Fisher Island, Miami Beach, just ranked by Forbes as #37 of America's most expensive zip codes, boasts a not too shabby median home price of $2,295,291. Forbes just published it's new list, with 4 Miami zip codes earning a spot as one of America's highest priced places to buy a home or condo, including aforementioned Fisher Island (33109), Key Biscayne (33149), Coral Gables (33146), and 2 small communities just north of Miami Beach -- Bal Harbour and Indian Creek (33154).
The report stated that these 4 zip codes make Miami one of the most expensive places to buy property in the United States, in spite of the fact that home prices have plummeted sharply in recent years, and that foreclosures have continued to mount. Hi-end luxury home prices have seen a slowing slide, according to Mike Simonsen, CEO of Altos Research, a Mountain View, Calif., firm that tracks housing market data.
"We have yet to see mortgage defaults climb aggressively into higher-priced homes, but there are some signs that those could hit in next twelve months" Simonsen said. "If those mortgage resets drive inventory at the higher end, that would cause major problems."
Although it does seem as if the luxury real estate market in Miami has all but slowed to a halt, a number of luxury realtors are reporting that foreign buyers are re-entering the market place to pick up those hi-end bargains which may no longer be as available in a year from now.
28 Nisan 2012 Cumartesi
Miami Makes Forbes List Of America's Most Expensive Communities
Al Capone's House in Miami Beach For Sale $6.85 Million
Al Capone's house in Miami Beach on Palm Island is for sale. Advertised as an opportunity to make a piece of Miami Beach history your own, the house once belonging to the infamous gangster Al Capone, comes replete with City of Miami Beach approved plans for rebuilding.
The Palm Island home, located at 93 Palm Ave, Miami Beach, FL, was previously listed in 2006, for $6.8 million, and went through 2 pending sales since that time, with no closing ever taking place. It was relisted for sale this month for $50,000 more than the original asking price. 
The historical 6,103 square feet house, is situated on a 3 quarters acre lot, with 100 linear feet of frontage facing neighboring Hibiscus Island and Biscayne Bay. Built in 1922, the Capone house is one of the oldest homes in Miami Beach. Henry Morrison, who still owns the house, according to the Miami Dade property records, purchased it in 1971 for $56,000.
Lil Wayne's House In Miami Beach For Sale
Lil Wayne’s house on La Gorce Island in Miami Beach is for sale -- that is what has been all over the internet today, on blog after blog. Is it true? No it’s not.
The latest rumor was started by an erroneous April 7th report by AOL Real Estate, stating that Lil Wayne put his La Gorce Island home up for sale due to tax problems.
Lil Wayne doesn’t own a house on Miami Beach, but it he reportedly rents a home on La Gorce Island. 94 La Gorce Circle is a 15,000 square feet home which was built in 2004, and except for the relatively small lot on which it is situated, could well be considered a Miami Beach mansion.
The home is advertised as an architectural masterpiece with “rich woods, expanses of glass, steel & select marble, lavished throughout this ultra-modern residence that features sky terraces with incredible views”.
In actuality, the property has been on the market for sale for quite some time. It was listed for sale in 2006 for $13.9 million, and has been on the market for most of the time since then. In November 2010 the price was dropped to $12.9 million, where it stands today.
Enfants et lits d'appoint
! Tous les enfants de moins de 7 ans séjournent à titre gracieux pour l'utilisation de la literie disponible dans la chambre des parents.Tous les enfants de moins de 2 ans sont facturés 500 RUB par nuit et par personne pour l'utilisation des lits bébés.Tous les enfants plus âgés ou adultes sont facturés 500 RUB par nuit et par personne pour l'utilisation des lits d'appoint.Le nombre maximum de lit d'appoint ou de lit bébé en chambre est égal à 1.Les lits d'appoint et lits bébés sont uniquement disponibles sur demande et ils doivent être confirmés par l'hôtel.Les suppléments ne sont pas automatiquement calculés dans le montant total de la réservation et ils doivent être réglés séparément à l'hôtel.
L'hotel Park
L'hotel Park Lane dispose d'une connexion internet
gratuite
27 Nisan 2012 Cuma
My Friend's Been Hacked!
Subject: RE: URGENT RESPOND NEEDED
Hello,
I am sorry I didn't inform you about my traveling to Europe for a program called Empowering Youth to Fight Racism,HIV/AIDS,and Lack of Education,the program is taking place in three major countries in Europe which are Dublin,Scotland and England,I am persently in England,London.
I misplaced my wallet on my way to the hotel where my money,and other valuable things were kept.I will like you to assist me with a soft loan urgently with the sum of $2,800 US Dollars to sort-out my hotel bills and get myself back home.
I will appreciate whatever you can afford to send the money today.i'll pay you back as soon as i return,Let me know if you can assist. please use this information to send the money to me.I wait your quickly respond
I posted a copy of that email on my blog in February of 2009 (See: Traveler Scams: Email Phishers Newest Scam). Since that time ALMOST EVERY DAY I receive an email from someone thanking me for my post and telling me that one of their friends seems to have fallen victim. Then they say "What do I do next?"
Normally I tell them they need to contact their friend and have their friend report to their email provider that they have had their password stolen.
Please note that this is DIFFERENT than just getting a weird email that says it came from a friend. In this traveler scam, if you reply to the email, the bad guy will often reply with personal information about you "that only your friend could know." That's because they are actually in your friend's email account reading emails from you to try to find a way to convince you to wire them money.
Another indicator that someone may have had their email hacked is when there are several people on the "To:" or "CC:" line that you know your friend knows. When spammers randomly forge a "from" address, it doesn't necessarily mean they have stolen your friend's password, but when SEVERAL of your friend's acquaintances are in the "To:" line, it means the criminal has access to your friend's address book or email messages.
Hotmail: My Friend's Been Hacked!
Microsoft has just announced this week a new way that you can help your friend (if both of you use hotmail.) Dick Craddock writes in the "Inside Windows Live" blog on July 14th, Hey! My Friend's Account Was Hacked! about a new feature that is being offered to hotmail and live.com customers.
With the new feature, when you are reading the offending email, you can pull down the "Mark As" menu and choose "My Friend's Been Hacked!:
When you take the time to mark the message like that, it sends a high priority request to Microsoft to put this account "on hold." Now, there has to be some OTHER circumstances true as well, you can't use this to just cause trouble for people who annoy you, but when your report is combined with other factors about your friend's email usage -- such as sending an unusually high number of messages, or logging in from an IP in another country -- the account will be placed on hold.
That immediately stops the criminal from being able to use the account to send spam, AND let's your friend begin an Account Recovery Process the next time they try to log in.
Yahoo! and Gmail?
What if your friend doesn't use Hotmail?
Microsoft has now begun pushing the "My Friend's Been Hacked!" reports to Yahoo! and Gmail as well. So if YOU are a hotmail user, and your hacked friend is using Yahoo! or Gmail using the reporting mechanism on hotmail will still send an alert to Yahoo! or Google and let them know of the suspicious email you've received.
Hopefully this will become a new industry standard practice and we'll be able to send reports from any of our mail clients!
Here's some advice from other providers on what to do if a Friend seems to be compromised:
- Gmail: Report A Security Problem
- Google: How to Recover Your Email Account
- Facebook Security
- Yahoo! Account Helper
(If you have a suggestion of a better link, please let me know . . .)
Duqu: You're safe unless you use TrueType Fonts?
Let's be thankful for that! The big news in the malware world yesterday came when Microsoft announced a work around for Duqu, named by researchers in the CrySyS Lab (the Laboratory for Cryptography and System Security at Budapest University of Technology and Economics) because it prefixes some created filenames with the letters "~DQ".
On October 14, 2011, CrySyS contacted Symantec to get some help analyzing the malware, and Symantec released an extremely informative 67 page PDF report called W32.Duqu: The Precursor to the next Stuxnet. (The link is to version 1.3 of the report, updated on November 1, 2011).
There have been two IP addresses confirmed to be associated with Duqu and serving as Command & Control. The first IP was in India - 206.183.111.97. The second was in Hungary - 77.241.93.160. Traffic flow to either of these IP addresses would be a strong positive indicator of a Duqu infection! Both sites are down now.
The first server was announced to be down on October 31st in stories such as this one -- India Shuts Server Linked to Duqu Computer Virus that shares some details of a server located at 200 employee data center Web Werks.
The second server was at Combell in Belgium -- as described in stories such as this one -- Duqu Hackers Shift to Belgium After India Raid.
Duqu is a data stealing program that shares several blocks of code with Stuxnet. In fact, one of the two pieces of malware we've seen that is described as being Duqu is also detected as Stuxnet by some AV vendors.
Here's a VirusTotal report of the better detected of those pieces of code, which had the MD5 value e1e00c2d5815e4129d8ac503f6fac095. This file is not "Duqu" but is rather "an .exe file related to Duqu" which is a much larger program (this one is only 9k in size).
(Click for VirusTotal Report)
Non "generic" definitions for this malware included:
Avast: Win32:Duqu-F
Emsisoft: Trojan.Win32.Stuxnet!IK
Ikarus: Trojan.Win32.Stuxnet
Microsoft: Trojan:Win32/Duqu.E
NOD32: probably a variant of Win32/Duqu.A
TrendMicro: TROJ_DUQU.AJ
Symantec mentioned MD5s
9749d38ae9b9ddd81b50aad679ee87ec
Wed Jun 01, 03:25:18 2011
Stealing information
4c804ef67168e90da2c3da58b60c3d16
Mon Oct 17 17:07:47 2011
Reconnaissance module
856a13fcae0407d83499fc9c3dd791ba
Mon Oct 17 16:26:09 2011
Lifespan extender
92aa68425401ffedcfba4235584ad487
Tue Aug 09 21:37:39 2011
Stealing information
In each of those above, the link on the MD5 will show you the VirusTotal report. I find it interesting that TrendMicro consistently names these files "TROJ_SHADOW.AG" which makes me wonder if they had independently discovered this malware family prior to the naming as Duqu by the CrySyS team.
Symantec calls attention to the fact that several of these files show compile dates AFTER the public disclosure of the existence of Duqu.
Delivery Mechanism
Symantec disclosed in their report that one of the infections they were analyzing had been infected via a Word Document that exploited the system using a previously unknown 0-day attack.
We now know from Microsoft more about this exploit. On November 3, 2011, Microsoft released this Microsoft Security Advisory (2639658)
Vulnerability in TrueType Font Parsing Could Allow Elevation of Privilege. The advisory starts with an executive summary which says, in part:
Microsoft is investigating a vulnerability in a Microsoft Windows component, the Win32k TrueType font parsing engine. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code in kernel mode. The attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. We are aware of targeted attacks that try to use the reported vulnerability; overall, we see low customer impact at this time. This vulnerability is related to the Duqu malware.
Microsoft has released a work around. The exploit is taking advantage of the fact that there is a problem in one of the DLL's called by TrueType in certain circumstances. If a system denies access to that .DLL, T2EMBED.DLL, then the exploit would fail to work.
The workaround can be executed like this, but Microsoft cautions that applications that rely on EMBEDDED TrueType fonts could then fail to display properly:
(For older Windows versions)
Echo y| cacls "%windir%\system32\t2embed.dll" /E /P everyone:N
(For newer Windows versions)
Takeown.exe /f "%windir%\system32\t2embed.dll"
For more details on the workaround, please see Microsoft Security Advisory: Vulnerability in TrueType font parsing could allow elevation of privileges which offers a "Fix It For Me" button to apply the work around for you.
Duqu Compared to Stuxnet
The Symantec report has 22 or so pages of original Symantec content, and then has as the majority of it's body the report by the CrySyS Lab, which has a section that compares the Duqu and Stuxnet code. In particular, the Decryption function seems to be nearly identical.
SOCA & FBI seize 36 Criminal Credit Card Stores
The seized domains are now redirected to a website controlled by the FBI which reads:
The United States Government has seized this domain name pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia under the authority of 18 U.S.C. §§ 981(a)(1)(A) & (b)(2). A United States Magistrate Judge issued that seizure warrant after finding that a sworn affidavit established probable cause that this domain name was personal property involved in a transaction or attempted transaction in violation of section 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(A) & (h)
If you registered this domain name, or otherwise claim an ownership interest in this domain name, you should consult an attorney about your rights.
(click for full size)
SOCA has requested that we not provide a full list of the domain names at this time, but two which they have revealed in their own products are "cvvplaza.com" and "ccstore.biz". The others will be added once permission is received.
Some of the screenshots provided by SOCA include:
a site offering an inventory of more than 37,000 confirmed credit cards:
and a fairly nice "search screen:
Willy's Beach Club Hotel
Willy's Beach Club Hotel is in Boat Station 1. It is absolutely Beach-Front Hotel and located across Willy's Rock – the most photograph spot and landmark in the island. It's in the quiet area of the white beach, yet accessible to the main road for your day-to-day itinerary and walking distance to famous beach front bars for your night life as distance well. Thus they guarantee privacy, serenity an fun at the same time.
The resort has 36 newly renovated spacious rooms; a multi-purpose air conditioned hall with maximum capacity of 180 persons with complete audio-visual conference equipment, perfect for in-door events, caters seminars and special occasions. Everything is arranged from your choice of motif to your selected food to meet your budget.
Enfants et lits d'appoint
! Tous les enfants de moins de 7 ans séjournent à titre gracieux pour l'utilisation de la literie disponible dans la chambre des parents.Tous les enfants de moins de 2 ans sont facturés 500 RUB par nuit et par personne pour l'utilisation des lits bébés.Tous les enfants plus âgés ou adultes sont facturés 500 RUB par nuit et par personne pour l'utilisation des lits d'appoint.Le nombre maximum de lit d'appoint ou de lit bébé en chambre est égal à 1.Les lits d'appoint et lits bébés sont uniquement disponibles sur demande et ils doivent être confirmés par l'hôtel.Les suppléments ne sont pas automatiquement calculés dans le montant total de la réservation et ils doivent être réglés séparément à l'hôtel.
L'hotel Park
L'hotel Park Lane dispose d'une connexion internet
gratuite
Rick Pitino's Miami Home Reduced to $13,900,000
The Miami home of Rick Pitino, former NBA New York Knicks coach, and coach of the University of Louisville basketball team since 2001, has been on the market for sale since mid-September 2008, with no takers at the $14,900,000 asking price. Mr. Pitino recently reduced the price by $1,000,000, hoping to bring in a buyer for his ultra-luxury mansion located on Indian Creek, one of Miami’s most exclusive communities.
The island has only 40 waterfront properties, and is an incorporated city with it's own police force, private country club and golf course. A public safety department was created by the city in 1994, in order to provide security and medical services to this entirely exclusive and private community.
Mr. Pitino’s home is a stunning 2 story Mediterranean waterfront mansion, situated on a 53,696 square feet lot, with 7,295 square feet of interior living area, featuring 5 fabulous bedroom suites, 6 and one half bathrooms, a state of the art kitchen, a gym, and open balconies and terraces with gorgeous panoramic views.
The property next door was also recently for sale for $12,900,000. The slightly larger home, with 7,888 square feet of interior living space, is situated on a 53,736 square feet lot. At the end of March, the property was sold –- for $9,300,000.
LeBron James Tries To Buy Alan Potamkin's House in Coral Gables
LeBron James is trying to buy Alan Potamkin's house in Coral Gables at 11 Casuarina Concourse, according to reports heard all over Miami today. Priced at a cool $49.5 million, Mr. Potamkin has been trying to sell the property since April 2009.
The one-of-a-kind breathtaking 8 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms estate on the open bay waterfront is situated on the finest lot in exclusive, gated Gables Estates. This 20,088 square feet grandiose home boasts 800 linear feet of waterfrontage and sits on a 3.6 acres lot, with a 100 feet dock to accommodate up to a 150 feet yacht. 
There is a private guest suite with a lighted tennis court and courtyard on its own acre of land. Three suites with full baths, an upstairs master suite with a full gym, a billiard and media room are just a few of the featured highlights. Luitron lighting and a 12 camera security system are installed thrughout this estate.
LeBron James, for those of you who haven't heard, is one of the NBA's finest basketball players. He announced 2 just hours ago that he is coming to Miami to play for the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat hope that LeBron will help to bring an NBA championship to the city.
Real Estate Community On Fire Over LeBron James' Housing Options - Miami Herald Interview With Alex Shay
The Miami Herald wrote an article yesterday, after a telephone interview with this writer. It appears in today's print version of the paper. There are some inaccuracies in the article;for example, I did not say that LeBron James made a $49.5 million offer. The following is the text of the conversation.
Even before LeBron James announced he'd be coming to South Florida, which South Florida luxury home he would choose was being discussed
By TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA
tolorunnipa@MiamiHerald.com
July 9, 2010
What piece of prime South Florida real estate is fit for a king?
LeBron James landed in Miami on Friday after making the announcement he would be leaving Cleveland to join the Miami Heat, but even before that, the local real estate circuit was abuzz with questions of where the multimillionaire athlete would live.
According to analysis by Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell Realtors, James will have plenty of multimillion dollar properties to choose from -- 355 Miami-Dade properties were listed for sale at prices above $4 million in May.
Some of those properties -- and some unlisted mega-mansions -- have been in the spotlight this month, as rumors swarmed that James had been shopping for real estate in South Florida in recent days.
On Thursday, Miami-based luxury Realtor Alex Shay began hearing rumors from other agents that James had put in a $49.5 million offer on a Gables Estates home being sold by auto tycoon Alan Potamkin.
The home, at 11 Casuarina Concourse, in Coral Gables, features 20,088 square feet of living space, eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and 800 feet of water frontage.
``It's a great big property on three great big acres of land -- it has all the bells and whistles, it has all the goodies that you want in a home,'' said Shay, who posted the rumor on his real estate blog. ``It's the second-highest priced property in Dade County.''
The most expensive home, an Indian Creek Village waterfront mansion listed at $60 million, is still under construction.
Other homes for sale in that neighborhood include a six-bedroom, six-bath listed at $12.9 million, a 17,000-square foot mansion listed at $17.9 million and a Mediterranean style villa with seven bedrooms listed at $6.5 million. Heat president Pat Riley also owns a Gables Estates mansion.
If James, 25, wants to settle in at a bachelor pad in one of Miami's luxury condominium buildings, he could opt for a high-rise in downtown Miami or South Beach.
A website launched weeks before James decided to come to Miami pitched a 4,200-square-foot Miami condo as ``LeBron's Future Miami Penthouse.'' It features 20-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, view of Biscayne Bay and, an extra perk, it's right across the street from AmericanAirlines Arena. The corner unit, at Marina Blue condominium, is on the market for $3.3 million.
Judging from the castle James will be leaving behind in Ohio, a condominium would likely mean a major space downgrade, so speculating Realtors are betting he'll end up in a single-family home.
James built a 35,000-square-foot mega-mansion outside of Cleveland in 2008, completely razing the 11-bedroom home that was on the land in order to erect the giant abode. The home includes a theater, recording studio, casino and more.
``Barbershop, bowling alley, ATM machine, Starbucks, all that,'' he told Jimmy Kimmel in a 2009 interview. ``You're going to have to do a show live from my house.''
With South Florida's home values still far below their peak, James could end up getting a bargain on a luxury property.
``He could probably make a great deal,'' Shay said. ``It depends on the house or the seller or the motivation of the seller, but there are good deals out there.''
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/09/1723461/real-estate-community-on-fire.html#ixzz0tHx6K5Nx
Miami Makes Forbes List Of America's Most Expensive Communities
Fisher Island, Miami Beach, just ranked by Forbes as #37 of America's most expensive zip codes, boasts a not too shabby median home price of $2,295,291. Forbes just published it's new list, with 4 Miami zip codes earning a spot as one of America's highest priced places to buy a home or condo, including aforementioned Fisher Island (33109), Key Biscayne (33149), Coral Gables (33146), and 2 small communities just north of Miami Beach -- Bal Harbour and Indian Creek (33154).
The report stated that these 4 zip codes make Miami one of the most expensive places to buy property in the United States, in spite of the fact that home prices have plummeted sharply in recent years, and that foreclosures have continued to mount. Hi-end luxury home prices have seen a slowing slide, according to Mike Simonsen, CEO of Altos Research, a Mountain View, Calif., firm that tracks housing market data.
"We have yet to see mortgage defaults climb aggressively into higher-priced homes, but there are some signs that those could hit in next twelve months" Simonsen said. "If those mortgage resets drive inventory at the higher end, that would cause major problems."
Although it does seem as if the luxury real estate market in Miami has all but slowed to a halt, a number of luxury realtors are reporting that foreign buyers are re-entering the market place to pick up those hi-end bargains which may no longer be as available in a year from now.
Al Capone's House in Miami Beach For Sale $6.85 Million
Al Capone's house in Miami Beach on Palm Island is for sale. Advertised as an opportunity to make a piece of Miami Beach history your own, the house once belonging to the infamous gangster Al Capone, comes replete with City of Miami Beach approved plans for rebuilding.
The Palm Island home, located at 93 Palm Ave, Miami Beach, FL, was previously listed in 2006, for $6.8 million, and went through 2 pending sales since that time, with no closing ever taking place. It was relisted for sale this month for $50,000 more than the original asking price. The historical 6,103 square feet house, is situated on a 3 quarters acre lot, with 100 linear feet of frontage facing neighboring Hibiscus Island and Biscayne Bay. Built in 1922, the Capone house is one of the oldest homes in Miami Beach. Henry Morrison, who still owns the house, according to the Miami Dade property records, purchased it in 1971 for $56,000.
Lil Wayne's House In Miami Beach For Sale
Lil Wayne’s house on La Gorce Island in Miami Beach is for sale -- that is what has been all over the internet today, on blog after blog. Is it true? No it’s not.
The latest rumor was started by an erroneous April 7th report by AOL Real Estate, stating that Lil Wayne put his La Gorce Island home up for sale due to tax problems.
Lil Wayne doesn’t own a house on Miami Beach, but it he reportedly rents a home on La Gorce Island. 94 La Gorce Circle is a 15,000 square feet home which was built in 2004, and except for the relatively small lot on which it is situated, could well be considered a Miami Beach mansion.
The home is advertised as an architectural masterpiece with “rich woods, expanses of glass, steel & select marble, lavished throughout this ultra-modern residence that features sky terraces with incredible views”.
In actuality, the property has been on the market for sale for quite some time. It was listed for sale in 2006 for $13.9 million, and has been on the market for most of the time since then. In November 2010 the price was dropped to $12.9 million, where it stands today.
24 Nisan 2012 Salı
Rick Pitino's Miami Home Reduced to $13,900,000
The Miami home of Rick Pitino, former NBA New York Knicks coach, and coach of the University of Louisville basketball team since 2001, has been on the market for sale since mid-September 2008, with no takers at the $14,900,000 asking price. Mr. Pitino recently reduced the price by $1,000,000, hoping to bring in a buyer for his ultra-luxury mansion located on Indian Creek, one of Miami’s most exclusive communities.
The island has only 40 waterfront properties, and is an incorporated city with it's own police force, private country club and golf course. A public safety department was created by the city in 1994, in order to provide security and medical services to this entirely exclusive and private community.
Mr. Pitino’s home is a stunning 2 story Mediterranean waterfront mansion, situated on a 53,696 square feet lot, with 7,295 square feet of interior living area, featuring 5 fabulous bedroom suites, 6 and one half bathrooms, a state of the art kitchen, a gym, and open balconies and terraces with gorgeous panoramic views.
The property next door was also recently for sale for $12,900,000. The slightly larger home, with 7,888 square feet of interior living space, is situated on a 53,736 square feet lot. At the end of March, the property was sold –- for $9,300,000.
LeBron James Tries To Buy Alan Potamkin's House in Coral Gables
LeBron James is trying to buy Alan Potamkin's house in Coral Gables at 11 Casuarina Concourse, according to reports heard all over Miami today. Priced at a cool $49.5 million, Mr. Potamkin has been trying to sell the property since April 2009.
The one-of-a-kind breathtaking 8 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms estate on the open bay waterfront is situated on the finest lot in exclusive, gated Gables Estates. This 20,088 square feet grandiose home boasts 800 linear feet of waterfrontage and sits on a 3.6 acres lot, with a 100 feet dock to accommodate up to a 150 feet yacht.
There is a private guest suite with a lighted tennis court and courtyard on its own acre of land. Three suites with full baths, an upstairs master suite with a full gym, a billiard and media room are just a few of the featured highlights. Luitron lighting and a 12 camera security system are installed thrughout this estate.
LeBron James, for those of you who haven't heard, is one of the NBA's finest basketball players. He announced 2 just hours ago that he is coming to Miami to play for the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat hope that LeBron will help to bring an NBA championship to the city.
Real Estate Community On Fire Over LeBron James' Housing Options - Miami Herald Interview With Alex Shay
The Miami Herald wrote an article yesterday, after a telephone interview with this writer. It appears in today's print version of the paper. There are some inaccuracies in the article;for example, I did not say that LeBron James made a $49.5 million offer. The following is the text of the conversation.
Even before LeBron James announced he'd be coming to South Florida, which South Florida luxury home he would choose was being discussed
By TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA
tolorunnipa@MiamiHerald.com
July 9, 2010
What piece of prime South Florida real estate is fit for a king?
LeBron James landed in Miami on Friday after making the announcement he would be leaving Cleveland to join the Miami Heat, but even before that, the local real estate circuit was abuzz with questions of where the multimillionaire athlete would live.
According to analysis by Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell Realtors, James will have plenty of multimillion dollar properties to choose from -- 355 Miami-Dade properties were listed for sale at prices above $4 million in May.
Some of those properties -- and some unlisted mega-mansions -- have been in the spotlight this month, as rumors swarmed that James had been shopping for real estate in South Florida in recent days.
On Thursday, Miami-based luxury Realtor Alex Shay began hearing rumors from other agents that James had put in a $49.5 million offer on a Gables Estates home being sold by auto tycoon Alan Potamkin.
The home, at 11 Casuarina Concourse, in Coral Gables, features 20,088 square feet of living space, eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and 800 feet of water frontage.
``It's a great big property on three great big acres of land -- it has all the bells and whistles, it has all the goodies that you want in a home,'' said Shay, who posted the rumor on his real estate blog. ``It's the second-highest priced property in Dade County.''
The most expensive home, an Indian Creek Village waterfront mansion listed at $60 million, is still under construction.
Other homes for sale in that neighborhood include a six-bedroom, six-bath listed at $12.9 million, a 17,000-square foot mansion listed at $17.9 million and a Mediterranean style villa with seven bedrooms listed at $6.5 million. Heat president Pat Riley also owns a Gables Estates mansion.
If James, 25, wants to settle in at a bachelor pad in one of Miami's luxury condominium buildings, he could opt for a high-rise in downtown Miami or South Beach.
A website launched weeks before James decided to come to Miami pitched a 4,200-square-foot Miami condo as ``LeBron's Future Miami Penthouse.'' It features 20-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, view of Biscayne Bay and, an extra perk, it's right across the street from AmericanAirlines Arena. The corner unit, at Marina Blue condominium, is on the market for $3.3 million.
Judging from the castle James will be leaving behind in Ohio, a condominium would likely mean a major space downgrade, so speculating Realtors are betting he'll end up in a single-family home.
James built a 35,000-square-foot mega-mansion outside of Cleveland in 2008, completely razing the 11-bedroom home that was on the land in order to erect the giant abode. The home includes a theater, recording studio, casino and more.
``Barbershop, bowling alley, ATM machine, Starbucks, all that,'' he told Jimmy Kimmel in a 2009 interview. ``You're going to have to do a show live from my house.''
With South Florida's home values still far below their peak, James could end up getting a bargain on a luxury property.
``He could probably make a great deal,'' Shay said. ``It depends on the house or the seller or the motivation of the seller, but there are good deals out there.''
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/09/1723461/real-estate-community-on-fire.html#ixzz0tHx6K5Nx
Miami Makes Forbes List Of America's Most Expensive Communities
Fisher Island, Miami Beach, just ranked by Forbes as #37 of America's most expensive zip codes, boasts a not too shabby median home price of $2,295,291. Forbes just published it's new list, with 4 Miami zip codes earning a spot as one of America's highest priced places to buy a home or condo, including aforementioned Fisher Island (33109), Key Biscayne (33149), Coral Gables (33146), and 2 small communities just north of Miami Beach -- Bal Harbour and Indian Creek (33154).
The report stated that these 4 zip codes make Miami one of the most expensive places to buy property in the United States, in spite of the fact that home prices have plummeted sharply in recent years, and that foreclosures have continued to mount. Hi-end luxury home prices have seen a slowing slide, according to Mike Simonsen, CEO of Altos Research, a Mountain View, Calif., firm that tracks housing market data.
"We have yet to see mortgage defaults climb aggressively into higher-priced homes, but there are some signs that those could hit in next twelve months" Simonsen said. "If those mortgage resets drive inventory at the higher end, that would cause major problems."
Although it does seem as if the luxury real estate market in Miami has all but slowed to a halt, a number of luxury realtors are reporting that foreign buyers are re-entering the market place to pick up those hi-end bargains which may no longer be as available in a year from now.
Al Capone's House in Miami Beach For Sale $6.85 Million
Al Capone's house in Miami Beach on Palm Island is for sale. Advertised as an opportunity to make a piece of Miami Beach history your own, the house once belonging to the infamous gangster Al Capone, comes replete with City of Miami Beach approved plans for rebuilding.
The Palm Island home, located at 93 Palm Ave, Miami Beach, FL, was previously listed in 2006, for $6.8 million, and went through 2 pending sales since that time, with no closing ever taking place. It was relisted for sale this month for $50,000 more than the original asking price. The historical 6,103 square feet house, is situated on a 3 quarters acre lot, with 100 linear feet of frontage facing neighboring Hibiscus Island and Biscayne Bay. Built in 1922, the Capone house is one of the oldest homes in Miami Beach. Henry Morrison, who still owns the house, according to the Miami Dade property records, purchased it in 1971 for $56,000.
Lil Wayne's House In Miami Beach For Sale
Lil Wayne’s house on La Gorce Island in Miami Beach is for sale -- that is what has been all over the internet today, on blog after blog. Is it true? No it’s not.
The latest rumor was started by an erroneous April 7th report by AOL Real Estate, stating that Lil Wayne put his La Gorce Island home up for sale due to tax problems.
Lil Wayne doesn’t own a house on Miami Beach, but it he reportedly rents a home on La Gorce Island. 94 La Gorce Circle is a 15,000 square feet home which was built in 2004, and except for the relatively small lot on which it is situated, could well be considered a Miami Beach mansion.
The home is advertised as an architectural masterpiece with “rich woods, expanses of glass, steel & select marble, lavished throughout this ultra-modern residence that features sky terraces with incredible views”.
In actuality, the property has been on the market for sale for quite some time. It was listed for sale in 2006 for $13.9 million, and has been on the market for most of the time since then. In November 2010 the price was dropped to $12.9 million, where it stands today.
Enfants et lits d'appoint
! Tous les enfants de moins de 7 ans séjournent à titre gracieux pour l'utilisation de la literie disponible dans la chambre des parents.Tous les enfants de moins de 2 ans sont facturés 500 RUB par nuit et par personne pour l'utilisation des lits bébés.Tous les enfants plus âgés ou adultes sont facturés 500 RUB par nuit et par personne pour l'utilisation des lits d'appoint.Le nombre maximum de lit d'appoint ou de lit bébé en chambre est égal à 1.Les lits d'appoint et lits bébés sont uniquement disponibles sur demande et ils doivent être confirmés par l'hôtel.Les suppléments ne sont pas automatiquement calculés dans le montant total de la réservation et ils doivent être réglés séparément à l'hôtel.
Willy's Beach Club Hotel
Willy's Beach Club Hotel is in Boat Station 1. It is absolutely Beach-Front Hotel and located across Willy's Rock – the most photograph spot and landmark in the island. It's in the quiet area of the white beach, yet accessible to the main road for your day-to-day itinerary and walking distance to famous beach front bars for your night life as distance well. Thus they guarantee privacy, serenity an fun at the same time.
The resort has 36 newly renovated spacious rooms; a multi-purpose air conditioned hall with maximum capacity of 180 persons with complete audio-visual conference equipment, perfect for in-door events, caters seminars and special occasions. Everything is arranged from your choice of motif to your selected food to meet your budget.
Loews Miami Beach Hotel
Have a wonderful hotel beach vacation at Loews Miami Beach Hotel that has 788 rooms in two buildings. The hotel offers premium bathrobes, bedding and designer toiletries. This hotel also have other amenities like minibars, desks, CD players, flat TV, pay per movies and Internet access.
Lowes Miami Beach Hotel offers a splash pool between the beach and hotel. Children can also enjoy swimming in children's pool. Other amenities are 20 cabanas, steam room and two spa bath. A fitness room is also available inside the hotel like treadmills and a sauna are on site. Lounges and restaurants are also available. You can have a great vacation together with your family and your pet because these hotel is not strict when it comes to pet. Your pets are very much welcome and they offered pet menus.
Here are the complete list of service that Loews Miami Beach Hotel offered:
- Swimming pool - outdoor
Poolside bar
Sauna
Concierge desk
Coffee shop or café
Breakfast available (surcharge)
Room service (24 hours)
Bar/lounge
Restaurant(s) in hotel
Parking (valet)
Airport transportation (surcharge)
Parking (surcharge)
Limo or Town Car service available (surcharge)
Business center
Banquet facilities
Ballroom(s)
Meeting rooms (small groups)
Conference room(s)
Audio-visual equipment
Internet access in public areas - surcharge
Internet access - wireless
24-hour front desk
Porter/bellhop
Express check-out
Doorman/doorwoman
Security guard
Express check- in
Safe-deposit box - front desk
Multilingual staff
ATM/banking
Dry cleaning service
Babysitting or child care
Shoe shine
Air-conditioned public areas
Elevator/lift
Umbrella
Wedding services
Complimentary newspapers in lobby
Full-service health spa
Gift shops or newsstand
Children's club
Spa tub
Steam room
Suitable for children
Swimming pool - children's
Video library
Wheelchair accessible
Located at 1601 Collins Ave Miami Beach, FL 33139
My Friend's Been Hacked!
Subject: RE: URGENT RESPOND NEEDED
Hello,
I am sorry I didn't inform you about my traveling to Europe for a program called Empowering Youth to Fight Racism,HIV/AIDS,and Lack of Education,the program is taking place in three major countries in Europe which are Dublin,Scotland and England,I am persently in England,London.
I misplaced my wallet on my way to the hotel where my money,and other valuable things were kept.I will like you to assist me with a soft loan urgently with the sum of $2,800 US Dollars to sort-out my hotel bills and get myself back home.
I will appreciate whatever you can afford to send the money today.i'll pay you back as soon as i return,Let me know if you can assist. please use this information to send the money to me.I wait your quickly respond
I posted a copy of that email on my blog in February of 2009 (See: Traveler Scams: Email Phishers Newest Scam). Since that time ALMOST EVERY DAY I receive an email from someone thanking me for my post and telling me that one of their friends seems to have fallen victim. Then they say "What do I do next?"
Normally I tell them they need to contact their friend and have their friend report to their email provider that they have had their password stolen.
Please note that this is DIFFERENT than just getting a weird email that says it came from a friend. In this traveler scam, if you reply to the email, the bad guy will often reply with personal information about you "that only your friend could know." That's because they are actually in your friend's email account reading emails from you to try to find a way to convince you to wire them money.
Another indicator that someone may have had their email hacked is when there are several people on the "To:" or "CC:" line that you know your friend knows. When spammers randomly forge a "from" address, it doesn't necessarily mean they have stolen your friend's password, but when SEVERAL of your friend's acquaintances are in the "To:" line, it means the criminal has access to your friend's address book or email messages.
Hotmail: My Friend's Been Hacked!
Microsoft has just announced this week a new way that you can help your friend (if both of you use hotmail.) Dick Craddock writes in the "Inside Windows Live" blog on July 14th, Hey! My Friend's Account Was Hacked! about a new feature that is being offered to hotmail and live.com customers.
With the new feature, when you are reading the offending email, you can pull down the "Mark As" menu and choose "My Friend's Been Hacked!:
When you take the time to mark the message like that, it sends a high priority request to Microsoft to put this account "on hold." Now, there has to be some OTHER circumstances true as well, you can't use this to just cause trouble for people who annoy you, but when your report is combined with other factors about your friend's email usage -- such as sending an unusually high number of messages, or logging in from an IP in another country -- the account will be placed on hold.
That immediately stops the criminal from being able to use the account to send spam, AND let's your friend begin an Account Recovery Process the next time they try to log in.
Yahoo! and Gmail?
What if your friend doesn't use Hotmail?
Microsoft has now begun pushing the "My Friend's Been Hacked!" reports to Yahoo! and Gmail as well. So if YOU are a hotmail user, and your hacked friend is using Yahoo! or Gmail using the reporting mechanism on hotmail will still send an alert to Yahoo! or Google and let them know of the suspicious email you've received.
Hopefully this will become a new industry standard practice and we'll be able to send reports from any of our mail clients!
Here's some advice from other providers on what to do if a Friend seems to be compromised:
- Gmail: Report A Security Problem
- Google: How to Recover Your Email Account
- Facebook Security
- Yahoo! Account Helper
(If you have a suggestion of a better link, please let me know . . .)
Duqu: You're safe unless you use TrueType Fonts?
Let's be thankful for that! The big news in the malware world yesterday came when Microsoft announced a work around for Duqu, named by researchers in the CrySyS Lab (the Laboratory for Cryptography and System Security at Budapest University of Technology and Economics) because it prefixes some created filenames with the letters "~DQ".
On October 14, 2011, CrySyS contacted Symantec to get some help analyzing the malware, and Symantec released an extremely informative 67 page PDF report called W32.Duqu: The Precursor to the next Stuxnet. (The link is to version 1.3 of the report, updated on November 1, 2011).
There have been two IP addresses confirmed to be associated with Duqu and serving as Command & Control. The first IP was in India - 206.183.111.97. The second was in Hungary - 77.241.93.160. Traffic flow to either of these IP addresses would be a strong positive indicator of a Duqu infection! Both sites are down now.
The first server was announced to be down on October 31st in stories such as this one -- India Shuts Server Linked to Duqu Computer Virus that shares some details of a server located at 200 employee data center Web Werks.
The second server was at Combell in Belgium -- as described in stories such as this one -- Duqu Hackers Shift to Belgium After India Raid.
Duqu is a data stealing program that shares several blocks of code with Stuxnet. In fact, one of the two pieces of malware we've seen that is described as being Duqu is also detected as Stuxnet by some AV vendors.
Here's a VirusTotal report of the better detected of those pieces of code, which had the MD5 value e1e00c2d5815e4129d8ac503f6fac095. This file is not "Duqu" but is rather "an .exe file related to Duqu" which is a much larger program (this one is only 9k in size).
(Click for VirusTotal Report)
Non "generic" definitions for this malware included:
Avast: Win32:Duqu-F
Emsisoft: Trojan.Win32.Stuxnet!IK
Ikarus: Trojan.Win32.Stuxnet
Microsoft: Trojan:Win32/Duqu.E
NOD32: probably a variant of Win32/Duqu.A
TrendMicro: TROJ_DUQU.AJ
Symantec mentioned MD5s
9749d38ae9b9ddd81b50aad679ee87ec
Wed Jun 01, 03:25:18 2011
Stealing information
4c804ef67168e90da2c3da58b60c3d16
Mon Oct 17 17:07:47 2011
Reconnaissance module
856a13fcae0407d83499fc9c3dd791ba
Mon Oct 17 16:26:09 2011
Lifespan extender
92aa68425401ffedcfba4235584ad487
Tue Aug 09 21:37:39 2011
Stealing information
In each of those above, the link on the MD5 will show you the VirusTotal report. I find it interesting that TrendMicro consistently names these files "TROJ_SHADOW.AG" which makes me wonder if they had independently discovered this malware family prior to the naming as Duqu by the CrySyS team.
Symantec calls attention to the fact that several of these files show compile dates AFTER the public disclosure of the existence of Duqu.
Delivery Mechanism
Symantec disclosed in their report that one of the infections they were analyzing had been infected via a Word Document that exploited the system using a previously unknown 0-day attack.
We now know from Microsoft more about this exploit. On November 3, 2011, Microsoft released this Microsoft Security Advisory (2639658)
Vulnerability in TrueType Font Parsing Could Allow Elevation of Privilege. The advisory starts with an executive summary which says, in part:
Microsoft is investigating a vulnerability in a Microsoft Windows component, the Win32k TrueType font parsing engine. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code in kernel mode. The attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. We are aware of targeted attacks that try to use the reported vulnerability; overall, we see low customer impact at this time. This vulnerability is related to the Duqu malware.
Microsoft has released a work around. The exploit is taking advantage of the fact that there is a problem in one of the DLL's called by TrueType in certain circumstances. If a system denies access to that .DLL, T2EMBED.DLL, then the exploit would fail to work.
The workaround can be executed like this, but Microsoft cautions that applications that rely on EMBEDDED TrueType fonts could then fail to display properly:
(For older Windows versions)
Echo y| cacls "%windir%\system32\t2embed.dll" /E /P everyone:N
(For newer Windows versions)
Takeown.exe /f "%windir%\system32\t2embed.dll"
For more details on the workaround, please see Microsoft Security Advisory: Vulnerability in TrueType font parsing could allow elevation of privileges which offers a "Fix It For Me" button to apply the work around for you.
Duqu Compared to Stuxnet
The Symantec report has 22 or so pages of original Symantec content, and then has as the majority of it's body the report by the CrySyS Lab, which has a section that compares the Duqu and Stuxnet code. In particular, the Decryption function seems to be nearly identical.