German IT security expert Levent Kayan discovered a simple, but particularly nasty vulnerability in Skype that enables an attacker gain access to session IDs and user account data, including passwords.

To exploit the cross-site scripting bug, an attacker needs to enter a command string in the “mobile phone” field of a targeted user.

Skype confirmed the problem, but considers it to be a “minor issue”, while the researcher categorizes the threat level as “high”. Kayan said that other input fields that lack input validation as well may also be affected by the vulnerability. In a response to Forbes, Skype spokesperson Chaim Haas said that the problem only affects “top contacts” as they need access to this particular field. “As you can imagine, someone who you deal with frequently is probably unlikely to take advantage of this bug anyway,” Haas said.

Kayan noted that there is no sign that the bug is already being exploited by attackers. All Skype versions to versions 5.3.0.120 as well as Windows XP, Vista and 7 and Mac OS X are affected.

SOURCE via Forbes

One of the biggest concerns of prospective electric vehicle owners is a fear of limited driving ranges. Although modern electric vehicles have no problems making daily local trips, some owners may decide to pass on purchasing an EV knowing that it can only go so far before needing another charge. Luckily for prospective owners, a brand new metal on the way could lead to a huge increase in EV capabilities.

Manufacturer of optical fiber cable and electric wire, Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) has recently developed an aluminum that could lead to a 150-300% increase in electric vehicle battery capacity. This would mean an increase of typical driving ranges by 50-200%, possibly taking the Nissan Leaf to a range of 219 miles or the Tesla Roadster to 732 miles.

Called “Aluminum-Celmet”, SEI’s creation is designed to be integrated into lithium-ion batteries, with a three-dimensional porous structure that the company claims to work wonders on battery capacities.

Beginning with an Aluminum-Celmet assembly line at the company’s Osaka facility in Japan, SEI hopes to begin mass production of its new patented metal in the near future. Assuming SEI’s claims prove to be true, we could be seeing some impressive new electric vehicles.

If you watched Conan O’Brien in his final days on NBC, you may have seen the Bugatti Veyron Mouse. Now feast your eyes on the Asus Lamborghini mouse.

A product of the same collaboration that has already turned out a series of laptop computers and external hard drives, the Asus WX Lamborghini Wireless Mouse packs Sant’Agata’s famously edgy styling into a computer peripheral. It’s available in white, yellow or black, packs a little tire for a scroll wheel and, of course, Lamborghini’s often imitated (but never duplicated) logo perched prominently on top. It even sports a USB dongle that stows inside the mouse, has a range of 33 feet and is available for $80.

So why, you ask, would you need a Lamborghini mouse? Well aside from its trademark pinpoint precision and speedy maneuvering, if you’ve already got an Acer Ferrari laptop hooked up to a LaCie Porsche Design hard-drive on your Bugatti desk, you’re not about to control it all with just any old mouse now, are you? Of course not. But if you’re looking for a mouse to match, let me introduce you to a brand call Razer.

We’ve seen plenty of record smashing, and a huge number of them involve speed. It’s not an easy feat, taking into consideration the preparation for the tech, the condition, and even the safety that it takes to crank a machine to the upper levels of its limits that scratch all the right itches for us. That’s even more so when you throw in the insanity of trying to break the 500-kilometre-per-hour barrier on a motorcycle. Yes, a bike.

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The models have been made. The designs have been scrutinized. The talents have been exhibited, the ballots have been cast, and the prizes have been awarded for the 2011 Ferrari World Design Contest.

The competition attracted entries from 50 design schools and universities around the world, all vying for the eye of decision makers from both Ferrari and Pininfarina. In the end, the top prize went to a team from Korea for their innovative Eternità concept, pictured in the foreground above.

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The voice of the Sniper in Team Fortress 2, John Patrick Lowrie, has been talking on the Impetuous Windmills podcast about his recent work voicing heroes for DotA 2. He says that Valve is “planning on releasing it in the fall,” and drops details on the seven heroes that he’s done voices for already. The roster includes a couple of old favourites from previous versions of DotA, the butcher, Pudge and the lightning panda Storm Spirit.

“So far I have voiced seven characters in DotA 2″ says Lowrie at around 34 minutes into the show. “So far, I just voiced kind an ice spirit guy, and a kind of an ultimate devil guy, and then kind of a martial arts mystic guy.”

“Then, early on, I voiced a guy named Pudge … and a guy named Storm Spirit that everybody at Valve really enjoys playing and two other characters that I just don’t remember. Who knows what the count will be eventually?”

The presenter goes on to ask Lowrie when the game will be coming out. “I think that they’re planning on releasing it in the fall I think they’re finishing it up,” says Lowrie, adding “of course, I could be wrong, I’m just the hired help, but I believe that’s what they told me.” Read more…

The Mac mini is yet another Mac to be updated with Intel’s Sandy Bridge CPUs and Thunderbolt. The Mini saw its last update on June 15th 2010 so a refresh was widely expected and also a bit overdue in Apple’s traditional product lifespan cycle. There are no major chassis changes to the new Mac mini (sans the missing CD/DVD slot). Like the previous generation, there are three models: two consumer variants and a server. The Mac mini lineup has been like this since late 2009 when the server model was first introduced.

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