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Computer users are always at risk from malicious sources. The fact that most of these malicious sources are intelligent and therefore find innovative ways to exploit hardware and software is secondary. It is the laziness of software vendors in releasing patches to identified security holes that is the most frustrating.

Consider the case of H.D. Moore, a security researcher. Moore reported a serious issue he had discovered in relation to the way that rich text content was displayed by applications on the Windows OS. Although he reported the issue in October 2006, Microsoft has done nothing about it to date. It is these sort of failings that the Zero Day Initiative is attempting to combat.

The Zero Day Initiative functions as the middleman between software vendors and security researchers who find bugs in software. According their list, there are 122 vulnerabilities that are outstanding so far that vendors have done nothing about. The oldest unfixed flaw relates to IBM and was filed in May 2007 and over 30 of the complaints are at least a year old.

However, all that is set to change. The controlling body of Zero Day Initiative, TippingPoint, wants vendors to act fast. In accordance with the new policy, vendors will be given only six months to fix the bug. If they fail to do so, details of the vulnerability will be released to the public along with measures that users can take to protect themselves until a fix is available.

Although this policy has its pros and cons, security researchers have hailed the idea and have welcomed it with open arms.

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First it was the AT&T debacle with the iPad and now it’s Safari; Apple can’t seem to catch a break (and we’re not even going to bring up the iPhone 4G). At least with the AT&T issue it was more of a leak from the networks side, with this new one it is all about Apple.

The issue is serious and involves the leakage of personal data without the consent of the user. Autofill is a feature that most people use while browsing and it is this very feature which is/has/could be exploited by hackers. The exploit can hit Safari 5 and the older Safari 4 making it a very real and current threat. This information was revealed by the chief technical officer of WhiteHat Security, Jeremiah Grossman. He said that simply visiting a malicious website would be enough for a user’s data to be plundered.

Grossman said that a website can create a form that has all the fields like a normal legitimate form, hide it from view and simply simulate some keystrokes using java to get all the information out. More often than not, the user would be unaware that his personal data was being stolen. Grossman also said that he had mailed Apple and informed them about the breach. Unfortunately, he has only received an auto responder mail and nothing else so far.

Safari is not alone in facing this threat and there are suspicions that Google Chrome could also be vulnerable to these attacks as both browsers are WebKit-based. So far the only solution users can apply for both browsers is disabling of the Autofill feature until a fix is released.

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Since it was introduced, Adobe Flash has brought a different dimension to web browsing. It hasn’t been the best companion for dial-up connections, but for the rest of the world Flash represents a little bit of class.

However, it has had its critics like Steve Jobs for instance, who refused to support it in the iPad. It has also come under siege from HTML5 and all the new standards. So what does it do? It goes and throws in something totally new, like 3D graphics, into the mix.

So far, no significant details have emerged about what will be offered. The exact details will only come to light during the Adobe Max Conference, which is scheduled to be held in October. But for now, what we do know now is that Flash has committed itself to a 3D API which should be out early next year (or late this year if we are lucky). Imbert Thibault, Flash Player product manager, sees 3D flash being used for Games, Augmented Reality and Interactive purposes in the very near future.

Currently, Flash is threatened by HTML5’s 2D graphics technology known as Canvas and the CSS downloadable font technology known as WOFF. The foray into 3D is a good call by Flash but it will not be alone. Already Chrome, Firefox and Safari are trying out the web version of OpenGL - WebGL. Surprisingly Microsoft is not entertaining any WebGL fantasies in the upcoming release of IE9. The battle between Flash 3D and WebGL and Microsoft trying to catch up should be entertaining to watch in the very least.

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October 22, 2010 is the day that the OEM’s will have to stop shipping Windows XP on new Netbooks. Everyone knew that this day would come and last year many were worried about having to move to Windows 7. But were those fears justified?

The source of those fears can be found in Microsoft’s most inept operating systems ever –Windows Vista. In the car world, Vista would be a fuel guzzling, lumbering and somewhat good looking vehicle. It would get you from place to place… eventually. XP was the slightly older Toyota model which was, in retrospect, a decently designed car. It did everything you wanted to, even if it did break down a few times or was prone to break-ins.

Windows 7 could have been Vista all over again but, fortunately for all of us, Microsoft got it right and designed an operating system that was actually efficient and better than XP. It was so good that it ran on older PC’s quite well. Compare this to Vista which lumbers on no matter what high-spec system you put it on. It’s the efficiency of Windows 7 that has seen it emerge as a winner in the Netbook market. It’s also that efficiency that will see users not fuss too much about XP passing on. In fact the operating system has turned out to be so good that many users are running Windows 7 Ultimate on their Netbooks instead of the Home or Home Premium versions.

So it seems safe to bid adieu to Windows XP, an OS that kept us company in the dark times of an inept OS. If you are still running Windows, for some reason or other, please remember that support for Service Pack 2 ends in July. You are advised to upgrade to Service Pack 3 and subscribe to extended support, which will keep you secure till 2014.

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This week Google made an announcement that has several implications. The announcement in question is of course, the famous dumping of Microsoft Windows as an operating system within the company. Although it is not a total ban, Windows can only be used by special permission and that too for reasons like bug testing.

This dumping has been more or less attributed to the hacking attack Google experienced in China. But there is more to this than meets the eye. The impending release of the Chrome OS may have a lot to do with the timing of the announcement. Although the release is expected to be several months away, this would force all employees to move away from an existing reliance. However, Google is not forcing its employees to only use Chrome OS. As an alternative to Windows, Linux based PC’s and Mac machines have been given to them. Surprisingly, there has been little opposition to the move internally. Apparently, there would have been more of a fuss if Google had cut out Mac machines instead of Windows PC’s.

Another result of this dumping is that it shows the deteriorating level of confidence large corporations have in Windows as an operating system. Mobile phone maker HTC has moved on to Android over Windows and recently MSI announced that its second attempt at hitting the iPad market would be powered by Android as well. This seems like a shame because, after a long time Microsoft has actually come out with a decent OS in Windows 7. How this trend continues will be well worth watching.

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More than two weeks have passed since Judge Kimba Wood’s ruling against the Lime Group. The RIAA is happy with the decision, as it means that Lime Wire may finally be out of action for good. The software has been at the center of music piracy accusations for many years now.

The Lime Group, however, are scrambling to keep things afloat and with good reason. The ruling finds the company and its founder Mark Gorton liable for copyright infringement; this means that they might have to dig really deep into their pockets to pay off hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The company’s lawyers scrambling to find ways to counter this ruling and on Wednesday a motion was filed asking the Judge to reverse the decision.

However, the RIAA is expected to counter this move by asking Judge Wood for an injunction at the hearing next week and then proceed get Lime Wire shut down. It is unlikely that the Lime Group will be able to slip out of this one. After all, there is a fair amount of damning evidence against them. For example in a poll conducted by the NPD Group, it was found that fifty eight percent of those who engage in music piracy use Lime Wire as their preferred means of downloading music.

The Lime Group hasn’t done itself any favors either. The company made decent amounts of money over the years, sometimes even as much as twenty million dollars, without sharing it with the music industry. This is one of the many reasons why the RIAA is hell-bent on going after the company and its software.

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Apple fans can’t wait till June, because that is when OS 4.0 is likely to be released. The secrecy surrounding the OS and its features was finally lifted when Apple finally announced what was in store for users from the update.

Multitasking is finally here. Ever since the iPod touch and iPhone came out, users have been craving for it and detractors have been laughing about it. But, finally Apple has put aside its excuses and given the users what they want. However, it is not a true state of multitasking. The apps running in the background have certain vital components running, while other parts go into a sort of hibernation. Double tapping on the Home button will bring up Task Switcher from which the user can select the app to switch to. Apple is touting this as Fast App Switching, but the speed of activation remains to be seen. A Notification system has also been put in place so that the background apps can be in contact with the user.

Apps can finally be grouped into folders, overcoming the screen limitation faced in the devices. The mail app has been updated to accommodate multiple Exchange accounts as well as implementing threaded messages. A new feature called iBooks has been added, which enables you to read books on your device. An improved zoom has been added to the camera; so now you can go up to 5x zoom on you iPhone. A centralized game center has been added as well so that users can connect with their friends to play multiplayer games.

Perhaps the worst addition of all is the iAd advertising module. Basically this means that you are about to experience a new wave of apps that will throw ads in your face like never before.

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Browser add-ons or plug-ins have come a long way and are growing in importance day by day. Add-ons can make life easier for users because they provide functionality that does not come natively with a browser.

Add-ons can show you your mail in a single glance, synchronize your bookmarks across several machines, accelerate downloads and surfing, share information across several networks, display RSS feeds, etc. In short, add-ons add a variety of functionality to many browsers. You may be wondering why these things have to be added on and why they couldn’t have come with the browser originally.

Well, this is because of a simple reason. Development costs. A feature that is important to one user may not be as useful for another. For example, synchronizing bookmarks across multiple machines is useful for a user who has a work computer, home computer, laptop, iPad, Smartphone, etc. But for a user who has just single machine, it does not really have that much of appeal. Therefore it does not make sense for a browser developer to devote its main resources during the development of the browser to accommodate this feature. Therefore all browser developers tend to focus on general features, with the occasional radical development (e.g. tabbed browsing, incognito windows, etc) coming in from time to time.

It is up to third party developers to identify needs of particular groups of customers and develop add-ons that address this need. Browser developers are fully aware of this aspect and therefore have left the option open for add-ons to be added to improve the functionality of the browser.

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When you buy an application, you expect it to work and do what it is supposed to do. Usually this happens without a hitch… for a while. At some point the software will crash, of malfunction or do something plain silly. This is based on the law of averages and you simply cannot escape it. Here are some common reasons as to why this happens.

No software is perfect. In fact, the application you purchase is part of an ongoing development process which is somewhat invisible to you. It is true that the application is released after extensive beta testing and evaluations, but the application is far from being perfect. Based on user feedback and other factors (like a new version of the OS being released), the application has to be “patched” and updated. This is why it is a good idea to leave the automatic update option turned on in your application.

Now throw into the mix the virus and malware angle, and this whole thing turns into a mess. Authors of viruses take great pleasure in exploiting the weaknesses of software. They will also focus intensely on a particular manufacturer or software for any number of reasons. If this happens and your software is one of the targets, then you have only your virus and malware scanner to protect you.

Of course, there could be a simpler reason for a corrupted application as well. If your hard disk is damaged or completely filled up to the brim, then applications will malfunction. Scan your hard disk for errors and if you find any, the best solution is to move on to a newer disk. If it’s a space problem, move some data out or backup the infrequently used data onto DVD’s.

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Finally! That is what many PC users are saying after Microsoft released Windows 7. The operating system is actually very stable and is packed with efficient features. Some are even calling Windows Vista the Beta release of Windows 7. If you have made the transition to the new OS, the here are some quick tips for you.

If you are into image manipulation, then it is essential that you calibrate the screen. In Windows 7, it is very easy to do this. All you have to do is click on the start menu, and type DCCW in the search bar at the bottom or click on RUN and enter it there. This will bring up the color calibration tool which you can then use to set up you monitor.

The next tool is the Problem Steps Recorder. This allows you to record any issues you have with applications. To launch it, follow the same steps as above and type PSR to activate the tool. Further troubleshooting is also very easy in Windows 7. Go to the Control Panel and you will find an icon there titled Troubleshooting. Click on this and it will take you to several Wizards which will help you troubleshoot common problems.

Burning ISO images onto a disc is really easy now in the new OS. All you have to do is double-click on the ISO file, choose the blank disc and then choose Burn. That’s all it takes!

Connecting Projectors is also a breeze now. Simply connect the cable and press the Windows Key along with “P” (i.e. WinKey+P). If keep holding the Windows key and repeatedly tap on “P”, you can cycle through the options for other displays (extended, projector only, duplicate, etc).

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