internet

Microsoft issued a fix today for a zero-day vulnerability in older versions of Internet Explorer that could allow attackers to gain control of Windows-based computers to host malicious Web sites.

The company confirmed Saturday that it was investigating a remote code execution vulnerability in IE 6, IE 7, and IE 8 that could allow an attacker to use the corrupted PC to host a Web site designed to exploit the vulnerability with other users. Versions of the browser after IE 8 are unaffected, Microsoft said.

Microsoft said in an update to that security advisory that it has developed a one-click fix … Read more

Microsoft has confirmed that a zero-day vulnerability affecting older versions of Internet Explorer could allow attackers to gain control of Windows-based computers to host malicious Web sites.

The company acknowledged the issue in a security advisory yesterday that included advice on how users can mitigate the threat posed by the flaw.

"Microsoft is aware of targeted attacks that attempt to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer 8," Microsoft said, noting that more recent versions of the Web browser, including IE 9 and IE 10, were unaffected.

The remote code execution vulnerability affects the way the browser accesses memory, … Read more

The Federal Communications Commission announced new rules today designed to speed deployment of Internet services on aircraft.

Since 2001, the FCC has authorized a number of companies on a case-by-case basis to offer in-flight Internet service via Earth Stations Aboard Aircraft, which carry two-way signals from an aircraft-mounted antenna to geostationary satellites. The FCC said the new rules define ESAA as a licensed application and sets a framework for processing applications, allowing airlines to test and win approval for systems that meet FCC requirements for not interfering with aircraft systems.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the new rules will help … Read more

The Chinese government is once again imposing new restrictions on Internet use.

A decision approved today by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress institutes an "identity management policy," according to China's official Xinhua news agency. Such a policy requires Internet users to use their real names when registering with an online provider or mobile carrier.

Though most Chinese Internet users already use their real names to sign up for online accounts, the new policy makes it the law.

Li Fei, deputy director of the Commission for Legislative Affairs of the Standing Committee, did acknowledge … Read more

More people are reading e-books, and more of them are using tablets as their primary way of doing so.

The percentage of Americans who now read e-books rose to 23 percent in 2012 from 16 percent a year ago, says a report out today from Pew Internet. Over the same time, the percentage of those who read printed books dropped to 67 percent from 72 percent.

From the poll conducted in October and November, the percentage of people who own a tablet or dedicated e-reader jumped to 33 percent from just 18 percent a year ago.

But among the two … Read more

It's been called the Internet of Things, the connected future, the post-PC and even, in our minds, the post-mobile world: however you want to refer to it, the trend toward ubiquitously connected devices and people is inescapable and poised to change everything about the consumer electronics world.

At CNET, we're calling it the post-mobile future: mapping the next frontier of consumer electronics. Because let's be blunt: consumer electronics has been kind of a boring world for the past couple of years. It seems like all we talk about is smartphones and tablets, tablets and smartphones. Last year'… Read more

Fast-growing e-commerce site Fab plans to expand its focus on India after taking a "seven-figure investment" from Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India Group.

The specific financial terms were not revealed, but the investment will include a partnership between the two companies "to explore and execute on our India market strategy in the coming years," Fab founder and CEO Jason Goldberg wrote today in a blog post.

The investment and collaboration come a little more than a month after the design-focused shopping site acquired India-based True Sparrow, a tech venture company that … Read more

At the Le Web conference in Paris in December, the theme was a phrase I wish I'd thought of: the Internet of Things. The show was all about our connected present and future, a world in which all our devices are connected to each other, to us, and to the great Data Cloud in the sky. I interviewed entrepreneurs, futurists, designers, and big company names about what that future will hold and when it might come about for a special Future Tech package in this episode.

The most interesting thing to come out of those interviews, to me, was … Read more

You can't visit too many museums at 3 a.m. in your underwear, but The Big Internet Museum welcomes visitors at any hour, in any attire. Appropriately, the new museum dedicated completely to the Internet exists online only.

The newly opened museum houses seven wings, each devoted to a different category spanning past to present.

In the history wing, visitors can take a nostalgic scroll back to early search engine AltaVista and JennyCAM, Jennifer Ringley's 1996 popular personal Webcam site. The technology wing touches on Usenet, HTML, and Lycos, among others, while the meme wing rounds up such classics as Star Wars Kid, Numa Numa Guy, and Rickroll. Other wing topics include social media, peripherals, gaming, and audio-visual (emoticons, Napster, YouTube). … Read more