Carlo Orlando

Analyst firm IDC suggests that a major economic upturn could spur in the near future and North Americans will benefit in large part from the sales of Windows 7 . The report even suggests that Microsoft's latest operating system has the potential to ... save us from the current recession all on its own. IDC estimates that Microsoft will sell about 177 million copies of Windows 7 all together, with 50 million of those sales coming from the European market. Windows 7 Stimulus Ripple Effect How will this help the rest of us? Looking at a sales snapshot from October 2009 (the expected release date of ... (view more)

Microsoft is in some serious trouble after sources confirmed that the company had known about the recent IE6 and IE7 virus attacks (also known as the infamous " browse and get owned " attacks) for more than a year. Hackers have been exploiting a ... vulnerability in ActiveX by enticing innocent users to click on infected web pages while planting "drive-by" attack codes within legitimate sites. According to ScanSafe, the number of compromised sites has entered into the millions since the attacks first began. Attacks Predicted One Year in Advance If the viruses and malware weren't bad enough, Mike ... (view more)

Google made quite the controversial statement recently after attempting to shed some light concerning their new Chrome operating system . Google has raised eyebrows after promising that their customers will no longer have to worry about viruses, ... malware and security updates. In a recent blog entry, Google announced that the company was prepared to "go back to the basics" and redesign the essential security foundations of the OS in such a way so that users would never again have to deal with viruses, malware and the need for constant updates. It didn't take long for a number of security ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed that thousands of legitimate web sites have been compromised by hackers and are now targeting innocent users through a critical unpatched vulnerability in Windows' DirectShow, part of DirectX . This is the second time in just ... six weeks that hackers have been exploiting the unpatched bug. This time, however, it appears as though Internet Explorer (IE) has been chosen as the weapon of choice when trapping innocent users. Browse and Get Owned Attacks: Drive-By Hackings The new wave of attacks is being referred to as "browse and get owned attacks" or "drive-by hackings". ... (view more)

Since it was first introduced several months ago, the dreaded Conficker worm has been synonymous with wreaking havoc on computers worldwide. Almost no one would ever consider its creation a "good" thing, but that may be changing, if only in one ... isolated incident. Ironically the virus, warned to be harmful to millions of people around the globe, has actually made a few hundred fans in England. The warm reception came following a planned attack on Manchester City Council (MCC). According to the Manchester Evening News, a total of 1,609 traffic tickets could not be issued within the 28 ... (view more)

Microsoft is receiving heavy criticism this morning for one of its recent Internet Explorer 8 TV ads. The video shows a woman who cannot stop vomiting after asking her significant other to use his laptop computer, only to stumble upon his hidden ... adult fetish sites. The Internet Explorer 8 online ads that Microsoft has been rolling out seem to be getting more popular with each passing day. Every ad features former Superman actor Dean Cain addressing a new acronym that stands for a function or task performed using the new IE8 browser. For example, the ad "S.H.Y.N.E.S.S." -- Sharing Heavily Yet ... (view more)

Microsoft is making it worthwhile for consumers to pick up a new Vista PC. Those who buy one can receive a guaranteed free copy of Windows 7 once it becomes available in October. The offer runs between June 26 and the end of January. The catch is ... that some PC makers may tack on an additional shipping and handling charge for the updates. Which PCs Qualify for Windows 7 Upgrade? PCs equipped with Vista Home Premium, Vista Business or Vista Ultimate will qualify for the offer. Any reservations about your current system should be directed to a local computer retailer or tech service provider. A ... (view more)

While millions of people clamored to hear late-breaking news and updates on the sudden passing of the Prince of Pop, hackers and online deviants around the world rushed to their computers to spread spam and malware to an endless sea of vulnerable ... mourners. Hundreds of cases of malicious messages masquerading as information about Jackson's death were reported Thursday night. The emails claimed to have contained "vital information" about the circumstances surrounding his death, while also asking users to respond in order to become privy to the "secret" details. (Source: infoworld.com ) ... (view more)

If you have a friend or relative that is always surprising you with things that they assume you will like (and for the most part, you don't) -- then you can probably relate to consumers disgruntled over 'forced' Windows updates that install without ... consent of the PC owner. Phantom Updates: Started June 9, 2009 According to the Windows Secrets newsletter, a number of people have noticed that their PCs have newly-installed updates and security patches once their machines are turned on or rebooted. These "phantom updates" have appeared as early as June 9th, 2009. (Source: windowssecrets.com ) ... (view more)

The old adage is still very much relevant today: there is no such thing as a free lunch. The meaning, of course, is that while something may appear to be free, there is almost always going to be strings attached. Such is the case concerning ... Microsoft with their latest "free" antivirus offering. The new software, Microsoft Security Essentials (also codenamed "Morro") was introduced under the assumption that millions of people would soon get a chance to experience a more secure PC, laptop or netbook . But as the wait time for the beta version release dwindled down to mere hours yesterday, ... (view more)