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Clickjacking is on the rise

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:47:00 +0100

A web browser exploit known as "clickjacking" has steered a demand to disable all browser scripting and plug-ins until a patch is available.

A warning was sent by U.S CERT about the notorious exploit. The agency further stated that the flaw targets web browsers which can be temporarily alleviated by deactivating web scripting as well as plug-ins. Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Internet Explorer are among those browsers leveled by the flaw.

Clickjacking is an attack launched by malicious web pages embedding objects such as framed documents or plugin content which may lead to unwanted results if clicked by the current user.

Using DHTML, and CSS, the attacker can hide the click target in various ways which go totally unidentified by the user, who’s effortlessly tricked into clicking it in a more or less blind way.

Clickjacking enables an attacker to force a user click on an invisible link, without user knowledge or consent.

Article Source Clickjacking is on the rise

Firefox 3.5 is out and it's faster than ever

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:35:00 +0100

Firefox 3.5 is more than twice as fast as Firefox 3, and up to ten times faster than Firefox 2. As a result, Web applications like email, photo sites and your favorite social networks will feel snappier and more responsive.

FIrefox 3.5 uses less memory, loads pages faster, comes with much improved color support making images sharper and more brilliant than ever.

Firefox 3.5 also includes the TraceMonkey JavaScript engine, which gives the browser dramatically better performance than ever before.

Still using Internet Explorer? It's time to move on.

Switching from IE to Firefox only takes a few clicks, and Firefox will even remember all your bookmarks.

Get Firefox 3.5

Article Source Firefox 3.5 is out and it's faster than ever

Adobe Launches Creative Suite 4

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:40:00 +0100

Delivering radical workflow breakthroughs that bring down the walls between designers and developers — and packed with hundreds of feature innovations—the new Creative Suite 4 product line advances the creative process across print, Web, mobile, interactive, film and video production. With new levels of integration and expressiveness for Flash technology across the entire product line, Adobe’s biggest software release to date includes Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design editions, Creative Suite 4 Web editions, Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, Creative Suite 4 Master Collection, as well as 13 point products, 14 integrated technologies and seven services.

Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection CS4 combines virtually all of Adobe's new design and development applications, technologies and services in a single box — the most comprehensive creative environment ever delivered.

Article Source Adobe Launches Creative Suite 4

Another Critical security flaw discovered in iPhone

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 01:00:00 +0100

Security experts have said that the size of the internet browser on the device means that users may be more susceptible to phishing attacks.

The URL bar on the Safari browser is so small that a person browsing the internet could be directed to a phishing website and not realise it, because they are unable to see the full URL.

The URL can be a giveaway that a site is not authentic, but the clue tends to be at the end of the line, where hackers can insert characters that distinguish the fake site from the real one.

Brian Chess, chief scientist at Fortify, wrote on his blog: "The iPhone browser displays only the first 20 or so characters of the URL, so it's easy to hide a big gnarly cross-site scripting attack without arousing any suspicion."

Earlier this week, another security company warned that a separate iPhone feature, which allows a user to automatically dial a phone number by clicking on a link on a website, could be prone to abuse by hackers.

By setting up a premium rate phone number, as well as running a script which initiated dialling when the cursor passed over it, a hacker could potentially fleece an unwitting user of the iPhone browser, SPI Labs said.

Article Source Another Critical security flaw discovered in iPhone

Thousands of Computers Crash after Norton's Antivirus latest update

Sun, 20 May 2007 02:00:00 +0100

The computer crash results from the "attack" by Norton's Antivirus software, newly updated on May 18, which regards two essential system files as viruses and thus clears them away. Customers had reported being affected by the incident as of Friday noon. The common symptom is that the computer may suddenly encounter a blue screen and then be prompted with an error message.

The same problem remains even after a reboot of the system. A spokesman for Symantec, producer of the Norton Antivirus software, has confirmed that this incident resulted from inappropriate handling of upgrading Antivirus software.

He promised that the company was now working hard on a possible solution.

The latest virus Norton database was upgraded on May 17. According to some PC experts, this software, after the upgrade, would regard two essential system files netapi32.dll & lsasrv.dll as viruses by mistake and delete them from computers installed with Windows XP. That causes the computer to be locked up even after a reboot.

Article Source Thousands of Computers Crash after Norton's Antivirus latest update

Microsoft Longhorn Server is ready for testing

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 01:00:00 +0100

Three months after the launch of Windows Vista, Microsoft unveiled the first public beta of the next edition of Windows Server, code-named Longhorn.

Microsoft also announced that the final version will be launched in the second half of this year.

The Beta 3 release of Windows Server "Longhorn" marks the beginning of the second wave of innovation to be delivered by Microsoft over the next year. Following on the heels of launch of Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system are Windows Server "Longhorn" and the next versions of Visual Studio, code-named "Orcas," and Microsoft SQL Server(TM), code-named "Katmai." These products will provide organizations with an advanced development and Web platform as well as streamlined data management and analysis, enabling infrastructure optimization.

In Beta 3, customers will see new features and enhancements that include stronger security, better performance, new server roles and features, and additional server management and remote administration tools.

New and improved features in Longhorn Beta 3 include the following:

Windows PowerShell is now included in the product.
Active Directory Federation Services improvements allow customers to implement new policies and make it easier to set up a relationship between trusted partners.
The Server Core installation option now comes with additional roles and enhanced functionality, such as print services and Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services.
The Server Manager console includes additional remote administration tools to provide a more integrated management environment.
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, now on by default, provides a persistent and more secure environment beginning at installation.
NAP is integrated with Microsoft Update and Windows Update to enable administrators to decide which updates are critical and set policies accordingly.
A new administrative interface for simplified setup, scalability and better performance.

How will your company react? Vista is not doing so well at the moment and I think that the same thing will happen to Windows Longhorn. Then again I am pretty sure that Microsoft will force every single reseller to stop selling windows 2003 server software and offer Longhorn instead.

Article Source Microsoft Longhorn Server is ready for testing

Microsoft set to kill Windows XP

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 01:00:00 +0100

Windows XP will stop being available on new PCs from the end of January 2008.
Microsoft is keeping to a plan to stop selling the operating system even though surveys show a lukewarm response to Windows Vista among consumers.

PC makers will be forced to stop selling machines running the legacy operating system by the end of the year. As of 31 January 2008, you will have to put up with Vista, despite it having compatibility and performance issues that make gaming not terribly good on the new OS. After that, support for the old OS will continue until the end of April 2009.

If you still want to get your hands on a machine running XP then Dell will sell you a business system as its said there is still a strong demand from small business through its "Customise with Windows XP" scheme.

"Dell recognizes the needs of small business customers and understands that more time is needed to transition to a new operating system," said Tom West, director of small business marketing at Dell, on the company's blog. "The plan is to continue offering Windows XP on select Dimension and Inspiron systems until later this summer."

Also, people running pre-release versions of Vista will find that it will stop working on 1 June. The company said that these version of Vista had a limited life and were only there to help people see what the new OS was like and iron out any last minute problems.

Oh my, thousands of IT Managers will hate Microsoft for it's decision to kill XP and force them to replace it with Vista. Any Linux fans out there :)

Article Source Microsoft set to kill Windows XP

Grisoft Offers Free Rootkit Removal Tool

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 01:00:00 +0100

Antivirus software maker GRISOFT today introduced a new, free product aimed at detection and removal of Rootkits.

Rootkits are a specific malware type which hide in other applications or a computer‘s operating system kernel. This allows malicious applications to then collect passwords and sensitive data from the infected computer without user knowledge for personal information theft, spam relay and other criminal intents.

Rootkits have become a severe threat in comparison to traditional malware because conventional antivirus often misses the hidden rootkit.

They execute by embedding applications within the operating system, which is also an essential application to many necessary programs including antivirus protection, so it is important to correctly distinguish between malicious rootkits and legitimately hidden processes.

GRISOFT carried out six months of open beta program testing to ensure AVG Anti-Rootkit is able to protect users and operating systems without the confusion and hassle of false alarms.

Rootkits were originally used by hackers and crackers to cover their tracks after unauthorized access to computers. Today, these techniques have been redesigned in order to mask the presence of malicious software used to gather and exploit personal information such as credit card numbers and social security numbers creating a serious threat to users.

Like all AVG products, AVG Anti-Rootkit offers users free, regular updates and a simple user interface. AVG Anti-Rootkit is available now to all users as a free, English version download.

Article Source Grisoft Offers Free Rootkit Removal Tool

Adobe Labs Launches Public Alpha of Apollo

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Adobe announced that the first public alpha version of Apollo is now available for developers on Adobe Labs.

So what is Appolo?
Apollo is the code name for a cross-operating system application runtime that allows web developers to leverage their existing skills in HTML, JavaScript and Ajax, as well as Adobe Flash and Adobe Flex software to build and deploy rich Internet applications on the desktop.

The alpha version of the Apollo application runtime and the Apollo Software Developer’s Kit (SDK) can be downloaded for free from www.adobe.com/go/apollo.

Apollo is an important element of Adobe’s strategy to provide technologies and product workflows for developers and designers to create and deliver new kinds of high-impact, rich applications, content and experiences to engage people virtually anywhere at anytime.

Apollo provides people with direct access to Internet applications (including those built with HTML, JavaScript, Flash and PDF) without the need to open a browser, offering a familiar desktop application experience, and easier and more reliable interaction with content.

With Apollo, people can launch applications directly from their desktops and interact with them offline. When a network connection is available, newly created or changed content can seamlessly synchronize. In upcoming versions, Apollo’s integration with the desktop will allow people to drag and drop items, such as image files and other media assets, directly into Apollo applications.

The first version of Apollo for developers includes a free SDK that provides a set of command line tools for developing and working with Apollo applications. Web developers can use the Integrated Development Environment of their choice, including Adobe tools such as Eclipse-based Flex Builder, Flash, and Dreamweaver software to build Apollo applications in significantly less time than it takes to build and deploy traditional desktop applications.

Apollo complements Ajax and other RIA technologies. Additionally, upcoming versions of Apollo will integrate PDF, run on Linux, and include deeper Ajax support, and in the future Apollo will leverage mobile technologies.

Article Source Adobe Labs Launches Public Alpha of Apollo

Famatech announces the release of Radmin 3.0

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Famatech is proud to announce the release of Radmin3.0 remote control software.

Radmin is one of the best Windows-based remote control solutions now available on Microsoft Vista operating system. Radmin allows users to work remotely on up to several remote computers simultaneously using a simple graphics interface. This new version has a wide range of new functionalities, which some analysts are referring to as “capable of bringing the IT industry to the new level”.

One of the most impressive innovations is DirectScreenTransfer technology or its common name for a Video Hook Driver. This new technology provides unprecedented speed with a minimal CPU usage. The major advantage of DirectScreenTransfer is that it receives data directly from Windows, before it ever gets to the Video RAM. The deployment of DirectScreenTransfer not only seriously increases screen updates per second but also significantly decreases network traffic and requirements for data links.

In November of 2006 Radmin’s DirectScreenTransfer video capture driver successfully passed Windows compatibility test and received a digital sign from Microsoft. Multiple test results conclude that DirectScreenTransfer works flawlessly with all versions of Windows from Windows 2000 to all the way through to Vista.

Among many other technological innovations of Radmin 3.0 its new text and voice chat systems deserve special recognition. These new modules allow users to communicate securely in real time and even hold online conferences.

The text chat mode allows users to conduct group discussions or private conversations. The number of participants per chat session is restricted only by the number of licenses. In voice chat mode there are two types of communication channels: public and conference. Public voice channels allow users to speak simultaneously while the conference channels put speakers singly through a queue. Both types of communication channels may be open for everyone or could be password-protected.

Another important feature of Radmin 3.0 is its extremely reliable security system, which provides a very high level of data protection from interception or different types of malicious attacks. Radmin 3.0 demonstrates a remarkable increase of security due to its integration with professional developments such as Windows Security, NTLM/Kerberos and Active Directory support. User authentication is substantiated by a modified Diffie-Hellman algorithm. The new increased levels of Radmin Security protect all the active data on the network. Access rights are individual for each user. Special IP-filter tables restrict access to specific IP addresses and sub-networks.

Other functionalities of Radmin 3.0 include the following features: easy switching of active users; folder management in Radmin phonebook; scan for available Radmin Servers; mouse wheel support; minimizing Radmin Viewer’s main window to a tray icon; Radmin phonebook can be stored in file and many others.

Radmin 3.0 has two modules as its previous versions: Radmin Viewer and Radmin Server. Radmin Viewer 3.0 is fully compatible with previous versions of Radmin Server. Licensing is needed only for Radmin Server while Radmin Viewer is free. Users who would like to upgrade their previous versions to Radmin 3.0 can take advantage of license key equivalent exchange. The cost of Radmin 3.0 is $49.00 per single license. Volume license discounts are also available.

Article Source Famatech announces the release of Radmin 3.0