INTEL Shows Off an 8-Core PC

INTEL has showcased at CES a system capable of hosting 8 cores onto a single motherboard. While many knew that this was actually possible, it is a surprise nevertheless. To give you some details, let me say that the “V8” platform that was showcased today is similar to the one that is being used in Apple’s Mac Pro systems.


Last year when the Macs were launched, the idea was to offer real quad core systems motive for which two dual-core Xeons were used to turn the concept into reality. At the moment, quad-core Xeons existed only on papers but when they came out, users replaced the older dual cores with the newcomers and obtained eight-core home computers.

The system runs at 2.4GHz and uses a 1066MHz FSB. The motherboard is loaded with FB-DIMM memory with the V8 producing a 3DMark 06 CPU score of 6089 points. The showcased system uses a single NVIDIA 8800GTX graphics card because of the limits imposed by INTEL’s architecture.

As opposed to that, AMD’s Quad FX platform uses 2 dual-core CPUs but they can work with regular memory rather than Fully Buffered DIMMs. Unfortunately, AMD’s system is much slower than INTEL’s in a wide range of application. The same CPU test found in 3DMark 06 only credits the Quad FX with about 3700 points which is very low indeed.

Moreover, the Clovertons use less power than the FX-74 CPUs, so the system is easier to live with. The cooling system is rather plain compared to AMD’s custom built one but as I’ve said, the INTELs are way ahead, at least at this moment. And AMD doesn’t have a single CPU that can compete with INTEL’s V8.

However, one must not forget that AMD already has working Barcelona CPUs (codename for AMD’s quad cores). No one knows when they will come out but I guess it will happen as soon as possible. Until then, it’s INTEL mayhem.

A Windows Vista Zero-Day Exploit Costs $50,000

$50,000 for a Windows Vista zero-day exploit. The 0-day exploits have not been released in the wild but are, instead, made an integer part of the underground Internet commerce. The Proof of Concept code for an exploit affecting Microsoft’s latest operating system can cost as much as $50.000.

As far, neither the exploit nor the PoC for Windows Vista have been submitted to an independent evaluation process. In this context, the authenticity of the Windows Vista 0-day exploit has not been confirmed from any sources aside from its creators. Microsoft has, as yet, failed to issue an official comment.

Trend Micro’s chief technology officer, Raimund Genes confirmed that Trend Micro was able to verify that the 0-day Vista exploit was indeed available for sale on an auctioning marketplace online. The consistent amount for which the 0-day exploit is being auctioned is an indication of the fact that the vulnerability at its basis allows for remote code execution.

Prices for similar code execution vulnerabilities that have not been patched by the developers range from $20,000 to $30,000. As a general rule, the more popular the software, the higher the price. Raimund Genes revealed that bots and Trojan downloaders targeting the Windows operating system have an estimated price of $5,000.

This kind of underground commerce mirrors the fact that the malware environment has geared from a destructive, viral aspect, to a lucrative market. “I think the malware industry is making more money than the anti-malware industry,” Genes commented.