Pay-TV smartcard hacking – how easy is it?

Over the last couple of days a small furore has erupted over allegations a News Corp subsidiary, NDS, has been hacking the pay-TV smartcards of News Corp’s competitors, and even News Corp’s own companies – allegations that NDS vigorously denies.I’m not going to speculate on the reasons why a supplier of Conditional Access Systems – the technology that allows paid-TV providers to restrict access to their broadcasts – would want to undermine the security of their own product; but I am going to discuss how such systems work, and how secure they are.

Read on, source: Pay-TV smartcard hacking – how easy is it?

FACT: Windows 10 will gobble up Android apps … and iOS apps, too

Build 2015 Microsoft does plan to get Android code working with Windows 10 – so the rumors are true, sort of.But what the software giant actually has planned is more nuanced than just borrowing apps from the Google Play store, and it involves courting iOS developers, too.At the Build developer conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, Microsoft executive VP of operating systems Terry Myerson outlined an ambitious plan to fill out the anemic Windows Store with new apps, and it involves reusing code from as many sources as possible.Note we said “reusing,” not “running.” This isn’t a strict Android-compatibility play like BlackBerry tried with its latest OS. Microsoft will get developers most of the way by allowing them to repurpose the Java and C++ code from their Android apps, but also wants them to tailor the apps to take advantage of what Windows has to offer.

Read on, source: FACT: Windows 10 will gobble up Android apps … and iOS apps, too • The Register

PowerMatcherSuite for producing and balancing energy

The software development process has evolved from vendors owning, controlling, and selling proprietary software into a collaborative, open source model. The process of producing energy is going through a similar evolution. Consumers have become producers, generating and sharing sustainable solar, wind, and hydro energy, and open source software is part of that energy production evolution. In this article, I will introduce PowerMatcherSuite, a Flexiblepower Alliance Network project licensed under the Apache

Read on, source: PowerMatcherSuite for producing and balancing energy | Opensource.com

Plans for Google Summer of Code 2015

Google Summer of Code is getting ready to kick off their 11th iteration of the program. It offers a unique opportunity for students to get involved in open source, with the original slogan of the program being: “Flip bits, not burgers.” All of the mentoring organizations have been announced, the student proposals are in, and the selected projects were just announced this week.

Read on, source: Plans for Google Summer of Code 2015 | Opensource.com