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Are modern computer-heavy vehicles vulnerable to being hijacked by computer hackers? They are indeed, as computer security hasn't kept pace with what hackers can do.

A new vulnerability in the Uconnect system gives attackers frightening remote powers over Chrysler vehicles, revealed in a Wired exclusive report. In a live demo, attackers used the vulnerability to cut out a Jeep Cherokee's transmission and brakes and, when the car is in reverse, commandeer the steering wheel — all without physical access to the vehicle. "This might be the kind of software bug most likely to kill someone," said Charlie Miller, one of the researchers behind the exploit. The full vulnerability will be presented next month at Defcon, although the researchers plan to withhold crucial details so that...

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has said it intends to have one operating system for all types of devices. It apparently takes that promise seriously. The company, which has announced that Windows 10 will power not only PCs but also tablets, phones, and even Xbox, will also make a version of the OS for Internet of Things connected devices.These machines -- which include things like smart thermostats and other household appliances -- won't run the full operating system. Instead, they will run customized versions of Windows 10 designed to enable their functionality. Whether it's a smart toaster or a complicated piece of machinery...

Windows 10 will be the last edition of Microsoft's operating system, so it's no wonder that the tech giant has gone all out to make it the best OS to date. Microsoft has already revealed features, such as a smarter Cortana and Xbox integration, that may appeal to existing Windows users and lure those on other operating systems. Here are 10 reasons why Windows 10 could effortlessly pull you away from your Mac or Chrome operating system when it debuts for PCs and tablets on July 29. 1. Cortana is back and better than ever Forget Siri and all of...

I was principal web designer at a medium-large municipality for 4 years, about 40% of my job consisted in tracking down bad links, now with WordPress we relegate that data-toilet-cleaning to back-end databases which seamlessly and effortlessly handle that task UNLESS SOME UNTHINKING BUSIBODY IS SAVING THE WORLD BY MOVING LINKS. Guess what: They're Free. If you want to re-organize, start your new stuff in a different folder. PLEASE, PLEASE, LEAVE OLD STUFF WHERE IT IS.

Microsoft has, in the past couple of minutes, released a security update for all supported versions of Windows to fix a critical remote-code execution vulnerability. Details of the vulnerability were found and reported to Microsoft by security researchers poring over internal memos leaked online from spyware-maker Hacking Team. This follows an elevation-of-privilege hole in Windows, and a remote-code execution vuln in Internet Explorer 11, that were also uncovered from the Hacking Team files, and patched last week by Microsoft. This latest security flaw (MS15-078) lies within the Windows Adobe Type Manager Library, and can be exploited by attackers to hijack...

New technologies fascinate us – from the precision of robotic surgery to the potential of Amazon dropping packages on our doorsteps via drone. But at the same time, there is anxiety over robots and artificial intelligence making human labor unnecessary and, ultimately, replacing us. Fear of the changes innovation brings is nothing new, and the reality is that robots will eventually replace us in many or most of today’s jobs and that’s, in fact, a glorious thing. Yes, jobs will be destroyed by innovation, as they’ve always been, but it doesn’t mean we’ll run out of jobs. New ones will...

Researchers have discovered how to let bacteria control the movement and behavior of a robot, just like what the brain does to the human body. ... Scientists from Virginia tech developed bacteria that can control a robotic car. The robot’s “brain” was replaced with bacterial community, enabling the car to move towards the food sources. The bacteria in the robot’s brain send biochechemical signals to machine’s processor to move its mechanical body. The bacteria were bioengineered to emit green or red signals depending on the condition they found in their environment. Under repeated observations, the scientists noticed that the robot...

Back in April, Microsoft somewhat quietly previewed what its Windows Server engineering teams had been working on for quite some time... Windows Nano Server has the potential to reinvent your data center. Windows Nano Server is a project that was previously codenamed Tuva... and is designed to be Windows without the GUI or legacy baggage. It’s different than Server Core, the GUI-less installation option introduced in Windows Server 2008, because Windows Nano Server strips out basically every part of Windows that is designed to ever service the GUI or a GUI oriented application. Server Core merely takes off the GUI...

Microsoft today refreshed its Windows support lifecycle fact sheet to include Windows 10, saying there that it would provide updates to the new OS for 10 years, or until October 2025. The new information puts to rest one of the biggest remaining questions about Windows 10: what has Microsoft meant since January by describing the policy as running for the supported lifetime of the device when it described the operating system's support timeline? "The traditional 10-year support lifecycle applies to all SKUs [stock-keeping units]," a Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed in a follow-up email [emphasis added]. SKUs represent the various editions of...

An unknown number of frustrated Skype customers have been pestered by spoof messages on the Microsoft service for weeks, but the company is yet to close what appears to be a gaping hole in its software.Instead, Redmond has advised Skype users to change their account passwords. But complaints are building up about the lack of communication coming out of the Microsoft camp regarding what seems to be a Skype security flaw.The problem first appeared late last month. One Skype user, posting in a thread that now runs to 22 pages long, said: I received a message earlier today from a...

I have recently had the unpleasant experience of having one of the new variants of the cryptolocker malware infect our computer servers at work. In case someone doesn't know, its a computer worm that encrypts all the standard-format files on a system so that the use can't open the file without a "key," supplied by the hacker for a ransom. My question, which I have researched extensively over over the internet, is whether it is advisable consider paying the ransom, if there is enough "honor among thieves" to trust that the files will be unlock if I pay, and if...

Google's self-driving cars have got into quite a few accidents, but they've been caused by human-driven cars crashing into them, not the other way around. "Our self-driving cars are being hit surprisingly often by other drivers who are distracted and not paying attention to the road," head of Google's driverless car program Chris Urmson wrote in a blog post Thursday. He describes an incident in which a human-driven car (can you imagine: In a few years we may have to indicate that a car is human-driven more often than not) slammed into the back of Google's self-driving Lexus. Google's car,...

Many people have had their computer or smartphone possessed by an evil demon — or at least that’s what it can feel like when some mysterious bug keeps causing an app to crash, or your phone keeps shutting off for no reason.But if you truly think your electronics have been invaded by an evil spirit, there's someone who will take your call — Reverend Joey Talley — a Wiccan witch from the San Francisco Bay Area who claims to solve supernatural issues for techies.The Bay Area has always had a freewheeling spirit, which is part of the reason the tech...

Only 22 years after its last update Apple IIgs System 6.0.1 is getting a new update. The version 6.0.2 update added support for Apple's Ethernet for Appletalk card, fixed an HFS bug that could lead to file corruption, fixed PASCL.FST and DOS33.FST bugs, addressed bugs in TextEdit, Font Manager, and Window Manager, and the list goes on. What makes this so cool is that it's Apple IIgs fans who created the update. The IIgs was a great cross-over machine in its time because it also supported Apple IIe software and offered multimedia support you couldn't find on other computers....

First there was the "Pied Piper" billboards popping up all over Silicon Valley. Now there is "Hooli Sucks." But this time it's not HBO or its hugely popular show "Silicon Valley" that's behind them. It's Tubi TV — a San Fracisco based streaming service for TV shows and movies, including Korean dramas, comedies and reality shows who want to lure talented engineers with some creative marketing. Back in April, when the "Pied Piper" billboards went up, "Silicon Valley" creator Mike Judge said he wanted to surprise and delight his audience with real-life advertising. The show — which spoofs tech culture...

According to a recent survey by Jobvite, San Jose State University is the top school in the nation pushing for tech talent. The Jobvite survey shows that SJSU has the most students hired by top tech companies in the Silicon Valley. The career center at SJSU helps students bridge the gap between school and work. "We promote and advocate internships and having that real-world experience while you’re in school, so that when you walk out of here with a degree, you also have years of experience as an intern," said Daniel Newell, Program Manager of Workforce and Economic Development. San...

A Vietnamese man who ran an online identity theft service that sold access to Social Security numbers and other personal information on more than 200 million Americans has been sentenced to 13 years in a U.S. prison. Hieu Minh Ngo, 25, ran an ID theft service variously named Superget.info and findget.me. Ngo admitted hacking into or otherwise illegally gaining access to databases belonging to some of the world’s largest data brokers, including a Court Ventures, a subsidiary of the major consumer credit bureau Experian.Ngo’s service sold access to “fullz,” the slang term for packages of consumer data that could be...

Oh, Forbes contributors. Is there any opinion too silly for you to have? Forbes contributor Gordon Kelly has written a piece in which he explicitly argues that “you shouldn’t upgrade” to Windows 10 because he’s worried that Microsoft is trying to pull a sneaky trick over on its user base.DON’T MISS: The most ironic Google job opening everWhy is Kelly so suspicious of Microsoft’s intentions? He gives us two major reasons. First, he’s concerned that even though Microsoft says Windows 10 will be free “over the lifetime of the device,” he notes that “Microsoft’s own internal slides reference ‘two to four years’ and that...

Oculus, the virtual-reality headset maker that Facebook bought last year, said Pebbles “will be joining the hardware engineering and computer vision teams at Oculus to help advance virtual reality, tracking, and human-computer interactions,” the company said on its blog. It didn’t disclose a price tag, but one person familiar with the matter said it was around $60 million. ... Pebbles has recently integrated its technology into the virtual-reality headset developed by Facebook’s Oculus VR, enabling users to interact with the device via hand and finger gestures. Unlike competing gesture-identification technologies, Pebbles’ enables users to see images of their own arms...