Microsoft Delivers Online Encrypted E-mail Using Direct Project Security Protocols

February 4, 2011 · Filed Under Internet Software, Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Interoperable e-mail messaging service launched with new version of Microsoft HealthVault enables physicians to share patient health information electronically.

During a Health & Human Services event in D.C. Microsoft Corp. announced new encrypted e-mail functionality for Microsoft HealthVault, which allows clinical partner solutions to send messages to patients based on security protocols set forth by the Office of the National Coordinator’s (ONC’s) Direct Project. Through this offering, every HealthVault record will be able to automatically accept mails directly from healthcare providers. Initial partners include MedPlus and VisionShare Inc., which have integrated the new service with their solutions to help clinical users secure messages they send to patients. The three companies are pioneering members of the Direct Project and will demonstrate the capabilities of their solutions in the Interoperability Showcase at the 2011 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibit (HIMSS 2011) as part of the Office of the National Coordinator’s exhibit.

“The initial goal of the Direct Project is to specify a simple, secure, scalable, standards-based way for participants to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the Internet,” said Wes Rishel, vice president and distinguished analyst, Gartner. “It is exciting to see early, real-world examples of applications based on the Direct Project’s security protocols emerging through the efforts of the private sector. Through public-private partnerships such as these we are starting to see the sharing of critical information across the health system.” Read more

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Browser Wars: Firefox Overtakes Internet Explorer in Europe

January 4, 2011 · Filed Under Browsers, Software News · Comment 

Internet Explorer loses crown in major market for first time

Firefox overtook Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) to become the number one browser in Europe in December 2010 according to StatCounter, the free website analytics company. The firm’s research arm StatCounter Global Stats reports that in December, Firefox took 38.11% of European market share, compared to IE’s 37.52%.

“This is the first time that IE has been dethroned from the number one spot in a major territory”

“This is the first time that IE has been dethroned from the number one spot in a major territory,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter. “This appears to be happening because Google’s Chrome is stealing share from Internet Explorer while Firefox is mainly maintaining its existing share.”

Google Chrome in third place is gaining market share in Europe and has grown to 14.58% compared to 5.06% in December last year. “We are probably seeing the impact of the agreement between European Commission competition authorities and Microsoft, to offer EU users a choice and menu of browsers from March last,” added Aodhan Cullen.

In North America IE still retains a clear lead in the browser market with 48.92% followed by Firefox (26.7%), Chrome (12.82%) and Safari (10.16%).

StatCounter Global Stats is based on aggregate data collected by StatCounter on a sample exceeding 15 billion page views per month (4.9 billion from North America) collected from across the StatCounter network of more than 3 million websites.

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Trend Micro Global Threat Report: Europe Dominates in Spam Growth, While North America Leads in Malicious URLs

October 5, 2010 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Global research network identifies threat trends during the first half of 2010, and the industries affected, along with advice for protecting consumers and businesses.

During the first half of 2010, Europe sped through the spam-generating fast-lane, bypassing North and South Americas, and Asia-Pacific to earn the “Top Producer of Spam” title. Based on the Trend Micro semi-annual 2010 threat report, spam continued to grow between January and June 2010, with a brief lull during April. Despite common perception, porn consists of only 4 percent of all spam. Commercial, scams-based and health/medical categories make up 65 percent of the spam generated throughout the world, with HTML spam being the most commonly used technique by spammers.

First half of 2010: Web-based threat trends

According to the report, malicious URLs increased from 1.5 billion in January to over 3.5 billion in June. North America sourced the most malicious URLs, while Asia-Pacific had the most victims of malware infections. The top URLs blocked by Trend Micro were adult websites, as well as sites that hosted malicious variants such as IFRAME code, TROJ_AGENT, and JS_DLOADR.ATF. Read more

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Internet Explorer 9 Beta Release

September 16, 2010 · Filed Under Browsers, Internet Software, Software News · Comment 

Beta version of Internet Explorer 9 available worldwide today is accompanied by new experiences from some of the world’s top sites reaching over two-thirds of active Internet users.

Microsoft Corp. announced the worldwide beta availability of its new Web browser, accompanied by over 70 top websites and global brands that created new experiences to show off the capabilities of Windows Internet Explorer 9, at the Beauty of the Web event in San Francisco. The new browser delivers a fast, clean, trusted and interoperable online experience that takes full advantage of Windows 7, putting the focus on the sites and applications people care about. Developers and designers from partners around the world are showcasing how they have used the capabilities of Internet Explorer 9 to tap into the power of the PC hardware, Windows 7, a new user experience, and support for modern standards such as HTML5 to create immersive sites that feel increasingly like native PC applications. Together these partners reach more than 800 million visitors, or about two-thirds of the active people on the Web. Users can download the new Internet Explorer 9 Beta and experience many of these new sites at http://www.beautyoftheweb.com/.

“Internet Explorer 9 uses the power of Windows and the whole PC to bring you a better Web,” said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft. “We’re proud to join our partners in releasing the beta of Internet Explorer 9, delivering a more beautiful Web to Windows customers across the globe.” Read more

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Top Web Scams of the Decade

September 2, 2010 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Exploits involving Russian women, Nigerian scams and fake job offers top list of creative ploys used by cybercriminals

With 2010 drawing to a close, PandaLabs, Panda Security’s anti-malware laboratory, has released a ranking of the most widespread scams on the Web from the past 10 years. These include the infamous Nigerian scam, ploys involving beautiful foreign women and money mule schemes based on too-good-to-be-true job offers.

According to Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs, “As with all the classic scams that predate the Internet, many of the numerous users that fall for these tricks and lose their money are reticent to report the crime. If recovering the stolen money was difficult in the old days, it is even harder now because criminals’ tracks are often lost across the Web. The best defense is to learn how to identify these scams and avoid taking the bait.”

Typically, these scams follow a similar pattern: Cybercriminals make initial contact with their victim through e-mail or on a social network. The intended victim is then asked to respond by e-mail, telephone, fax or some other channel. Once the user takes the bait, the criminals will attempt to gain their victim’s trust, finding an excuse to ask for money.

The most frequent scams identified by PandaLabs over the last 10 years, based on their distribution and the frequency, are as follows: Read more

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