WordPress hack exposes code

Malicious hackers have successfully breached WordPress.com servers and potentially made off with sensitive bits of the publishing platform's underlying code, says PC World.

The breach could impact premium customers using WordPress for their Web sites, including Flickr, Nasa, Yahoo, and The New York Times.

The news comes among a surge of recent hack attacks against high-profile companies, including RSA, Epsilon, and HBGary. Additionally, it marks yet another major attack on Automattic, the maker of WordPress, which most recently suffered a major DDOS attack last month.

The next version of Windows Phone is getting faster, opening up and - Microsoft has promised - won't suck the battery dry, reports The Register.

Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled changes in the version of Windows Phone codenamed Mango that will crack open the operating system so developers can finally work with smartphones' camera data, compass and gyro, pivot and panorama, geo-location, ringtones and users' contacts.

The operating system, meanwhile, has been optimised to make applications run fast, gobble less memory and deliver "buttery smooth" scrolling.

By seizing servers and domain names, and getting permission to remotely turn off malware on compromised PCs, US officials have disabled a botnet that steals data from infected computers, writes Cnet.

The legal actions are part of the "most complete and comprehensive enforcement action ever taken by US authorities to disable an international botnet," according to a statement from the Department of Justice.

It's the first time law enforcement in the US has requested permission from a court to take control of a botnet, according to a request for a temporary restraining order that was granted.

Adobe has warned users of a new vulnerability in its Flash player application, which affects Windows, Apple OSX, Linux, Solaris and Android platforms, states Computing.co.uk.

In a security advisory, Adobe said it is being exploited by hackers through Flash files embedded in Word documents.

"This vulnerability could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system. There are reports that this vulnerability is being exploited in the wild in targeted attacks via a Flash file embedded in a Microsoft Word file delivered as an e-mail attachment, targeting the Windows platform," the company said.