Google alerts Googlemail customers of 'state-sponsored' hacks

It was the second time in the last two weeks that Google has deployed security-related alerts to a small fraction of those who use its services.

But the company was coy about how it knows whether a specific individual has been targeted by attacks paid for or designed by governments.

"You might ask how we know this activity is state-sponsored," said Eric Grosse, Google's vice president of security engineering, in a Tuesday blog. "We can't go into the details without giving away information that would be helpful to these bad actors."

The new warning states: "We believe state-sponsored attackers may be attempting to compromise your account or computer." It will appear at the top of the Gmail page if the user has logged in with his or her Google account. The message is not limited to those who use Google's own Chrome, but will pop up in any browser.

Grosse was equally vague about what might trigger the alert.

"It does not necessarily mean that your account has been hijacked. It just means that we believe you may be a target, of phishing or malware for example, and that you should take immediate steps to secure your account," he said.

But it seems Google knows, or thinks it knows, a state-sponsored attack when it sees one.

"Our detailed analysis -- as well as victim reports -- strongly suggest the involvement of states or groups that are state-sponsored," Grosse claimed.

Google is in a better position than most to know.

More than two years ago Google was one of several Western companies victimized by Chinese hackers -- a rumpus that led it to relocate its search servers to Hong Kong -- and the company has cleaned up several large-scale phishing and hacking campaigns directed against Gmail users, including one in 2011 that targeted senior U.S. government officials and another later that year that affected hundreds of thousands of Iranian users.

Google has displayed similar warnings before today's.

Two weeks ago, for example, Google began alerting users whose Windows PCs or Macs remain infected with the DNSChanger malware. Those users face the loss of their link to the Internet on July 9, when authorities switch off substitute DNS (domain name system) servers that took the place of criminal-controlled machines shut down last year.

In July 2011, Google also warned customers whose systems were infected with fake antivirus software, or "scareware." In that instance, Google became suspicious when it uncovered "unusual search traffic" while doing maintenance at one of its data centers.

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MarketWatch Jams Microsoft windows 8, Calling it Unmitigated Disaster

John Dvorak from MarketWatch recently uploaded his review of the current Windows 8 Release Preview, calling the upcoming OS an "unmitigated disaster" that could possibly hurt the company and its future as an OS provider. While this opinion may sound a little harsh regarding an operating system still baking in the oven, many of his comments echo remarks made by other journalists in their hands-on reviews, past and present.

"The real problem is that it is both unusable and annoying," Dvorak writes. "It makes your teeth itch as you keep asking, 'Why are they doing this!?' First of all, the system-software product is mostly divorced from all the thought and trends developed by Windows over the years, as if to say that they were wrong the whole time, so let's try something altogether new. No business will tolerate this software, let me assure you. As a productivity tool, it is unusable."

He goes on to point out that the blocky Metro interface is both more useful and wanted on a smartphone or tablet than a PC. Granted that AIO PC's sell rather well and sport touch-capable screens, do consumers really use this feature on a daily basis? Dvorak for one doesn't like finger smudges on his screen, thus preferring the old-school mouse-keyboard combo assumingly loved by most desktop users.

He also points out that there are issues with trying to use one GUI across every platform, and that perhaps not everyone will want a unified experience. Both Apple and Google have already pointed out this specific issue, saying that separate form factors need their own operating system due to their specialized hardware-based benefits.

"This is insanity, plain and simple. It’s even more nuts knowing that nobody is waiting in line to buy Windows Phone in the first place, and the tablet is untested in the market. So the company jumps ahead to the desktop?" he writes. "The potential for this OS to be an unrecoverable disaster for the company is at the highest possible level I’ve ever seen. It ranks up there with the potential for disaster that the Itanium chip presented for Intel Corp. It’s that bad."

Dvorak predicts that the public and enterprise sectors will demand Windows 7 throughout 2013 until Microsoft abandons the "soulless Metro interface," and hires on a new design team fast.

To read the full evaluation of Windows 8 Release Preview, head here. For the record, he does admit that the Metro UI is "refreshingly slick-looking and modern," but then adds that it's "without any charm whatsoever."

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At E3, a look at the long run of video games

Every year, tens of thousands of gaming fans flock to Los Angeles to play the coolest titles at E3, the world’s largest video game event. Hardware-makers, developers and publishers fill the floor of the Los Angeles Convention Center with row upon row of outrageous booths, where gamers line up for a glimpse of the next hit.

You can be sure that an industry as big as gaming — worth about $65 billion last year — has an appropriately extravagant show.

This week, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo had massive, lengthy keynote presentations in which they showed off new hardware, flagship titles, partnerships and the occasional celebrity, such as Usher or Joe Namath.

Nintendo previewed a more finalized version of its next-generation console, the Wii U, which it first announced at last year’s event. The device is part console, part tablet-controller thing. The controllers do double duty and can not only be used to play games traditionally, but can act as a window into deeper elements of gameplay.

Additionally, Nintendo heavily promoted its forthcoming online network, Miiverse, which will let players directly connect with other gamers when they’re stuck somewhere or want to get a multiplayer session going.

I didn’t see anything particularly exciting, though many doubted Nintendo’s runaway hit — the original Wii — when it was first shown off. If anything, the company has demonstrated its ability to think ahead of the curve for years. Whether it’s still as light on its toes remains to be seen.

The games shown for the Wii U weren’t exactly barnstormers, and the integration between the tablet gamepad and the console raises questions that have yet to be answered. Still, you can’t help applauding Nintendo’s head-down, single-minded mentality. As the game market grows up, the company seems steadfastly centered on family-friendly fare and on innovation in interaction, rather than graphics.

Microsoft did a little innovating (and tweaking) of its own this year. The company all but killed its Zune music service by introducing Xbox Music. The service will find its way onto Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices in addition to the game console and will retain many Zune features.

The company made the move in part to drive home the point that the Xbox brand is not just about gaming but is the entertainment hub across Microsoft products. That was further evidenced by the new SmartGlass service that the company demoed. SmartGlass allows you to play and interact with video content on tablets, phones and your Xbox, and will even provide contextual content on one screen while playing your video content on another. As an example, Microsoft showed an episode of “Game of Thrones” that had a companion map that followed the action on a tablet.

When my team tested the service later, it was clear that all the kinks hadn’t been worked out. But it’s obvious that Microsoft is making home entertainment a priority. In fact, some gamers complained to me on Twitter that the company’s gaming side left a lot to be desired this year.

But luckily, Sony has picked up the slack in that area. Though all of the console-makers had great content to show off, Sony wowed me the most with some of its exclusive game titles. Standouts include the intriguing Quantic Dreams title “Beyond: Two Souls,” which eschews standard gaming for a more cinematic experience (it even stars Ellen Page), and Naughty Dog’s incredible “The Last of Us,” a post-apocalyptic thriller in which the computer-controlled enemies not only react realistically to differing situations, but will even pick up items and weapons you need to defend yourself and use them against you.

French publisher Ubisoft showed off what might be the most striking title of the show, a futuristic open-world game called “Watch Dogs” that had some wondering if it is destined for a future console.

Future consoles were discussed a lot this year in the halls of the show. Microsoft’s and Sony’s systems are showing their age, and the expectation in the industry is that next year will be a big coming-out party for whatever follows the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

Finally, one thing I found surprising and more than a little disappointing was the increase in graphic violence in games, as well as developers’ apparent inability to think of anything more than a gun to place in the hands of lead characters. There were a handful of games that explored a space outside the run-and-attack mechanics of many titles, but few tried to tell adult stories without gunshots and stabbings.

It made me think that we’re still in the early days of truly great gamemaking and storytelling — which ultimately should give you some hope. E3 2012 might not have boasted many surprises — but hey, there’s always next year.

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Google shows new applying technologies

While it boasts one billion users, Google Maps has recently seen defections by some key developers and partners.

Reports suggest Apple may abandon Google Maps next week at its annual developer conference.

They suggest Apple may announce its own mapping application to replace Google Maps on its smartphones and tablets.

To counteract any negative publicity, Google executives held a media event on Wednesday in San Francisco to preview new mapping features and trumpet a decade of achievements in digital mapping, including its use of satellite, aerial and street-level views.

Among the stand-out features were 3D enhancements to Google Earth, a portable device for taking "street view" panoramic photos and offline access to Google Maps on Android phones.

"It's much more than finding a way home," said Brian McClendon, vice president of engineering for Google Maps.

"Personal helicopter"

Google Imagery, the company's most sophisticated 3D rendering to date, makes use of an automated process to generate very detailed models from 45-degree aerial photos. Google has actually commissioned a fleet of planes to do the job. The end result is zoomable, three-dimensional cityscapes, complete with top and side level views of buildings, streets and landscaping.

Fly-over views of San Francisco's Civic Center, City Hall, AT&T Ballpark and waterfront were shown during Wednesday's demonstration.

"We are trying to create magic here," said Peter Birch, program manager for Google Maps, who compared the offering to "Superman wings."

"It's almost as if you are in a personal helicopter hovering over the city," he said.

The feature will be available on both Android and iOs devices in a matter of weeks, Mr Birch told the BBC.

He would not be drawn on the possibility of a snag with Apple if Google Maps is de-bundled from Apple's smartphones and tablets: "I can't really speculate on what the rumours may be… Apple is a good partner of ours.

"We have a lot fantastic applications already on the platform. Google Earth is one of the top applications, and we've been on Apple devices since 2008," he said.

"It's a really fantastic showcase for the platform and we're really excited to be offering new features."

Google aims to bring the new 3D imagery to desktops later this year.

By the end of the year, the California-based company anticipates 300 million people will be able to look at their communities using this technology. The initial metropolitan areas were not specified, but Mr Birch indicated both American and international cities would be part of the initial rollout.

'Platform battle'

Should Apple actually divest Google Maps from its mobile screens later this year, as the Wall Street Journal first reported, experts say it would be a strike against the search giant.

"It's a negative for Google, but it's not going to have a big revenue impact, and it may in fact motivate them the create a more powerful mapping application that people can download from the iTunes store if Apple doesn't try to block it," said Greg Sterling, a long-time Google watcher and contributing editor at Search Engine Land.

"It's a platform battle," according to Di-Ann Eisnor, a social mapping expert and vice president of Waze, a commuter tool that relies on real-time crowdsourced data from its 18.5 million users to inform its mobile mapping application.

But the war goes beyond Android versus iOs.

Google created a backlash of sorts when it began charging for commercial use of its API last autumn. Developers and publishers like Foursquare, the location-based, mobile check-in app with 20 million users, opted to go with the free and volunteer-driven OpenStreetMap, the world's largest crowdsourced atlas, as its baseline mapping technology, instead of Google Maps. So did the mobile version of Wikipedia.

With 600,000 registered users, OpenStreetMap also has the support of Microsoft. As more big players start working on OpenStreetMap, Ms Eisnor and others say it could be another "viable alternative" to Android and iOs.

John Jackson, a technology analyst with CCS Insight in Boston agrees with the notion of platform wars, calling it "an epic battle for the future of mobile computing".

Between Apple, Google and Microsoft, "we may end up with three centres of gravity", he told the BBC.

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