Freeware Network's Blog

Downloading Free software, or any download for that matter, is one of the most common tasks of internet users, but on the other hand it exposes the user to security risks. Spyware, viruses, adware, bundled software and so on, known together as malware, are too common phenomena for those downloading from the web. Protecting your computer from malware, is as important as finding free software.

Lavasoft the company that developed Ad-Aware Free Internet Security, has recently released its predictions of security trends for 2011:

1. Complex targeted attacks on companies and/or critical infrastructure. Stuxnet made headlines this year due to its complexity, highly precise targeting, and the use of multiple zero-day exploits and stolen digital certificates. While Stuxnet’s intention to stay below the radar was not realized, we can expect to see further attempts to evade detection and to compromise fewer but higher value targets.
2. Zero-day application vulnerability exploits. Users understand the importance of applying operating system patches but are less aware of the need to apply security updates to applications; patches fixing application vulnerabilities are typically slow to appear, and it’s not always apparent to the user that an update is available and that action needs to be taken, making it an easier malware target. Adobe’s Flash and Reader applications bore the brunt of exploits in 2010 and were quick to be exploited – we can expect malware writers to react more quickly to leverage a wider array of application vulnerabilities.
3. Scareware and rogue (fake) security products. Rogue security software, also known as scareware, take the form of legitimate-looking anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware products and appear to be beneficial from a security perspective; in reality, they provide little or no protection, generate misleading alerts, or attempt to lure users into fraudulent transactions. The money made from this malware model ensures that cyber criminals will not abandon this profitable endeavor.
4. Mobile malware. Smartphones are becoming more ubiquitous and as more services involving financial transactions are made available to handsets, exploits that leverage vulnerabilities on smartphone operating systems are sure to be targets for cyber criminals. Recent examples of  Android malware and proof of concept examples suggesting iPhones are not immune suggest these non-Windows platforms have already attracted the attention of malware writers.
5. Blackhat SEO. Cyber scammers will continue to poison search engine results using trending headlines and videos to lead to malicious sites in an attempt to distribute rogue (fake) security software and other types of malware.

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Ad-Aware Free Internet Security

Technorati Tags: Ad-Aware Free Internet Security, free software downloads, internet security threats, lavasoft

Technorati Tags: linux, open source, ubuntu

Important article. Here is an excerpt:

The Web as we know it, however, is being threatened in different ways. Some of its most successful inhabitants have begun to chip away at its principles. Large social-networking sites are walling off information posted by their users from the rest of the Web. Wireless Internet providers are being tempted to slow traffic to sites with which they have not made deals. Governments—totalitarian and democratic alike—are monitoring people’s online habits, endangering important human rights.

If we, the Web’s users, allow these and other trends to proceed unchecked, the Web could be broken into fragmented islands. We could lose the freedom to connect with whichever Web sites we want. The ill effects could extend to smartphones and pads, which are also portals to the extensive information that the Web provides.

The Web as we know it, however, is being threatened in different ways. Some of its most successful inhabitants have begun to chip away at its principles. Large social-networking sites are walling off information posted by their users from the rest of the Web. Wireless Internet providers are being tempted to slow traffic to sites with which they have not made deals. Governments—totalitarian and democratic alike—are monitoring people’s online habits, endangering important human rights.
If we, the Web’s users, allow these and other trends to proceed unchecked, the Web could be broken into fragmented islands. We could lose the freedom to connect with whichever Web sites we want. The ill effects could extend to smartphones and pads, which are also portals to the extensive information that the Web provides.

Read the full article

Technorati Tags: free software, internet, open source

In his excellent blog post, Amazon Abandons Linux for Windows, Ken Hess is speculating about the reasons Amazon has signed patent agreement with Microsoft. He has arrived at the conclusion that Amazon is interested in converting its Linux based Kindle into a Windows based device.

Good point, and although Ken may be right about it, this is a rather long shot. It may, as well, be related to Amazon Web Services, an important Amazon business by itself, rather than Kindle. Amazon announcement only one day after the patent agreement deal, as Ken noted, is an indication of this.

Time will tell, as the saying goes.

Technorati Tags: amazon, linux, windows

Amazon has announced a free Kindle for PC application in one more  move, which will revolutionize the way we consume books. Now you do not need to purchase The Kindle tablet in order to download and read Kindle books.

By offering the free kindle application Amazon has, significantly, lowered the bar for the digital books consumer. It hopes to attract many new Kindle users, who will in turn purchase books from the 400,000 titles already available for the Kindle application.

Is that the start of the end of the printed book? Probably not, but it is certainly an important step in revolutionizing the press industry.

In part 1 and part 2 of this article I have introduced the open source concept, and discussed the reason software developers are adopting it. In the third and final part, below, we will discuss the risks of distributing the source code together with the software itself, the pros and cons of open source from the perspective of the end user, as well as, the reasons why IT giants are strategically getting involved in open source development.

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In the first part of this article I have introduced the open source concept. In the second part, hereunder, we will further discuss the open source idea, its definitions and principals.

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Introduction

In recent years, the open source movement has established a respectful position in the software industry. Many enterprises have embraced open source platform and applications and some of the software giants has adopted open source strategically: IBM, Novell, Oracle and even Google, to name a few.

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There is some confusion in regards to the relation between freeware and free software. Some claim freeware is not free software. Is there or isn’t there a difference between the two.

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