a specific focus on smartphones and tablets. ARM is enjoying success in mobile as the US and global markets are saturated with countless products - and while Intel is essentially late to the game - hopes to spend some money and try to get back into the competition.

The company also has diversified its efforts in the mobile hardware market, creating business relationships with Chinese companies to manufacture new CPUs for mobile products. Intel is investing $1.6 billion spread over the next 15 years for a new manufacturing facility in China that will focus on mobile chip production.

Intel also hopes that its facility can be used by third-parties, such as Apple: "It makes sense because Intel likes to make manufacturing facilities in technically sophisticated markets, which China is," noted Dean McCarron, Mercury Research principal analyst. "If someone like Apple were to approach Intel and say we want this custom phone part, it's obvious Intel will build it."

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Apple must continue to improve cybersecurity as attacks increase

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Dec 7, 2014 12:31 AM CST

Several high-profile cyberattacks launched against Apple have revealed OS X and iOS aren't as secure anymore, with criminals trying to compromise both operating systems. Enterprise workers are at risk because of Apple taking a "whack-a-mole" approach to security, which is a major threat with sophisticated spear-phishing attacks.

"Apple's responses to the WireLurker and Masque Attack operations illustrate that iOS is entering the 'whack-a-mole' era of malware defense, similar to that experienced during the last decade with PCs," said Dave Jevans, Marble Security founder and CTO. "Being proactive rather than reactive is essential in preventing these ioS vulnerabilities and exploits from affecting enterprise networks, and implementing mobile device security solutions is a huge step in achieving this."

Sophisticated cyberattacks target most major technology companies, but Apple previously was left relatively unscathed from most malicious code. However, cybercriminals want to find strategies to steal information and conduct data breaches, with a specific focus on compromising iPhones and iPads in the workplace.

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