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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Yahoo confirms server breach, over 400k accounts compromised

Online account security breaches are seemingly commonplace these days -- just ask LinkedIn or Sony -- and now we can add Yahoo's name to the list of hacking victims. The company's confirmed that it had the usernames and passwords of over 400,000 accounts stolen from its servers earlier this week and the data was briefly posted online. The credentials have since been pulled from the web, but it turns out they weren't just for Yahoo accounts, as Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, Comcast, MSN, SBC Global, Verizon, BellSouth and Live.com login info was also pilfered and placed on display. The good news? Those responsible for the breach said (seen below) that the deed was done to simply show Yahoo the weaknesses in its software security. To wit:

We hope that the parties responsible for managing the security of this subdomain will take this as a wake-up call, and not as a threat. There have been many security holes exploited in Web servers belonging to Yahoo Inc. that have caused far greater damage than our disclosure. Please do not take them lightly. The subdomain and vulnerable parameters have not been posted to avoid further damage.

In response, Yahoo's saying that a fix for the vulnerability is in the works, but the investigation is ongoing and its system has yet to be fully secured. In the meantime, the company apologized for the breach and is advising users to change their passwords accordingly. You can read the official party line below.

At Yahoo! we take security very seriously and invest heavily in protective measures to ensure the security of our users and their data across all our products. We confirm that an older file from Yahoo! Contributor Network (previously Associated Content) containing approximately 400,000 Yahoo! and other company users names and passwords was stolen yesterday, July 11. Of these, less than 5% of the Yahoo! accounts had valid passwords. We are fixing the vulnerability that led to the disclosure of this data, changing the passwords of the affected Yahoo! users and notifying the companies whose users accounts may have been compromised. We apologize to affected users. We encourage users to change their passwords on a regular basis and also familiarize themselves with our online safety tips at security.yahoo.com.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/12/yahoo-security-breach/

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Lawyer: W.Va. man denies enslaving, torturing wife

This photo provided by the South Central Regional Jail in Charleston W.Va., shows Peter Lizon from Leroy W. Va. Authorities say Lizon tortured and enslaved his wife for much of the past decade, forcing her to endure two pregnancies and deliveries in shackles. Lizon was in jail Wednesday, July 11, 2012, on $300,000 bond. He was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on a malicious wounding charge Friday morning in Jackson County Magistrate Court. (AP Photo/South Central Regional Jail)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) ? While her husband returned a rototiller to a West Virginia rental shop, a limping woman sneaked into another part of the building seeking help. Soon, she was at a shelter with a horrifying tale: She had been held hostage for the better part of a decade ? beaten, burned and even shackled during childbirth.

Investigators have 45 photographs showing burns on her back and breasts from irons and frying pans, and scars on her wrists and ankles. Now her husband is in jail and authorities are investigating what Jackson County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Tony Boggs called one of the most terrible cases he's seen.

"This appears to go beyond abuse to what I would consider torture," he said Wednesday.

Peter Lizon, 37, was in jail on $300,000 bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Friday on a malicious wounding charge.

The criminal complaint says 43-year-old Stephanie Lizon told another woman at a Parkersburg shelter that her husband smashed her foot with a piece of farm equipment, among other things.

But Shawn Bayliss, Peter Lizon's attorney, said the allegations are "the fabrication of a fertile imagination or a feeble mind, one of the two."

"The alleged victim didn't make these accusations. It was a third party," Bayliss said. " ... Stephanie would say this story is absolutely untrue, and the charges levied against her husband are blatantly false."

He compared it to the childhood game of "telephone," where something whispered from one person to another ultimately bears no resemblance to reality.

"This is a situation where a person has taken a nugget of information, taken an acorn and tried to turn it into a tree," he said. "And the tree won't support this story."

The details of the alleged abuse came out after the wife fled July 2. Stephanie Lizon entered another part of the building while her husband was inside Bosley Rental & Supply in Parkersburg and told the staff, "I'm trying to get away from my husband. I just need to hide for a few minutes," one employee said.

The employee declined to give her name, citing concern for her safety and that of her co-workers.

In an office, the wife "seemed pretty calm but kept looking out the window to see if he was looking for her," the employee said.

Stephanie Lizon told the staff she didn't want to involve police, but she accepted the number for the domestic violence shelter and called it. She also called family to ask for money, and the employees gave her cash and called a cab to take her to a Western Union office and the shelter.

The woman was limping and had appeared to have some sort of injury, the employee said. And while her clothing was clean, she smelled bad. The husband did not come inside looking for his wife and police didn't come until several days later.

At the shelter, however, Stephanie Lizon told another woman about the abuse she had suffered at the hands of her husband, a native of the Czech Republic. The wife said her family was from Alexandria, Va.

Stephanie Lizon's father declined to discuss the case when contacted by The Associated Press. Relatives of her husband didn't immediately return messages.

The witness at the shelter described Stephanie Lizon as "gaunt and filthy," and covered in scars, bruises and burns. She had "mutilated and swollen" feet, a scar in the shape of a clothes iron on one breast, and burns on her back that the victim said came from a hot frying pan.

The witness said the wife was called a "slave" and ordered to kneel before her husband every time she entered a room. The wife also said she had delivered a fully developed, stillborn child while in shackles, and her husband buried the corpse on their farm.

Another child survived a similar delivery, but Stephanie Lizon said it had never received medical attention.

Boggs said state child-welfare authorities have been notified, but Peter Lizon's attorney said the child ? a 1-year-old boy ? remains with his mother.

The complaint says investigators confirmed that the wife was treated in the emergency room of St. Joseph's Hospital in June and that photographs were taken at the shelter to document her injuries. A Sunbeam iron was among the items seized during a July 5 search of the couple's home. Lizon was arrested that day.

Both Peter and Stephanie Lizon were arrested in Maryland in 2004, accused of cutting up Bush-Cheney campaign signs with a bayonet. The couple was apparently living in Randallstown, Md., at the time.

The Baltimore Sun reported that Peter Lizon was sentenced to a year of probation and 32 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $328 in restitution to the Howard County Republican Party.

Wayne Kirwan, a spokesman for the Howard County state's attorney's office, said Stephanie Lizon entered a plea agreement that resulted in 40 hours of community service, plus restitution and fines.

Kirwan said Maryland court records also show that Stephanie Lizon was arrested on drug charges a few months later in Baltimore County, in December 2004. She pleaded guilty to a drug manufacturing and distribution charge in May 2005 and got probation.

The West Virginia Division of Corrections said it had no history of criminal actions by either spouse, and Boggs said the sheriff's department had no previous contact with them, either.

Boggs said he hoped that the wife's escape would give courage to other people who may be trapped in abusive relationships.

"There's all kinds of people out there who are willing to help," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-07-11-Hostage%20Wife/id-afa51d039be24ed7b961c12e835eb159

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Amazon Pumps Up Kindle Fire Gaming With GameCircle, Opens APIs To Developers

Amazon has just announced a bit of good news for avid Kindle Fire gamers and developers -- the company has been working to revamp the gaming experience on their wallet-conscious tablet and have decided to share the fruits of their labor. Starting today, developers can use Amazon's GameCircle APIs to implement a host of new features in their Kindle Fire games. Considering how many other console and mobile gaming platforms already support them, it should come as no surprise that support for achievements is on that list of features. Also on deck is leaderboard functionality, which allows users to see how they stack up to their rivals without having to pop out of the game in question.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gVXqTgL2k9g/

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AP source: Yankees tell Reggie to steer clear

FILE - In this May 26, 2012, file photo, former major league baseball player Reggie Jackson appears before a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees in Oakland, Calif. The Yankees want Reggie Jackson to steer clear of the clubhouse and team events following his pointed remarks about Alex Rodriguez and several former stars, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday, July 9. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The New York Yankees have told Mr. October to stay away this summer.

The Yankees want Reggie Jackson to steer clear of the clubhouse and team events following his pointed remarks about Alex Rodriguez and several former stars, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.

The Hall of Famer will lay low for several weeks, the person told the AP on condition of anonymity because there was no formal announcement. Jackson was not disciplined or fined, and will remain as a special adviser to the Yankees.

ESPN initially reported Jackson would be indefinitely absent from the Yankees.

Jackson recently was quoted by Sports Illustrated as saying some of Rodriguez's statistics were tainted because the Yankees slugger had admitted using performance-enhancing drugs. Jackson has spoken to Rodriguez since then to explain his comments.

Jackson also said he didn't see Gary Carter, Kirby Puckett and others as Hall of Famers.

The MVP of the 1977 World Series with the Yankees was told not to travel to Boston last weekend for New York's four-game series at Fenway Park to avoid becoming a distraction. The Yankees will contact Jackson when they want him back on the scene, the person said.

Jackson was on the field in Kansas City on Monday night for the All-Star Home Run Derby and waved to the crowd. He did not hold an interview session.

Jackson told SI that A-Rod was a friend, adding: "But I think there are real questions about his numbers. As much as I like him, what he admitted about his usage does cloud some of his records."

The former star also said there were several players that he didn't view as worthy of Cooperstown.

"I didn't see Kirby Puckett as a Hall of Famer. I didn't see Gary Carter as a Hall of Famer. I didn't see Don Sutton as a Hall of Famer. I didn't see Phil Niekro as a Hall of Famer. As much as I like Jim Rice, I'm not so sure he's a Hall of Famer," Jackson was quoted by SI.

Carter died in February and several former players have criticized the timing of Jackson's remarks. The person indicated Jackson was reaching out to the families of Carter and Puckett, as well as the Hall of Famers he mentioned.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-09-Yankees-Jackson-A-Rod/id-0daac09fb6c540dd8a4f98acdea6e78d

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NATO: 6 killed in Afghanistan blast were US troops

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