Tech Olive

At this year’s upcoming Black Hat security conference, Craig Heffner, a researcher with security firm Seismic, is giving a keynote entitled “How to Hack Millions of Routers.” He plans to release a piece of software that he claims is capable of hacking into half of all routers in existence. This isn’t a new attack really, but is a modified version of a technique known as “DNS rebinding.” The hack capitalizes on part of the DNS, so that when someone visits a compromised website, the hacker hijacks their browser, which then gives them access to router settings. Heffner says that releasing this attack may be the best way to draw attention to the problem and convince browser and router makers to release patches that fix this problem.

A good way to keep yourself safe is to update your router’s firmware and make sure that you’re not using default security settings.

You can view a list of routers that were tested and whether or not they’re vulnerable here.

via [Forbes]

EA’s upcoming free-to-play MMO Need for Speed title was supposed to release on July 20th, but EA announced today that the game’s release has been pushed back a week. While this is annoying, it gives gamers one more chance to pre-order a Starter Pack and score some bonuses. Thanks to “Head Start,” the game is playable and live for gamers that pre-ordered a Starter Pack.

via [Shacknews]

A few days ago, EA announced that they were extending the Medal of Honor beta, but failed to mention the beta’s new end date. They clarified today that the beta will be ending on July 31st.

[MoH Blog]

A collection of new details regarding the side-scrolling indie game Shank has hit the the game’s production blog today. The details include confirmation of the game’s co-op play with a bit of a catch, however: the co-op will only be playable for the game’s back story, and the main campaign story will be restricted to singleplayer to focus on story delivery and immersion.

Secondly, the game’s PC release date has been moved from “Holiday 2010″ to “Fall 2010.” An improvement to be sure, but far from the confirmed August 25th Xbox Live release date. The developer is aiming for a $14.99 price tag.

Hulu’s new paid subscription service marks a revolutionary step for watching television content online. $10 a month gets you entire seasons of numerous TV shows and the ability to stream them in HD, as well as watch content on your iPhone, iPad, and PS3. However, is it good enough to ditch your current cable/satellite provider and stick solely with Hulu Plus? We’ll find out, thanks to the guys over at Hulu, who gave us an invite to check out their new service.

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The Bargain Bin is a weekly feature that helps out gamers in the tough economy. How does it help? Once a week, it offers a great and cheap game ($10 or less) to keep you going until your next paycheck.

The Need for Speed series is one of the most iconic and popular racing series for the PC. While recent titles have fallen short of the series’ original appeal and awesomeness, now is the perfect time to catch yourself up on the series with these awesome deals!

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Medal of Honor‘s beta was scheduled to end today (July 18th) after a few weeks of being a closed beta and then a final weekend open to all Steam owners of Bad Company 2. However, EA has extended the game’s multiplayer beta with no end date specified this time around.

“The Medal of Honor beta for the PlayStation 3 and PC is being extended!  If you have a beta key rave card that says the code will expire on July 18th, don’t worry – it will not.  The beta key redemption portal will remain open at www.medalofhonor.com/beta and keys will remain active for the duration of the beta.  We are continuing to work with Microsoft on the Xbox 360 beta and are dedicated to delivering it as soon as possible.” — Medal of Honor Blog

via [Shack News]

The past week’s best news and featured content…

Microsoft Ending Support for Windows XP SP2
- We’ve all heard the saying that all things must come to an end eventually. Well, Microsoft is pulling the plug on Windows XP SP2 and will no longer support it, which means users will no longer receive updates and important security fixes for the OS itself, as well as programs like Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, and Outlook Express.

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Seagate’s desktop version of its GoFlex external drive lineup brings all of the unique features that we saw on the GoFlex ultra-portable drive — interchangeable interfaces and the ability to write to both Mac and PC. The GoFlex Desk even comes in a 3TB flavor, which is the first and only 3TB hard drive on the market right now. We decided to delve into this 3.5″ external beast and see what it can do.

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Despite the next Bond movie being moved to a “canceled” status, Activision is continuing to carry the torch by announcing their next game in the popular series. James Bond 007: Blood Stone, a third-person Bond game, will feature an original story written by Bruce Feirstein, writer of Goldeneye. The game will feature the voice-acting and likenesses of Daniel Craig and Judy Dench along with the addition of Joss Stone as the game’s “bond girl.” She will also be performing music for the game.

The game is being developed by Bizarre Creations (known for the Project Gotham Racing series and, more recently, Blur.) and is set for a “Holiday 2010″ release date. Hit the break to see the game’s reveal trailer in glorious HD.

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