report

Be careful when using Bing, Microsoft's search engine, says a security expert. According to the expert's report, Bing is more likely than other search engines to offer users links to malicious websites. The report comes from Fraser Howard, a ... computer security researcher with SophosLabs. In the report, Howard suggests that users of Bing are twice as likely as users of Google to find malicious links on their results pages. Bing Bad, Google Less Bad That's a startling number, given that Google has more than four times the market share of Bing. However, it remains unclear how accurate and ... (view more)

A new report suggests that Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 RT-based tablet computer, Surface , will retail for $199. Observers expect that such a price point is more likely to place Microsoft in direct competition with Google than with Apple. The ... report comes from the prominent tech blog Engadget. It states that the basic version of the 10.6-inch Surface, running on Microsoft's bare-bones Windows 8 RT (or runtime) operating system (OS), will cost $199. (Source: engadget.com ) That's the same price as Google's recently released 7-inch Nexus 7 and the similarly-sized Kindle Fire from Amazon. It' ... (view more)

According to a new report, the governments of the United States and Israel were jointly responsible for crafting and turning loose the new Flame virus . The apparent goal of the project: to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons program. The report about ... the origins of Flame was published in the Washington Post, which indicates that Flame was originally designed to act as a cyber weapon that could help its creators acquire "sensitive" information from the Middle East region. Flame Project Known as "Olympic Games" The overarching project that ultimately yielded Flame, known as "Olympic Games ... (view more)

Google has revealed that last year it refused to comply with most US government requests to remove controversial content from its websites. The company also discussed its behavior in removing terrorism videos and its response to a particularly ... unusual request from the Canadian government. Google explored these issues in its latest Transparency Report, which provides information about private and public requests that Google receives to censor specific Internet content. According to the report, between July and December 2011 Google received US court orders to take down a total of 3,851 items. ... (view more)

A recent report concerning Google's unauthorized collection of data from wireless networks has raised new questions about the company's behavior. Curiously, though, Google itself has released the report. Google had been accused of foul play after ... inadvertently collecting personal data from people's home WiFi networks. The problem stems from the company's vehicles which, busy taking photographs for its Street View maps system, also scanned for local networks. The networks were to be part of a database intended to aid Google's navigational offerings to consumers. A year-long investigation by ... (view more)

In a new report released by prominent security firm Symantec, research shows that adult websites are not the most dangerous on the web. Instead, blogs associated with religion or ideologies offer a far greater chance of infecting a visitor's ... computer with some form of malware. Called the Internet Security Threat Report, Symantec's information includes a list of the ten most dangerous types of websites. Surprisingly, adult sites -- which many have long associated with malware and viruses -- are included as number ten. Adult Sites Don't Need Malware Money According to the report, religious and ... (view more)

Environmental organization Greenpeace has issued a widespread warning about the technology used to host the Internet. According to Greenpeace, much of the online space is dependent on 'dirty' power. The group says that some of the largest web firms ... are intentionally moving their servers and other power-hungry facilities to geographical areas that can provide cheaper, although more environmentally harmful sources of electricity. The criticisms were recently published in a report titled: "How Clean Is Your Cloud?" The title is a reference to the current emphasis on cloud computing , ... (view more)

These days there are fewer and fewer people who say they don't regularly use the world wide web. According to a new report from Pew, which frequently studies the evolving relationship between people and technology, in 1995 about one in ten adult ... Americans used the web. Today, the ratio is closer to 4 in 5. (Source: eweek.com ) Nevertheless, nearly everyone knows someone, somewhere, who outright refuses to go online. The new study reveals that a large chunk of those 'no-Net' people stay away because they simply have no interest in using the Internet. Bored With Online Technology According to ... (view more)

A new report suggests that in-car tech systems intended to simplify the navigation of media and communications platforms may create more problems than they solve. According to the report, which originated in the United Kingdom, more than seven in ... ten people find the systems distract them from driving. The publisher of the report, the UK-based publication 'Which?,' says it asked 1,000 of its members to report on their in-car technology. About one in four said they owned cars with advanced systems such as satellite navigation, touchscreen displays, and steering wheel-based control buttons. ... (view more)

It appears that Microsoft and its users may be experiencing a security problem potentially as dangerous and devastating as the 2010 debacle that hit Playstation owners. Back then, innocent purchasers of PlayStations were hit by one of the most ... stunning security invasions in recent memory. Millions saw their supposedly-secure account information leaked, including credit card data. The problem ran so deep that Sony felt compelled to offer substantial compensation packages. The current problem may prove just as significant, unless Microsoft changes how it stores sensitive customer information. ... (view more)