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  • Jul
  • 03
  • 2008

40% of surfers don’t bother with browser security updates

A new collaborative study between Google, IBM, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology suggests that users are slower to move between product updates than they should be?especially those using Internet Explorer. The researchers believe that browsers could learn from the food industry, of all things.

The group of researchers includes several of their own suggestions for improving browser security. Firefox and Opera are both credited for including an auto-update feature, but the team notes that "Firefox’s auto-update…

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  • May
  • 07
  • 2008

China behind recent hack attacks, says Indian government

Indian officials have accused China of methodically attacking the country’s servers for the past 18 months. Detecting attacks, however, is one thing?proving they originated from the desks of government-sponsored Chinese hackers is quite another.

The degree to which the Chinese government is actually involved in these attacks is still an open question, The Times' rhetoric notwithstanding. A continuing series of sophisticated and methodical assaults is no longer proof of another…

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  • Apr
  • 30
  • 2008

The ABCs of securing your wireless network: Page 1

Sometimes you don't need to know everything about wireless to secure a home or home-office network; you only need to know what's important.

Ars Technica's original Wireless Security Blackpaper was first published back in 2002, and in the intervening years it has been a great reference for getting the technical lowdown on different wireless security protocols. As a sequel to…

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  • Apr
  • 18
  • 2008

AT&T’s ridiculous attempt at a web browser requires 2GB of RAM and 256MB video card at the bare minimum

“Ars Technica takes a look at Pogo, a browser from AT&T with new features like a 3-D history and bookmark view. The browser's currently in a private beta and Ars' comments aren't all necessarily glowing ' particularly in the areas where performance is concerned. 'It requires Windows XP SP2 or later or Windows Vista, and its minimum hardware are sur

This looks pretty, and certainly gives you an instantaneous, visual representation of the tabs you have open (reminiscent to OmniWeb). But looks are about all the dock and cells can offer—it's stuck at the bottom of the…

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  • Apr
  • 15
  • 2008

Satellites pin blame for undersea cable cuts on cargo ships

The mystery of what caused a some of the undersea cable cuts in the Middle East last winter has been solved. A pair of careless cargo ships appear to be responsible for two of the chopped cables.

Both the MV Hounslow and the MT Ann were impounded upon reaching Dubai. One of the two—it's not clear which—has already been released after its Korean owners agreed to pay an unstated amount of compensation. The other,…

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  • Apr
  • 09
  • 2008

New Kraken Worm Evading Harpoons of Antivirus Programs

Researchers at Damballa Solutions have uncovered evidence of a powerful new botnet they’ve nicknamed Kracken. The company estimates that Kraken has infected 400,000 systems, which would make it twice the size of Storm during that botnet’s hayday.

One of the problems hampering the investigation at this point is a lack of adequate antivirus detection; the few antivirus programs that currently detect Kraken list it as a generic "suspicious file." This, combined with…

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  • Apr
  • 08
  • 2008

AMD laying off 10% of workforce, cuts revenue estimates

AMD lowered its forecast for first-quarter performance today, and announced that it intends to cut approximately 10 percent of its workforce (1,600-1,700 workers) by the end of the third quarter. The company said that it expects first-quarter revenue to come in at $1.5 billion.

AMD gave no guidance on how its revenue shortfall and job cuts will affect either its next-generation 45nm Shanghai processor or Hector Ruiz's much-publicized plan to return AMD to profitability by the second quarter of this year….

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  • Mar
  • 23
  • 2008

Retailers offering credits/refunds to early HD DVD adopters

With HD DVD officially dead, multiple retailers are reaching out to soften the loss for early adopters, and maybe entice them back into the store. Ars tells you who’s offering the trade-ins and how to take advantage.

Best Buy is the latest company to offer customers a consolation prize, and the retailer's offer is fairly generous. Any customer who bought an HD DVD player from Best Buy at or before 11:59 PM CST on February 22, 2008, is eligible to…

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  • Mar
  • 06
  • 2008

Six botnets churning out 85 percent of all spam

The Mega-D botnet has shrunk significantly since its peak in early February, but there’s a new botnet rising to take its place. Srzibi already accounts for 39 percent of the global spam market and unlike Mega-D, may not be stopping anytime soon.

If this trend continues, it may indicate the growth of a twisted competitive advertising environment in which fraudulent companies with useless products actively "advertise" over certain botnets. The attractiveness of any given…

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  • Feb
  • 23
  • 2008

Windows Live SkyDrive launches, but needs a touch of paint

Microsoft has taken the “beta” tag off of Windows Live SkyDrive, which offers 5GB of online storage at no charge. Ars logs on to see what has changed since the beta opened.

After spending some time with the service I'd say that Microsoft nailed the important points, but there are a few features SkyDrive could use. There's no progress bar when uploading a file, and the amount of space you've…

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