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ExtraBITS for 8 April 2013

We focus on the underworld this week, with news that patent troll Lodsys is once again targeting iOS developers, the story of how security writer Brian Krebs unmasked the author of the Flashback malware, and why the iPad is a good bet for reading about super villains.

Patent Troll Lodsys Continues to Harass iOS Developers — Nearly two years ago, a company called Lodsys made news by suing a number of iOS developers, claiming their use of in-app purchasing infringed a Lodsys-owned patent. Apple intervened, saying that its patent license with Lodsys covers iOS developers. Despite that, Eric Slivka at MacRumors reports that Lodsys has filed ten more lawsuits against iOS developers, ranging from the large (Disney) to the small (TLA Systems, makers of PCalc). Apple has yet to respond to these
new suits.

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Brian Krebs Identifies Author of Flashback Malware — Flashback was one of the most significant pieces of malware to affect Mac OS X, morphing quickly and infecting more than 650,000 Macs. Security writer Brian Krebs has now identified a 30-year-old Russian man as being responsible for Flashback. It seems unlikely this outing will make any significant difference in the guy’s behavior, but it’s interesting to have the human element brought into malware coverage.

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Why the iPad Is a Superhero for Reading Comics — Jason Snell likes to read comics on his iPad and has the credit card bill to prove it! His piece in Macworld is an outstanding survey of the digital comic landscape, describing how traditional print comics correspond to digital offerings, comparing several methods for acquiring comics, and discussing which mobile devices work best for comics.

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