Stop using Microsoft's IE browser until bug is fixed, US and UK warn

from cnet

In a rare move that highlights the severity of the security hole in one of the Web's most popular browsers, the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team and its British counterpart tell people to stop using Internet Explorer until Microsoft can fix it.

• by Seth Rosenblatt 
   @sethr
• April 28, 2014 11:18 AM PDT

It's not often that the US or UK governments weigh in on the browser wars, but a new Internet Explorer vulnerability that affects all major versions of the browser from the past decade has forced it to raise an alarm: Stop using IE.

The zero-day exploit, the term given to a previously unknown, unpatched flaw, allows attackers to install malware on your computer without your permission. That malware could be used to steal personal data, track online behavior, or gain control of the computer. Security firm FireEye, which discovered the bug, said that the flaw is being used with a known Flash-based exploit technique to attack financial and defense organizations in the US via Internet Explorer 9, 10, and 11. Those versions of the browser run on Microsoft's Windows Vista, Windows 7, andWindows 8, although the exploit is present in Internet Explorer 6 and above.

While the Computer Emergency Readiness Team in England and the US regularly issue browser advisories, this is one of the few times that the CERT team has recommended that people avoid using a specific browser.

FireEye recommends that if you can't switch browsers, then you disable Internet Explorer's Flash plug-in. You also can use IE with Microsoft's Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit security app, but that will not be as secure as simply switching browsers.

Microsoft and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Statistics vary as to how many people actually use Internet Explorer.NetMarketShare puts the total around 55 percent of the desktop browser market, while competitor StatCounter says that 22.58 percent of people use IE. While the disparity is large, in either case the flaw affects a huge number of browsers being actively used.

Updated, 4:13 p.m. PT: to add UK CERT position on Internet Explorer.

Microsoft is now a phone company, as Nokia deal closes

from  arstechnica.com


by Peter Bright - Apr 25 2014, 1:02pm PDT

As announced earlier this week, Microsoft's purchase of Nokia's Devices and Services division has closed almost four months later than expected.

Redmond is paying about $5 billion for the Nokia division, now named Microsoft Mobile Oy, and some 8,500 design patents. The software giant is also paying another $2 billion for a ten-year license for 30,000 utility patents, with an option to renew the licenses in perpetuity.

Nokia is, however, keeping hold of two factories. Nokia will operate its 7,500-person factory in Chennai, India, on Microsoft's behalf. The Finnish firm is involved in a tax dispute with the Indian government centered around the plant, and Indian authorities have blocked its transfer until the dispute is resolved. Microsoft announced earlier in the week that it would not take ownership of Nokia's South Korean factory.

Even without these factories, Microsoft is still increasing its headcount by some 25,000, for a total of 126,000 employees.

Microsoft is buying the Asha and Lumia brands and will have limited access to the Nokia brand. The company hasn't announced how products will be branded going forward, and it's not clear that the "Microsoft Mobile" name will ever be consumer-facing. Integration of the two companies is expected to take 18 to 24 months. Stephen Elop, former CEO of Nokia, will become executive vice president of Microsoft's Devices Group, which spans not only Microsoft Mobile, but also Xbox, Perceptive Pixel, and Surface.

Nokia, for its part, will continue with three divisions: HERE, which offers mapping and location services; Nokia Solutions and Networks, which builds networking and communications infrastructure; and Advanced Technologies, which develops and licenses technology. Under the terms of the agreement, it's blocked from selling smartphones until 2016.

Amazon unveils streaming media device

from cnn


By Brian Stelter  @brianstelter April 2, 2014: 12:23 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Amazon wants to be the brain -- and the heart -- inside your big-screen TV.

On Wednesday the company introduced a small black box called Amazon fireTV that enables television sets to access Internet programming, including streaming shows from its Amazon Prime subscription service, and a giant library of video games.

The device will cost $99 and will start shipping immediately.

With it, Amazon will compete head-on both with streaming gadgets like Apple (AAPL,Fortune 500) TV and console makers like Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) and Sony(SNE).

All of these companies, in various ways and for various reasons, want to supplement -- and, over time, possibly replace -- the set top boxes from cable and satellite companies that sit in most living rooms.

Amazon's fireTV has a couple unique features, including a remote control with a voice recognition search feature, so a user can speak the name a show, actor or topic and find that content.

Related: Amazon customers, get your e-book credit

Perhaps most importantly, the device doubles as a casual gaming console; the company says it will have a library of thousands of games available to users, some free and others that exist as paid apps. Amazon announced a gaming controller that will sell for $39.99.

The device may help advance Amazon's streaming TV ambitions. The company has started to introduce original shows, like "Alpha House" and "Betas," and has spent handsome sums of money to secure exclusive rights to other shows, like past seasons of Fox's "24." But its streaming service is a fraction of the size of Netflix (NFLX).

At a press event in Manhattan, Amazon differentiated fireTV by reading snippets of negative user reviews of other streaming media gadgets from Amazon.com. The complaints called out competitors like Google (GOOG, Fortune 500), Microsoft, Apple, Samsung and Vizio by name.

The company said it identified three big issues that make streaming devices "too frustrating:" inadequate search tools, sluggish performance and closed ecosystems of apps.

Related: Amazon hikes price of Prime

Peter Larsen, an Amazon vice president, said fireTV specifically addressed gripes with dongles like Google Chromecast and boxes like Apple TV.

He called the new device "tiny" and "incredibly powerful."

One feature, called ASAP, predicts what TV episodes a user might watch next, and "queues them up so that they start instantly," Larsen said.

To underscore the point that fireTV doesn't just exist to support its Amazon Prime service, the demonstration showed off non-Amazon programs like NBC's "Chicago Fire."

 

Bezos' approach to tablets, newspapers

"It's the easiest place to watch Netflix," Larsen said pointedly.

But the event also included a highlight reel for Amazon Studios' original shows, including a second season of "Alpha House," which is in production now.

"Customers are loving these shows," Larsen said.

Amazon also highlighted fireTV's easy access to its children's programming interface, called FreeTime, and music and photos. 

First Published: April 2, 2014: 11:20 AM ET