Mozilla gets tough after digital certificates hack – Iranian hacker who claims responsibility for breaches at certificate authorities threatens broader attacks. Firefox maker gives digital-certificate sellers a week to boost security.
Favorite Free Windows 7 Themepacks – A fresh new look can brighten your perspective…especially when it’s on the Windows 7 desktop you stare at day and night. Sweet tooth or salt craving? Nature or pets? Sci-fi or fantasy? Check out this free buffet to satisfy your appetite for pretty pictures.
Android security threats, and how you can stay safe – As mobile devices become more prevalent, they are increasingly becoming targets of malicious groups who exploit Android’s openness. There are several different types of security vulnerabilities and attacks that users should be aware of, not all of which can be easily defended against.
The Net must fight back to regain our trust – A new flavor of attack means that even those Web sites you trust might not be trustworthy–and we all pay the price.
Microsoft Demos Super Fast Boot Times in Windows 8 – Microsoft has a surprise for users tired of waiting forever while their computers boot up. It will take less than 10 seconds for a Windows 8 PC to go from powered down to the start screen, according to a Microsoft video demonstration. The speedy boot is thanks to a new hybrid system that mixes processes used in cold boots and hibernation mode. Microsoft showed off the new functionality in yet another blog post on its Building Windows 8 blog.
Yahoo’s Bartz on Her Firing: ‘These People F—ed Me Over’ – Yahoo’s fired Carol Bartz has told Fortune’s Patricia Sellers that she was “f—ed over” by Yahoo’s board, after Bartz was fired earlier this week.
Justice Dept. loses round in warrantless phone tracking – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit says the Justice Department must turn over names and docket numbers on cases it allegedly tracked users without a warrant.
Anonymous group releases new Twitter tool – Activists offer software designed to spread its messages further by taking advantage of trending topics on Twitter.
Scammers demand $143 from Windows users, threaten with file deletion – German Windows users are the latest target of some pretty brazen scammers, warns Panda Security. The whole thing starts with a Trojan – likely received via spammy emails or P2P networks – which gets installed on the victim’s computer and restarts the system.
Should data protection and user privacy be taught in schools? – Children are not aware of, or choose to ignore issues of data privacy and protection, in exchange for flashy free services like social networks.
Company News:
Is Windows 8 Beta Coming Next Week? – Since first showing early builds of Windows 8 to the world on June 1, Microsoft’s team has been spoon-feeding the public details about the OS every few days via its Building Windows 8 blog. But next week at the company’s newly minted BUILD conference in Anaheim, we may hit pay dirt with some form of a complete OS release.
Multi-layer fraud prevention from IronKey – The IronKey Trusted Access Platform changes the focus from single-point security controls to an integrated, multi-layer approach that strengthens online security for banks and their customers.
IBM Launches New Billion Dollar Effort for SMB Tech Adoption – Technology lets small business dramatically improve efficiency and productivity. But how do you buy new technology a credit crunch when your cash flow is stretched thinner than ever? IBM today officially announced its solution to the small business credit crunch dilemma with a new billion dollar effort. IBM is opening up $1 billion in credit for approved small businesses with low financing rates and a portfolio of SMB-focused technology solutions.
Oracle Expands MySQL for Windows – For over a decade, the open source MySQL database has been a critical component of the LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) stack. Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is now moving to make MySQL more attractive for Microsoft Windows users in an effort that might help it to take share from rival SQL Server. Oracle this week announced a new installer for Windows that is intended to help accelerate deployments.
Off Topic (Sort of):
How An Omniscient Internet ‘Sextortionist’ Ruined The Lives Of Teen Girls – Bizarre story of sextortionist Luis “Guicho” Mijangos. What’s “sextortion”? Mijangos obtained nude images of people, many after hacking into their webcams. Demanded they send him sex videos as price for not publishing the pictures
Are Jobs Obsolete? – Jobs are a relatively recent invention. And to judge from the rate at which they’re disappearing now, they may not be with us much longer. Why do we crave employment? How can we organise economy, society, around something else?
Computer forensics tool reveals past online activity – OWADE is a tool that allows forensic specialists to extract data stored by the OS, the browser and various programs; to pinpoint the location of the computer in any given (past) moment by analyzing the stored WiFi data; to recover login credentials for online services from a variety of browsers and IM software; and, in general, to piece together the user’s online activity by taking advantage of browsing histories, information stored in the Windows registry and the Windows certificate store.
New Zealand traffic down as “three strikes” copyright law takes effect – Two New Zealand ISPs report that their traffic is down after that country’s controversial “three strikes” copyright law took effect last Thursday.
Today’s Quote:
“No matter how rich you become, how famous or powerful, when you die the size of your funeral will still pretty much depend on the weather.”
– Michael Pritchard
Today’s Free Downloads:
Mednafen GUI – To play old platform games (as in old platforms, not just old games) on a PC, you need an emulator. Among the best is Mednafen, a multiplatform emulation frontend that brings some favorite platforms–such as NES, every incarnation of GameBoy, and PC-Engine (aka Turbografx) under one roof.
Freemake Video Converter – Freemake Video Converter converts videos from one format to another quickly and easily, including AVI, MKV, and mobile formats like 3GP and MP4. It’s free, and there aren t even any ads, popups or watermarks.
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