explorer

New Internet Explorer weakness already exploited in attacks

A previously unknown security hole in Internet Explorer 7, 8 and 9 is being actively exploited to deliver a back door trojan known as "Poison Ivy," researchers warned.

Security blogger Eric Romang, who uncovered the vulnerability this weekend, wrote on his blog yesterday:

I can confirm, the zero-day season is really not over yet. Less than three weeks after the discovery of the Java SE 7 0day, aka CVE-2012-4681, potentially used by the Nitro gang in targeted attacks, a potential Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and 8 zero-day is actually exploited in the wild. Romang found an attack that … Read more

Windows XP users to lose Google Apps support in Internet Explorer

Millions of Internet Explorer users who work with Google Apps are about to need an upgraded browser -- but if they're using Windows XP or earlier, they may be out of luck.

Google said today that it would end Google Apps support for Internet Explorer 8, the most widely used version of the venerable browser. But Microsoft blocks Windows XP users from installing more recent versions of IE, owing to the way device drivers are handled inside Vista and Windows 7.

Users facing that dilemma have at least one easy way around that dilemma -- install Chrome! -- but … Read more

Microsoft 'to comply' with EU in browser choice antitrust probe

Microsoft has said it will comply with European antitrust authorities, after the software giant was accused of not adhering to the promises it said it would keep as part of an earlier settlement.

As quoted by Reuters, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told reporters at an economics conference:

In my personal talks with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer he has given me assurances that they will comply immediately regardless of the conclusion of the antitrust probe.

Almunia also described the antitrust investigation as a "very, very serious issue."

Microsoft settled with EU authorities in 2009 after it was accused … Read more

Voyager 1, NASA's 1977 iPod, turns 35

For a mobile music player that's 100,000 times less powerful than a crummy 8GB iPod Nano, Voyager 1 is mighty awesome.

The NASA space probe was launched 35 years ago today, on September 5, 1977, three months after a new space opera called "Star Wars" hit theaters. Programmed to explore the outer planets, it has traveled farther than any man-made object since then, and is leaving our solar system for interstellar space.

With its 68-kilobyte computer memory and 8-track tape recorder, Voyager is bringing old-timey tech to the stars. It's currently some 11.3 billion miles from the sun in the heliosheath, the region where the solar wind slows down as it hits gas and dust outside our solar system. … Read more

Play old-school Atari games in any HTML5 Web browser

Zap! Atari and Microsoft today launched Atari Arcade, an excellent example of how HTML5 can change the way we play video games.

The portal of retro entertainment -- primarily launched to celebrate Atari's 40th anniversary -- includes Asteroids, Centipede, Combat, Lunar Lander, Missile Command, Pong, Super Breakout, and Yars' Revenge. The best part? It's free, and doesn't require Flash, Java, or any other plug-in to play, running solely on HTML5.… Read more

Stop Facebook from marking messages as 'Seen'

Remember when you could read a Facebook message and ignore it, without thinking twice about replying? Then Facebook rolled out read receipts for Facebook Messages, thus forcing your hand to reply. Luckily, there's now a browser extension to disable the "Seen" notification on messages you've read, as reported by The Next Web.

The browser extension is called Chat Undetected, and was developed by Crossrider. It's compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. I was unable to install the extension in Safari, even though The Next Web report lists it as a compatible browser.

To install … Read more

Bing Windows 8 app brings tiled goodness to your search results

Microsoft's new Bing app brings a simple but visually slick approach to searching the Web.

The app made its entrance on Wednesday as one of the few new features to pop up in the Windows 8 RTM (release-to-manufacturing), the same version that will officially greet consumers on October 26.

The new operating system already offers Internet Explorer, both as a Windows 8 app and a traditional desktop program. As a third option, Bing is a dedicated app that acts as a portal to Microsoft's own search engine.

Launching the app opens Bing's home page with the search … Read more

Adobe patches critical security bugs in Flash, Reader, Acrobat

Those of you running Adobe Flash, Reader, and/or Acrobat are advised to download the latest updates. Adobe yesterday rolled out new and critical security fixes for all three products.

The update for Flash patches a vulnerability that could cause the software to crash and allow someone to remotely take control of an infected computer.

This hole has already been exploited through limited attacks, Adobe said. Deployed through a malicious Word document, this exploit attacks the ActiveX version of Flash Player installed as a plug-in on Internet Explorer for Windows.

Windows and Macintosh users can update Flash through the Adobe Flash Player Download Center. … Read more

Take the rover for a spin around a virtual Mars crater

We've been exploring ways to immerse yourself in Mars without having to sign up for an experimental one-way space trip. You can play with a photo panorama, but you can also put yourself in Curiosity's shoes and take the rover for a crater ride.

NASA's Explore Mars: Free Drive online experience puts you in command of the rover in a virtual version of the Gale Crater on Mars.

It's fun to watch the rover's wheels react to the landscape. I made mine do doughnuts. There are plenty of points of interest available for exploration, including the landing site, a series of fractures, a canyon, sand dunes, and a phyllosilicate trough.… Read more

Pulse leaps from app to Web, at last

iPhone? Check. Android? Check. For most mobile apps, that's enough. Popular news reader Pulse, however, has decided that its next frontier is something you may have heard of before called the World Wide Web.

Pulse's Web app at Pulse.me is built entirely from HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, and indicates that the future-Web technologies are rapidly approaching a state where they can easily re-create native app experiences in the browser. The site is accessible from most major browsers on traditional PCs and mobile devices. With the touch-focused Windows 8 and its associated touch screen hardware coming at the … Read more