Follow Slashdot blog updates by subscribing to our blog RSS feed

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Mozilla

Submission + - Firefox 4 to Force HTTPS Connections (threatpost.com)

Trailrunner7 writes: In an effort to help mitigate man-in-the-middle attacks that make normal HTTP connections look like secured HTTPS sessions, Mozilla is adding support in Firefox 4 for a new technology called HTTP Strict Transport Security that enables site operators to tell browsers to always request an HTTPS session on future visits.

The technology, which is also known as ForceTLS, is currently an IETF draft specification and Mozilla officials say it should give users more confidence in HTTPS connections over time. Right now, the existence of HTTPS in front of a URL in a browser's address bar is nothing close to a guarantee that the connection is actually a secure one. There are myriad man-in-the-middle attack scenarios that introduce a high level of uncertainty for SSL connections.

Security

25% of Worms Spread Via USB 190

An anonymous reader writes "In 2010, 25 percent of new worms have been specifically designed to spread through USB storage devices connected to computers, according to PandaLabs. This distribution technique is highly effective. With survey responses from more than 10,470 companies across 20 countries, it was revealed that approximately 48 percent of SMBs (with up to 1,000 computers) admit to having been infected by some type of malware over the last year. As further proof, 27 percent confirmed that the source of the infection was a USB device connected to a computer."
The Courts

Facebook Says It Owns 'Book' 483

An anonymous reader writes "The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Facebook has sued a tiny start-up called Teachbook.com over the use of 'book' in its name. The start-up, which has two employees, aims to provide tools for teachers to manage their classrooms and share lesson plans and other resources. 'Effectively they're bombing a mosquito here, and we're not sure why they want to do that,' Teachbook.com co-director Greg Shrader told the Tribune. Facebook said its use of 'book' in its name is 'highly distinctive in the context of online communities and networking websites.' Facebook apparently is alleging that no other online 'network of people' can use the word 'book' in its name without violating its trademark."

Comment Re:A330 -- No Margin for Error (Score 2, Informative) 403

1. How can an airplane be allowed to carry passengers when the margin to airframe disintegration is so narrow? I can understand falling out of the sky if it stalls, but to be able to tear the airplane apart in level flight? What happened to margin of safety in airframe construction -- or is that whole concept now obsolete?

The load limits for A330 (and i believe for all other modern big passenger aircraft) are from -1g to +2.5g.

The ultimate loads, leading to rupture, are 1.5 times the load factor limits. Same for Boeing. Yes you might increase it to 2.0, or 3.0. Same as you could drive a tank instead of a car - costs and risks would probably outweigh the benefits.

If the aircraft stalled because of significant overspeed and consequent loss of lift, the loads might cross the ultimate load limits. Not so in normal flight conditions, specially because A330 computers restrict the aircraft load within -1g to +2.5 limits. Even with full pilot input, the load would not cross those limits.

Comment Gee, I wonder why... (Score 1) 337

I don't need to spend half an hour of my time that I've allocated for playing games trudging at whatever stupidly slow speed a game's decided to impose upon me. There is no good reason, whatsoever, to not just let me be there.

You are paying, let's say, $15 per month for the privilege of playing a game?
Gee, I wonder why the game designers would want to make you spend more time playing their game...

Comment Re:I'm so sick of this... (Score 1) 864

The thing about UAC is that it doesn't make it more secure if all you have to do is press allow, users will just click allow each time because it requires no effort

Well, I for one think that UAC is a small improvement. Yes, it does pop up from time to time, but it is not too often to be annoying.
Same as if you have a firewall or anti-virus software, you get a window that you can read or just blindly click approve. But the point is that you have a bit more information of what is going on with your system and one more option to help you identify suspicious activity.
As for the "users who just click allow", well if you are lazy enough to read one sentence than no UAC or anything else will help. But people like that probably have bunch of malware running on their system already, since they trained themselves to blindly approve everything. One just needs a bit of common sense. :\

Slashdot Top Deals

A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable. -- Thomas Jefferson

Working...