crackers
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North Korea employing MMO hackers to fund government
What's a dictator to do when his third-world economy is wheezing along on its last legs? Hack some video games, of course! According to a report in the New York Times, North Korea's Kim Jong-il unleashed an army of young computer crackers on popular South Korean online gaming portals to find ways to make quick cash. South Korean authorities claim that a squad of approximately 30 hackers operated from a base in China and were given the mission of breaching online gaming servers (including those of the immensely popular Lineage) to set up bot factories and automated farming collectives. The digital booty was then sold to gamers for a reported $6 million over two years. Chung Kil-hwan, a senior officer at South Korea's International Crime Investigation Unit, says that the hacker group "reports to a shadowy Communist Party agency called Office 39, which gathers foreign hard currency for Mr. Kim through drug trafficking, counterfeiting, arms sales, and other illicit activities."
Ubisoft 'always on' DRM hated, hacked - circle of life continues
Ah, the circle of life. Here's how it works: Game developers claim they've created some sort of unbreakable DRM that will lock pirates out, and then the pirates break their way in, leading to even more repressive forms of DRM. The snake has eaten its own tail once again, as Ubisoft's "Online Services Network" – also known as the obnoxious "always on" DRM that's already caused problems for paying customers – has reportedly been hacked. The hack, by a group named Skid Row allows users to circumvent the DRM entirely and play the affected games without connecting to Ubisoft's authentication servers. In a statement attached to the crack's release, Skid Row proclaims that their crack "can't be compared" to other ways of hacking the games (which include having the software check in with an unofficial server), and that Ubisoft should "next time focus on the game and not on the DRM. It was probably horrible for all legit users. We just make their lifes [sic] easier." This crack is specifically for Assassin's Creed II but if the method works, it could theoretically be tweaked to include all of the games protected in this manner, including the upcoming Splinter Cell: Conviction. And thus, the circle, the circle of life continues on.
iPhone SMS database hacked in 20 seconds, news at 11
It's a story tailor-made for the fear-mongering subset of news media. This week, a pair of gentlemen lured an unsuspecting virgin iPhone to a malicious website and -- with no other input from the user -- stole the phone's entire database of sent, received and even deleted text messages in under 20 seconds, boasting that they could easily lift personal contacts, emails and your naughty, naughty photos as well. Thankfully for us level-headed souls, those gentlemen were Vincenzo Iozzo and Ralf-Philipp Weinmann, security researchers performing for the 2010 Pwn2Own hacking contest, and their $15,000 first prize ensures that the winning formula will go to Apple (and only Apple) for further study. Last year, smartphones emerged from Pwn2Own unscathed even as their desktop counterparts took a beating, but this makes the third year in a row that Safari's gotten its host machines pwned. That said, there's no need for fear -- just a healthy reminder that the Apple logo doesn't give you free license to click links in those oh-so-tempting "beta-test the new iPad!" emails.
Karmic retribution: Pac-Man gets eaten (DIY)
If you eat food, which is a given, and you aren't a vegan or lactose intolerant, you probably know that cheese is the best food ever. (The previous statement is a well-known fact, and is not up for debate.) Of course, cheese-based foods (well, all foods, for that matter) are always better when they relate to video games.Today's spotlight food relates to Pac-Man. No, we're not talking about Babybel cheese ... that would be too obvious. Instead, Jocelyn from Snack-or-Die found this neat recipe, which details how to make Pac-Man and pellet-shaped crackers. In case you're wondering what they taste like, think Goldfish snacks.If you have even the least bit of culinary skill and own the proper hardware, you owe it to yourself to make these crackers. The recipe makes the process seem pretty easy, and they look mighty tasty. Cooking Mama, eat your heart out.
