security

Microsoft has this week issued a patch for a bug in the system used to develop active web pages. In a change from the company's normal procedures, the update had already been made available for manual downloading before testing was complete. The bug ... affected ASP.NET (Active Server Pages), a Microsoft system for creating dynamic rather than static web pages. That could cover a journey planner site that created custom results for the reader, as opposed to a page simply listing bus timetables. Passwords Exposed by Flaw The security flaw meant hackers could bypass encryption and see information ... (view more)

With many tech analysts predicting that cloud computing will be an important part of how companies conduct their future business, Google has intervened by clamping down on potential hackers and would-be identity thieves. Second Password Code Sent ... via SMS, Cell Phone Using simple passwords for an online account makes you prone to hackers, and this is especially true for corporate accounts. In response to the call for greater security, Google has implemented an additional (and optional) security measure which requires users enter a random six-digit code after entering their password. The random ... (view more)

World's largest chip maker Intel Corporation has reportedly unveiled what it believes is the chipset of the future. Code-named "Sandy Bridge," the new chipset integrates the central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) onto a ... single silicon chip and is designed to cut the time it takes to process images. Intel recently cut its sales forecasts due to weaker than expected PC demand, but hopes that the new technology will wow both PC vendors and consumers. Chipset Integration Removes Bottleneck Paul Otellini, Intel's chief executive believes that Sandy Bridge is a ... (view more)

As announced late last week , Microsoft has released a patch addressing thirteen vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems (OS) and business suite Office. The most critical of these threats are posed by the Stuxnet worm, of which 2 zero-day ... flaws remain at large and unpatched. (Source: eweek.com ) Stuxnet Worm: Sophisticated, Huge Threat Security experts say the patch is an important one. For users of the ubiquitous Windows XP, the exploit has been ranked "critical" by Microsoft, its most serious rating. However, if you're running the more recent Vista or Windows 7, the Stuxnet threat ... (view more)

Security researchers have discovered a new PDF (portable document format) exploit in Adobe Reader and Acrobat they think could allow a hacker to remotely take over a system. In fact, the threat is so serious at least one expert has called the ... vulnerability "scary." Adobe has acknowledged the flaw exists and could soon be exploited. In a statement, the company noted that the hole could be used to "cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system." (Source: adobe.com ) Hackers Trick Users Into Opening Infected PDF Mac, Unix and Windows users are ... (view more)

Microsoft is preparing another large Patch Tuesday security release this month, issuing nine bulletins that address a total of thirteen vulnerabilities. These patches target flaws affecting the Windows operating system (OS), Internet Information ... Services, and popular business suite Microsoft Office. Importantly, four of the nine bulletins have been designated "critical," Microsoft's most serious rating. The other five are all marked "important" by the company's Security Response Center blog, Microsoft's second-highest rating. Windows XP Users Most At-Risk All three of the Redmond-based firm's ... (view more)

The Republic of Sierra Leone in West Africa isn't exactly a top tourist destination spot. Nonetheless, even if visiting the place might be dangerous, Sierra Leone has been rated the safest place in the world to use the Internet. The figures come ... from security firm Antivirus Grisoft (AVG), which analyzed data from 127 million customers in 144 countries. The statistics are based around the number of times the AVG software detected a security threat, compared with the number of times users went online. The figures reported are the chances that an average user's computer will be attacked on any ... (view more)

This week, we reported an iTunes vulnerability that exposes Windows users to over 40 different application attacks. Now, it seems that the same exploit is being used by hackers to infiltrate and drain PayPal accounts. "My account was charged over ... $4700. I called security at PayPal and was told a large number of iTunes store accounts were compromised," complained one customer in a recent post to blog TechCrunch. The same victim said he'd received almost fifty receipts from PayPal totaling $99.99 each, but was able to prevent these transactions from being recorded by his bank. Not everyone ... (view more)

Adobe will today release a patch for a critical security vulnerability in its popular Reader and Acrobat software. The issue was first identified at the Black Hat security conference in July, and has since remained without a fix. Adobe noted in ... early August that the patch would be available this week, well ahead of its next scheduled security release (based on a quarterly timetable) in mid-October. Reader, Acrobat for Windows and Mac Affected According to an advisory from Adobe, the patch is meant to fix a number of critical issues affecting Reader 9.3.3 for Windows, Unix and Mac as well as ... (view more)

Compared to Windows XP and previous Microsoft operating systems of years previous, one of the major differences of Windows Vista and Windows 7 is the User Account Control , or "UAC" for short. If you've used Windows Vista with UAC enabled (by ... default), then you know how annoying the feature can be. In fact, many users associate the failure of Windows Vista with the ill-functioning UAC simply because they felt it broke functionality and usefulness of the operating system. (Source: zdnet.com ) Recently, however, Microsoft defended its widely-criticized operating system Windows Vista, ... (view more)