January 27th, 2013
(via Yes, that PC cleanup app you saw on cable TV at 3 a.m. is a scam | Ars Technica) To highlight just why you and your loved ones should never let these applications anywhere near your PC, we picked one that we’d recently seen ads for: MyCleanPC. It’s the archetypal Windows cleanup app—and you probably shouldn’t install it… article includes tips for items that are actually worth using, that are free…

(via Yes, that PC cleanup app you saw on cable TV at 3 a.m. is a scam | Ars Technica)

To highlight just why you and your loved ones should never let these applications anywhere near your PC, we picked one that we’d recently seen ads for: MyCleanPC. It’s the archetypal Windows cleanup app—and you probably shouldn’t install it…

article includes tips for items that are actually worth using, that are free…

15 notes Source: Ars Technica #pc#cleanup#app#scam#DON'T#MyCleanPC#NO#tech#info
January 22nd, 2013
(via How Java dumps useless add-ons and toolbars on PC users | Ars Technica) Remember the Ask search engine? Oracle sure does—and by extension, so do Java users. Oracle has taken the practice of bundling useless add-ons and toolbars with legitimate software to new heights while collecting a commission each time it tricks a user into installing an Ask toolbar. That’s what Windows expert and legendary skeptic Ed Bott of ZDNet reports after examining Java’s installation and update practices. Bott has done extensive reporting on “foistware,” previously crowning Adobe and Skype as the worst offenders. But over the past year, Adobe and Skype have reformed themselves a little bit, while Oracle’s Java now deserves the crown for “king of foistware,” he wrote today. “The evidence against Oracle is overwhelming,” Bott wrote, continuing: When you use Java’s automatic updater to install crucial security updates for Windows, third-party software is always included. The two additional packages delivered to users are the Ask Toolbar and McAfee Security Scanner. With every Java update, you must specifically opt out of the additional software installations. If you are busy or distracted or naïve enough to trust Java’s ‘recommendation,’ you end up with unwanted software on your PC. IAC, which partners with Oracle to deliver the Ask toolbar, uses deceptive techniques to install its software. These techniques include social engineering that appears to be aimed at both novices and experienced computer users, behavior that may well be illegal in some jurisdictions. The Ask.com search page delivers inferior search results and uses misleading and possibly illegal techniques to deceive visitors into clicking paid ads instead of organic search results…

(via How Java dumps useless add-ons and toolbars on PC users | Ars Technica)

Remember the Ask search engine? Oracle sure does—and by extension, so do Java users. Oracle has taken the practice of bundling useless add-ons and toolbars with legitimate software to new heights while collecting a commission each time it tricks a user into installing an Ask toolbar.

That’s what Windows expert and legendary skeptic Ed Bott of ZDNet reports after examining Java’s installation and update practices. Bott has done extensive reporting on “foistware,” previously crowning Adobe and Skype as the worst offenders. But over the past year, Adobe and Skype have reformed themselves a little bit, while Oracle’s Java now deserves the crown for “king of foistware,” he wrote today.

“The evidence against Oracle is overwhelming,” Bott wrote, continuing:

  • When you use Java’s automatic updater to install crucial security updates for Windows, third-party software is always included. The two additional packages delivered to users are the Ask Toolbar and McAfee Security Scanner.
  • With every Java update, you must specifically opt out of the additional software installations. If you are busy or distracted or naïve enough to trust Java’s ‘recommendation,’ you end up with unwanted software on your PC.
  • IAC, which partners with Oracle to deliver the Ask toolbar, uses deceptive techniques to install its software. These techniques include social engineering that appears to be aimed at both novices and experienced computer users, behavior that may well be illegal in some jurisdictions.
  • The Ask.com search page delivers inferior search results and uses misleading and possibly illegal techniques to deceive visitors into clicking paid ads instead of organic search results…
21 notes Source: Ars Technica #Java#install#useless#add-ons#toolbars#PC#users#crapware#bloatware#tech#news#security
August 25th, 2012
Brigitte Bardot (by Véronique3)

Brigitte Bardot (by Véronique3)

179 notes Source: Flickr / veronique3 #Brigitte Bardot#PC#Krüger#Photo#Sam Lévin#postcard#vintage
June 28th, 2012

(via hindustanirani)

106 notes Source: bebarfi #PC#priyanka chopra#Bollywood
May 4th, 2012
Emergency Flash update fixes security bug being used to hijack PCs | Ars Technica

Adobe has released an emergency update for its Flash Player that fixes a security bug that’s being actively exploited to hijack Windows computers running the ubiquitous software.

The “object confusion vulnerability” resides in all Flash versions, including those for devices running Mac OS X, Linux, Google’s Android OS, and Windows, Adobe said in an advisory published Friday. The bug “is being exploited in the wild in active targeted attacks designed to trick the users into clicking on a malicious file delivered in an e-mail message,” it went on to say, citing reports received from Microsoft. The exploits target Flash on Internet Explorer for Windows only.

While attacks are limited to Windows users and appear to be highly selective in who is targeted, people running other systems, particularly Macs, should install the security fix immediately. As the 600,000 or so Mac-using victims of the Flashback malware learned last month, Apple’s OS X is becoming a viable target now that its market share has risen to levels that make it worth an attacker’s time. The experience shows that determined hackers can exploit any unpatched platform and that complacency about installing updates is one of the biggest obstacles to securing a system.

Those running Flash Player 11.2.202.233 and earlier on Windows, Mac, and Linux; versions 11.1.115.7 or earlier on Android 4.x; and versions 11.1.111.8 on Android 3.x and 2.x should update at once. To find out what Flash version a device uses, users can visit this link. Adobe still hasn’t made its patching system as simple as it needs to be for it to be widely used, but it’s getting better. Windows users now have the ability to receive updates relatively seamlessly, and a separate version of Flash for Google’s Chrome browser for all operating systems also updates automatically. Those on other platforms still must manually install fixes.

Users can download the updates here, except for Android users, who must get them from Google Play.
2 notes #Emergency#Flash#update#security#hijack#PC#tech#news