A security firm has begun to unravel exactly who was behind the massive security breach at Target that resulted in the credit card information of 110 million customers being stolen, and at the root is an "off the shelf" malware program written by a 17-year-old Russian.

According to IntelCrawler, a Los Angeles cyberintelligence company, an "inexpensive" malware program called BlackPOS written by a Russian teen is what was used in the attack that compromised Target, as well as possibly Neiman Marcus.

It is not believed that the teenager orchestrated the attacks, but simply that he wrote and sold the script that made it possible. Per IntelCrawler, the program was purchased by at least 40 cybercriminals, primarily in Eastern Europe. Earlier this week, Wired reported that the original BlackPOS coding was strengthened so that it would not be detected by antivirus programs.

The security firm also claims that the teenager is well-known in the hacking underground, and that his program was not exactly advanced. That said, the post-purchase altering may have been significant: according to Wired, another firm called iSight noted that "while some components of the breach operation were technically sophisticated, the operational sophistication of the compromise activity makes this case stand out."

IntelCrawler was harsher, saying that "it seems that retailers still use quite easy passwords on most remote-access" servers. If you're shocked that Target was lax with its security, don't be: they have profits to worry about.

[photo via IntelCrawler]

On Friday, journalist Caleb Hannan tweeted a link to a recent Grantland story he did, writing, "Not sure what to say other than this is the strangest story I've ever worked on."

The piece, entitled "Dr. V's Magical Putter," was about a "mysterious" physicist and inventor named Dr. Essay Anne Vanderbilt, her company Yar Golf, and the "scientifically superior" gold golf club she'd engineered, a putter called the Oracle GXI. It begins as what seems like a straight-forward but in-depth profile: Hannan contacts "Dr. V," as she was known to her peers, and her colleagues. He outlines the physics that make the Oracle possible—even testing it out for himself—and sketches the beginnings of Yar Golf.

But the article quickly becomes an investigative story into the woman's personal life. Hannan, unable to confirm the time she'd claimed to have spent at MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, began to dig more deeply into Dr. V's past life, learning that the time she claimed to have spent on "top-secret government projects" was really spent working as a "struggling mechanic."

But what ultimately made this piece "the strangest" story he's worked on is that is investigation revealed that Dr. V was a trans woman, born with male sex organs, a discovery that gave Hannan "a chill that ran up [his] spine." Halfway through the story, his focus stops being that of a work of sports journalism and becomes—in his words—"the tale of a troubled man who had invented a new life for himself."

At the very end of the piece, after writing of the push-back he received when disclosing to Dr. V that he was to out her in the article (an act deemed by Dr. V to be a "hate crime") Hannan writes that she killed herself.

At first, Hannan was receiving praise left and right for his piece, with fans applauding his reporting and the crazy nature of the story.

Incredibly proud of this strange, truly sad piece by @calebhannan and edited by @Rafeboogs http://t.co/RTzqreUN8m

— fierman (@fierman) January 15, 2014

I recommend this @calebhannan piece at @Grantland33. If ever a story was bananas, this is bananas. http://t.co/9Gun7iPV6Y

— Jason Fagone (@jfagone) January 15, 2014

Mesmerizing story by @calebhannan on the inventor of a magical putter. http://t.co/Gpq9bgdoYW #longreads via @joelmwarner

— Patrick Doyle (@patrickcdoyle) January 16, 2014

But it wasn't long before writers and editors started to raise questions about the morality of Hannan's story. Why was the gender of the subject suddenly made the focus of a sports story? Did writing this story "drive" Dr. V to suicide?

This story is unnervingly silent on whether the reporter's investigation contributed to the subject's suicide. http://t.co/m9mSwynOCx

— Adrian Chen (@AdrianChen) January 17, 2014

Hannan's main argument seems to be "yeah, I seem to have killed this woman, but that makes me a great reporter, plus she's a bitch, so."

— Sady Doyle (@sadydoyle) January 17, 2014

I am stepping away from my computer. I am way too angry to be on social media right now. @calebhannan... what the hell is wrong with you.

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) January 18, 2014

And trans activists and writers were in an uproar over Hannan outing Vanderbilt and it being praised as journalism. On many blogs like Shakesville and personal Tumblrs, writers outlined at length the moral problems and the transphobia evident in Hannan's piece and called out the culture surrounding its defense.

Disturbing to see so many react w/ bemusement rather than horror to @calebhannan's piece. In their guts, trans people are less than human.

— Samantha Allen (@CousinDangereux) January 18, 2014

Dear cis journalist. Please don't out trans women and harass them to a point of suicide and then call them a "troubled man" Thanks!

— Sophia Banks (@sophiaphotos) January 18, 2014

Some wondered if Hannan should have dropped the story entirely in light of the suicide, which few noted felt like a badly placed and mistreated footnote to the entire story.

this whole awful Grantland "Dr. V" thing demonstrates why journalists NEED to be able to drop a story sometimes, or scale it back.

— Al Shipley (@alshipley) January 18, 2014

Sometimes the right thing for us to do as journalists is to honor a life by not telling a story. It's not always ours to tell.

— Jeff Chu (@jeffchu) January 18, 2014

Bottom line on V-gate: Someone is dead & people are lauding the courage of a reporter whose prodding is at least a mitigating factor there.

— Craig Jenkins (@CraigSJ) January 18, 2014

Amid the calls to Grantland for his resignation and arguments, Hannan hardly engaged with anyone on Twitter who wasn't praising his piece. But with some writers back-tracking on their initial compliments to his piece, and a lack of response from Hannan himself, it was clear that he was feeling the pressure of what felt like dozens of journalists scrutinizing the ethics of his piece. And though it doesn't make his piece "right" or take back what he wrote, it seems Hannan is coming around to listening to why his critics are up in arms.

For what it's worth, I haven't blocked anyone today. I'm reading all of this. I'm totally overwhelmed, but I'm reading.

— Caleb Hannan (@calebhannan) January 18, 2014

Just got off the phone with @calebhannan, felt it was a constructive conversation.

— Parker Marie Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) January 18, 2014

Film critic David Edelstein wonders on the Vulture blog why "Oscar bait" movies can't be nominated for Razzies, which are awarded to the worst performances and films in Hollywood. Calling for nominations for performances such as Meryl Streep's in August: Osage County and the presidents of Lee Daniels' The Butler, Edelstein says, "I know such nominations would royally piss some people off, but what's the point of the Razzies if not to give offense?"

Above you see a photo taken on the small Norwegian island of of Lovund, of a dog standing on top of a group of herring. The fish were swimming too close to the surface when a cold wind swept over and froze them solid.

Ingolf Kristiansen, the man who took the photo, told the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation that he's never seen this happen before. According to him, the fish currently remain frozen, the mirror image of Icarus.

[image via Ingolf Kristiansen]

Republican strategist Mary Matalin appeared on last night's episode of Real Time with Bill Maher to discuss the book she wrote with her Democrat husband James Carville, Love & War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters and One Louisiana Home. (Carville also appeared on the Real Time panel.) When she sat down next to Maher, he remarked, "I know you're very brave because you had a fall and you had a little medical problem and you still showed up." Matalin proved to be more than just brave—she seemed hopped up on something that made her speech sluggish and slurred. She brought the party.

Highlights of her appearance included her referring to her husband as a "stud muffin," her description of Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson as a "chick magnet," and Carlson's wife as "hot, hot, hot." But my favorite thing that she said, when discussing her love for animals and their reciprocation of it, was, "They come to me. Birds land on my shoulders. Rats come to me, cats come to me." The way she said it was so musical, it's been looping in my head like a pop song's hook.

Highlights above.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is quoted as saying he has no intention of quitting and insists he will remain in charge. Although more than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, al-Assad says the issue is not up for discussion at upcoming peace talks.

Drake pulled double duty on Saturday Night Live last night, performing for the second time in his career and hosting for the first. All told, he was SNL's most entertaining host in a while, and the same could be said for the episode itself. More highlights are below.

Here he is doing Lil Wayne as Urkel.

He did this ridiculously good impression of Katt Williams.

He was also perfect on SNL's recurring "Mornin' Miami" sketch.

He worked as a hot dad, too.

Good job, Drake.

Maryland resident Zakieya L. Avery has been accused of stabbing her two young children to death and injuring two others while attempting to perform an exorcism on them on Friday.

The two children, Norell Harris, 1, and his sister, Zyana Harris, 2, died of multiple stab wounds, while their siblings were hospitalized.

Exorcisms are rituals performed to literally "exorcise" and defeat a demon or an evil spirit believed to be inhabiting a person. Though most of the American public may be familiar with exorcisms as the subject of popular horror films, exorcisms are still performed regularly in many parts of the world, with the Catholic Church as one serious advocate for the ritual.

Police were previously called to the house as recently as Thursday over reports of an unattended child in the car. Though the officers attempted to speak to the residents, nobody came to the door. Authorities apparently notified child services of the event but reports are unclear as to whether or not anyone actually followed up the claim.

Though officials did not give a specific reason as to why they suspected the horrific murders were the result of an exorcism gone wrong, police found the four children after a neighbor reported suspicious activity involving a knife to the police.

Avery was charged Saturday with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. A second woman, believed to be unrelated to the family, was briefly hospitalized after the event. She is also being charged with the murders and is currently being held without bond with Avery.

Earth is a vast and incredible place, especially when a falcon unknowingly picks up a camera disguised as an egg and then flies over a rockhopper penguin colony.

It's easy to forget that beyond the tourist- and greenery-covered High Line, there are still 300 yards of old, rusting train track. This last patch of decaying NYC railway will soon be turned into the final stretch of the super-successful park—but for now, they're home to a little-known outdoor gallery.

Right now, the trail is home to a show by the sculptor Carol Bove, entitled Catepillar, but it's part of a perennial art initiative within the park. These, having gone up in April of last year, will be replaced by different works within the next few months.

Even if the artwork doesn't grab your interest, the view from the last remaining secluded piece of High Line is unlike any other in the city. Overlooking Hudson Yards, the stretch gives a wide view of the midtown skyline as a backdrop to more commuter trains in one place than you've ever seen in your entire life:

In many ways, this is last remnant of the old neighborhood. At the end of the tour, you can see the Coach tower being built over the High Line. And at the end of 2014, the new High Line at Hudson Yards will be complete, transforming a piece of infrastructure that once served the bustling heart of New York's manufacturing prowess.

In short, go check this urban artifact while you can.

On Saturday, One Direction member Liam Payne tweeted "huge love to your family" at Willie Robertson of the A&E hit show Duck Dynasty.

@williebosshog huge love to you/your family huge respect for your business prosperities and the family values you still all behold. big fan

— Liam Payne (@Real_Liam_Payne) January 18, 2014

The television show has most recently come under fire for the controversial beliefs of its star Phil Robertson, who made some racist and homophobic remarks in a GQ interview. He compared homosexuality to bestiality and firmly believes "a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man's anus." In tweeting to the Robertson family in support of "the family values you still all behold," Payne effectively made it seem like he supports Robertson's beliefs, anus-related opinions in all. Cue the sound of a thousand liberal teen girl (and boy) hearts breaking.

Apparently, Payne doesn't know that when you literally say "huge respect" in regards to the values of a notably politically incorrect family, you kind of look politically incorrect yourself. That's just how it works, dude. After immediately facing backlash for his support for Duck Dynasty, the pop star went off on a bit of a minor Twitter melt down Saturday night. Payne lashed out online at the "lazy" journalists and bloggers who were reporting on the tweet. Evidently frustrated with the media reporting on his every move, Payne's tweets read like a larger projection of his fame-induced anxiety.

Oh my god can someone literally not be a fan if a show without bring labeled WTf I bought dinner the other day it made a news story

— Liam Payne (@Real_Liam_Payne) January 19, 2014

What I gotta do to please you bastards I'm a 20 year old just living life as you did when u where twenty but in extraordinary circumstances

— Liam Payne (@Real_Liam_Payne) January 19, 2014

I can't do anything without being judged u try that and write about it

— Liam Payne (@Real_Liam_Payne) January 19, 2014

He also seemed very concerned about bloggers and journalists writing about what he's having for dinner, which raises the question: what exactly is Liam Payne eating for dinner, and why is he so protective regarding such information?

And write about things that actually matter not what im gunna have for dinner tomorrow or who I'm a fan if real stories

— Liam Payne (@Real_Liam_Payne) January 19, 2014

His fellow bandmates were completely silent on Twitter in regards to the whole incident. Payne was adamant in clarifying that his tweets were directed at the media only and not his beloved Directioners. Though some fans, like the Youtube-famous gay icon Tyler Oakley thought the Duck Dynasty-supporting tweet "literally changes everything."

All those tweets are aimed at journalists and bloggers not fans

— Liam Payne (@Real_Liam_Payne) January 19, 2014

The moral of the story? Liam Payne really hates bloggers.

Pick ur balls up off the floor and get on with it instead of taking advantage of every word said and twisting it for your own gain

— Liam Payne (@Real_Liam_Payne) January 19, 2014

New laws passed in Ukraine that severely limit anti-government demonstrations predictably had the opposite effect today, as 100,000 people rioted in Kiev to protest the measures.

America is no longer scared of pot, and it doesn't seem like Barack Obama is, either. In a long interview with David Remnick of The New Yorker, Obama said just about everything he should be saying about weed.

"As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life," Obama told Remnick, as pointed out by The Hill. "I don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol."

Bringing the conversation back to policy, he acknowledged that "middle-class kids don't get locked up for smoking pot, and poor kids do. And African-American kids and Latino kids are more likely to be poor and less likely to have the resources and the support to avoid unduly harsh penalties." This is a fact that long ago moved away from being a secret.

In talking about efforts to legalize pot in states like Colorado, Obama gave his blessing while grounding his support like an ex-law scholar might. "It's important for it to go forward because it's important for society not to have a situation in which a large portion of people have at one time or another broken the law and only a select few get punished," he told Remnick.

In acknowledging his own culpability and the hypocrisy of anti-marijuana legislators — "some of the folks who are writing those laws have probably done the same thing" — Obama isn't trying to distance himself from the issue, but talk is only talk. These are the right notes to hit, but without tangible action the sentiment can't help but feel a bit stale considering Bill Clinton was calling for decriminalization as president in 2000.

Clinton's administration, though, had a history of doing the opposite. Obama has already erased a number of Clinton's sins — time will tell if weed will be another.

According to a recent New York Times op-ed from Ezekiel J. Emanuel, studies find that STDs are rising in communities of single senior citizens.

Only 5% of seniors on Medicare take advantage of free S.T.D. testing, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Protection find that sexually transmitted disease rates are increasing rapidly among senior citizens. Chlamydia infections increased by 31 percent and syphilis infections increased by 52 percent for for Americans over the age of 65 during the years of 2007-2011. Those are basically the same statistics for Americans in their early 20s, says the report.

The problem? They don't know how to have safe sex and they live like wild college students:

Combine retirement communities, longer life, unfamiliarity with condoms and Viagra — and what do you get? You get an S.T.D. epidemic among the Social Security generation that rivals what we imagine is happening in those "Animal House" fraternities.

Did you read that? "Animal House" fraternities. Emanuel explains that the way retirement communities and living facilities are structured these days, they're basically being run like college dormitories. Well, college dorms minus the nosy RA who's always got condoms up for grabs for students. Not that these seniors would even use them, seeing as how old folks above the age of 61 only use them in 6% of their sexual encounters. But the bottom line is that these seniors are horny as hell:

I mentioned these numbers to a friend, and she was not surprised. When her father moved into an assisted-living facility, she said, three women came by to introduce themselves within 30 minutes.

Emanuel really wants these seniors to use condoms, so much so that he's even suggested Social Security can "include some information on S.T.D.'s and how to use a condom when it sends out checks." But, above all, he wants to take these seniors to 10th grade health class (well, 10th grade health class as its taught today) and teach them to get tested.

If doctors aren't having "the talk," we have to get safe sex counselors more involved at retirement communities and assisted living facilities. These facilities could also consider making condoms readily available, as they often are on college campuses.

Emanuel does not mention whether or not "the talk" will include an unnecessarily horrifying S.T.D. photo Powerpoint, just like the kind that scared the shit out of you in high school health class.

[image via Shutterstock]

New York City's 311 hotline received over 260,000 complaints about noise in 2013 proving what Big Apple residents already know: the city is annoyingly loud. Health officials say there are plenty places in the city where decibels reach up to 85 and in some places noise levels exceed 100 decibels.

Vladimir Putin should probably stop talking about gay people. In an interview today, the Russian president aimed to downplay fears that gay men and women will be in danger during the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, but instead he might have done the opposite.

"There is no ban on non-traditional forms of sexual interaction between people," is the word-soup Putin chose to offer as assurance. "We have a ban on propaganda of homosexuality."

"We ban nothing, we aren't going after anyone, we have no responsibility for such contacts," he continued. But he quickly moved past hands-off distancing, saying, "We have no such thing, people can feel free and at ease but please leave the children in peace."

Russia has become increasingly hostile to gays over the last year after passing the aforementioned law banning "homosexual propaganda." Earlier this week, a well-known Russian gay activist was arrested after unfurling a gay pride flag in front of the Olympic torch.

Later in the interview, Putin talked about how much the country of Russia loves figure skating.

[image of Putin in Sochi via Getty]

ESPN has issued a statement regarding the controversy surrounding Grantland's story on the suicide of trans golf club inventor Dr. V, saying in part that they will "use the constructive feedback to continue our ongoing dialogue on these important and sensitive topics."

Amazon gained a patent on Saturday for what the company calls "anticipatory shipping," which will let them ship items to customers before they've even technically purchased them. Basically, Amazon can read your mind.

Well, they can't exactly read your mind, but they can read your browser history. Amazon's new anticipatory shipping strategy, which is meant to cut down on delivery time, is based on previous searches, purchases, wish lists and more that customers have made on the site. They even know how long someone has hovered their mouse over a product.

The company might even ship products "speculatively" which means they'll just sent stuff to customers even if they didn't actually buy it, but appeared online to maybe want it. This might lead to a bunch of unwanted Amazon packages on customers doorsteps that will probably be returned, but the company doesn't really seem to care. Apparently, they just want to seem super duper caring to their customers. In the patent, they state, "Delivering the package to the given customer as a promotional gift may be used to build goodwill."

The patent gain comes not long after Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos revealed that the company would be using drones to deliver packages faster to customers. The new drone shipping service, named "Amazon Prime Air," would deliver packages up to 5 pounds in less than half an hour.

So just be careful with how long you hover your mouse over something on Amazon, because chances are you didn't seriously want to buy that $85 fat replica, right?

On Thursday night, lighting struck Brazil's famous "Christ the Redeemer" statue. The incident broke the statue's thumb, but did produce a few amazing photographs.

It took four trips to North Korea and a drunken CNN interview defending his "best friend" Kim Jong Un, but Dennis Rodman appears to have hit his rock bottom. The 52-year-old former NBA star checked into rehab this week. A State Department official told CNN that Rodman's latest visit was "marginally unhelpful."