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Windows 10's redesigned Terminal is available in preview
It's a good time to be a Windows power user. Microsoft has released a preview version of Windows 10's redesigned Terminal (known as just Windows Terminal) through its app store, giving you a considerably more powerful command line tool. You can run the Command Prompt, PowerShell and Linux features from one central place, complete with tabs, a hardware-accelerated text engine and extensive customization -- it's just what you've wanted if you thought the all-black background was a little too austere.
Trojan uses a key internet feature to receive marching orders
If malware uses a remote command-and-control server to function, it's relatively easy to cripple it by blocking the internet addresses it uses. It's not always that easy, however, and researchers at Cisco's Talos group have found a textbook example of this in action. A recently discovered Windows PowerShell trojan, DNSMessenger, uses the Domain Name Service for communication -- you know, one of the cornerstones of the internet. Few computer users are equipped to block DNS without causing other problems, and they might not notice unusual data traffic even if they're looking for it. While using DNS isn't completely unheard of, DNSMessenger uses an "extremely uncommon" two-way approach that both sends commands to victim machines and sends results back to the attacker.
Windows will make it easier to remote-control Linux PCs
In case there was any doubt that Microsoft's war against Linux is (mostly) over, the company just offered another olive branch. The company has revealed that its PowerShell team is working on support for the Secure Shell protocol and shell sessions (aka SSH) to make it easier for Windows- and Linux-based PCs to connect to and remotely control each other. While SSH has been an option in the Windows world, Microsoft's Angel Calvo says there have been "limited implementations" so far -- this would simplify things and give you "tight integration" with Windows that wasn't feasible before. It's too early to tell when the feature will be available, but it's at least in the cards.
Hands-on with Logitech's PowerShell Controller, an iOS 7 gamepad that charges your phone
Remember that fuzzy-looking iOS 7 gamepad that leaked back in June? Turns out it's called the Logitech PowerShell Controller + Battery (a mouthful, right?), and it's one of the first iOS 7 certified gamepads on the market. Compatible with Lightning-equipped iPhones and iPods, the controller juts off of your device's top and bottom edges, adding four face buttons, a d-pad, two shoulder buttons and a 1,500 mAh battery that charges your phone while you game. It's also one of the least obstructive gamepad accessories we've ever used.
