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OpenDNS DNSCrypt: Encrypt DNS Traffic, Secure Yourself From Eavesdropping, Man-in-the-middle Attacks

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OpenDNS DNSCrypt is an open-source DNS encryption tool. In layman terms, DNSCrypt is a tool for securing communications between a client and a DNS resolver (more on this later). Basically, it secures your connection from eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks. Thus, hugely increasing your web browsing security. DNSCrypt is developed by the popular DNS service OpenDNS.

Let’s take an example to describe what exactly a DNS is. If you want to visit our website, you’ll type the human-readable domain name of our website, www.mytechguide.org. After you press Enter or click on the Go button of your browser, your browser will try to retrieve the IP address of our website, 67.222.31.35, before displaying our website. To know this IP address, your browser contacts a server called the Domain Name System (DNS) server. You can think of the DNS like a large phone book for the Internet, which translates the human-friendly domain names into an IP addresses. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Apple, Security, Utilities, Windows

Disable Gadgets In Windows 7, Vista: Vulnerabilities in Gadgets Could Allow Remote Code Execution

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Microsoft originally introduced desktop gadgets in Windows Vista operating system and continued supporting them in Windows 7 operating system. As the release of Windows 8 final version is coming near, there were reports that indicate that Microsoft will remove desktop gadgets from Windows 8 operating system. Microsoft has confirmed that it will deprecate Gadgets and Sidebar in Windows 8. Now, it seems Microsoft has a good reason for removing desktop gadgets from Windows 8.

Along with this month’s Patch Tuesday, a security advisory is released for Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating system. The security advisory is about vulnerabilities in desktop gadgets that could allow Remote Code Execution. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Security, Vista, Windows, Windows 7

Microsoft’s July 2012 Patch Tuesday: Critical Internet Explorer 9 Vulnerability Patch, Nine Security Bulletins

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Microsoft has issued nine security bulletins as advanced bulletin notification for July 2012 Patch Tuesday. The nine security bulletins fixes 16 issues in the Windows operating system, Internet Explorer, Visual Basic for Applications, and Microsoft Office.

Out of the nine security bulletins of July 2012 Patch Tuesday, Microsoft has rated three of the security bulletins; MS12-043 (Microsoft XML Core Services), MS12-045 (Microsoft Data Access Components [MDAC]), MS12-044 (Internet Explorer), as critical. The remaining six, MS12-046, MS12-048, MS12-047, MS12-049, MS12-050 and MS12-051 as important. Almost all the patches except one will need a system restart. [Read more...]

Filed Under: News and Updates, Security

ACAD/Medre.A Worm Uncovered: Steals AutoCAD Design Files From Peru and Other Countries, Sends Them To China

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Security watchers have discovered ACAD/Medre.A worm that specially targets design files created in the popular computer-aided design (CAD) software AutoCAD.

Security researchers recently uncovered high-profile, high-tech malicious code like Stuxnet, Duqu and Flamer, which were suspected to be part of a government-led espionage campaign. After tens of thousands of AutoCAD design files (blueprints) swiped using the ACAD/Medre.A worm, ESET (the antivirus firm) suspects the malware to have been designed for industrial espionage.

“ACAD/Medre.A represents a serious case of suspected industrial espionage. Every new design is sent automatically to the operator of this malware. Needless to say this can cost the legitimate owner of the intellectual property a lot of money as the cybercriminals have access to the designs even before they go into production. They may even have the guts to apply for patents on the product before the inventor has registered it at the patent office,” says ESET Senior Research Fellow Righard Zwienenberg. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Security, Windows

Kaspersky Security Scan: Free Cloud-Based Malware Scanner

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Kaspersky Labs released a new free cloud scanner, called Kaspersky Security Scan.

Kaspersky Security Scan retrieves malware information from the cloud and scans your computer to find the latest threats. Kaspersky’s free cloud scanner doesn’t replaces your regular antivirus because it lacks real-time protection support but is an on-demand malware scanner. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Security, Windows

Attention: Microsoft Releases Patch Tuesday For June 2012, Patch Your Systems Now

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Microsoft has issued “Patch Tuesday” for June 2012. Total seven security bulletins are released. These seven bulletins address security issues in Windows, Internet Explorer, and the .NET Framework. Three of these seven bulletins are rated critical, the highest possible rating by Microsoft. The remaining four bulletins are rated as important.

Important: Users should update their system as soon as possible since a critical IE vulnerability which Microsoft has patched in this month’s Patch Tuesday is under active exploit.

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Filed Under: News and Updates, Security, Windows

Flame, Flamer, Skywiper: What You Should Know? How To Scan Your PC For Flame Infection?

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The Internet is abuzz about the latest most advanced and complex threat called “Flame” (also known as Flamer or Skywiper) after Duqu and Stuxnet. Flamer malware has been seen infecting computers particularly in the Middle East countries. Flamer was recently discovered by The Iranian Computer Emergency Response Team (MAHER) but it was actually in the wild spying on Middle East computers since 2010.

The malware is named “Flame” or “Flamer” because of the same words appearing in its code. Its one of the most advanced malware ever encountered by security researchers. It can monitor user activity by taking screenshots, record audio conversations and it can use Bluetooth technology to steal data on devices located near the infected computer, Alexander Gostev, a researcher at the Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab, said in a blog post on Monday. [Read more...]

Filed Under: News and Updates, Security, Windows