'Freak' security law affecting Microsoft PCs

In my last post,I said about the Freak attack that has created a havoc to android and safari browsers.Its found that the Microsoft has also been affected(This decade old security flaw allows hackers to break the secure connection between the website and the web browser).

You are being freaked.!!!Stay alert

Freak was the result of a former US government policy where software-makers(US) were required to use weaker security in encryption programs sold overseas.Though the policies have changed since the 1990s,the weaker encryption is still being used by a majority of the programs.
A research team from Microsoft has revealed that websites can still be tricked into accepting a weaker security(software) thereby allowing the hackers to act.
There is no evidence that the hackers have exploited this weakness.But if a hacker has done so,he will be able to see all the sensitive information of the user that include password to the credit card information.
Although,there is no security patch developed,Microsoft has suggested a workaround(refer to my previous post for the suggested workaround) which can safeguard you for a temporary period.Users can use the browser which are not affected by the 'Freak' such as Firefox and Chrome.

 

Internet Explorer,Windows vulnerable to FREAK Attack

The recent FREAK Attack hit the tech world and it almost proved massive.It could take down HTTPS  in the android and iOS and exploit the decade old security flaws through which it can take down the modern browsers.Now,its Windows and the Internet Explorer that is in the list.
Although,it was believed that Window's was not affected,Microsoft has issued a statement that even Windows is not safe and its advising its users to apply a workaround until a patch can be provided. Windows Server 2003, Vista (all flavors), Server 2008 and all consumer versions of Windows, including Windows RT are the affected operated systems.

BEWARE!!!Freak Attack can be really freaking

Internet Explorer 11,despite being fully patched,is still vulnerable while browsers like Firefox and Google Chrome are safe.

Rooting with Group Policy Object Editor

Using this,you can feel secured for some extent if not fully secured.Here are the steps that you must do
   

Android 5.0 unencrypted despite being promised

How come???Yes,it is.During its pre-launch,it was promised that Android 5.0 would have a encryption feature that would be enabled by default.But this promise seems to be just a promise.

Encryption=Safety

In its blog,Google explained that "user data partition would be created at the first boot with encryption being done at default" from the moment the device is installed with lollipop.Nexus devices certainly have this feature enabled by default.But,the rest of the devices that runs on Android 5.0 have the absence of this feature.
It has been assumed that encryption would slow down the devices(which could be the reason for the manufacturers not having this feature). Not using this feature just to fire up the device is a bit sluggish and disappointment for the users.

New 64 bit processor by MediaTek will power the Android tablets in market

MediaTek has started it race to capture the best processor crown with its new 64-bit MT8173 mobile chip which is set to power android devices in the second half of this year.The chip combines some of the latest processor technologies which is promised to give a better performance without affecting the battery life of the device.
Tablets are processing 4K video, demanding applications and getting higher-resolution screens. The new chip is designed to meet those requirements which would allow tablets to have 20-megapixel cameras,handle high-end games on advanced mobile screens with 120Hz refresh rates.Although,the big advantage of the Snapdragon 810 is integrated LTE, which the new MediaTek chip doesn’t have. MediaTek does offer the LTE-capable 64-bit MT6795 chip, which has eight cores but can only support 2048 x 1536 pixel displays.
Existing 64-bit chips—like the Snapdragon 810—are based on the older Cortex-A57 design, and the Cortex-A72 is considered speedier which would be used in the MT8173 processor.Its also indicated that MediaTek would use the Cortex-A72 processor design in the future.

iOS most vulnerable and Windows less vulnerable:Reports 2014

Surprised isn't it?But this is true.iOS is the most vulnerable operating system according to a report by US National Vulnerability Database(NVD).
As per the report, OS X leads the list followed by iOS, Linux, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Vista, and Windows RT.Its also been noted that 7,038 new vulnerabilities were added last year, which results in 19 new vulnerabilities per day.
Analysis say that of the 7,038 vulnerabilities,almost 80% of them come from the third party application installed in the iOS device,13% from the OS and the remaining from the hardware.OS X was found to have the lion's share of vulnerabilities in 2014, with 147, while iOS had 127, Linux had 119, and the first Windows version on the list, Windows Server 2008, had 38, and Windows 7 had 36.

Updated Windows Defender can now remove the Superfish Adware

 

Recently,Lenevo came under heavy fire for installing the Superfish software-a software(adware) that compromises the security of the device(laptop), in some of its laptops.The adware tampers the system's official certificates for websites used by it to detect the fake websites.This way,it can hijack the HTTPS connections on the affected laptops making it vulnerable to the hackers.
Although the company apologized for this major flaw,Microsoft did not stop itself from securing the devices and leaving it to lenevo as it released an update to Windows Defender.The new update not only removes the superfish from the affected devices,but also erases the self-signed certificate that the adware used to compromise the encrypted Internet traffic of the computer.
One thing to note is that Windows Defender is automatically disabled when a third-party antivirus software is installed, which is a concession made by Microsoft to vendors of antivirus programs and to computer manufacturers. Computer companies are paid whenever users upgrade the trial versions of antivirus software, and if Windows Defender was active, then no such thing will probably happen.

Windows 10 vs Windows 8

Windows 8 has definitely proved costly for Microsoft.Because of its major bugs,many users lost their faith in it.Now,its up-to Microsoft to regain the faith from its users and it looks like Windows 10 would do it.Due to the polarizing nature of Windows 8,Microsoft has made big changes for Windows 10 to appeal the traditional users.
First thing is the Start Screen.Anyone who uses(used) Windows 8 knows that start screen is good for a touch screen device.Therefore, the Start screen in Windows 10 will be designed mostly to tablets while desktop users will get their full Start menu back, which is just what they’ve been asking for.
Another thing from Windows 8 is the Charms Menu.Many Windows 8 users found it very difficult to use the Charms Menu.Its clear that Microsoft would keep the Charms Menu for the touch screen devices.

Charms Menu was definitely charming for Windows 8

On the whole,Microsoft has done a great job by listening to the concerns of the Windows users.So,Windows 10 is definitely going to be promising release by Microsoft.