CoRD: Better Alternative To Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection [Mac]

Yesterday, we reviewed Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection (MRDC), a Mac app that allows you to remotely connect to any Windows PC and access it. One of our readers sounded off in the comments about CoRD, citing it was better than the aforementioned app, and we took a crack at it. CoRD is a free, open source Mac app that allows you to connect with any Windows PC, and is similar in functionality to Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection (MRDC). It allows you to control how audio is played, lets you access files on your Mac through the Windows PC you are connected to (without breaking the connection), and control just about everything on it. With both apps being so similar, and with the exact same price (read free), the deal maker for us was how fast the changes made on the other end were reflected on the Mac, and Cord definitely performed better. Granted, there was the minor glitch or two, but the only major inconvenience we faced was that the screen never froze, which was fairly common with Microsoft’s app.
Once installed, you can start adding any number of systems to access from your Mac. Both the Mac you’re using, and the PC you’re trying to access, should be on the same network, and you must know the IP address of the PC. To connect a system, click the Servers button on the top right corner of the app window. A slider will open, click the plus button on the lower left of the panel. In the window that opens, enter the system name and the system’s IP address.

Once you’ve entered the system’s name and its IP address, you can customize the screen size, audio settings, and whether the desktop background should be visible or not.

To create a connection, double click a configured connection from the Servers pane, and the app will connect with the system.

You can set these preferences separately for each system you connect to, or enter a default setting from the app’s preferences. Go to the Default tab and select default settings for display, audio and printing. To make one or more disks on your Mac available through the connection on your Windows PC, go to the Forwarding tab and add it.

While both apps are similar in functionality, the make or break in a remote access desktop app is often on how stable a connection it creates, and CoRD definitely appears to have the upper hand, as far as our tests show. Since they’re both free, you can easily try them out and pick a favorite for yourself.

Get CoRD For Mac

Tags: downloads hacking information Mac windows 7

WordPress v2.0 For Android Brings Revamped UI, Easier Text Editing & More

WordPress is certainly among the most extensively used blogging tools and online Content Management Systems out there. The official WordPress client for Android has been around in the Android Market for quite some time now, but compared to the website itself, said client was a far cry in terms of the editing features that it offered. However, things have changed quite drastically with the recent update that the app has received. The updated (v2.0) WordPress client comes packed with a brand new Dashboard, post editor and Quick Action toolbar with rich text editing options as well as full support for Android tablets. Details to follow.


The new dashboard displays all the core WordPress features and is accessible from almost anywhere within the app’s UI via a button that sits in the top-right corner of the screen. Among other options on the bar at the top of the app’s homescreen, you have the choice of switching between multiple blogs from the dropdown menu, and refresh the app’s content manually.

The aforementioned Quick Action toolbar remains visible just above the keyboard while you’re editing your posts, while in previous versions, you had to scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to find them. Not only does the new toolbar make it extremely easy to edit text and add required media content, it comes packed with a few new options as well, such as inserting quotation marks and page breaks. Tapping the camera icon on this toolbar lets you capture fresh photos or videos, import existing media from the gallery, and add it to the post. For each image that you add, you are presented with the choice to rename it, insert a caption, adjust its alignment and dimensions. Each post that you create can also be previewed before publishing, that is, you can view what the post will look like on the blog itself, and determine if you need to make any changes to the format.


The download link and the QR code provided below will take you to the app’s Android Market page.
Download WordPress

Tags: Android hacking information WordPress

How to Increase Facebook Likes on Your Fanpage

There are plenty of advertisers who promise to give sudden increase in Facebook likes with paying some dollars. but are these fake Facebook likes works at all..!! well, i suggest build a genuine relationship with Facebook fanpage and grow your likes fans on facebook. Here are few tips that will help to increase Facebook likes.
Advertise on Facebook to get more  Facebook likes”. This is the quickest way to grow your fan base.

Increase/Grow your likes on Facebook fanpage

Best Tips to get increase Facebook Page Likes

1. Rotate your ads “DAILY” people get tired of hearing the same thing in conversation so change your ad! Conversion (CTR) rates can drop by 50% after the first 24 hours. Do not “set and forget”
2. Free exclusive video that can only be viewed if you like the page.
3. Include a link to your Facebook page in your email signature
4. Post content from your blog to Facebook whenever you write a new post. Facebook users love receiving new content on Facebook without having to go looking for your blog. Treat Facebook as an extension of your blog.
5. Make it obvious on a custom landing page by providing a big bold “Like our Page”
6. Initially ask friends and family to like your page. A bit overdone but essential at the beginning
7. Run a competition. Everyone likes a competition
8. Offer a free ebook to obtain a “like” (just like you should be doing for email subscriber acquisition)
9. Provide enticing high resolution photos. Compelling photos that are appropriate for your target audience will keep them coming back and make them share and so drive more likes from their friends
10. Add Facebook Social Plugin Box to your Blog and Website (60% of my “likes” are achieved this way)
11. Ask questions regularly using Facebook’s native question app.

Advantage of increasing Facebook Likes:

Increasing Facebook Like is also increasing your network. Just having thousands of friends or thousands more from your fan page is very viral. The more likes you get, the more people will be in your network.
More people means more audience. Now if you are selling something, this means more potential customers for you.
There are virtually tons of advantages of Facebook Like and it really depends on your purpose. But one thing’s for sure is that it will serve your purpose.

Essential changes to  Facebook Fan page to increase Facebook Likes

1. Offer “Special” including discounts to Facebook fans. The majority of Facebook users “like” a page to obtain a discount
2. Simple but often missed: Add a “follow us” on Facebook button near the top of your website and blog pages
3. Add a large custom banner to your blog and website asking to “Like
4. Create an incentive “Like” page that gives people a reason to like your page.
5. Include the Facebook like button on your email HTML template so that people can like your Facebook page from the regular email newsletter
6. Add a link to your Facebook page as one of your three LinkedIn website links that are part of your LinkedIn settings in your profile
7. Add a newsworthy update that is relevant for your industry or market niche to your Facebook page every day
8. Provide a compelling welcome video on your Facebook landing page

Getting increase and grow your Facebook likes is important. but you should also continue to grow both your email subscriber list and increase Twitter followers.
How have you increased your Facebook page “likes”? You want to join Facebook Like Exchange  porgramme. Give a Facebook Like to 10+ articles and i will do the same in response.
Thanks.  Happy Facebook Like program ..:)

Tags: facebook hacking information

4 General Methods You Can Use To Detect Phishing Attacks

The internet is one of the best tools known to mankind to do basically whatever you want. But Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Dropbox, Paypal, eBay, bank portals, and so many more sites have twins that are actually phish.

A “phish” is a term for a scam website that tries to look like a site that you know might well and visit often. The act of all these sites trying to steal your account information is called phishing. While it’s very easy to spot some sites as a phish, others aren’t nearly as easy.
Here are four different anti-phishing methods you can use so that you don’t fall victim to phishing.

1. Use a Custom DNS Service

You need a DNS resolution service so that you can access all the sites that you go to. Your computer doesn’t automatically know where Facebook is (as far as its Internet address, or IP address, goes), so it needs to ask a DNS resolution service for that IP address. The good thing is, all Internet users have this service, thanks to their internet service provider. The bad news is that’s all they do.
Aside from name resolution, the DNS servers at ISPs do nothing else. However, there are some custom and independent DNS companies that do more than just name resolution. They can also filter sites based on content and malware/phishing concerns. There are many out there that can do this, but the most popular one (last time I checked) is OpenDNS.

Tags: hacking information Phishing security website

iTunes Match Officially Launches Internationally

After what some are calling an “accidental” launch on Wednesday, Apple has now begun rolling out its iTunes Match service around the world. Reports suggest the service has already reached the UK, Australia, Canada, France , Spain and Ireland as well as Brazil which received the service earlier this week.

Customers who signed up prematurely on Wednesday soon encountered problems using the service and were notified via email that they would be receiving refunds. Today the service appears to be officially available via iTunes in Windows or Mac OS X.
iTunes Match scans personal storage for music and delivers it across a range of devices, offering up streaming and downloadable options. If iTunes detects a song it recognises then a DRM-free 256kbps AAC file is made available. If iTunes fails to recognise a song then that file is uploaded and made available instead.

Audiophiles around the world can find the iTunes Match service in their “Quick Links” bar on the right-hand side of iTunes if the service is available. Users should also be aware that the scanning and uploading process can take a while, especially when it comes to particularly large collections.
Current pricing from around the world puts a year’s worth of iTunes Match at €24.99 in Europe, £21.99 in the UK, CAD$27.99 in Canada and AUD$34.99 in Australia.
Have you subscribed to iTunes Match yet? Happy with the price in your country or territory? Talk about it in the comments.

Tags: information iTunes mobile software

Facebook Releases Top Trends, Memes & Pages List For 2011

The end of the year is the list lover’s favorite time. The year is ending, and many networks and websites are publishing their top (something) lists for 2011. We just finished reading Twitter’s top stories list, and now Facebook has released their 2011 Memology – the very top trends and memes on Facebook during 2011.

As on Twitter, the most colorful global topic of 2011, seemingly unrelated to other news items, is Charlie Sheen, which sits confidently in fourth place. First place goes to the death of Osama bin Laden, followed by Packers win the Super Bowl in second and Casey Anthony found not guilty in third.

The death of Steve Jobs, which apparently wasn’t as exciting as Charlie Sheen, lies in fifth place. The list, along with the monthly graph beneath it, show a pretty interesting picture – there is no chronological order to the list. Some items from the beginning of the year stayed very strong even at the end of it.
Facebook has also released top status trends by country, which include 14 different countries, and a list of fastest growing Pages and most popular media in 2011.  The top trends for countries range from lms (like my status), the Royal Wedding and planking to Steve Jobs and the death of Amy Winehouse.

You can also check out this blog post from Facebook’s blog for some additional information on top trends, as well as some graphs describing top memes.

Tags: facebook information

New PuTTY Release Fixes Password-not-wiped Vulnerability

Simon Tatham has released a new version of PuTTY, the ubiquitous SSH client for Windows, that fixes a bug that left passwords in active memory. Since PuTTY needs to authenticate with remotes servers using passwords or private/public keys and that it needs to store sessions keys etc in memory while running, it is important that any information that is no longer needed be wiped from memory.
The reason for this is that it is feasible that malware could gain access to PuTTY’s memory or read any parts of the memory swapped to disk or any memory written to a crash dump. Accessing this memory could then lead to password discovery.
Although this scenario isn’t 100% avoidable (as PuTTY needs to keep some sensitive information on hand), the risks can be reduced as much as possible. PuTTY 0.59, 0.60 and 0.61 contained a bug in which the password entered was not wiped from memory, even though it was no longer needed.

Since most modern SSH-2 servers use the keyboard-interactive method for password logins (rather than SSH-2′s dedicated password method), this meant that those versions of PuTTY would store your login password in memory for as long as they were running.

Other bugs squashed in 0.62 include:

• Pageant 0.61 would not accept connections from PuTTY 0.60 and earlier, or from other software (such as WinSCP) that used 0.60′s method of talking to Pageant. Pageant 0.62 accepts connections from both types of client.
• If PuTTY 0.61 attempted GSSAPI authentication and failed, it printed a spurious and confusing ‘Access denied’ message in the terminal window, even though it was still possible to log in by other means.
• If PSCP or PSFTP 0.61 was told to load a saved session which specifies SSH on a port other than 22, they would wrongly try to connect to port 22 instead of the specified port.
• Pageant 0.61 leaked a file mapping handle every time it received a message with the wrong authentication.
• PuTTYtel 0.61 crashed with an assertion failure message when saving a session.
• PuTTY 0.61 could display underlined text with the underlines in the wrong place, to the right of the characters they should have been under.
• PuTTY 0.61 could display VT100 line-drawing characters at the wrong vertical offset if they appeared next to the offset horizontal line characters.

Pre-built binaries, and the source code, are now available from the PuTTY website at http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/

Tags: downloads hacking information software windows

Google Sponsored Report Says Chrome is the Safest Browser

Accuvant has published a report, commissioned by Google, called “Browser Security Comparison: A Quantitative Approach” which evaluates the security of Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Internet Explorer. The report finds that Google Chrome is currently the browser that is most secured against attacks.

“Anybody who surfs the internet is familiar with malware, spyware and viruses. These malicious programs can lead to system pop-ups, slowdowns, account takeovers, and theft of credit card data, social security numbers and other personally identifiable information. While antivirus and anti-malware can help prevent infection, the first line of defense is using a secure web browser,” said Ryan Smith, chief scientist for Accuvant. “Accuvant is dedicated to providing essential services, like this in-depth, proactive research, that help protect vendors, companies, government agencies, and the public-at-large against those with malicious intent.”

Although the report was commissioned by Google, Accuvant says its analysis is independent and based on the premise that all software of sufficient complexity has vulnerabilities. As such the web browser with the best anti-exploitation techniques is the most resistant to attack.

“Our researchers used a completely different and more extensive methodology than previous, similar studies,” said Chris Valasek, Accuvant LABS senior research scientist. “We compared web browsers from a layered perspective, taking into account security architecture and anti-exploitation techniques. Like antivirus or anti-malware software, each provides an additional layer of defense. This methodology requires a greater depth of technical expertise than statistical analysis of vulnerabilities, and also provides a more accurate window into the security of each browser.”

The Conclusion
The reports executive conclusion reads “the URL blacklisting services offered by all three browsers will stop fewer attacks than will go undetected. Both Google Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer implement state-of-the-art antiexploitation technologies, but Mozilla Firefox lags behind without JIT hardening. While both Google Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer implement the same set of anti-exploitation technologies, Google Chrome’s plug-in security and sandboxing architectures are implemented in a more thorough and comprehensive manner. Therefore, we believe Google Chrome is the browser that is most secured against attack.“

Tags: chrome hacking information

Microsoft Fixes Duqu Vulnerability But Drops SSL Changes at Last Minute

As expected Microsoft has released its Patch Tuesday security updates for December. Originally Microsoft were going to release 14 bulletins but instead released only 13. The missing update was intended to make changes to the way Windows works with SSL/TLS to try and minimize the recently discovered weaknesses of the security protocol as highlighted by the BEAST (Browser Exploit Against SSL/TLS) hacking tool. However Microsoft discovered some compatibility issues with their changes and “a major third-party vendor.” Microsoft are “working with that vendor to address the issue.”
Microsoft however did fix the kernel-mode driver vulnerability that allows the Duqu malware to spread. The vulnerability allows remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted document or visits a malicious Web page that embeds TrueType font files.
Microsoft also fixed a vulnerability in Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center that can allow remote code execution. Bulletin MS11-092  resolves a privately reported vulnerability that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Microsoft Digital Video Recording (.dvr-ms) file. In all cases, a user cannot be forced to open the file; for an attack to be successful, a user must be convinced to do so.
The other “Critical” level update is for a  remote code execution vulnerability if a user views a specially crafted Web page that uses a specific binary behavior in Internet Explorer. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights. This update also includes kill bits for four third-party ActiveX controls.

Tags: hacking information microsoft windows windows 7

ICS-CERT Warns of Hardcoded Backdoors in Industrial Control Systems

Independent security researcher Rubén Santamarta has published details of hardcoded backdoors in the Schneider Electric NOE771 Quantum Ethernet Module. Subsequently the US Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) has published an alert warning of the multiple vulnerabilities in the module.
The backdoors are as follows:

• Telnet port – May allow remote attackers the ability to view the operation of the module’s firmware, cause a denial of service, modify the memory of the module, and execute arbitrary code.
• Windriver Debug port – Used for development; may allow remote attackers to view the operation of the module’s firmware, cause a denial of service, modify the memory of the module, and execute arbitrary code.
• FTP service – May allow an attacker to modify the module website, download and run custom firmware, and modify the http passwords.

Rubén’s research shows are creditionals are hardcoded in Java Jar files stored on the device. For example Rubén shows the ftp username (‘sysdiag’) and password. The result is that:

• Modicon PLCs can be compromise via the NOE Ethernet modules through ftp, telnet, modbus, WDB, snmp, web etc.
• An attacker could load their own trojanized firmware.
• There are non-documented hidden accounts that can be used to compromise a PLC.

The affected products are:
Quantum

• 140NOE77101 Firmware Version 4.9 and all previous versions.
• 140NOE77111 Firmware Version 5.0 and all previous versions.
• 140NOE77100 Firmware Version V3.4 and all previous versions.
• 140NOE77110 Firmware Version V3.3 and all previous versions.
• 140CPU65150 Firmware Version V3.5 and all previous versions.
• 140CPU65160 Firmware Version V3.5 and all previous versions.
• 140CPU65260 Firmware Version V3.5 and all previous versions.

Premium

• TSXETY4103 Firmware Version V5.0 and all previous versions.
• TSXETY5103 Firmware Version V5.0 and all previous versions.
• TSXP571634M Firmware Version V4.9 and all previous versions.
• TSXP572634M Firmware Version V4.9 and all previous versions.
• TSXP573634M Firmware Version V4.9 and all previous versions.
• TSXP574634M Firmware Version V3.5 and all previous versions.
• TSXP575634M Firmware Version V3.5 and all previous versions.
• TSXP576634M Firmware Version V3.5 and all previous versions.

M340

• BMXNOE0100 Firmware Version V2.3 and all previous versions.
• BMXNOE0110 Firmware Version V4.65 and all previous versions.
• BMXP342020 Firmware Version V2.2 and all previous versions.
• BMXP342030 Firmware Version V2.2 and all previous versions.

STB DIO

• STBNIC2212 Firmware Version V2.10 and all previous versions.
• STBNIP2311 Firmware Version V3.01 and all previous versions.
• STBNIP2212 Firmware Version V2.73 and all previous versions.

Schneider Electric has created a fix for the Telnet and Windriver debug port vulnerabilities for the BMXNOE0100 and 140NOE77101 modules by removing them from the firmware. The fixes will be published on the Schneider website.

Tags: computer hacking information windows Xp

Adobe Reader Zero-day Vulnerability Patch Coming Today?

Ten days ago Adobe published a security advisory for Adobe Reader and Acrobat detailing a “critical” zero-day vulnerability that was already being actively exploited on the Internet, specifically against Adobe Reader 9.x on Windows.

The vulnerability is present in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat X and 9.x, however Reader X and Acrobat X users can protect themselves against it by using Protected View / Mode. However there is no work around for Adobe Reader 9.x. Therefore Adobe promised a new release of Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat  9.x to fix the problem. This update is expected today.
According to Brad Arkin, the Senior Director for Product Security and Privacy at Adobe, the rationale behind releasing a hot fix only for Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9 on Windows is that “this is the version and platform currently being targeted.”
Soon after Adobe published details of the vulnerability, researchers at Symantec released details of attacks seen in the wild saying that the “critical vulnerability has recently been seen exploited in the wild in targeted attack emails sent on November 1st and 5th. This attack leverages the zero-day vulnerability in order to infect target computers with Backdoor.Sykipot.”
To exploit the zero-day vulnerability the attackers sent out emails with a specially crafted PDF attachment. This PDF uses a bug in Adobe’s Universal 3D (U3D) processing to cause a memory corruption and deliver its payload. News reports suggest that the emails targeted defense contractors, however companies in the Telecoms, Wholesale, and computer hardware industries have also been targeted.
Adobe Reader X and Adobe Acrobat X users should verify that they are using Protected View / Mode:

• To verify Protected View for Acrobat X is enabled, go to: Edit >Preferences > Security (Enhanced) and ensure “Files from potentially unsafe locations” or “All files” with “Enable Enhanced Security” are checked.
• To verify Protected Mode for Adobe Reader X is enabled, go to: Edit >Preferences >General and verify that “Enable Protected Mode at startup” is checked.

Tags: downloads hacking information more traffic

3 Reasons to Use and Download from Usenet

Usenet has had a long reputation among “uber geeks” as being the best source to go to for quality content on any topic imaginable. When 2 Duke University students created Usenet in 1979, little did they know what a phenomenon it would eventually become.
If you are unfamiliar with Usenet, you are not alone. Over the course of its 30-year history, Usenet has become somewhat of a cult classic in the tech world.
It began as a text based communication network where users could send and receive messages in themed discussions, known as “newsgroups”. These newsgroups became a hotbed of discussion among the masses. It was the first place people went online to share news, tips, and opinions. It was the first social network of its kind. Even businesses began using the newsgroups to spread their latest headlines, similar to Tweets today. The World Wide Web and Linux are just a couple of the groundbreaking ideas first introduced on Usenet.
But after the popularization of the Web by the late 90s, people had found new places to find and share news.
Today Usenet remains an enormous collection of user-generated content. It is the superior resource for downloading anything online.  If you are looking for a solution to all your downloading needs, Usenet has you covered.
1. Usenet allows you to download securely.
Commercial grade servers have replaced the “wimpy” Internet service provider access to Usenet in recent years. Usenet is now stored on a farm of commercial grade servers spread globally. When you access Usenet you form secure connections with the servers and are able to download from them effortlessly.
Premium Usenet providers allow you to download over a 256-bit SSL encrypted connection. This is the same encryption technology used when banking online.  This means there are no wandering eyes looking in and no one breaching your private information.
Usenet protects your downloading privacy as well. When you access Usenet, your history is not saved and there are no server logs kept of your activity. What you download is your business.
2. Usenet is the fastest download method.
Usenet lets you connect directly to its servers and download seamlessly without any shared connections with others. There is also no need to upload anything to the servers either. Because of these unique features, you can download as fast as your internet connection will allow. So for those with fast connections, you can grab large files in just minutes flat.
Usenet lets you download faster than any other similar technologies.
3. Usenet is HUGE.

Usenet is an enormous collection of quality content. Today’s servers give access to over 800 Terabytes of material, and this number grows daily.
Since server technology has improved, Usenet is now able to store more content on smaller amounts of space. Most premium providers allow users to access files that have been on the servers for over 1,000 days. These “retention rates” are increasing all the time too. This means you can access material that was uploaded nearly 3 years ago.
Usenet has a whole world of content available for download. When you access Usenet you are able to download from this giant collection rapidly over a secure connection.
Usenet is a long time favorite for those who love to download and it continues to be a treasured technology by those who have experienced its charm.

Tags: information windows windows 7

Windows 8 Private Market Place

The Private Market Place will be a place on the Windows 8 app store that allows a Windows 8 app to be distributed only to private customers.
With the push for apps available through App stores, some companies, may have a split feeling about how they want to deliver their apps to their customers. For example, take application that have been designed for their own employees. Now further take the view that the company may want to limit the access via a private marketplace notion.
Let’s say that a company wants to make available to its own employees a sales report of current and potential customers app developed by a company’s IT department. Then the IT staff may want to distribute test and final versions of this app to all their Windows 8 users but don’t want those not working at the company to see it in the Store. This is where “private marketplaces” come into play.
Earlier this year, Microsoft enabled private marketplace functionality for Windows Phone “Mango.”  Given that functionality, maybe Microsoft is planning to offer a similar path to business users for their Windows 8 Metro-style apps.

But watch it! Will the same Windows 8 App store functionality be available to non-Metro style apps? Maybe, but maybe not. Microsoft hasn’t given an answer to that, and it may be that they are still up in the air about what the Windows 8 App store will really be about. That, however, revolves around the metro-style app structure. The Windows 8 App store will carry it but not other styles.
Here is Microsoft’s current take:
“Apps listed in the Store are visible to all Windows 8 users, so enterprise apps can be offered in the Store, just like any other Metro style app. However, we also offer support for enterprises that want direct control over the deployment of Metro style apps.
“Enterprises can choose to limit access to the Windows Store catalog by their employees, or allow access but restrict certain apps. In addition, enterprises can choose to deploy Metro style apps directly to PCs, without going through the Store infrastructure. For Windows 8 Beta, IT administrators can use group policy to permit Metro style app installations, as long as the apps are signed by trusted publishers and the machines are joined to the domain. Then the IT admin can use (P)owershell commandlets to manage those Metro-style apps on Windows 8….
“This deployment flexibility ensures that employees have software on the devices they prefer while IT can continue to manage software payloads based on their company’s needs and regulation.”

Tags: information windows 8

Microsoft Can Remotely Delete Windows 8 Apps

Microsoft has revealed some news on its new Windows 8 app store over the last few days. While going through some of the documentation for this new app store, it has been discovered that Microsoft will have the ability to remotely kill or delete apps on your Windows 8 machine without your permission. This “kill switch” which deactivates/removes apps is actually quite common in most app stores.
Both Google and Apple have these sort of switches on the Android and iOS app markets. If you have a look at the Windows Store terms of use  you’ll be able to see for yourself what Microsoft will have control over. However, while you may be somewhat concerned at Microsoft’s control over your apps, they’ll only ever really use this “kill switch” if it’s for your own safety.

“In cases where your security is at risk, or where we’re required to do so for legal reasons, you may not be able to run apps or access content that you previously acquired or purchased a license for,”

In the case that you have purchased an app that has suddenly been deleted from your device for some reason or another, Microsoft will give you a refund which is fair enough. However Microsoft may also delete all data associated with that application from your machine, which could be somewhat irritating if you have some important files or documents that were associated with the app.

While Apple also has this “kill switch” on their app store, they’ve never actually used it. Each approved app must go through rigorous testing before it’s finally approved for the App Store, and while Apple has removed previously approved apps from the App Store, these apps are still on people devices and running fine and haven’t been remotely removed.
Google on the other hand has had to use their remote “kill switch” a couple of times due to a number of malicious apps being found on its store which is not subject to the same stringent quality and security control tests that Apple implement.
So I guess it’s a good thing as well as bad thing that Microsoft will be able to remotely deactivate and delete malicious apps.
What do you think? Is it a good or bad thing?

Tags: downloads information windows 8

Windows 8 Developer Preview Reaches 3 Million Downloads

Microsoft have announced that the Windows 8 Developer preview has now had over 3 million downloads since it was released back in September. I suppose the news isn’t really that surprising, especially when you consider that Windows is easily the most popular operating system in the world.
I’d imagine that nearly all the developers and Windows enthusiasts have all grabbed a copy of the developer preview by now and downloads have probably dropped off significantly. Of course the main reason people are downloading the new operating system is to get a look at the new Windows 8 interface which is made up predominantly of the new Metro UI. Developers of course will also be looking at what apps they can create which will utilise the new features in Windows 8.

 DOWNLOAD  WINDOWS 8 Developer Preview


Of course I believe that if you want to get the best experience out of Windows 8, you will probably have to use a device with a touchscreen like a tablet or those all in one desktops with touchscreens.
Microsoft have said that they’ll be releasing the first Beta of Windows 8 in February which is expected to have a good few changes from this developer preview. Microsoft stressed that the Windows 8 developer preview is far from finished and has a lot of work still to be done on it as well as more features to be added.
Let’s see if the Beta lives up to those expectations.

Tags: information windows 8

5 Steps To Securing Your Windows XP Home Computer

Most people are aware that there are continuous security issues with Microsoft’s Windows operating system and other programs. However, what most people do not realize is how easy it is to significantly improve your computer’s security and reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim to ever increasingly sophisticated threats that lurk on the internet. These steps should take less than a couple of hours to complete and should not clean out your wallet.
1) Windows Update – the first crucial step you need to take to make sure that all your Microsoft applications have all the latest product updates installed. These updates or “patches” address security vulnerabilities and other issues. Microsoft usually issues these updates on a monthly cycle. Visit the Microsoft website or switch on automatic updates from the Windows Control panel. Even if your “new” computer is second hand this is still a critical first step. If you buy a used computer with Windows XP make sure Service Pack 2 or SP2 is installed.
2) Strong Passwords – people often overlook this but having well thought through passwords is an important element of your computer security. A strong password should include at least 8 characters with a mixture of text, symbols and numbers. As a minimum you need to make sure the services most at risk have a strong log-in password. These services include your bank, credit card, other financial services like PayPal, your email address and any other services like Ebay which hackers can use to generate profit.
3) Anti Virus Protection – while it is fair to say the threat of the computer virus has receded during the last couple of years they can still inflict serious damage on your computer. Part of the reason why the threat has reduced is because PC manufactures are now more frequently bundling anti virus packages with their new computers. For example last year my new Dell shipped with a 90-day trial of McAfee’s Internet Security Suite. The best bet here is to purchase a security package which includes firewall and anti virus software as a minimum. Top brands include McAfee and Symantec Norton products. However, Microsoft has recently entered the market with their “OneCare” offering which is very aggressively priced.
4) Firewall – if you are using a broadband connection then a firewall is definite requirement to manage the traffic flowing between your computer and the internet. A firewall monitors the inbound internet traffic passing through the ports of your computer. Better products also monitor outbound traffic from your computer to the internet. As per above the best bet here is buy a firewall application as part of a security package which most vendors offer as standard. If a hardware firewall is included as part of your router package then you do not need anything else. A company called Zone Labs offer a great free firewall product called Zone Alarm which should be used as a minimum. Windows XP does now ship with a free firewall but the product does not monitor outbound communication and therefore I believe does not offer adequate protection.
5) Anti Spyware Tool – this software is the last piece in your basic internet security set up. This tool helps combat spyware and adware. There is a good mixture of free and paid versions on offer. Good free software include Microsoft’s Windows Defender, Spybot S&D or Ewido Anti-Malware. Ewido Anti-Malware is frequently recommended in computer help forums. Be careful if you decide to purchase a solution. There are a number of rogue vendors out there which aggressively push products which offer you little value. Stick to trusted names like Webroot’s Spy Sweeper or PC Tool’s Spyware Doctor. These products always come out well on independent tests.

Tags: hacking information windows Xp

Windows 8: Dead Before Arrival?

On the cusp of an event for the Windows 8 app store, one research firm has dealt a painful blow to the forthcoming OS.
“Windows 8 will be largely irrelevant to the users of traditional PCs, and we expect effectively no upgrade activity from Windows 7 to Windows 8 in that form factor,” research firm IDC told Computerworld this week.
I hate to follow up that statement with a simple “ouch.” But let me say it anyway – ouch!
For its part, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has been quite vocal about its goals for Windows 8, which primarily involve the tablet market. Microsoft, like most of the world, assumes that tablets – which are already encroaching on the desktop PC and laptop markets – will one day become the dominant player in personal computing. Personally, I do not think it will be quite that simple. Instead, I expect a wise manufacturer to combine the perfect tablet with the perfect laptop and make a computer no one can live without. It hasn’t happened yet, but we’re getting closer every day.
(Verizon’s making moves against Google and Netflix – read more here.)
Still, for Microsoft to sacrifice Windows 8′s success on the PC just for the sake of tablet sales would be silly. According to Computerworld, Windows 7 has been licensed 450 million times. That’s enormous! The only way Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) could ever top that number is if it licensed Mac OS to third-party PC manufacturers. But that will never (and should never) happen.
For new PC buyers, Windows 7 is still a fairly new OS. But Windows Vista proved to be so bad (and so draining to weak hardware) that people were eager to upgrade. Windows 7 also had the benefit of coming out at a time when laptops had finally reached a nice balance between cost, performance, and durability. Whereas in the past you could spend upwards of $1,000 for a decent Windows XP laptop, the average high-quality Windows 7 laptop retails for $700 to $900. And because Windows 7 machines tend to have at least two gigs of ram, a much larger hard drive, and a vastly superior dual-core processor, their functional value should last a little longer.
In my own personal experience, dual-core processor laptops tend to hold up better after three years of use (2008 to 2011) than laptops with a single-core processor (2005 to 2008).
Unfortunately for Microsoft, this could mean that there will be fewer consumers buying new laptops when Windows 8 arrives than there were when Windows Vista and Windows 7 were released.
However, I am not convinced that IDC’s assessment is accurate. Will the Windows 8 upgrade rate be lower than Windows 7? Probably. From a consumer standpoint, and especially a business standpoint, Windows 8 may not provide enough of a difference to justify a purchase. The layout is cool and inspired, and it may very well be an important step in the Windows evolution. But that’s true of XP, one of the better versions of the software. But did everyone upgrade to XP when it was released? Nope. Did everyone need to make the switch? Nope.
That is the bigger challenge Microsoft faces: convincing us that Windows 8 is must-own software.
Since the company is so determined to make a dent in the tablet market, Microsoft needs to ensure that when Windows 8 is released, there is at least one (preferably several) must-have tablets available. If the company launches a true iPad competitor – or better yet, a true iPad-killer – then there will be very little preventing Windows 8 from attaining long-term success.

Tags: information windows 8

Samsung, Toshiba and Lenovo tipped to lead Windows 8 on ARM tablets

Samsung, Toshiba and Lenovo will lead the Windows 8 on ARM platform, according to the latest supply chain leaks, with Microsoft putting Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and NVIDIA in the driving seat for choosing their development partners. The three chipset companies have each selected two partners from the tablet/notebook industry at Microsoft’s instruction, Digitimes‘ sources claim, one major collaborator and one minor.


Qualcomm is believed to have picked Samsung and Sony, with the Korean company’s strengths in component manufacturing – including displays, memory and other elements – singling it out for attention, along with the fact that it already has a solid presence in the tablet market. Texas Instruments selected Toshiba as well as also opting for Samsung.
Finally, NVIDIA is said to have gone for Lenovo and Acer, with Lenovo selected as major partner for its heft in the Chinese market. Conspicuous by its absence is ASUS, despite the fact that the company is already believed to be working on Windows 8 tablets – albeit likely using x86 processors, not ARM-based chipsets – for release in the second half of 2012.
Exactly how soon we can expect to see ARM-based products from any of these companies remains to be seen, however. According to previous leaks, Windows 8 on ARM tablets aren’t likely to go on sale until mid-2013, a delay analysts are already suggesting will leave Microsoft significantly disadvantaged up against the iPad and Android-based slates.

Tags: information tablet windows 8

AMD A8-3850 Review: Llano Rocks Entry-Level Desktops

Earlier this month we previewed AMD's Llano architecture in a notebook environment. Now we have the desktop version with a 100 W TDP. How much additional performance can the company procure with a loftier thermal ceiling and higher clocks?
Editor's Note: As we've done so many times before, we're partnering up with CyberPower to give away one of the first Llano-based desktop machines, which the builder calls its Gamer Ultra, to one of our readers. Flip through our review and, on the last page, enter to win a brand new PC, compliments of CyberPower!
A8-3850 Makes Its Desktop Debut
Don Woligroski did an absolutely killer job on our first look at AMD’s Llano architecture. If you haven’t yet read that story and you want to know more about the plumbing inside the company’s first mainstream APU, you really owe it to yourself to check out The AMD A8-3500M APU Review: Llano Is Unleashed before diving into this piece.
Because Don covered the underlying architecture so well, I’m going to use our first experiences with AMD’s Llano-based desktop platform, code-named Lynx, to dive deeper into the stuff I know you guys love: benchmark results and analysis. What kind of performance can you expect out of Dual Graphics? How does Sandy Bridge with discrete graphics compare? What effect does memory performance have on gaming frame rates? How does integrated USB 3.0 support measure up to some of the add-on controllers we’ve seen? I’ll answer all of that.
But first let’s go over the basics of AMD’s first desktop-class Llano-based APUs.
Zoom
Llano: The Recession-Friendly APU
Oh, Audi would be so proud (or maybe not, given the entry-level pedigree of these processors). AMD is using the same A8 and A6 designators to distinguish between the perceived performance levels of its four launch SKUs.
There are two A8s and two A6s. The Llano-based flagship is A8-3850, a 100 W part with Radeon HD 6550D graphics, four execution cores with 1 MB L2 cache each, and a 2.9 GHz clock rate. That part does not offer Turbo Core support—the only way to get it running faster than 2.9 GHz is through overclocking. AMD says to expect pricing around $135.
Zoom
The A6-3650 is also rated at 100 W, even though it’s armed with Radeon HD 6530D graphics and a more conservative 2.6 GHz clock rate (again, Turbo Core isn’t available). The -3650 boasts four cores as well, includes the same 4 MB of L2 cache, and support DDR3-1866 data rates, just like the other three models. That one is expected to run $115.

Model	GPU	TDP	Cores	Base CPU Clock	Max. Turbo	L2 Cache	Shaders	GPU Clock	Turbo Core
A8-3850	HD 6550D	100 W	4	2.9 GHz	-	4 MB	400	600 MHz	No
A8-3800	HD 6550D	65 W	4	2.4 GHz	2.7 GHz	4 MB	400	600 MHz	Yes
A6-3650	HD 6530D	100 W	4	2.6 GHz	-	4 MB	320	443 MHz	No
A6-3600	HD 6530D	65 W	4	2.1 GHz	2.4 GHz	4 MB	320	443 MHz	Yes

Interestingly, dipping down to the 65 W level doesn’t seem to sacrifice much in the way of functionality. AMD’s A8-3800 includes the capable Radeon HD 6550D engine, quad-core Stars architecture, and 4 MB L2 repository. However, Turbo Core helps compensate for a fairly severe drop to 2.4 GHz, kicking frequency up to 2.7 GHz in situations where thermal headroom allows for it. Unfortunately, AMD didn’t send over any Turbo Core-equipped processors for testing, so it’s impossible to gauge how much time this four-core part spends at its elevated setting.
Finally, the A6-3600 is also a 65 W component. It scales way back, though, giving up not only processor clock rate—its four cores running at 2.1 GHz by default and up to 2.4 GHz with Turbo Core—but also graphics performance via the less-complex Radeon HD 6530D engine. Is still includes 4 MB of L2 cache though, complementing each core with 1 MB.
What's the difference, exactly, between the Radeon HD 6550D and Radeon HD 6530D GPU engines? One SIMD engine, for the most part.

Graphics Processor Classification	Radeon HD 6550D (A8-Series APUs)	Radeon HD 6530D (A6-Series APUs)
Shader Cores	400	320
SIMDs	5	4
Texture Units	20	16
Render Back-Ends	2	2
Z/Stencil ROPs	32	32
Color ROPs	8	8
GPU Clock Rate	600 MHz	443 MHz
Peak Compute Power	480 GFLOPS	284 GFLOPS

When you look at a block diagram of the Llano's GPU component, it's easy to see how AMD differentiates these two lineups. Each SIMD hosts 80 ALUs and is associated with four texture units. Turning one SIMD off yields the 320 shaders and 16 texture units offered by Radeon HD 6530D.
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A Small Launch Gets Smaller
With four SKUs in the initial Llano-based desktop portfolio, a zero-hour revelation that the 65 W A8-3800 and A6-3600 won't be available until an undisclosed date narrows the family down to two models: A8-3850 and A6-3650, both 100 W parts. As a result, it won't be possible to test Turbo Core functionality on Llano until AMD addresses the availability of its lower-power offerings.

Tags: AMD computer information

Intel Core i7-3960X Review: Sandy Bridge-E And X79 Express

Intel's Sandy Bridge design impressed us nearly a year ago, but it was intended for mainstream customers. The company took its time readying the enthusiast version, Sandy Bridge-E. Now, the LGA 2011-based platform and its accompanying CPUs are ready.
According to Mick Jagger, it’s lonely at the top. Intel might agree. After all, for the past five years, the company has put an increasingly large gap between its fastest desktop processors and AMD’s own best efforts. Enthusiasts tend to lament the fact that a lack of intense competition means they pay more for high-end hardware. But, if you’ve been around long enough, you know that Intel’s Extreme Edition CPUs were always thousand-dollar affairs and, once upon a time, AMD’s vaunted FX-series chips used to be worth their $700+ asking prices.
The fact that the $1000 price point persists today, eight years later, means Intel recognizes the extremely limited market for these flagship desktop processors and isn’t about to push one of its crown jewels even further out of reach. 
It comes as little surprise, then, to see yet another Extreme Edition processor hovering around $1000. But this behemoth is very different than what came before.

• Extreme Edition Core...
• • Walmart.com
  • $1238.00
• • Amazon.com
  • $1029.99
• • LACC.com
  • $1054.17
• • CostCentral.com
  • $1064.16

The prior generation of flagship parts based on Gulftown came armed with six physical cores and up to 12 MB of shared L3 cache. They boasted LGA 1366 compatibility, extending the useful lives of pricey X58 Express motherboards, helping soften the blow of $500+ processor upgrades. No such luck this time; you’re facing a pricier investment.
Sandy Bridge-E, Gulftown’s successor, employs an LGA 2011 interface, requiring new motherboards based on Intel’s X79 Express Platform Controller Hub. It also comes armed with an integrated quad-channel memory controller, necessitating four-module memory kits. Oh, and then there’s the fact that Intel isn’t planning to bundle its new chips with coolers, requiring a separate purchase there, too.

Meet Sandy Bridge-E

Intel is announcing three Sandy Bridge-E-based models today, but only two will be available through the end of 2011: Core i7-3960X and Core i7-3930K. The third, Core i7-3820, is slated for a Q1 2012 introduction.
Gulftown is big; Sandy Bridge-E is much bigger
2011 pins require a lot of space
All three employ the same die, which is composed of 2.27 billion transistors and measures 434 square millimeters (making it a very big chip). In comparison, quad-core Sandy Bridge parts are made up of 995 million transistors and measure 216 square millimeters, while six-core Gulftown CPUs incorporate more than 1.1 billion transistors in a 248 square millimeter die.
Of course, Sandy Bridge-E was never intended to be a desktop processor exclusively. Rather, it’s going to emerge in the first part of next year as Xeon E5 for single- and dual-socket servers/workstations. In that context, the CPU’s size and complexity makes more sense. After all, Westmere-EX (at the heart of Intel’s more enterprise-oriented Xeon E7 family) is a 2.6 billion-transistor die occupying 513 square millimeters of space.
Core i7-3960X, with two cores and 5 MB L3 cache disabled
When Sandy Bridge-E surfaces as Xeon, it’ll offer up to eight processing cores and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. As a desktop CPU, however, it’s limited to as many as six cores and up to 15 MB of shared L3. Intel achieves this by disabling two cores and four of the die’s 16 slices of shared L3 cache.
Of course, that configuration only applies to Core i7-3960X. Core i7-3930K, which also features six cores, dips down to 12 MB of cache, revealing Intel’s ability to very granularly disable pieces of the shared L3 to suit its needs. The upcoming Core i7-3820 will employ four cores and 10 MB of shared L3 cache—essentially half of a Sandy Bridge-E die. Each core includes 32 KB of L1 instruction and L1 data cache, plus a dedicated 256 KB L2 cache.

Sandy Bridge-E Family
	Base Clock	Max. Turbo	Cores / Threads	L3 Cache	TDP	Memory	Price
Core i7-3960X	3.3 GHz	3.9 GHz	6 /12	15 MB	130 W	4-Channel DDR3-1600	$990
Core i7-3930K	3.2 GHz	3.8 GHz	6 / 12	12 MB	130 W	4-Channel DDR3-1600	$555
Core i7-3820	3.6 GHz	3.9 GHz	4 / 8	10 MB	130 W	4-Channel DDR3-1600	TBD

The clocks on all three SKUs range up and down as well. The -3960X starts at 3.3 GHz and, through the same second-gen Turbo Boost technology introduced with Sandy Bridge, speeds up to 3.9 GHz. The -3930K starts at 3.2 GHz and hits a peak of 3.8 GHz in lightly-threaded workloads. Finally, the -3820 will start at 3.6 GHz and reach frequencies of up to 3.9 GHz with Turbo Boost.
Of course, the X- and K-series chips are also multiplier-unlocked, making those stock clocks pretty much meaningless for most enthusiasts planning to tweak their systems. Intel calls the -3820 “partially unlocked.” In all actuality, it gets six 100 MHz bins above its maximum Turbo Boost setting of 3.9 GHz, translating to a ceiling of 45x.


Intel is using the same cores found in its Sandy Bridge-based CPUs. Turning off Turbo Boost, setting similar base clocks, and running a couple of single-threaded apps demonstrates the efficient execution Sandy Bridge brings to the table compared to Thuban or Zambezi.


Switching Turbo Boost back on and running Core i7-3960X in parallelized and single-threaded titles gives us a better impression of what that technology does for performance.
In an application like iTunes, which is only able to utilize one core, Turbo Boost improves performance by 12.8%. In 7-Zip (well-optimized to use available cores), it increases performance by 10.8%. The second number is surprisingly high because Turbo pushes an additional three 100 MHz bins when five or six cores are active and none of the technology’s triggers are tripped. As a result, it's tackling our compression workload at 3.6 GHz instead of 3.3

Tags: computer information intel