Once thought safe, DDR4 memory shown to be vulnerable to "Rowhammer" Physical weaknesses in memory chips that make computers and servers susceptible to hack attacks dubbed "Rowhammer" are more exploitable than previously thought and extend to DDR4 modules, not just DDR3, according to a recently published research paper. The paper, titled How Rowhammer Could Be Used to Exploit Weaknesses in Computer Hardware... Ars Technica

How HTC and Valve built the Vive Long before the Vive was born, both software developer Valve and phone manufacturer HTC were separately looking into virtual reality. In 2012, VR was beginning to creep back into the public imagination. It started in May of that year, when id Software's John Carmack demoed a modified Oculus Rift running Doom 3. The following month, he took the Rift to a wider audience at the E3 games convention. By August, Palmer Luckey launched the Oculus Kickstarter campaign, and it broke records. Engadget

Wider use of HTTPS could have protected GitHub The unique attack method used to disrupt the code-sharing site GitHub over the last week could have been prevented if more websites enabled encryption, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said Wednesday. The attack against GitHub was enabled by someone tampering with regular website traffic to unrelated Chinese websites, all of which used a JavaScript analytics and advertising related tool from Baidu. Computerworld (also Securing the web, together)

USB flash drives – power consumption measurement using Plugable's USBC-TKEY The power consumed by USB peripherals such as flash drives has typically not been much of a concern. However, with OTG support on the rise, mounting external storage via USB on mobile devices has become a common use-case. The power consumed by bus-powered devices is arguably more important compared to the performance numbers in such cases. AnandTech

So, you're scared of surface mount By the late 1970s and early 1980s you would find a more familiar sight. Dual-in-line ICs through-hole on 0.1″ spaced stripboard, and home-made PCBs starting to appear on fibreglass board. Easy to use, easy to solder. Familiar. Safe. Exactly what you'll see on your breadboard nearly forty years later, and still what you'll see from a lot of kit manufacturers. But we all know that progress in the world of electronic components has not stood still. Hackaday

Malvertising campaign hits MSN.com, NY Times, BBC, AOL In the last couple of days, visitors of a number of highly popular websites have been targeted with malicious adverts that attempted to install malware (mostly ransomware, but also various Trojans) on their systems. The websites in question were those of the NY Times, the BBC, Newsweek, and The Hill, as well as Microsoft's MSN website, Aol.com, the Weather Network, the HNL, and Realtor.com. Help Net Security

When slower is faster Imagine a scenario where sensor-laden vehicles pass through intersections by communicating with each other, rather than grinding to a halt at traffic lights. A newly published study co-authored by MIT researchers claims this kind of traffic-light-free transportation design, if it ever arrives, could allow twice as much traffic to use the roads. The study is based on mathematical modeling. The researchers examined a scenario in which high-tech vehicles use sensors to remain at a safe distance from each other as they move through a four-way intersection. MIT

South Korea trumpets $860-million AI fund after AlphaGo 'shock' Scrambling to respond to the success of Google DeepMind's world-beating Go program AlphaGo, South Korea announced on 17 March that it would invest $863 million (1 trillion won) in artificial-intelligence (AI) research over the next five years. It is not immediately clear whether the cash represents new funding, or had been previously allocated to AI efforts. Nature (also, In two moves, AlphaGo and Lee Sedol redefined the future)

Hitman creative director weighs risk, reward of going episodic The traditional rhythm of video game development has shifted. Where once, a team would weary themselves in so-called 'crunch' during the run-up to their game's launch, squishing bugs and issuing fixes before a pristine gold disc was sent to the manufacturing plant, today the launch of a game is just the beginning of its story. Gamasutra

Rumor: Nvidia working on their own distribution for Linux gamers Making the rounds on the Internet today is a rumor that NVIDIA Corp is allegedly working on their own Linux distribution. Generating interest on Reddit and elsewhere is that NVIDIA is supposedly developing their own Linux distribution / operating system. This Linux OS would supposedly be suited for gamers. Phoronix

What to expect at Apple's 'Let Us Loop You In' media event Apple will hold its first event of 2016 next Monday, and while it won't be as exciting as last year's event that saw the launch of the Apple Watch, Apple is planning to introduce several new products. Headlining the event will be the 4-inch iPhone SE, Apple's first 4-inch iPhone since 2013. Mac Rumors

A government error just revealed Snowden was the target in the Lavabit case It's been one of the worst-kept secrets for years: the identity of the person the government was investigating in 2013 when it served the secure email firm Lavabit with a court order demanding help spying on a particular customer. Wired