Microsoft no longer forced to offer web browser choices

A rule forcing Microsoft to offer new Windows users in Europe options for web browsers has come to an end, five years after it was introduced.

The so called Browser Ballot had forced Microsoft to give as much prominence to non-Microsoft browsers such as Firefox and Chrome on Windows as it does to Internet Explorer (IE).

The deal had supposedly been about giving Windows users choice, and was drawn up in 2009 after rivals of Microsoft complained that because IE was bundled with Windows it gave the browser an unfair advantage.

“Most sophisticated spyware” discovered by Symantec

One of the most sophisticated pieces of computer spyware ever seen has been discovered by the leading computer security company, Symantec.

The bug goes by the name Regin and has been dubbed “super-spyware”. It was probably created by a government according to Symantec, due to how sophisticated it is. They believe it would have taken years to create and that it has probably been used for about six years, since at least 2008, against a range of targets around the world. The fact that it has remained hidden for so long is an illustration of the great lengths its creators have gone to in order to keep it hidden.

Still running Windows Server 2003? It’s time to switch

Anyone still using Microsoft Windows Server 2003 is being urged to upgrade after Microsoft announced that they will no longer offer extended support as of July 14^th 2015. But what does this mean to current users and why should they switch?

Shellshock: the latest major computer bug

The discovery of a major new computer bug was announced yesterday, which has the potential to affect Mac and Linux users.

Shellshock has been described as a “deadly serious” bug, and “about as bad as it gets”. It has the potential to affect hundreds of millions of computers, servers and devices. It can be used to easily take remote control of almost any system using a software component called Bash.

Problems with upgrading Windows XP

Microsoft officially stopped supporting the Windows XP operating system on 8^th April this year after more than a decade. This means that it no longer provides technical support services, but more importantly it also stopped updating the software. So, no more bug fixes, and most crucially of all, no more security patches. Desktops or laptops still using the XP operating system are now much more vulnerable to cyber attacks as a result. XP hasn’t updated since 8^th April 2014, which makes it a sitting duck target.