TechBlog

For anyone that missed Microsoft CEO’s Q&A during the Search Marketing Expo West yesterday, a transcript is now available online. I went through and picked out key quotes, so that you don’t have to read the whole thing. Several things stand out from Ballmer’s comments: Mobile operators that want a search engine other than Bing can’t have Windows Phone 7 Series. Microsoft almost certainly is stirring up trouble for Google in Europe through third parties. Microsoft isn’t interested — at least for now — in releasing a Bing application for Android phones. A Bing for iPhone search deal is still possible, simply because Ballmer deflected the question rather than denying it. Twitter is a great Microsoft partner, but the value of an acquisition is “not clear.” My favorite quote from the Q&A: “I haven’t found that when you’re trying to sell something to somebody yelling is very effective.” How funny is that. coming from boisterous Ballmer? ...

“Big Brother Brazil” is a Brazilian reality TV program adapted from the popular Big Brother television series. The show is about a group of people living together in a purpose-built Big Brother house, isolated from the outside world, while being monitored by cameras 24×7. The television series is viewed by scores of people during primetime hours, but live feeds are also available from multiple cameras in the house on the Web. Part of the popularity is due to the fact that some of the videos are suitable only for adult viewing. ...

According to latest State of Spam and Phishing report, scam and phishing messages accounted for 21 percent of all spam, which is the highest level recorded since the inception of the report. For comparison, these types of spam represented only 10 percent of total spam a year ago. Historically, the primary vector for spam attacks was to blast out as many messages as possible, hoping that someone would open a message and click on the call to action. The call to action could be anything from clicking on a link to purchase medications, to visiting an adult website. While we continue to see high volumes of spam originating from expansive botnets, spammers are also moving towards a sophisticated and more targeted approach to spam. Two primary examples of this trend are 419/Nigerian type scams and phishing messages. ...

A new KOOBFACE variant is again making the rounds in the social-networking scene. According to Trend Micro researcher, Norman Ingal, the malware employs Facebook’s Private Message feature to proliferate. The threat arrives as a Facebook private message that does not bear a subject but contains a supposed link to a YouTube video. Taking a closer look at the link, however, indicates that it is not an authentic YouTube link as in previous attacks. ...

Criminals like to attack the biggest target because BIGGER generally provides a better Return On Investment (ROI). Windows is a good example. Mac is indeed safer than Windows but it isn’t necessarily because Mac is more secure. Windows has a larger market share and that equals more potential victims. How about search engines? What is the biggest search engine on the block? Google — and the bad guys know it. The result? ...

Here’s a new vector: exploiting a Windows vulnerability through an Internet Explorer help menu Visual Basic script: “get ‘em to hit F1 and you own ‘em.” Microsoft is warning of a VBScript vulnerability in Internet Explorer (on Win2K, XP and Server03) that could be used to run malicious code. A malicious operator could create a web site that displays a specially crafted dialog box and prompts a victim to press the F1 key (help menu.) The exploit could then execute malicious code on a victim machine. (Windows versions that are not vulnerable are: Vista, Win7, Server08 R2 and Server08.) ...

Apple has sued smartphone maker HTC for patent infringement, citing 20 patents related to the iPhone’s user interface, architecture, and hardware, a statement from the company said this morning. A statement from Apple CEO Steve Jobs today said, “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.” ...

Do you want to avoid unwanted telemarketing calls and SMS, arriving on your Mobile or Landline phones from Telecom companies which aim to provide additional services, promotions, offers, plans, tariffs, etc? National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC Registry) is a measure from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, whose main objective is to control Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) and let you get rid of it. To Register in NDNC Registry – Call 1909 (toll free) or SMS START DND to 1909 (toll free). In case you want to de-register yourself from the NDNC registry SMS STOP DND to 1909 (toll free). Alternatively, users can visit the ‘Do not Call/Disturb’ registration webpage of their desired telecom subscribers to apply for same. ...

More than 60 websites have been found to be hotbeds for SEO poisoning. Each of these domains host hundreds of possible matches for search keys. Also, the topics in one domain overlap with that of the other domain, thus making it possible that they will both emerge in the search results. Topics range from the Winter Olympics Luge Crash to the death of Alexander McQueen and even to NASCAR Schedule. ...

Last month, Baidu, the leading search engine in China, filed suit against US-based Internet registrar Register.com, in a legal event that took place at the height of the debate over Google’s continued business dealings with China. Baidu accused the registrar of changing its DNS records, so that customers were redirected to a completely different site purporting to represent the “Iranian Cyber Army.” But that original suit was heavily redacted, so we didn’t know the specifics of the alleged defacement. This week, US District Court in New York released the unredacted version of Baidu’s complaint, and now, as the man once said, we know the rest of the story. ...