TechBlog

Adobe just released Reader and Acrobat version 9.4. The new release fixes some critical vulnerabilities which allow attackers to infect PCs – for example, just by browsing the net. Overall the update lists 23(!) entries in the CVE database as being solved with version 9.4. The new version is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Unix systems. For those who still use the version 8, Reader and Acrobat 8.2.5 for Windows and Mac fix the security vulnerabilities. Windows and Mac users can download the updated version at Adobes download center, while Unix users need to download the new release from Adobe’s ftp server. ...

Stuxnet continues to be a hot topic. Here are answers to some of the questions we’ve received. Q: What is Stuxnet? A: It’s a Windows worm, spreading via USB sticks. Once inside an organization, it can also spread by copying itself to network shares if they have weak passwords. Q: Can it spread via other USB devices? A: Sure, it can spread anything that you can mount as a drive. Like a USB hard drive, mobile phone, picture frame and so on. ...

Windows Live Essentials 2011 is now out of beta. Download links in bottom of page. This package contain most essential programs needed for your digital life: Windows Live Essentials 2011 Advanced made easy Do more with Windows on your PC with free programs from Microsoft for photos, movies, instant messaging, email, social networking, and more. Get it all in one simple download. To see if your system support this program, check System requirements ...

During our analysis of the different malware families we sometimes stumble upon some messages inside the viruses placed there by their authors. For example, the TDSS Trojan family is known to contain random strings from “Hamlet” and from the Bible. Also there is the Koobface family which contains random sentences – mostly taken from Wikipedia articles, like in the last variant we discovered, about the Tower of London. TDSS: ...

The Stuxnet Trojan is very well covered in the media as more and more details about its sophisticated code become public. It abuses four previously unknown security vulnerabilities in Windows to enter the system and is specialized on attacking Siemens processing systems. An interesting information which didn’t get much attention yet comes from heise Security: The nuclear plant in Busheer isn’t really the target of the worm as rumours say, as the attacked systems aren’t approved for usage in nuclear plants. ...

Google has finally decided to allow users to turn off the controversial ‘conversation view’ threading functionality in Gmail. Conversation view has been a characteristic of Gmail ever since it launched, but Google software engineer Dong Chen admitted in a blog post yesterday that it is the webmail service’s “most hotly debated feature “. “Threading enthusiasts say they spend less mental energy drawing connections between related messages, and that their inboxes are much less cluttered,” he wrote. ...

Nokia would like the world to know that its upcoming smartphone, the N8, is finished. The first batch of devices has left the factories in Finland and China, and these N8s will soon end in the hands of customers all over the world. Many Nokia fans have wondered will there be further delays for the N8, and this is probably the best answer to that question. Recently, Nokia informed some of the customers who have pre-ordered the device they will be receiving it “during October,” as Nokia decided to “hold the shipments for a few weeks to do some final amends.” However, Nokia immediately clarified that the N8 is not being delayed, and now it proved it with the pictures of N8s leaving the factory. ...

Xmarks will be shutting down free browser synchronization services on January 10, 2011. For details on how to transition to recommended alternatives, consult this page. For the full story behind the Xmarks shutdown, please read their blog post. It’s a sad story to me! Here I found a good article to read: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/networking/no-more-xmarks-no/192

Microsoft announced that it has collaborated with WordPress and now onwards it will be the default blogging platform for Windows Live users. This means Microsoft is killing it’s own blogging platform and suggesting users to go for better platform called ‘WordPress’. In TechCrunch Disrupt conference, Windows Live Director ‘Dharmesh Mehta’ announced that all existing Windows Live Spaces users will be migrated over to an account at WordPress.com. So now onwards users who sign up for a Windows Live account get free Hotmail , the Xbox Live site , a free blog from WordPress.com and other services. ...

The New York Times is reporting a rising number of law suits against some major players because of their use of persistent web tracking: — Fox Entertainment Group — NBC Universal — Specific Media — Quantcast The Times said the suits are claiming that the companies used Flash cookies to collect data on browsing activities in spite of the fact that users had privacy settings on to block them. Those Local Shared Objects (LSOs) are persistent cookies that are stored in several ways and in some cases will restore themselves when deleted. One is available, with a detailed description here. ...