New Free Microsoft Security Essentials Release

A new release of Microsoft’s free security solution for Windows is now available for download. The Redmond company has made available for download extremely quietly the new version of Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 on February 17th, 2010. The latest release of MSE, formerly codenamed Morro, is currently up for grabs from the Microsoft Download Center, with no details available from the software giant as to what, if anything was changed with the antivirus.

“Microsoft Security Essentials is a free download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always kept up to date so you can be assured your PC is protected by the latest technology. It’s easy to tell if your PC is secure — when you’re green, you’re good. It’s that simple. Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so you’re free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times,” Microsoft noted. Read more

Windows 7 RTM Activation Cracks

It was only a matter of time before methods designed to illegally circumvent the antipiracy measures in Windows 7 made their way into the wild. And, in this regard, the latest iteration of the Windows client joins its predecessors, for which a consistent collection of leaked volume keys, key generators (keygens), hacks, cracks and activation bypass techniques, including those targeting OEM activation, is already available from various sources, for those that know where to look. Now, Windows 7 users can also take their pick of fresh items from the bazaar of activation cracks, and illegally prolong the life of the operating system without activating the product, and of course without buying a license, for that matter.

Ways around the antipiracy protections built into Windows 7 have already been documented, with some techniques even automating the process of bypassing activation altogether. Automated Windows 7 hacks are designed to let users circumvent the activation process with little or no effort on their part. Cracks can, in this context, be run like any other executable, and produce a fully functional, albeit non-genuine, copy of Windows 7. Read more

Free Virus Protection from Microsoft goes Live

As reported earlier this year Microsoft’s very own free anti virus program, Security Essentials, has now finished its beta trials and is ready for download. The finished version doesn’t look significantly different from the beta but behind the scenes a various bugs and quirks have been fixed. First impressions are very good, it’s reasonably fast, unobtrusive and doesn’t hog resources and according to the experts provides a high degree of protection. Only time will tell if there are any gaps in it defences but if you’re a reasonably low risk user (you avoid dodgy websites, pirate downloads and opening unexpected attachments), and you’re unhappy with your present anti-virus program then it’s worth giving it a whirl. Incidentally, despite warnings about not getting along with other AV programs it didn’t seem to mind sharing disc space with Avast! and AVG on our test machines.

Most popular downloaded programs?

For an upcoming post, I’m putting together a list of the programs that someone is most likely to download and install after completing a clean installation of Windows.

Here are the programs that I come up with quickly:

* Firefox
* Picasa
* Skype
* iTunes + QuickTime
* Windows Live Essentials
* Adobe Reader
* Flash
* Java

Of course, I have more entries on my list of personal faves, and there are some essential categories where there isn’t a clear leader antivirus and security programs, for example. There’s also a second tier of popular but not essential software, like file compression tools, disk utilities, and disk-burning software. But right now I’m looking for the ones that are really , where someone is very likely to want a quick download link. Read more

Sticky Security Wiper

It’s bad enough when ordinary programs on your PC won’t go away but some security applications can be particularly difficult to uninstall. Of course it’s mostly self-defence and a lot of malware programs try to delete or disable anti-virus programs and malware cleaners etc., so they are deliberately made more difficult to remove. But that’s no consolation when you want to get rid of one, maybe because it’s causing conflicts, or you want to switch to another program. Either way there is a solution in the shape of AppRemover, a freeware utility that’s designed specifically to remove security applications, failed uninstalls and the files left behind by these programs.

Apple Keyboard Hack Proved Possible

Slashdot reports that Apple keyboards are vulnerable to hackers’ attacks due to the complexity of their inner workings, which include RAM and flash memory. According to the report, the hack can potentially place keyloggers and malware directly into the device’s firmware.

To make matters even worse, the author of this “proof of concept” has also published the presentation and code in a PDF that’s free to download for anyone on the planet. The vuln is undoubtedly enticing to hackers, some of which are likely to create one or more exploits for the flaw in question. To better understand how this discovery has turned into a potential security issue, we offer you a few excerpts from the published document.

For ethical reasons, the firmware modification we describe is benign. The firmware is modified so that the LED under the CAP S LOC K key of the keyboard will flash momentarily when the keyboard is first plugged into a system. However, malicious payloads can be developed by individuals with mal-intent. Read more

eSobi Now Compatible with Windows 7

eSobi, a multi-purpose information navigator, is among the first software solutions certified for Microsoft’s next iteration of the Windows client. The Redmond-based company has been driving Windows 7 compatibility hard, inviting third-party developers to jump aboard, and eSobi was little shy of tailoring its product to the successor of Windows Vista.

The “Compatible with the Windows 7″ logo attests that eSobi is designed to play nice with both the 32-bit and the 64-bit flavors of the upcoming operating system from Microsoft, scheduled to RTM by the end of July, and to launch on October 22, 2009.

“eSobi has earned its global reputation on making it more efficient and personal to utilize Internet resources in daily life,” explained Wen Lee, chairman of eSobi Inc. “By working with Microsoft and as the very first company in our category to receive the Compatible with Windows 7 logo, eSobi customers can have confidence of the compatibility, reliability, security, and performance of eSobi on their Windows 7-based computers.” Read more

Wi-Spy

Here’s a handy little utility for laptop owners. It’s called Wireless NetViewand its sole purpose in life is to show you all of the wireless networks in your immediate vicinity. But wait, I hear you cry, my PC can already do that, using the built-in Windows utility or the one installed by the wireless adaptor. All true, but this one goes a whole lot further, drilling deep into the connection or access points properties, tell you all sorts of useful things about its real time and average signal strength, signal quality, authentication algorithm, security status, channel number and frequency, MAC address and much, much more. Okay, so maybe most of this information is only of interest to geeks and hackers, but it’ll give you something to do the next time you’re stuck at the airport, surfing for a free connection.

How to display the hidden settings of Nokia mobiles?

Today tip is about the secret codes of nokia mobile phones and will work on most of the latest nokia mobile sets. You can display the hidden information of mobile sets and troubleshoot the routine problems using these codes.

Follow the list of latest nokia codes list:

*#7780# —> To restore the factory settings of mobile set

*#3283# —> To verify the set Manufacturing date

*#746025625# —> To stop the sim clock

*#67705646# —> Use to delete the operator logo
Read more

Balls to Security

In my other life, as a reviewer and tester of security and surveillance devices I get to play around with a lot of highly innovative and occasionally downright wacky gadgets but this one has them all beat. It’s called the GroundBot and it’s pretty much what it looks like, a motorised ball, that wanders around, with two side-mounted cameras. It comes from a company called Rotundus and it can be controlled manually, beaming back 3D images to the operator, or programmed to follow preset routes, It’s waterproof, rugged and capable of moving through mud and snow, so it’s perfect for keeping watch on outdoor locations. So if you’re out and about, getting into places you should be and you think that you are being watched, don’t look up, look down…

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