Are you using the latest web browser?
Friday, October 31, 2008
The researchers' paper, entitled "Understanding the Web Browser Threat", shows that as of June 2008,
only 59.1% percent of Internet users worldwide use the latest major version of their preferred web browser.
Firefox users are the most attentive: 92.2% of them surfed with Firefox 2, the latest major version before the recently released 3.0.
Only 52.5% of Microsoft Internet Explorer users have updated to version 7, which is the most secure according to multiple publicly-cited Microsoft experts
(among them Sandi Hardmeier). The study revealed that 637 million Internet users worldwide who use web browsers are either not running the latest version of their preferred browser or have not installed the latest patches. These users are vulnerable to exploitation due to their web browser's "built-in" vulnerabilities and the lack of more recent security mechanisms such as improved phishing protection.Neglected security patchesOver the past 18 months, the study also shows, a maximum of 83.3% of Firefox users were using the latest major version of the web browser and also had all current patches installed (i.e. latest minor version).
Only 56.1% and 47.6% of Opera and Internet Explorer users, respectively, were similarly utilizing fully-patched web browsers. Apple users are no better: since the public release of Safari 3, only 65.3% of users operate the latest Safari version.
Having users migrate faster to the latest browser version would not only increase security but also make the lives of webmasters easier, as they would need to test and optimize websites for fewer older versions of web browsers.
Source: Google Online Security Blog
Labels: Security
Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex released
Ubuntu 8.10 is available for download. There aren't a ton of surprises.
But it does include a number of tweaks, bug fixes, and improvements. Here are just a few:
- Improved support for connecting to 3G wireless networks
- A utility for loading a fully working Ubuntu installation on a USB disk
- There's a new System Cleaner utility that will help identify abandoned software packages
- The Nautilus file manager now supports tabs
Labels: Software
Gmail for Mobile 2.0 Launched
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Gmail for mobile 2.0, designed to be faster and more reliable in low signal areas and to even support basic offline access on phones like the Nokia N95, Sony Ericsson W910i, and BlackBerry Curve.
The latest version of Gmail for mobile also allows you to access multiple Gmail or Google Apps email accounts from the same application.
Source : Google , GoogleMobile
Labels: Google
USB Air Flow Mouse With Scrolling LED Message
Thursday, October 23, 2008
This is a USB Mouse with built-in fan to help to release heat when you
are using the mouse.
With the innovative design, you can create your own message by the
remote control and store it on the LED scrolling board inside the mouse
and it will
display it when the fan is switched on. Check out the video for yourself!
Labels: Gadgets
Google Android Mobile OS: Looks promising
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Labels: Software
Windows Vista SP2 on the cards
Windows 7 may be grabbing all the headlines these days, but that doesn't mean Microsoft has forgotten about Windows Vista. Microsoft plans to release at least one major update for Windows Vista before launching Windows 7.
In fact, a beta version of Windows Vista SP2 may already be in the hands of some Microsoft partners. Microsoft also plans to release a service pack called SP2 for Windows Server 2008 before Windows 7 drops. If you're feeling like you must have missed something, no there was never an SP1 for Windows Server 2008. But since the OS is built on Windows Vista SP1, the first service pack will get the SP2 treatment.
There's no real information at the moment about what actual changes we'll see in the service packs.
In related news, the first public beta of Windows 7 could be available as soon as mid-December.
Labels: Software
Verbatim 500 GB Mediastation
Monday, October 13, 2008
You can call these as next-gen HDDs or multimedia hard drives offering upto 500GB of capacity. These drives enable users to easily store videos, photos, music and films and then play it back directly via the TV or an audio system.
Weighing just around a Kg, the MediaStation features a 3.5" SATA hard drive for smooth writing and reading of data. It can store upto 1,000 hours of video (Mpeg 4) or 6,300 hours of music (MP3) or 250,000 5-Megapixel photos. The multimedia drive can play back all popular video, audio and graphics formats, including MPEG4, DivX, MP3, WMA, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, JPEG and PNG. All connection cables required for this are available with the drive. The included composite and S-video connection cables ensure picture-perfect playback. The standard version of MediaStation offers a scaled resolution of 1080i. A USB 2.0 connection allows additional data media to be docked with the MediaStation Pro and content transferred or displayed directly onto TV.
In addition to all the features of MediaStation, the MediaStation Pro version offers a WLAN connection with the help of which data from the PC can not only be transferred conveniently to the MediaStation Pro, but can also be played back directly in real time on the TV.
Both MediaStation and MediaStation Pro will be available by November '08 at an MSRP of Rs 15,000.
Labels: Gadgets
Freeware Lucky Pick: AnVir Task Manager Free
Thursday, October 2, 2008
AnVir Task Manager provides full set of system tools for Windows that help in every-day work:
- System monitoring
- Spyware removal
- Windows enhancements
Click any process, and AnVir's bottom pane will display everything from an application's creator and signing authority to how many active internet connections it has.
It'll also display a full list of DLLs and other files in use by the selected app.Task Manager Free's connection tab provides detailed port monitoring, giving you a quick look at which of your processes are accessing the 'net.
A quick right-click allows you to kill any process or active TCP connection.It also monitors your system's workload, dropping icons in the system tray that indicate CPU usage (including a breakdown by application) and hard drive temperature, free space, and activity levels (again with per-application info).
Labels: Freeware
The "GoogleUpdate.exe" hidden process
Recently after installing Google Chrome browser, I noticed that there is a hidden process "GoogleUpdate.exe" which runs at startup. Here is an official explanation on this from Google.
Most of the recently released Google software uses live installers that download the required files from Google's servers and enable an auto-updater. Whether you want to install Chrome, Gears, Lively or Google Earth's plug-in, Google first downloads a small setup file that needs an Internet connection to obtain the software.
"GoogleUpdate.exe is a software component that acts as a meta-installer and auto-updater in many downloadable Google applications, including Google Chrome. It keeps your programs updated with the latest features. More importantly, GoogleUpdate allows your Google applications to be rapidly updated if security flaws are discovered"
When GoogleUpdate communicates with Google servers, it sends IDs of GoogleUpdate-managed applications on your computer and general usage information for these applications. GoogleUpdate also uses its own, randomly-generated unique ID number to accurately count total users. This information includes version numbers, languages, operating system, and other install or update-related details, such as whether or not the applications have been run.
Google Update Service uninstalls itself when there is no Google software using it. It may take a few hours after uninstalling Google software for Google Update to uninstall.
To make things even more difficult for those who manually remove the updater, "you may find that your Google programs no longer function properly and, in many cases, you may see GoogleUpdate return automatically".
Most of the recently released Google software uses live installers that download the required files from Google's servers and enable an auto-updater. Whether you want to install Chrome, Gears, Lively or Google Earth's plug-in, Google first downloads a small setup file that needs an Internet connection to obtain the software.
"GoogleUpdate.exe is a software component that acts as a meta-installer and auto-updater in many downloadable Google applications, including Google Chrome. It keeps your programs updated with the latest features. More importantly, GoogleUpdate allows your Google applications to be rapidly updated if security flaws are discovered"
When GoogleUpdate communicates with Google servers, it sends IDs of GoogleUpdate-managed applications on your computer and general usage information for these applications. GoogleUpdate also uses its own, randomly-generated unique ID number to accurately count total users. This information includes version numbers, languages, operating system, and other install or update-related details, such as whether or not the applications have been run.
Google Update Service uninstalls itself when there is no Google software using it. It may take a few hours after uninstalling Google software for Google Update to uninstall.
To make things even more difficult for those who manually remove the updater, "you may find that your Google programs no longer function properly and, in many cases, you may see GoogleUpdate return automatically".
Labels: Google
