Malware writers are interested in Linux after all. Russian security firm Dr Web has reportedfinding a shadowy Trojan that sets out to steal passwords on the open source platform as well as OS X.

Technical details of Wirenet.1’s operation and technique for spreading are sparse for now, but the company reports that the backdoor program targets browser passwords for Opera, Firefox, Chrome, Chromium, and as well as applications such as Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Pidgin.

Under Linux it copies itself to the ~ / WIFIADAPT directory before attempting to connect to a command and control server hosted at 212.7.208.65 using an AES encrypted channel. That at least offers a simple way of blocking communication and any further payloads.

Dr Web made a name for itself earlier this year reporting on the infamous Flashback Trojanthat hit Mac users on an unprecedented scale.

It’s not clear whether Wirenet’s cross-platform capabilities extend to targeting Windows systems but it is possible that avoiding Microsoft’s OS is a way of keeping off the radar of security firms.

Cross platform malware is rare but not unheard of, the usual technique being to hook into Java in search of victims using OS X.

Malware specifically designed to steal credentials from Linux systems is almost unheard of but might, on the basis of this new discovery, become a little less so in future.

Should Linux users be worried? Probably not. the details of how this malware might grab root mode on a Linux system are unknown. Atacking Linux users would also be a pretty rarified activity unless it was part of a highly-targeted attack.

Links to sources: http://www.techworld.com/news/security/linux-users-targeted-by-password-stealing-wirenet-trojan-3378804/

India hasn’t had much success nurturing electronics manufacturing. Its inefficient labor markets, unreliable power supply, and creaky transportation infrastructure have discouraged investments from multinationals.

Even companies that assemble TVs in India, such as Samsung Electronics(005930:KS) and LG Electronics (066570:KS), import most of the valuable equipment and then slap them together in the country. “What happens in India is pretty low-end,” Menon says. And when it comes to semiconductors, “today we have zero capability. All the chips we use are imported.”

“India has one of the biggest domestic electronics markets, and that is set to get even bigger” —Niju V.

In Asia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) and South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix (000660:KS)dominate chipmaking. While some Japanese companies, notably Toshiba(6502:JP), are still in the game, others, including Panasonic (6752:JP), have decided to scale back because building state-of-the-art plants is so expensive. While foreign companies make chips in China successfully, local companies have tried, with little success, to build chip industries from scratch. Shanghai-based Semiconductor Manufacturing International has struggled: Its stock dropped 20 percent on Feb. 17 and 18 after it forecast lower revenue.

Optimists argue that it’s too early to dismiss India’s chances. In China, costs are rising, so many multinationals are shifting elsewhere. India has advantages, says Anand Srinivasan, an analyst with Bloomberg Industries, including “a large labor pool [and] engineering talent that is cheaper compared to the Western world.” The demand is there, too. “India has one of the biggest domestic electronics markets, and that is set to get even bigger,” says Niju V., director of automation and electronics at Frost & Sullivan India. “And all of that will need a chip. If we don’t get on to it in the next 10 to 12 months, India will miss the bus forever.”

Links to sources: http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-02-27/india-wants-to-build-its-own-chips-to-satisfy-electronics-demand