Stories by Robert Lemos

Android's big security flaw, and why only Google can fix it

In August 2010, hackers bent on jailbreaking Android smartphones found a vulnerability in the way the Android debugger handled an overwhelming number of processes. The code designed to exploit the flaw, dubbed RageAgainstTheCage, allowed users to ref...

Apple iOS: Why it's the most secure OS, period

In June 2007, Apple released the iPhone, and the device quickly took off to become a major brand in the smartphone market. Yet when the iPhone shipped, security on the mobile operating system was nearly nonexistent. Missing from the initial iOS (then...

Zeus leaks give tools to researchers, attackers

The source code and a manual to the popular crimeware creation kit Zeus has been leaked, perhaps giving defenders additional tools to fight infections but also raising concerns that criminals may use the source code to create a rapidly expanding comp...

How we moved almost everything to the Cloud: 5 lessons

Companies that move to the cloud have a whole host of decisions, one of the first being whether to develop their own software on top of a cloud infrastructure or to attempt to customize an existing cloud service.

DroidDream turns Androids into zombies

The malicious code that led Google to remove more than 50 Trojan applications from the Android Marketplace appears to mainly be a "dropper" -- a program designed to load other code to further compromise the affected smartphone, according to a securit...

When clouds attack: 5 ways providers can improve security

Criminals intent on attacking others can lease networks of compromised computers, or botnets, from other criminals serving the underground community. These resources could be considered "clouds" in their own right, but researchers warn that operators...

Five Trends Shaping Data Center Designs

In the past, companies built data centers like parents buy clothes for their children: Buy big and wait for the kids to grow into them.

Cloud Computing: Early Adopters Share Five Key Lessons

While some large enterprises have moved their information-technology infrastructure to a third-party managed service to save costs, small firms--especially startups--have come to rely on cloud services to cut initial outlays and help them focus on th...

Modular data centres: a fast, secretive option spreads

When Australian firm WesTrac needed to expand its data center capacity quickly, the company bought the equivalent of a Band-Aid for its server needs: A containerized data center.

Data Center Lessons from the Online Gaming World

In June, Iceland-based CCP Games brought the hammer down on a group of resource hogs that were clogging its data center.

Researchers speed up the chase for cooler data centers

With energy costs rising and data centers at the core of IT strategy for many companies, cooling the growing number of computers jammed into data centers is an issue that has taken center stage.

When the FBI Raids a Data Center: A Rare Danger

As part of coordinated raids in early April, FBI agents seized computers from a data center at 2323 Bryan Street in Dallas, Texas, attempting to gather evidence in an ongoing investigation of two men and their various companies accused of defrauding ...