Chrome 18 update closes high-risk security holes
Google has released a new update to the stable 18.x branch of its Chrome web browser to close a number of security holes found in the application. The update, labelled 18.0.1025.168, addresses a total of five vulnerabilities, three of which are rated as "high severity" by the company. Read more...
RuggedCom to close industrial networking hardware backdoor
Canadian communications equipment specialist and Siemens affiliate RuggedCom has confirmed that its products based on the Rugged Operating System (ROS) contain an undocumented backdoor. According to RuggedCom VP of Marketing, Jim Slinowsky, versions 3.2.x and earlier of ROS allow backdoor access to the serial console, Secure Shell (SSH), web access (HTTPS), telnet and remote shell (rsh) services; ROS 3.3.x and above disabled telent and rsh. Read more...
SSL Pulse starts beating
SSL Pulse shows the state of SSL based on 200,000 sites 
The Trustworthy Internet Movement has launched SSL Pulse, a "real time" dashboard as part of an initiative to improve the quality of SSL implementations in use on the web. The Trustworthy Internet Movement (TIM) is a non-profit launched by the chairman and CEO of Qualys, Philippe Courtot, in February at the RSA conference. Its next step, it has decided, is to create a TIM SSL Taskforce to look at SSL governance and implementation across the internet. Read more...
Facebook wants you to donate your organs
After successfully making the "relationship status" a significant issue in our lives, Facebook now brings attention (and peer pressure) to something else — our posthumous fate. On Tuesday, the social network announced that users may declare that they are registered organ donors by adding an "organ donor status" to their Timelines. While declaring your donor status on the social network isn't legally binding, Facebook hopes it will inspire people.
Facebook's latest feature is an attempt to save lives by raising "broader awareness about organ donation," according to a press release signed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg. The two "believe that by simply telling people that you're an organ donor, the power of sharing and connection can play an important role." Read more...
How to pick the right tablet for your personality
At least a dozen times a week, someone asks me about buying a tablet. Inevitably, their one main question is, "Should I get the no-frills $499 version of the newest iPad or the fully loaded $829 model?" (By the way, we're talking about the latest iPad, the device we all keep calling the "iPad 3," even though Apple's gone all Prince/Artist-Formerly-Known-As and is just calling it the "iPad.") Anyway, my response is always to ask a few questions back that help me zero in on their particular tablet traits: Why do you want a tablet? What will you use it for? How much money do you want to spend? And what kind of smartphone and laptop do you already have? Read more...
BlackBerry-maker RIM unveils prototype
Research In Motion's new chief executive unveiled a newly-designed BlackBerry smartphone prototype powered by a re-imagined operating system —the very software the company has pinned its future on.
Thorsten Heins, who took the CEO job in January, on Tuesday revealed features of the BlackBerry 10 operating system running on a prototype device at the company's BlackBerry World conference in Orlando. He provided no update on the software's launch date. Read more...
Microsoft mute on Nook app’s bundling with Windows 8
Microsoft on Monday declined to say whether Barnes and Noble's Nook app for Metro will be embedded into Windows 8 or Windows RT.
Earlier in the day, Microsoft announced it was investing $300 million to acquire a 17.6% stake in a new Barnes & Noble subsidiary that will include the bookseller's digital Nook and College business. Microsoft also guaranteed Barnes & Noble additional payments of $305 million over the next five years.
As part of the deal, Barnes & Noble will develop a Metro app for the Nook to run on Windows 8 and Windows RT. Read more...
Iran admits expanded cyberattacks, claims it’s identified hackers
The Iranian government acknowledged today that authorities have found evidence of recent cyberattacks against several agencies, according to reports by state-sponsored media outlets.
A week ago, the country's oil ministry confirmed that it and other facilities in the energy industry had been targeted by malware attacks.
Today, the Mehr News Agency said that Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqaddam, Iran's national police chief, had claimed that his office has "found clues about recent cyberattacks on a number of Iranian ministries and companies."
Mehr is a semi-official arm of the Iranian government. Read more...
Nokia 808 PureView to launch in India and Russia from this month
Nokia has said that it will begin rolling out its Symbian-powered Nokia 808 PureView to “select markets” in May, initially launching the 41-megapixel handset in Russian and Indian markets.
Having been unveiled in this year’s Mobile World Congress, the 808 Pureview won awards for its impressive optics and ability to capture incredible amounts of detail in its photos.
The company noted at the time that it would look to launch the device as soon as possible but it has today confirmed that it will be available in two of its most popular markets from this month. Read more...
Man seeks more than $5m in class suit against Apple for alleged ‘double-billing’ in iTunes
A man named Robert Herskowitz has filed a federal class action suit against Apple, alleging that the company ‘double-bills’ for purchases made on iTunes with “troubling regularity” and that the company’s “illegal” policies also apply to other digital stores like the App Store, the iBookstore and the Mac App Store.
Herskowitz seeks an injunction and punitive damages of more than $5 million for a national class, alleging breach of contract, breach of faith, unjust enrichment, unfair competition and business law violations. Read more...