| Sharkoon Releasing Budget-Priced WPM V2 Power Supplies Posted: 16 Feb 2014 01:20 PM PST  Power supplies at lower prices
Sharkoon, a popular name for budget-priced peripherals and hardware, has announced a new series of power supplies for those of us looking to save a few bucks. The WPM V2 series units feature a cable management system and are equippped with one 6-pin and one 6+2-pin PCIe connector. The power supplies will come built with power delivery envelopes that range between 400 W to 700 W and house a 140 mm fan. These power supplies will also come built with a semi-modular cable interface and do not feature 80-Plus certification, so those looking for a more permanent solution might want to save a little more cash before beginning the search for a replacement supply. These begin at €39.99, which is roughly $55, which is a little pricey considering what other devices you could find in around the same neighborhood, but if you're willing to give the units a try, you can check out the official Sharkoon page for more information. |
| "TheMoon" Worm Infecting Linksys Routers Posted: 16 Feb 2014 01:06 PM PST  Your Linksys router could be vulnerable
As if worrying about your PC and smartphones weren't enough, now you've got to go on the defensive when it comes to your wireless routers. According to reports from the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Center (ISC), customers out of a Wyoming ISP have reported compromised Linksys routers. The culprit? Malware known only as "TheMoon," malicious software that first compromises Linksys routers and then scans for other devices that may very well be vulnerable. The affected models appear to be only E1000 and E1200, but updates at the Internet Storm Center have revealed a more specific list of models that could be vulnerable: E4200, E3200, E3000, E2500, E2100L, E2000, E1550, E1500, E1200, E1000, and E900. The worm's primary goal is simply spreading, saturating what bandwidth is currently available. The worm will connect to port 8080 to retrieve features and firmware information, then sends exploits to a specific CGI script on the router that does not require authentication. Then a shell script request will launch as the router that's already been infected will scan for other routers it can touch. The worm itself is a 2 MB file, but it has a list of about 670 networks that are tied to cable modems in different countries. If you've got one of these routers, you might want to take special care. More information can be found at Ullrich's blog at ISC. |
| Google Enhances Chrome Speed With Background Javascript Compilation Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:26 PM PST  Concurrent compliation means smoother sailing
On Thursday, Google announced a tweak made in the latest Chrome beta as a performance-booster: concurrent compliation. In the past, Chrome relied on JavaScript compliation on the main thread, but it could and did hinder the actual application. Concurrent compliation offloads this phase, making sure JavaScript apps perform steadily, only in the background. The resulting performance is a lot smoother, as V8, Chrome's JavaScript engine, holds off on JavaScript functions until the last second before they're compiled. This type of coding helps to avoid frame drops, stuttering, and chugging in games and other applications. This improvement and more is all included in the Chrome 33 beta, and can be accessed when the stable version is finally release in late February or March. For graphs and further information about what this change means for Chrome users, check out The Next Web's report. |
