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Comment: Re:You don't need a browser to download (Score 1) 593

by Door in Cart (#26503969) Attached to: EU Antitrust Troubles Continue For Microsoft
You must have missed the original question by cobraR478:

How is the average computer illiterate going to download a browser if Microsoft is not allowed to bundle one? Buy a disc?

Of course you don't need a browser to download a file, nor do you need a browser to use HTTP. But if typical computer "users" were competent enough to make use of such knowlegde, then MSIE would not be much of a contender, anyway -- so it's a moot point.

Software

+ - The Advancement Of The Keylogger

Submitted by
wmhafiz
wmhafiz writes "keylogger is a program that runs in your computer's background secretly recording all your keystrokes. Once your keystrokes are logged, they are hidden away for later retrieval by the attacker. The attacker then carefully reviews the information in hopes of finding passwords or other information that would prove useful to them. For example, a keylogger can easily obtain confidential emails and reveal them to any interested outside party willing to pay for the information. Keyloggers can be either software or hardware based. Software-based keyloggers are easy to distribute and infect, but at the same time are more easily detectable. Hardware-based keyloggers are more complex and harder to detect. For all that you know, your keyboard could have a keylogger chip attached and anything being typed is recorded into a flash memory sitting inside your keyboard. Keyloggers have become one of the most powerful applications used for gathering information in a world where encrypted traffic is becoming more and more common. As keyloggers become more advanced, the ability to detect them becomes more difficult. They can violate a user's privacy for months, or even years, without being noticed. During that time frame, a keylogger can collect a lot of information about the user it is monitoring. A keylogger can potential obtain not only passwords and log-in names, but credit card numbers, bank account details, contacts, interests, web browsing habits, and much more. All this collected information can be used to steal user's personal documents, money, or even their identity. A keylogger might be as simple as an .exe and a .dll that is placed in a computer and activated upon boot up via an entry in the registry. Or, the more sophisticated keyloggers, such as the Perfect Keylogger or ProBot Activity Monitor have developed a full line of nasty abilities including: Undetectable in the process list and invisible in operation A kernel keylogger driver that captures keystrokes even when the user is logged off A remote deployment wizard The ability to create text snapshots of active applications The ability to capture http post data (including log-ins/passwords) The ability to timestamp record workstation usage HTML and text log file export Automatic e-mail log file delivery All keyloggers are not used for illegal purposes. A variety of other uses have surfaced. Keyloggers have been used to monitor web sites visited as a means of parental control over children. They have been actively used to prevent child pornography and avoid children coming in contact with dangerous elements on the web. Additionally, in December, 2001, a federal court ruled that the FBI did not need a special wiretap order to place a keystroke logging device on a suspect's computer. The judge allowed the FBI to keep details of its key logging device secret (citing national security concerns). The defendant in the case, Nicodemo Scarfo Jr., indicted for gambling and loan-sharking, used encryption to protect a file on his computer. The FBI used the keystroke logging device to capture Scarfo's password and gain access to the needed file. About the Author Wan Mohd Hafiz is the founder of ArticlesInside.com. This article is provided courtesy of http://www.articlesinside.com./ This article may be freely published on any website, as long as the links are live, and this notice is left intact."
Privacy

+ - Energy Dept. to Expand Random Polygraph Screening

Submitted by
George Maschke
George Maschke writes "Despite a 2003 finding by the National Academy of Sciences that "[polygraph testing's] accuracy in distinguishing actual or potential security violators from innocent test takers is insufficient to justify reliance on its use in employee security screening in federal agencies," an internal memorandum to employees at Los Alamos National Laboratory announces the implementation of a program of random polygraph screening encompassing over 5,000 LANL employees and some 3,800 employees at Sandia National Laboratories. Those who fail the polygraph will no longer be able to continue their present work.

Last year, AntiPolygraph.org News anticipated the possibility that DOE's publicly announced reduction in the number of employees subject to routine polygraph screening might result in a significant ramp up of its program of random polygraph screening as the Office of Counterintelligence attempts to ensure full employment for its complement of polygraph operators. This seems to be precisely what has happened."
Linuxcare

+ - Is brand name Ubuntu over hyped ?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "When you go by the readings in diverse media, you are sure to find only eulogies of Ubuntu — a linux distribution which has been very popular as a neophytes Linux distribution. But this provocative article asks whether, after all is said and done, is not the brand name Ubuntu over hyped to the extent of over shadowing other Linux distributions including Ubuntu's parent distribution Debian? Because as this author has experienced, the succeeding Ubuntu releases after 6.06 has only gone down a gradual incline in the quality department."
Wireless Networking

+ - Fon Dumps Microsoft

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "FON founder and CEO, Martin Varsavsky sent a memo to his employees encouraging them to dump Microsoft in favor of Ubuntu.
" Dear All: As of today Fon will disengage from Microsoft and adopt Linux in the Ubuntu form as our operating system of choice. " read the blog entry from Steve Ross"
Google

+ - Google is removing results due to legal reasons

Submitted by TinBromide
TinBromide (921574) writes "After doing a quick search for an xchat weather plugin, i noticed this line at the bottom of the page "In response to a legal request submitted to Google, we have removed 1 result(s) from this page. If you wish, you may read more about the request at ChillingEffects.org." After clicking the link, I was taken to this page. I didn't find any additional information, but it looks like all those lawsuits are now affecting our searches."
User Journal

Journal: What is your favorite 20th-century OS? 1

Journal by davidwr

What is your favorite 20th-century OS version or distribution? Mainframe OSes are fair game.

The main rule is has to be officially unsupported as of January 1, 2000. Rule #2 is you had to actually USE it at least once. No "I heard the Amiga was cool."

I like the Commodore 64 and MacOS 2.0.

The Internet

+ - China Battles Online Porn

Submitted by NotinMyTurF
NotinMyTurF (1011153) writes "The Chinese government is launching a new crackdown on online pornography, complaining it has "perverted China's young minds," a state news agency said Friday. The Ministry of Public Security says the six-month campaign will target cyber strip shows and sexually explicit images, stories and audio and video clips, according to the Xinhua News Agency."
Mars

+ - Closest Look Ever of the "Face of Mars"

Submitted by
Riding with Robots
Riding with Robots writes "The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has returned the sharpest view ever of the famous "Face of Mars." The formation's reputation as an alien artifact stemmed from a 1970s Viking image. In recent years, different lighting conditions and much, much higher resolution views have dispelled the illusion of an ancient Martian monument, but the new pictures give modern Mars explorers additional clues about the water ice that may lie just below the surface. You can download the full-resolution version, which the circumspect MRO team has labeled simply, "Popular Landform in Cydonia Region." Meanwhile, NASA has just released a report explaining the likely fate of the Mars Global Surveyor, which went suddenly silent last year after a decade of service."

Top Ten Things Overheard At The ANSI C Draft Committee Meetings: (10) Sorry, but that's too useful.

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