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Kaspersky labs and Alienvault have released a new analysis that outlines recent increases in targeted attacks against Uyghur groups in China, where an apparent ongoing politically motivated effort is using old vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word to infect their systems with malware.

The effort is using unpatched versions of Microsoft Word 2004 and 2008 for OS X, where maliciously crafted documents can exploit an old and patched vulnerability to execute code and install backdoor software without the user's consent. The malware in this case installs a common remote-access shell called "TinySHell" that in itself is not intended as … Read more

Twitter said today that it will implement a change in February that will extend the number of characters used in its automatic t.co link shortener by two.

Such a move may seem insignificant to the average Twitter user, but it does mean that there will be two fewer characters available under the 140-character limit in a tweet.

Twitter had no comment on the rationale behind the switch, but on its blog for developers, it simply spelled out the plans. "We're going to be extending the maximum length of t.co wrapped links from 20 to 22 characters … Read more

Most Android flashlight apps are extremely simple: on and off. Some add battery meters. Then there's Nikolay Ananiev's Tiny Flashlight + LED. Like most of the others, it's free, though it does have ad banners. No big deal, because it's way more than just an LED flashlight for your smartphone. Like what? For starters, it includes a prominent battery meter. The illuminated, color-coded Power button glows green for on and blue for off. But tap the Options button, and Tiny Flashlight's awesome extras come to light.

We installed Tiny Flashlight in a new smartphone running Android … Read more

With so many free firewalls to choose from, products need to stand out in some way. TinyWall emphasizes simplicity, flexibility, and unobtrusiveness. This free firewall is designed to harden and add more control to the existing firewall in Windows 7 and Vista. Instead of constantly hitting you with pop-ups asking you to allow or deny access to a program or Internet address, TinyWall lets you quickly add allowed sites to your white list in several ways. For example, you can use a hot key and click any open window to add that app to your white list, or you can … Read more

If you've grown bored with Instagram and are looking for a new photo-sharing app, Tiny Post might fit the bill. This free iPhone app lets you add three lines of text to photos, creating one of those hilarious or poignant images you undoubtedly see daily in your Facebook News Feed or elsewhere on the Internet.

Tiny Post boasts a slick interface and a number of sharing options. After signing in via Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail, you can find other Tiny Post users to follow by tapping the people button in the upper-right corner. Tap the camera button in the … Read more

In an effort to scoop up the smash-hit social-gaming app Draw Something, mobile gaming publisher Zynga acquired OMGPOP for an unprecedented $180 million, plus an extra $30 million in employee retention.

Not only is it the first major acquisition for Zynga, it's also a bit out of character for the company, especially considering some recent controversy the mobile powerhouse ran into with the developer of Tiny Tower, NimbleBit. … Read more

Collectors of exotic gadgets might want to take a peep at the Minox miniature digital camera, freshly available in a swank 24K gold-plated tone.

The tiny camera literally fits in the palm of your hand with dimensions of 2.9 inches by 1.8 inches by 1.7 inches and a paltry weight of 4 ounces. While the German manufacturer calls it a "thoroughly modern digital camera," however, the specs reek of yesteryear. … Read more

If you're like me, you enjoy killing orcs, zombies, spiders, clowns, Kagouti, Vahzilok, and dark Jedi as much as the next guy. But every now and then you put down the mouse and think, is this all there is? Can't I just explore pretty places and, um, pet cute animals or something? Maybe hug people?

That's when you want Glitch.

Unfortunately the game just went back into beta, and it can take a few weeks to get an invite. But if you're looking for something cute and different, it's worth checking out.

Glitch, developed by Tiny Speck, is a browser-based side-scrolling MMO with pleasant graphics and music and a PG-13 sense of humor. There's some easy platform-hopping and coin-collecting, and a little prodding to cooperate and socialize. It's free--you can pay to get more costume options, but you don't need them.

The crux of the game is balancing the demands of your mood and energy levels. You can cook food, make cocktails a la Kingdom of Loathing, grow crops, mine rocks, and so on. That all takes energy. Meanwhile, everywhere you go, trees and pigs--fine, piggies--want to be petted and watered or fed; other players can be hugged or kissed--or mooned or "splanked," if you have a moon or a plank on you.… Read more

The natural evolution of software is to go from beta to fully launched. So the decision today by Tiny Speck to revert its recently launched virtual world back to beta may leave some scratching their heads.

After a long period in closed beta, Tiny Speck in September formally pulled the curtains back on Glitch, a virtual world that takes players "inside the imagination of ancient giants." The company was founded by Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield, along with fellow Flickr veterans Cal Henderson, Eric Costello, and Serguei Mourachov. Butterfield explained today's decision to CNET by saying that as … Read more