Month: February 2016

Enlarge (credit: Malware Don't Need Coffee)

Malicious websites are exploiting a recently fixed vulnerability in Microsoft's Silverlight application framework to perform drive-by malware attacks on vulnerable visitor devices, a security researcher has determined.

The critical code-execution vulnerability, which Microsoft patched last month, was actively exploited for two years in attack code owned by Italy-based exploit broker Hacking Team. As Ars reported last July, the Silverlight exploit came to light following a hack on Hacking Team's network that exposed gigabytes worth of private e-mails and other data. Researchers with Russian antivirus provider Kaspersky Lab later discovered the vulnerability being exploited in the wild and privately reported it to Microsoft.

Now, exploit code for the patched vulnerability is being being distributed through Angler, one of several toolkits that criminals use to seed websites with code that carry out drive-by attacks. The Silverlight attack was spotted earlier this week by a researcher who goes by the moniker Kafeine. The vulnerability is indexed as CVE-2016-0034.

McLaren Automotive

The 570GT is McLaren's most refined car, suitable for road trips.

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We are unashamed fans of McLaren's road cars. The 650S blew our socks off last year, and we're eagerly awaiting a visit from the 570S later this year once outside temperatures have risen some and McLaren's press fleet migrates back east. Yesterday, the company released information about a companion to the 570S, called the 570GT. McLaren describe the 570GT as the most practical car it has ever built, "targeted towards longer journeys and weekends away."

As with all McLaren road cars, the 570GT is built around a carbon fiber "MonoCell" tub; in this case the second iteration MonoCell with redesigned sills that make getting into and out of the car a lot easier. Changes from the more hardcore 570S include revised spring rates and some other suspension tweaks that improve the ride quality, a slightly quieter exhaust, and bespoke Pirelli tires that cut road noise by 3dB. And instead of an exposed engine bay, there's a glass hatch that gives the car an extra 7.8 cubic feet (220L) of luggage space.

Weight is up 81lbs (37kg) compared to the 570S—2,976 lbs (1,350kg) without any fluids. That's still comparatively little mass for the 562hp/419kW 3.8L turbocharged V8 to move, so a more refined McLaren does not necessarily mean a slower one.

Don't worry, I've got plenty of time to step out of the way of that bullet.

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As I slowly transition from my early 30s to what is inarguably my mid-30s, there are moments when I explicitly notice that my reflexes aren't what they used to be. As someone who enjoys twitchy, reflex-based action games as a hobby and a large part of his career, this is more than a bit concerning for me. Thank god, then, for a game like Superhot, which slows down the gameplay of a traditional first-person shooter in a way that requires nearly no reflexes of any kind.

The game spells out its own chief gimmick in big block letters almost as soon as you start: "Time Moves Only When You Move." That's not quite true—time actually crawls forward at a snail's pace even if you stand perfectly still. For the most part, though, Superhot lets you get your bearings and think about how to deal with the stylized, often-armed red figures surrounding you before you have to commit to any one action.