Tips to make your browser secure

Web browsers are the key to the internet. Without them the internet is an impenetrable black box.

Browsers may be among the most commonly used applications, but they also offer the greatest number of attack options for dangerous content on the net. To keep viruses, worms and other malware away from your computer when surfing, it's crucial to configure your browser for security.

The firewall on a DSL router is a good first step for protecting the computer during surfing, says Marco Rinne from the computer portal chip.de. But that doesn't hold true if your browser is out of date: “Internet Explorer 6 and 7 or Firefox 2 no longer satisfy current security standards,” he says. For optimal protection, he therefore urges users to keep their browsers updated.

There are numerous security tools already present in Firefox and Internet Explorer. The pop-up blocker, for example, prevents more than just annoying ads. It also throttles other windows that can be used to sneak malicious software onto PCs. Phishing filters protect personal data against theft.

Firefox offers additional configuration options under the Settings item in the Security tab of the Options dialog box: this includes the ability to block risky or forged websites. It's also a good idea to prohibit websites from installing add-ons on their own. Similar settings are possible under Internet Explorer in the Security tab of the Internet Options dialog box, accessible from the Tools menu.

Computer owners should also activate all options for warning against attacks, advises Markus Linnemann, managing director of the Institute for Internet Security (ifis) at the Polytechnic University of Gelsenkirchen in Germany. This applies in particular to warnings about suspicious content to be displayed using ActiveX, Flash, or JavaScript.

Yet the warning mechanism on most browsers alone isn't usually enough, Linnemann says. Those who wish to be especially careful can, for example, use the Firefox add-on 'No Script,' which blocks all active content of a website by default and allows the user to decide which should be permitted. The problem is that most users are unable to determine which content represents a threat to their computer, Rinnem says. 

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Transcend launches 16GB Swarovski flash drive

Transcend has launched a new 16GB edition of its JetFlash V95C USB flash drives.

The JetFlash V95C features a retractable USB connector and comes with a glossy lacquer accent panel with a Swarovski sapphire crystal.

According to Gordon Wu, Regional head – South Asia, Transcend, "Although the 16GB JetFlash V95C is ultra compact, the USB flash drive is capable of storing up to 6552 still images (based on 5 megapixel JPEG compression format) or 240 minutes of high-definition 1080p video. Each JetFlash V95C comes with a leather strap."

Users can also download Transcend's JetFlash Elite data management tools to enhance their mobile productivity.

The JetFlash V95C offers up to 15MB/s transfer speeds and is available in four capacities: 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB.

The 16GB version is priced at Rs 3650. 

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China's progress in IT is an opportunity for India: Infy's Murthy

N.R. Narayana Murthy, the founder of IT giant Infosys, opined that India should perceive China's rapid development in the information technology sector as an "opportunity" for Indian IT companies functioning in that country, rather than as a "threat," reports Raktima Bose from The Hindu. 

Answering if China's speedy progress in the IT field could pose a threat to India's favourable global position, Murthy said, "China has shown development in extraordinary proportions in different sectors. It will also make progress in the IT sector. Almost all Indian IT companies have a presence in China now.

 But we are not looking at China as a threat but as an opportunity." Many of India's leading IT companies like TCS, Infosys and Satyam has setup shops in china to attract projects from the Chinese Industries and to explore the booming manufacturing sector there. Some of the major Indian companies have also acquired small sized Chinese companies to understand the market and to merge themselves into the Chinese culture. Though the per hour rate offered by Chinese is less than India's rate, about 30 percent less. But there are lot of hidden costs which includes communication issues (more time, more rate), knowledge transferring time, data security protection and regulatory issues. These issues demands a completely new strategy for the western companies to kick start its outsourcing plans. 

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India stands at 78th on Newsweek’s best country list

 India ranks 78th on the World’s Best Countries’ list compiled by Newsweek magazine, which placed nations on the basis of health, education, economy and politics. Among India’s neighbours, China is ranked 59th, Sri Lanka is placed at 66th position, while Bangladesh and Pakistan has been placed at 88th and 89th spots respectively. Japan, South Korea and Singapore are the only three Asian countries in the top 20. The top four positions go to Finland, Switzerland, Sweden and Australia while the United Statescomes in at 11th with Germany at 12th and the United Kingdom at 14th.


“In Newsweek’s first-ever Best Countries special issue, we set out to answer a question that is at once simple and incredibly complex—if you were born today, which country would provide you the very best opportunity to live a healthy, safe, reasonably prosperous and upwardly mobile life?,” writes Rana Foorohar, deputy editor. The rankings are based on performance in areas such as education, health, economic dynamism and quality of life. India is described as a big country with 1.2 billion people with a small per capita income of $1,170 per capita.


In an article describing how the countries were ranked, Foorohar writes, “While remarkable individuals can be found in any nation on earth, certain countries give their citizens much greater opportunity to succeed than others at certain points in time.” India gets 2.5 for freedom of expression, political participation and electoral processes from Freedom House with 1 being the highest score. Pakistan scores low with 4.5. In the quality of life section, the study quotes the World Bank statistics as 75 per cent of the population living on less than $2 per day.

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HCL Infosystems launches gaming consoles

HCL Infosystems has launched low-cost gaming consoles  range including ME D75, ME F25 and ME K 28. The new consoles have been custom-made to cater to the children of the age-group of 4 to 15 years. With special form factors, HCL ME F25 will primarily target the girls with its heart-shape design whereas HCL ME D75 and HCL ME K28 with its black-shade and strong built to appeal boys. The range will be power-packed with capabilities like TV out. 

The company has also launched 2 more brain-trainer consoles – ME A30 and ME C100. These newly launched brain-trainers are available at an affordable price ranging from Rs 799 to Rs 1890. 

Commenting on the launch, George Paul, Executive Vice President, HCL Infosystems, said, “Today interactivity is the key for effective communications, let it be business, sports, education and even developing analytical skills. HCL gaming has been designed to harness the enthusiasm of the children for games and in the process challenge their intelligent quotient effectively, triggering logical thinking at an early age.”

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Pak group hacks into Vijay Mallya's website

Playing spoilsport to I-Day celebrations on Sunday was a cyber threat from Pakistan. The victim http://www.mallyainparliament.com — the official website of Vijay Mallya, Bangalore-based businessman and MP (Rajya Sabha).

According to Mallya’s office in Mumbai, "The website was hacked and the Pakistani flag was placed on the site with a dire message from an organization claiming to be the ‘Pakistan Cyber Army’."

"A police complaint will be filed with the cyber crime cell on Monday," Prakash Mirpuri, spokesperson for Mallya, told TOI. However, he refused to comment on the message details. The website was fixed by Sunday evening and all the remarks removed.

The exact role of Pakistan Cyber Army in this act is yet to be confirmed. But the organization has been known for similar cyber shocks, posting pro-Pakistani messages across various Indian websites in the past. According to details available on the web in 2008, they had also hacked ONGC website, http://www.ongcindia.com. They also have a huge fan base on popular social networking sites like Facebook. A web report said that the Mallya group had registered a complaint with the Karnataka police. However, Dr D V Guruprasad, DG CID, denied it. Tnn

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How hackers snoop on private browsing

Experts have identified how their web browser's 'private mode' setting is also vulnerable to hackers. Most web browsers offer a private mode, intended to leave no trace of surfing history on the computer. Even if private browsing is enabled, details relating to the key remain stored on the computer's hard drive, allowing a hacker to establish that a particular site had been visited.



A hacker could "guess what sites you've been to based on traces left behind," New Scientist quoted Jackson as saying.

These attacks on privacy "do not require a great deal of technical sophistication and could easily be built into forensics tools," he added.

However, Rik Ferguson  -- a UK-based security researcher at Trend Micro of Tokyo, Japan -- says that any attacker with the knowledge to exploit the weaknesses would probably look to other attacks first, which may yield more detailed information.

"If someone is capable of tracking your browsing habits in this way, then they are probably also tech-savvy enough to know about commercial spyware which could much more effectively track your computer use," says Ferguson.

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Trojan hacks 3,000 bank accounts

Computer hackers have stolen at least 675,000 pounds from thousands of bank accounts in Britain  using a malicious software, which expert believe the most dangerous virus ever created. About 3,000 online Banking customers have been victims of a computer virus attack that empties their accounts while showing them fake statements so the crime goes undetected. 

                                                                                                  




Experts have described the attack using a "trojan" virus as the most sophisticated and dangerous malware programme ever created, Daily Mail reported. The cyber crimnals stole an estimated 675,000 pounds between July 5 and August 4 and the attack is still progressing, experts warn. 

The latest virus is a variant of the Zeus trojan banking virus which first emerged three years ago and is called Zeus v3. M86 Security said, "We've never seen such a sophisticated and dangerous threat. Always check your balance and have a good idea of what it is." The scam was discovered after M86 gained access to the command-and-control server in Eastern Europe  running the thefts.
 
It collects data such as passwords and even transfers money out of accounts automatically, but only after checking if there is at least 800 pound available. Bradley Anstis, M86 vice-president of technology strategy, said, "This is an extremely sophisticated version of the virus and it cannot be detected by traditional security software." 
                                 The company said it was the most-sophisticated and dangerous virus yet seen and advised online banking users to check their balances regularly and have a good idea of what it should be. British high street banks do not believe they have become victims of the cyber criminals. 
                                                                                                                          A spokesman for HSBC said, "There are millions of viruses and other malicious software. We urge people to take basic measure to protect themselves from virus attacks. Any customer who is a victim of fraud will be reimbursed by HSBC." However, M86 said it believed one high street bank was breached and failed to act quickly after warnings last month. More than 100,000 personal computers in Britain have been infected with other forms of the trojan virus. 

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How to lock your computer

If you want to quickly lock your computer while working when kids or strangers hover around, here’s a shortcut to do that.

1. Right click on the Desktop and select New -- Shortcut

2. Enter rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkstation as the shortcut

3. Call it Lock Computer and right click and choose Properties

4. Now Click on Change Icon and search through shell32.dll to set any icon you want. Remember you need a password to do this !

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Nokia has launched C-6

Your Latest Smartphone Nokia has launched C-6 in England. Now there can be bought directly from Nokia's website. Nokia's the best slider phone costs 289 pounds ie around 21 thousand rupees has been earmarked.

The phone's 3.2 inch touch screen has started captive. For best picture quality of this powerful 5 megapixel camera has been installed. Not only in C-6 Chips and such features also have been Qwerty board. The phone not only all the big social networking sites Skree feeds can also be seen.

Nokia S 60 Ssimbaan the phone operating system is used. There were speculation that company before it its own operating system 'Mimo' will use. It is expected that the company soon Utaregee in the Indian market.

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Get computer for Rs 1,500 from 2012

New sun will arise for the student of the country by 2011, claimed HRD Minister Kapil Sibal unveiling a low-cost computer for student priced at $35 {Rs 1,500} With all elementary features, including internet browsing. The indigenously-made

Computer is expected to be available for the student by next year.

Sibal said that

The government”s objective would be to bring down the price to $US10 {Rs 470}.

This would be achieved in stages after successively dropping down the price from

$35 to $20 {Rs 943}.

                                                                                                          

                                     The low cost computer has been designed with the joint efforts of several teams comprising experts, student and professors from IITs and IISc Bangalore

who worked with the HRD Ministry. The Ministry started its efforts, following the

lukewarm response from the corporate world, by holding discussions on the concept with a group of professors of IIT-Bangalore.

                                                                 “we have come out with the device at $35 now we invite individuals,entreneurs and firms or industries to produce the device at cheaper rates than this,” said sibal.The low cost computer fulfils a key mandate of the government, to provide high quality e-content free of cost to all learners in the country under the national mission on education through information and communication technology. The device will also support function like video web conferencing

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No Indian writer in 2010 Booker long-list

No Indian writer figures in this year’s long-list for the prestigious Man Booker Prize for fiction, which is considered the leading literary award in the English-speaking world. The 2010 shortlist for the £50,000 prize will be announced on September 7 and the winner will be revealed on October 12 at a dinner at London’s Guildhall.

Indian or Indian-origin writers had been prominent contenders for the prize in recent years, but they did not figure in this year’s long-list for the coveted prize. Two recent winners of the prize were Aravinda Adiga (2008) and Kiran Desai (2006).

The long-list includes Peter Carey’s Parrot and Olivier in America; Emma Donoghue’s Room; Helen Dunmore’s The Betrayal; Damon Galgut’s In a Strange Room; Howard Jacobson’s The Finkler Question, Andrea Levy’s The Long Song; Tom McCarthy’s Book Titled C; David Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet; Lisa Moore’s February; Paul Murray’s Skippy Dies; Rose Tremain’s Trespass, Christos Tsiolkas’ The Slap; and Alan Warner’s The Stars in the Bright Sky.

The chair of judges, Andrew Motion, commented: “Here are 13 exceptional novels-books we have chosen for their intrinsic quality, without reference to the past work of their authors. Wide-ranging in their geography and their concern, they tell powerful stories which make the familiar strange and cover an enormous range of history and feeling.”

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Smartphone Make Payment

                                    

                                                 

Smartphone to pay in credit cards now in use can be made. America's three wireless communication companies, AT & T, Version and T - Mobile has stepped up efforts for it.

It proposes creating a special Enfsi chip. The wireless technology called Field Communication Niar card reader attached to the credit card information is sent. Maabail chip can also easily be applied.

According to the Boston Federal Reserve put it 10 to 15 dollars (around Rs 700. Far) would cost. Companies like Visa and MasterCard have shown interest in the technology, because it will recover them from customers processing fee.                

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Who is responsible to the Kashmir problem?

Jammu and Kashmir state to India last several years, the problem remains. Central government to normalize conditions in Kashmir for many years been saddled with millions of dollars of resources, but results are not satisfactory.


                        


Central Government's priority list over the K always has been. K compared to other states has always been much relief, but after that conditions are not coming under control. Kashmir state plans to develop 13 252 crores in 2009-10 helped. But the point is that such a huge amount is being given at what price? Poverty, hunger, unemployment, etc. are battling the state's problems - such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh Budget gets much less than K.Each of these state of Kashmir was a part of the total budget nearly a quarter are missing. K resource center on safety in the much larger budget is spent.

Terrorism and separatism in the country in some other states dominate, but the Centre never seen them so generously. RBI report eight north eastern states, where separatism has given Rs 29 084 in 2009-1010, while only one state 13 252 K Ane helped Karozr Rs.

One truth is that the correct use of funds to meet the center is not. Ane school social sector, health and rural development Kashmir government spent 30 per cent of the total budget, while the national average is 40 per cent. States such as Chattisgarh and Rajasthan has a lot more money spent in these areas. If the state develops the right way then perhaps conditions would not be so bad. In addition, the government police can not effectively use is.

But also a matter of thinking that people with a group of separatists Why? What people together separatist and terrorist forces should not resist?

Now the point is that the current situation in Kashmir Valley who is responsible for, the Central Government, State Government or the public?

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Your BlackBerry is in danger!

If you use the BlackBerry phone, we tell you the status Ssiambal is supposedly threatened over the phone. The Canadian government make the phone company Research In Motion RIM ie the bluntly told him that the company linked to security concerns as quickly as possible or take away from India taking its store wrap.


DoT has asked the Home Ministry informing the rim, the company e-mail and other data services to provide the security and intelligence agencies to adopt such systems can keep an eye on these. And the company if it does not stop his services to the country than any other way. Tell you that the present rim services in India through the system is giving him the security agencies to be sent through BlackBerry messages are not keep an eye on. Security of the country in terms of being seen as a major threat.

Government wants RIM also put your server in India so it is easy to see messages sent over the network. But the company still is not any initiative in this direction. But not this issue resolved quickly so if RIM's BlackBerry in India, nearly 10 million people who use the phone Dhante can be sealed.

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