Ever since Mozilla came into the picture, I have not been using Internet Explorer. I am sure that I am not alone in this – I have heard so many IE to Mozilla stories in the past years. With the release of Internet Explorer 8, however, some people might start to reconsider. Indeed, Microsoft is touting IE 8 to be its most secure web browser ever. (That’s not saying much, is it?)

Anyway, why should anyone want to use IE8? PC World has a write up on it and this is what they have to say about the security features:

Microsoft touts IE 8 as its most secure browser to date, and Microsoft has indeed added a good number of security features to the mix, ranging from phishing detection to private browsing, plus a new feature to prevent clickjacking, an emerging data theft threat.

IE 8 RC1 includes two security features under the ‘InPrivate’ label: InPrivate Browsing and InPrivate Filtering. Both existed in earlier prerelease versions of IE 8, but IE 8 RC1 lets you use the two features separately, whereas before each relied on the other.

That’s sounding good to me but is that all there is? Apparently not. Another feature that looks interesting is the Private Browsing feature, which is already being enjoyed by Safari users. IE8 also has InPrivate Filtering, which will prevent web sites from gathering data about other web sites that you got to. There seems to be more to it, though. Maybe we should give it a try and see what Microsoft has to offer this time?

Categories: News, Web browsers

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Oh how we love to talk about technology and the lives of public figures, don’t we? I guess that while we’re at it, there is none better to talk about than the new US President and his affinity for his Blackberry?

As much as a lot of people might love this revolutionary device, it cannot be denied that it does present some security issues. As any other wireless device that transmits data over the airwaves, there is a certain degree of risk. Anyone can intercept the signals emanating from the devices as well as the signals going to it. If we’re merely talking about you and me, it should not be that much of an issue – I got nothing to hide, really. But then again, if you’re talking about the leader of the greatest nation on earth (albeit subject to argument), it’s a totally different matter.

All throughout his campaign Obama was seen fiddling with his Blackberry. Now that he is president, will the status quo be maintained? Rumor has been going around that he is now to use a really high tech gadget, the Sectera Edge, which is made by General Dynamics, a defense contractor. This baby is no ordinary smartphone and costs more than your usual computer. At $3,350, it runs on Windows but is NSA certified to be as secure as secure can be.

But is Obama really using the Edge? Sorry to disappoint tech fans out there but it seems that Obama is still using the BlackBerry 8830.

Categories: General, Wireless Security

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It used to be that when one was using a Mac, there was absolutely no fear of being invaded by viruses and other malware. Indeed, this was one of the things that Mac users were most proud of. Aside from being cool, Mac products were basically impenetrable in this respect.

Well, those days are gone as early in this year, someone was able to create malware AND dupe people into downloading it into their Macs. I am sure that you heard or read about this – the news was splashed all over countless web sites. Just how many people have been affected? The Apple Blog has the details:

According to Intego’s numbers, more than 20,000 people have downloaded the affected file, a number which also says something about Apple’s ability (or desire?) to curb piracy of its proprietary software. Instructions on how to rid your computer of the virus in case you are among that unlucky 20,000 can be found here, but they can’t take away your shame.

This was only the beginning though – here’s more:

This week, another round of infections has appeared, this time targeting a different, but similar group of pirates. The victims are users who downloaded a pirated copy of Adobe’s popular photo editing program, Photoshop CS4. Again, the people responsible for finding and broadcasting the existence of the trojan are Intego. This one is aptly dubbed “OSX.Trojan.iServices.B”, and actually comes from the serial generator that packages with the Photoshop installer, and not the installer itself. The CS4 trojan presents the same risks as the iWork ‘09 version. Intego reports 5,000 downloads to date.

They just wouldn’t learn, would they? I am sorry but I can’t help but chuckle. No one would have this problem if only they didn’t try to download the ILLEGAL copy of iWork. I am not going to say anything more.

Categories: Malware, News, Real-World Issues

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Did you know that starting March of this year, every single email that is sent and received in the UK will be monitored? Yep, following the law, all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the UK will be required to store email information for a year. Though this law requires information to be kept, the actual content of the emails are not included in the requirement.

However, the fact that information is being monitored – even private emails – has got a lot of people shifting in discontent. The details of the law were published by BBC:

-To keep details of every e-mail sent in the UK for a year
-Internet Service Providers will have to record who sent the email, to whom and when
-The e-mail’s content will not be stored
-Data can be accessed by more than 600 public bodies, such as the police and councils, if they make a valid request
-Part of a European Commission directive

Although the contents of emails are not part of the law, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that this gives rise to potential security breaches – BIG TIME. It is a given that the idea behind the law was born out of goodwill. After all, we do know that there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there who take advantage of the technology.

However, who is to say that this database of information will be kept secure and that no one will be able to make unauthorized use of it? That, my friends, is the biggest question. Am sure glad I am not in the UK right now.

Categories: Privacy & Anonymity, Real-World Issues, Security Policies

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