Zeus Trojan returns: Facebook being used to spread the infection

The infamous Zeus malware has once again resurfaced, but this time it’s using Facebook to further its crime spree. First detected in 2007, Zeus has infected millions of computers over the past six years. Despite the efforts of numerous security firms to combat the Trojan horse, it has only gotten stronger with age.

Following the initial infection, the virus lays dormant until an online banking site is opened. It then uses keyloggers to steal the unsuspecting victim’s usernames and passwords. Sometimes the Zeus malware goes even further - it replicates the bank's website, using a fake interface to obtain social security numbers, credit card digits, and other sensitive information. Eurograbber, a Trojan that employs similar methods to that of Zeus, reportedly stole $46.5 miillion from European users.

It is for this reason that Zeus is so effective. Even when your bank account is fully drained, the malware continues to search for any tidbits of data that can be sold on the black market. And unlike most malicious software, there are little to no warning signs - the computer will continue to operate normally, as an outright crash was never the intent.

Eric Feinberg, the founder of Fans Against Kounterfeit Enterprise (FAKE), believes that bogus Facebook pages are now being used to spread the malware. One such page was called “Bring the N.F.L to Los Angeles.” After asking a security team to analyze the shady links that were posted throughout the group, Feinberg's theories were proven to be correct.

The big concern is how little Facebook is doing to combat the threat. In response to Feinberg’s outreach to the social media giant, Facebook suggested that users should take matters into their own hands by signing up for scanners that can identify and remove the Trojan. According to The New York Times, Feinberg added, “They’re not listening. We need oversight on this.”

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Asus Zenbook Infinity with Gorilla Glass exterior unveiled at Computex 2013

Computex 2013 has already proven to be an excellent marketing venue for Asus, and it’s only been one day. Following up on its promise, the Taiwanese company has unveiled the new Zenbook Infinity, becoming the very first laptop to sport an entire Gorilla Glass 3 exterior.

Not only does it provide the Zenbook with a beautifully glossy and intricate appearance, but the material is scratch resistant and mighty strong. The official word is that Gorilla Glass 3 will make the new laptops three times more resilient than past Zenbook products. In fact, an ASUS project manager said that the laptop had to undergo several drop tests prior to its release, although it might be unwise to test this theory.

According to reports, Gorilla Glass 3 has also enabled ASUS to slim down the device. At a maximum thickness of just 15.5mm, the Zenbook Infinity will be 14 percent thinner than its predecessors.

Despite the allure of its physical attributes, this Ultrabook offers more than just good looks. It will surprisingly feature a built-in touchscreen as well as a backlit keyboard. Two USB 3.0 ports will also reside on each side, with a micro-HDMI port, a Mini DisplayPort, and an SD card slot also making appearances.

Unfortunately, this is the only information that has been made available about the device. The Zenbook Infinity is expected to go on sale during Q4, and we will hopefully know more about the underlying hardware at this time.

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Samsung unveils dust / water resistant Galaxy S 4 Active smartphone

Interested in Samsung’s new Galaxy S 4 smartphone but don’t think it’ll keep pace with your active lifestyle? No worries as Samsung has you covered with a new variant of the smartphone aptly known as the Galaxy S 4 Active.

As you might have guessed, the reincarnation is essentially a more rugged version of the original. Specifically, it carries a protection rating of IP67 which means it’s protected from dust and can withstand being submerged in water up to three feet deep for 30 minutes. It could be a nice alternative to adding a bulky aftermarket case in those respects.

With summer just around the corner, you’ll be able to use the Active in and around pools and other swimming holes with little concern. And that’s exactly how Samsung intends buyers to use it as evident by the “Aqua Mode” that increases quality and clarity for enhanced underwater pictures and video.

Samsung has also swapped out the 5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display for a 5-inch full HD TFT LCD panel. Inside is the same 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU, 2GB of RAM and 2,600mAh battery. Many of the original S 4’s software features will also carry over including Smart Pause, Air View and Air Gesture.

It’ll be available in urban grey, dive blue and orange flare when it hits retail outlets in the US and Sweden later this year. No word on an exact launch date or price point at this hour.

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Omnidirectional "treadmill" lets you run through your favorite games

Using Kickstarter to help fund the project, Virtuix hopes to take virtual reality to the next level with Omni, an omnidirectional "treadmill". The company's innovative 360-degree base translates real-world steps into in-game motion as gamers walk and run their way through their favorite titles -- in any direction. When the base is combined with optional VR glasses (e.g. Oculus Rift) and Microsoft's Kinect, gamers can enjoy a truly visceral VR experience. 

With more than $500,000 pledged on Kickstarer at the time of this writing, the Omni VR system blew past its $150,000 goal in less than four hours. Pledges of $349 or more score project backers a full Omni platform with the necessary bells and whistles; however, contribution options under $429 are currently sold out. Keep in mind that Kinect hardware and VR glasses are sold separately.

According to Virtuix, its patented omnidirectional base allows users to comfortably walk or run using their natural gait. The base features a low-friction surface filled with grooves. Gamers are outfitted with a special pair of studded shoes which fit neatly into those grooves as they walk in place; this design provides stability, balance and eliminates unwanted sideways sliding.

Omni unboxing and hands-on

Because the Omni base translates movement into keyboard strokes, it's theoretically compatible with any PC game. Sorry console gamers -- this is a computer-only device (for now). Since it only tracks footsteps, Omni will be the perfect companion to other immersive hardware like the Oculus Rift (VR glasses), Microsoft Kinect (for body motion input) and Razer Hydra (motion-sensing controllers).

Most units are expected to begin shipping in January 2014.

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AMD A10-6800K and A4-4000 Richland APU Review

Late last year we checked out AMD’s desktop version of Trinity, comprising Piledriver CPU cores along with an on-die Radeon HD 7000 Series (not Graphics Core Next) graphics processor.

Headlining the family was the A10-5800K with four cores clocked at 3.80GHz, a 4MB L2 cache and the Radeon HD 7660D. This was one of four quad-core Trinity parts made available at launch, along with a pair of dual-core APU’s known as the A6-5400K and A4-5300.

The A10-5800K debuted with an MSRP of just $130, pitting it at the time against the Core i3-3220. The end result was a typical Intel vs. AMD battle. While AMD had a clear cut advantage when it came to GPU performance, the CPU side of things was more closely contested.

In the end we concluded that Trinity, like Llano before it, was a bit soft when it came to processing horsepower, in spite of being a quad-core part. On the other hand its integrated graphics performance was unmatched.

Overall, Trinity picked up where Llano left off, providing an affordable package with enough processing speed for most users while supplying sufficient graphics muscle for most of today's PC games on modest settings.

Now, little over 6 months down the road, AMD is updating their product lineup with a minor refresh. Codenamed Richland, these new APUs offer no substantial changes to either the CPU or GPU. Other than some clock speed improvements, better power management, and a few new software features, everything is the same.

Therefore we won’t go over every feature of the Richland architecture as it’s much the same as Trinity. Instead, we will quickly introduce you to the new models before jumping into the benchmarks.

At the head of the table is the A10-6800K, which as you might have guessed, is stepping in to replace the A10-5800K. Both processors are identical with a few minor exceptions. The A10-6800K is clocked slightly higher at 4.10GHz as opposed to 3.80GHz, while the Turbo frequency has been boosted from 4.20GHz to 4.40GHz.

The Radeon HD 7660D has been replaced with the 8670D for the A10-6800K, offering a boost in operating clock speed from 800MHz to 844MHz. Other than that as far as we can tell the 8670D and 7660D are identical.

The A10-6700 steps in to replace the A10-5700 and again it’s much the same story; the A10-6700 just enjoys a slight increase in frequency. There is also the A8-6600K and A8-6500, both quad-core parts featuring Radeon HD 8570D graphics, which is a new solution boasting 320 cores.

Lastly, the dual-core parts include the A6-6400K, A4-6300 and A4-4000. All of them feature just 1MB of L2 cache. The A6-6400K comes with Radeon HD 8470D graphics, while the A4-6300 uses the 8370D and the A4-4000 picks up the same 7480D graphics silicon used by the old A4-5300.

Today we'll take the flagship A10-6800K for a spin along with the bargain basement A4-4000 at the other end of the spectrum, which we suspect is going to be a slightly slower version of last year’s A4-5300.

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Sony Xperia ZL Review

PRICE IN INDIA

36,990

TECH2 RATING 

7.0

AVERAGE USER RATING 

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8.5

How we test

CONTACT

Sony India

  sonyindia.care@ap.sony.com

  1800 103 7799

  www.sony.co.in

REVIEW

SPECIFICATIONS

The Xperia ZL is the non-amphibious cousin of the Xperia Z and is currently sitting comfortably without much worry from the competition. We say that because the only other phones close to it are the Lumia 920 and the Galaxy Note II. The Lumia 920 is not much of a competition, unless all you’re looking for is a good low-light capable camera, and the Note II’s size isn’t for everyone. This leaves the ZL sitting pretty at around Rs 36,000. One may argue that it’s best to put a little more and get the Z, which is more feature rich and comes with the tempting IP55/57 certification. But is it really worth it? How much has Sony really compromised with the ZL in order to make it more affordable? Let’s find out.  Design and build  Upfront, the ZL looks quite a bit like the Z, except for the wider ear piece grille and a front camera that finds a new home at the bottom of the handset – a first we’ve come across. The handset also features the same scratch-resistant and shatterproof glass along with the screen guard that comes pre-installed. The phone is heavier than the Z, at 151 g, and that’s because it’s a bit thicker as well, with a depth of 9.8 mm as compared to 7.9 mm of the Z. Looks good and is built well too The sides have mirror-finish plastic strips along with a similar button placement. The overall size of the ZL is much smaller than the Z, but Sony has kept the screen size the same. This gives the illusion of a larger screen since the bezel is shaved down quite a bit from all sides. The ZL also enjoys the addition of a cool-looking notification light at the bottom, which pulsates in different colours based on the type of notification. The rubberised texture at the back offers very good grip The rear panel has a very nice, grippy finish, which feels and looks a lot better than the Z. The textured back leaves your phone free from scratches and requires less upkeep. The camera, LED flash and speaker grille are placed in a similar fashion as the Z. The microSIM and microSD card slots are now placed at the bottom of the phone under a flap. Overall, we were impressed with the design and finish of the ZL and feel it’s a lot better than the Xperia Z in terms of ease of use and ergonomics.  Features The display is exactly the same as the one on the Xperia Z, only a little brighter and with more vivid colours. The viewing angles are still pretty average and sunlight legibility is not the best. Sony still gives you the full HD resolution on the 5-inch panel, bringing the overall pixel count to 441 ppi. The same slick user interface as before The handset also uses the same Qualcomm APQ8064 quad-core SoC along with a generous 2GB of RAM. The chipset consists of four Krait CPUs running at 1.5GHz each along with Adreno 320 for graphics. Sony gives you 16GB of onboard storage, out of which 11.7GB is usable. You also have the option to expand it via the hot-swap card slot. As far as sensors go, the Xperia ZL packs in a gyroscope, compass and barometer along with the other usual suspects. Extremely powerful hardware under the hood The interface is slick and fluid just like the Z. Along with the usual selection of Xperia apps, you even get Sony Music, which lets you stream or download thousands of songs across genres, both international and national. The biggest problem with this app is the lack of search function; you have to manually sort through albums or artistes, which is a real pain. The other app is Sony LIV, which streams local TV serials. The ZL also features an IR port that lets you use it as a remote through the bundled app.  Media  Audio quality is good thanks to the MH-EX300AP stock in-ear headphones. The headphones have a snug fit and produce deep bass while providing good noise isolation. Sound enhancements are present in the form of ClearAudio+, which automatically amplifies the sound, or you could fine tune the settings through a 5-band graphic equaliser along with features such as Clear Stereo, Clear phase, xLOUD and Dynamic normaliser – all of which are designed to boost frequencies and make your audio experience more pleasurable. Media playback is good The video player won’t read WMV, FLV and some AVI files, but everything else, including MKV files, work just fine. Video playback does not cause the phone to heat up as much as the Z did; it gets a little warm, but that’s about it. The speaker is quite a bit louder, although we noticed a bit of tearing even for alerts at high volumes.

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Design - Features and Media

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Connectivity - Camera - Battery and Verdict

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Specifications

Build a powerful desktop PC for less than Rs 27,000

We kick-start our summer desktop PC-buying guide with building a basic yet powerful desktop. We could have started off with an ultra-low budget PC which would

We kick-start our summer desktop PC buying guide with building a basic yet powerful desktop. We could have started off with an ultra-low budget PC which would have been good enough for Internet surfing but why build an entire PC for that price, when a tablet or even your smartphone would suffice. If all you want to do is browse the Internet, then a tablet makes more sense. The PC we’ll be building today will cost you about the same as a Sony Xperia SP but only more powerful.  We’ve put together an Intel and an AMD rig so you can choose which platform you prefer. The AMD rig will give you better multimedia performance out-of-the-box due to the better GPU onboard. The Intel rig on the other hand will scale better in games once you add a graphics card. The rigs below don’t include the cost of the OS. If you don’t want to spend more money then any free Linux distro like Ubuntu will suffice. Windows will set you back quite a bit, whether it’s 7 or 8 but if you plan on turning this into a gaming rig in the future then it will be worth the investment.  CPU – AMD A4-5300 or Intel Pentium G630  The AMD A4-5300 APU is currently the most value-for-money offering at this price point. It’s a dual-core CPU running at 3.4GHz along with a Turbo frequency of 3.6GHz. The A4 APU prides itself by bundling along a very capable GPU which excels in graphics intensive applications and games. It’s also slightly cheaper. The Intel CPU may have the Pentium branding but it’s based on the Sandy Bridge architecture. The CPU is slightly faster when it comes to single-threaded as well as multi-threaded tasks and the memory performance is also slightly better. Delivers strong multimedia capabilities PSU – Corsair VS450 Corsair is one of the most trusted names when it comes to power supplies and the VS450 makes an excellent buy and fits our budget nicely. The PSU features a full powder-coated design along with sleeved cables for better cable management. The dedicated single +12V rail ensures optimal delivery of power and it also offers up to 85% efficiency and Active PFC.  Monitor – Dell IN2030M  Whether you’re going to be just watching movies or surfing the web, having a large monitor is never a bad thing. Dell has just the solution with the IN2030M. This budget monitor does not skimp on features as for the price, you get a 16:9 20-inch LED backlit panel, 1600 x 900 resolution and VGA and DVI connectors. An excellent solution on a budget Speaker - Logitech Z130  For sound, we've gone with the Logitech Z130 2.0 speaker system. It's advisable to stay away from budget 2.1 speaker systems in this price range since they won't perform as good as a 2.0 system, especially at high volumes. Good audio quality for the price Putting it together AMD Platform Components Price (Rs.) Processor AMD A4-5300 (3.4GHz, dual-core) 3000 Motherboard MSI FM2-A55M-E33  3600 RAM G.Skill RipjawsX 2x 2GB (F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL) 2300 Hard drive Samsung Spinpoint F3 500 GB 3200 Power Supply Corsair VS450 2600 Cabinet CoolerMaster Elite 310 2000 Monitor Dell IN2030M 6600 Optical Drive LG/Sony 950 Speakers Logitech Z130 1000 Keyboard and mouse Logitech MK200 900 TOTAL 26150 Intel Platform Components Price (Rs.) Processor Intel Pentium G630 (2.4GHz, dual-core) 3400 Motherboard MSI B75MA-E33 3800 RAM G.Skill RipjawsX 2x 2GB (F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL) 2300 Hard drive Samsung Spinpoint F3 500 GB 3200 Power Supply Corsair VS450 2600 Cabinet CoolerMaster Elite 310 2000 Monitor Dell IN2030M 6600 Optical Drive LG/Sony 950 Speakers Logitech Z130 (2.0) 1000 Keyboard and mouse Logitech MK200 900 TOTAL 26750 Note: All prices mentioned above are an average taken from various online stores such as Flipkart, PrimeABGB, SMC International, The IT Wares and the IT Depot. Depending on your location and from where you’re ordering, you might get components for a little cheaper or even slightly more.  Now that we’ve got the budget rigs out of the way, it’s time to start putting together gaming rigs for various budgets, so hang tight, there’s lots more coming your way.