In a message left by zero2zerOH on EA’s Battlefield 2™ forum, a hacker wrote that due to lack of response from EA about security flaw found on the game server he had decided to hack to the server and unlock all the weapons for 5 million users, and maybe this will get their attention to the problem.

Quote from the post:

Well, what a wonderful few days it has been. Since EA didn’t take the time to respond (or maybe even read) our emails about various stats-server security holes, it clearly showed us how much they care. Therefore, we came to the conclusion that modifying 5 million accounts wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

That being said, accounts with ids from 40,000,000 to 45,000,000 now have all of their weapons unlocked.

What will be next week? Perhaps we’ll give everyone their Distinguished Service Medal, or maybe we’ll elevate everyone to the rank of Sergeant Major.

The ball’s in your court, EA. Time’s up at the buzzer, how well will you play?

Users that their account got hacked have reacted to this act in different ways. Some liked the fact that they have all these weapons but some were outraged feeling that EA will now invalidate their account or just plainly want to play a fair game.

Despite the RIAA and MPAA crackdown on file swappers, file sharing networks continue to grow in popularity.

Although the effects of flooding FastTrack (Kazaa) network with corrupted files and the law suits against file swappers have reduced the FastTrack network to about 2.5M users from about 4.5M users at its peek, it did not effect eDonkey 2000.

P2P Networks Statistics (source)

On the contrary, users have left FastTrack and joined the eDonkey 2000 network with its very popular open source client eMule. According to Slyck who keeps track on file sharing networks statistics, eDonkey 2000 is bigger than ever and had just broke the 8M users barrier. eDonkey 2000 is the largest file sharing network of all times.

Apple Computer on Tuesday unveiled updates to its iBooks laptop and Mac Mini lines, including increased memory and built-in wireless technology.

Between the two products, Apple’s iBook G4 line features the most changes, including a scrolling TrackPad and sudden-motion sensor that protects the hard drive if the iBook is dropped. The new iBooks feature Power PC G4 processors running up to 1.42GHz with double the memory at 512MB.

In addition to increased memory, the new iBooks offer built-in AirPort Extreme–54mbps 802.11g WiFi networking–and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless connectivity. The wireless features also are compatible with Bluetooth 1.2 devices such as Apple’s wireless keyboard and mouse.

Source: News.com

Reaching out to the 9 — 14 year old “tween” audience, who increasingly spend their time online, LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: LF), a leading vendor of technology-based learning products, launched an interactive, video-based Web site to showcase the company’s soon-to-be-shipping FLY(TM) pentop computer. The engaging new Web site, http://www.liveonthefly.com, was specifically designed for tweens to provide a unique broadband experience that is entertaining, customizable and informative.

“Tween consumers want to seek out information on their own, in a way they can relate to — on the Web. However, not just any Web site will pass muster with this sophisticated audience,” explained Kathryn Olson, chief marketing officer for LeapFrog. “It must be engaging and entertaining — and we have created just that with our new, one-of-a-kind Live on the FLY Web site. In the first few days, nearly 200,000 users have already logged on across the FLY sites and we look forward to making a connection with tweens as they keep the buzz going about the exciting new FLY pentop computer.”

The new Web site also features the Great FLY Invasion Sweepstakes, offering tweens a chance to win one of 1,000 FLY pentop computers, or other prizes including $1,000 shopping sprees, boxes of Upper Deck MVP trading cards, or Limited Too $50 gift cards. The contest began on July 1, 2005 and ends September 30, 2005.

The FLY pentop computer will be available in mid-October at retail stores including WalMart, Kmart, Target, Toys R Us, and select consumer electronics stores. The FLY pentop computer has a suggested retail price of $99 and the new FLY accessories and applications will have a suggested retail price range from $4.99 to $34.99.

From now on, customers looking to get the latest add-ons to Windows will have to verify that their copy of the operating system is legit.

Beginning Tuesday, the piracy check will be mandatory for all customers worldwide who want to download add-ons for Windows XP.

The only exception is for security-related patches. Regardless of whether a system passes the test, security updates will be available to all Windows users via either manual download or automatic update. The Microsoft Update and Windows Update utilities, which provide notifications of new patches, will require validation.

It’s all part of Windows Genuine Advantage, a stepped-up effort by Microsoft to increase the number of Windows users that are actually paying Microsoft for its software. Currently, the company estimates that roughly a third of Windows copies worldwide are not legitimate.

Source: News.com