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	<title>TechTag: exploit &#124; Tech &#124; TIME.com</title>
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		<title>TechTag: exploit &#124; Tech &#124; TIME.com</title>
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		<title>EA Origin Security Flaw Could Expose Tens of Millions of Players</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2013/03/19/ea-origin-security-flaw-could-expose-tens-of-millions-of-players/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2013/03/19/ea-origin-security-flaw-could-expose-tens-of-millions-of-players/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:05:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Matt Peckham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[electronic arts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exploit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hackers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[security]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=158374</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When it rains, it pours: Electronic Arts, currently grappling with game-breaking SimCity server issues as well as the surprise resignation of CEO John Riccitiello, might have to add &#8220;millions of players at risk of being hacked&#8221; to its list of woes. It seems EA&#8217;s Origin gaming service may place tens of millions of players (the service has around 40 million members total) at risk thanks to a design flaw that allows a hacker to execute malicious code on a targeted user&#8217;s system remotely. EA Origin is EA&#8217;s digital distribution platform as well as anti-piracy mechanism, operating as a sort of relay between players and EA&#8217;s game servers similar to Valve&#8217;s older, more popular Steam service. EA games like DICE&#8217;s Battlefield 3 or EA Maxis&#8217; SimCity require the EA Origin client to run, and it&#8217;s an exploitable flaw in that process on Windows PCs, whereby the Origin client employs web-like addresses to access games, that&#8217;s at issue. The paper outlining the exploit, titled &#8220;EA Origin Insecurity (When Local Bugs Go Remote.. Again),&#8221; was actually published in late February, so it&#8217;s likely making waves now because of all this other EA-related chatter &#8212; it didn&#8217;t just happen yesterday, in other words &#8212; but it is worth being aware of what&#8217;s at stake, since EA hasn&#8217;t addressed the problem, and there may be steps you can take to safeguard yourself until they do. The research team responsible for outing the exploit operates under the company name [Re]Vuln Ltd. and consists of two people: one a former security researcher for Research in Motion, the other describing himself as an &#8220;independent security researcher.&#8221; How does the exploit work? According to the researchers, if you&#8217;re launching an EA Origin game from a website or desktop shortcut, a hacker could abuse the &#8220;Origin URI handling mechanism,&#8221; meaning Origin links styled by the URI handler as &#8220;origin://&#8221; plus game, game ID, command parameters and an attacker&#8217;s payload. The exploit still requires hackers suss your game ID, but if they do, they could easily slip attack code in &#8212; say a remote DLL<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=158374&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Security</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/news/security-news/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timenerdworld.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/revuln-ea-origin-exploit.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">mattpeckham</media:title>
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		<title>Apocalypse MMO: Death Becomes World of Warcraft</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2012/10/09/apocalypse-mmo-death-becomes-world-of-warcraft/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2012/10/09/apocalypse-mmo-death-becomes-world-of-warcraft/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Matt Peckham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Game Time]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exploit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hackers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[world of warcraft]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=147864</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This weekend thousands of players dropped dead where they stood in some of <em>World of Warcraft</em>’s greatest cities. From Orgrimmar to Stormwind, they were the victims of a mysterious "insta-kill" hack.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=147864&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Game Time</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/reviews-features/game-time/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timenerdworld.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/wow-insta-kill-hack-1.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">mattpeckham</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">wow-insta-kill-hack-2</media:title>
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		<title>iPad 2 Smart Cover Exploit Breaks Through Passcodes</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/10/21/ipad-2-smart-cover-exploit-breaks-through-passcodes/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/10/21/ipad-2-smart-cover-exploit-breaks-through-passcodes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:51:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jared Newman</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gadgets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exploit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ipad 2]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[security]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=100595</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Need to break into a passcode-protected iPad 2? All you need is a Smart Cover. The security exploit, reported by 9to5Mac, allows limited access to the iPad 2 running iOS 5, but could expose e-mails and iMessages, and allows the intruder to delete apps. Here&#8217;s how it works: 1. From the lock screen, hold the power button until the &#8220;slide to power off&#8221; screen appears. 2. Attach a Smart Cover to the iPad 2 and place it over the screen. 3. Lift the smart cover and press &#8220;cancel&#8221; on the power off screen. The iPad will then return to the home screen, or to whatever app was open before the device was locked. An intruder won&#8217;t be able to open any new apps, but as several 9to5Mac commenters point out, apps can be deleted. Also, the intruder could use the iPad 2&#8242;s spotlight search function to glean info from e-mails or iMessages. Big deal? Not really, because the exploit only allows limited functionality on the iPad 2. And if you&#8217;re really worried about it, you can go into the iPad&#8217;s General settings menu and disable Smart Cover unlocking. You&#8217;d essentially be making the Smart Cover dumb, but it&#8217;s a small price to pay if you&#8217;ve got some sensitive data stored in your e-mail or messages—at least until Apple releases the inevitable patch. MORE: Two Minute Video: Should You Buy the iPad 2?<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=100595&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://techland.time.com/2011/10/21/ipad-2-smart-cover-exploit-breaks-through-passcodes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Apple</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/companies-2/apple/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">Jared Newman</media:title>
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		<item>
		<title>Apple: Fix for Critical iPhone Security Hole in the Works</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/07/07/apple-fix-for-critical-iphone-security-hole-in-the-works/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/07/07/apple-fix-for-critical-iphone-security-hole-in-the-works/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:01:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Matt Peckham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gadgets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smartphones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exploit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hackers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jailbreak]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=89297</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A serious security flaw that allows hackers to remotely commandeer iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches should eventually have a fix, says Apple. The company acknowledged it was working to close the security hole Thursday, but would only say to expect the fix in a forthcoming software update. The flaw, which came to light on Wednesday this week, involves deploying infected PDF files to take control of a user&#8217;s phone or tablet. And here&#8217;s the twist: the security hole was exposed by freely downloadable software called &#8220;JailbreakMe,&#8221; used to unlock iOS-based devices. (PHOTOS: The Movies’ Most Evil Computer Villains) &#8220;JailbreakMe is the easiest way to free your device,&#8221; reads a note on the JailbreakMe.com website. &#8220;Experience iOS as it could be, fully customizable, themeable, and with every tweak you could possibly imagine.&#8221; The site claims the software is &#8220;completely reversible&#8221; by performing an iTunes restore, and that &#8220;jailbreaking gives you control over the device you own.&#8221; People who jailbreak their iOS devices typically do so to run apps Apple hasn&#8217;t approved, or to use the iPhone with unauthorized carriers. But the software also exposes flaws in Apple&#8217;s iOS—in this case, one where users who open infected PDF files could hand off administrative rights to hackers or cyber-criminals. &#8220;I did not create the vulnerabilities, only discover them,&#8221; reads part of a FAQ on JailbreakMe.com. &#8220;Releasing an exploit demonstrates the flaw, making it easier for others to use it for malice, but they have long been present and exploitable. Although releasing a jailbreak is certainly not the usual way to report a vulnerability, it still has the effect of making iOS more secure in the long run.&#8221; Apple&#8217;s known for publicly ignoring flaws in its hardware and software, then quietly releasing fixes, but in this instance they&#8217;re speaking up: &#8220;Apple takes security very seriously, we&#8217;re aware of this reported issue and developing a fix that will be available to customers in an upcoming software update,&#8221; it said in a statement. For those keeping score, Apple claimed jailbreaking was illegal back in 2009, but the<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=89297&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://techland.time.com/2011/07/07/apple-fix-for-critical-iphone-security-hole-in-the-works/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Smartphones</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/gadgets/smartphones/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">mattpeckham</media:title>
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		<title>Sony: PSN Password Issue Was Exploit, Not Hack</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/05/19/sony-psn-password-issue-was-exploit-not-hack/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/05/19/sony-psn-password-issue-was-exploit-not-hack/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2011 13:30:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Matt Peckham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sony]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exploit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Password]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[playstation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ps3]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PSN]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=83126</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sony&#8217;s weighed in on the question of whether its PlayStation Network online login was “hacked” yesterday. Its verdict: not a hack, just an “exploit.” “We temporarily took down the PSN and Qriocity password reset page,” said Sony spokesperson Patrick Seybold on the PlayStation blog, adding “Contrary to some reports, there was no hack involved. In the process of resetting of passwords there was a URL exploit that we have subsequently fixed.” Exploited: Sony’s PSN browser-based login and password reset page. Nyleveia noticed the “exploit” yesterday, writing “A new hack is currently doing the rounds in dark corners of the internet that allows the attacker the ability to change your password using only your account’s email and date of birth.” It all sounded rather grim, especially when you consider what hackers allegedly made off with in the original mid-April PSN hack: a list of PSN account emails and birth dates. Thankfully Sony took the page offline almost immediately (Nyleveia’s taking credit for prompting Sony’s actions, though Sony’s not saying who tipped it off at this point, or whether it was tipped at all). As far as we know, no one&#8217;s accounts were unintentionally compromised. Exploit? Hack? What’s the difference? Depends who you talk to, but in dictionary parlance, the distinction’s academic. In public relations parlance, &#8220;hack&#8221; sounds worse, ergo &#8220;exploit.&#8221; As for the PSN, it’s up and has been since Saturday. The exploit only affects your ability to login through the official PSN website. “Consumers who haven’t reset their passwords for PSN are still encouraged to do so directly on their PS3,” says Seybold. “Otherwise, they can continue to do so via the website as soon as we bring that site back up.”<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=83126&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://techland.time.com/2011/05/19/sony-psn-password-issue-was-exploit-not-hack/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Sony</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/companies-2/sony/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">mattpeckham</media:title>
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		<title>Skype Promises to Fix Deadly Voice-Over-IP Exploit This Week</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/05/09/skype-promises-to-fix-deadly-voice-over-ip-exploit-this-week/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/05/09/skype-promises-to-fix-deadly-voice-over-ip-exploit-this-week/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 May 2011 15:40:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Matt Peckham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apps & Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gadgets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exploit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Skype]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=81238</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hi there! I’m the latest “wants-to-be-friends” friendly surfing Skype, and if you add me now, I promise I won’t exploit a security vulnerability that lets me take super-secret command of your Mac, or even—on a whim—expunge every last byte you hold precious! Actually you don’t need to add me at all&#8211;this next message should do the trick: “Hi! This is FilthyManners6793 and I want to be your special friend!” See? That’s all it takes. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. I’m in the driver’s seat now, and what happens next is going to seem not-so-positively magical. I&#8217;m kidding, of course, but the issue&#8217;s no joke. Security firm Pure Hacking says filthy-mannered hackers can gain remote control of another Mac running Skype&#8211;Windows and Linux, you&#8217;re off the hook&#8211;by simply sending the intended victim a message. Pure Hacking’s Gordon Maddern reported the “0day” Skype vulnerability last week&#8211;in fact he says he discovered it “over a month go.” “The long and the short of it is that an attacker needs only to send a victim a message and they can gain remote control of the victims Mac,” wrote Maddern on his blog last Friday. “It is extremely wormable and dangerous.” Maddern said he had a tough time figuring out who to contact at Skype (Skype&#8217;s contact process is famously deplorable) and when he finally did, all he got was a canned response, basically &#8220;thanks, we&#8217;re on it, look for a hotfix soon.&#8221; A month on, Maddern said the issue remains. Now Inquirer reports that Skype already issued the hotfix on April 14, but only as a manual update. They&#8217;ll reportedly switch to something prompt-based later this week. I&#8217;m not sure I buy the dismissive reasoning for the delay, that &#8220;there were no reports of this vulnerability being exploited in the wild, [so] we did not prompt our users to install this update.&#8221; There&#8217;s another update in the offing, it seems, and they wanted to bundle the two together. I just initiated a manual client update (from version 5.1.0.914) and it looks like<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=81238&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Apps &amp; Software</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/apps-software/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">mattpeckham</media:title>
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		<title>Hackers Scam Microsoft in Xbox 360 Points Swindle</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/03/11/hackers-scam-microsoft-in-xbox-360-points-swindle/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/03/11/hackers-scam-microsoft-in-xbox-360-points-swindle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Matt Peckham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exploit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hackers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=69953</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hackers briefly punctured the Xbox 360&#8242;s veil of security yesterday, finagling an algorithm that generates virtual currency used to purchase items through Microsoft&#8217;s online games store. The exploit reportedly allowed users to reuse special access codes and rack up counterfeit Microsoft Points, redeemable for downloadable content. The exploit was originally posted to an online forum, where a user claimed it could generate &#8220;legitimate Xbox LIVE Promotional Codes used by Microsoft,&#8221; and urged others to &#8220;make use of this glitch as quickly as possible!&#8221; &#8220;Awesome, I have gotten enough to get the ballad of gay tony!&#8221; wrote one user of the exploit, referring to the second expansion for Rockstar&#8217;s freeform crime spree, Grand Theft Auto IV. &#8220;Its [sic] definitely legit guys, i started at 140 msp, and went to 9420msp,&#8221; wrote another. &#8220;OMG&#8230; It works but im [sic] really hoping i don&#8217;t get banned,&#8221; wrote a third. Beantown Gamer, which noticed the exploit first, claimed the hack cost Microsoft as much as $1.2 million, but dubiously attributed the figure to a single unnamed source &#8220;in contact with 1-800-4MY-XBOX.&#8221; (Microsoft&#8217;s official Xbox support line.) That didn&#8217;t stop news sites from pouncing on the splashy headline-grabbing figure anyway, provoking a response from Microsoft, who called the number &#8220;inaccurate.&#8221; The company told Gamasutra its actual dollar losses were &#8220;nowhere near the amount that has been reported,&#8221; though it didn&#8217;t offer a specific number. What&#8217;s more, Microsoft says it&#8217;s working to quickly identify users who accessed the exploit (not a difficult trick, since the codes were re-used) and that it&#8217;s exercising &#8220;appropriate enforcement&#8221; in dealing with them. Savvy gamers know better, but if you really think &#8220;free stuff&#8221; grows on search-trees, you might want to think twice. Search on &#8220;Microsoft Points generator&#8221; at your peril. Besides the patent illegality posed by a working exploit, you&#8217;re just inviting malware, viruses, the ire of legitimate paying customers, Microsoft&#8217;s banhammer, and&#8211;since swiping points you didn&#8217;t pay for technically counts as stealing&#8211;your very own lawsuit. More on TIME.com Hacker Pleads Guilty To Stealing $12 Million Of Virtual Money Sony<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=69953&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Microsoft</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/companies-2/microsoft/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">mattpeckham</media:title>
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