Our latest edition of WIG is filled with news link goodness covering topics such as Unity 2D will not be a part of Ubuntu 12.10, Facebook has revised their privacy policy yet again, cybercrooks are now focusing on Tumblr and Pinterest for new victims, and more.

Weekly News Links

Image courtesy of Official Gmail Blog.

• Google+ comments to appear in Gmail
  In the continued push to bulk up its social network, the Web giant announces that Google+ and Gmail are to be “completely interactive.”
• Unity 2D To Go Away In Ubuntu 12.10
  It appears that Unity 2D — the Qt non-accelerated desktop version of the Ubuntu Unity desktop — will be abandoned by Canonical. There’s also going to be some GNOME 3.6 packages appearing in Ubuntu 12.10.
• Mozilla CEO pushes for HTML 5 over mobile apps
  HTML could set mobile users free from being locked into a specific smartphone operating system, Gary Kovacs says at the CTIA trade show.
• Hands-on Boot to Gecko: Interesting, but far from baked
  The makers of Firefox have a new baby on the way, a Firefox-driven mobile OS called Boot to Gecko. CNET’s Seth Rosenblatt shares his thoughts on the “Mozillaphone” after some hands-on time with the very rough, very in-development device.
• Microsoft bans Firefox on ARM-based Windows, Mozilla says
  Raising the specter of last-generation browser battles, Mozilla launches a publicity campaign to seek a place for browsers besides IE on Windows devices using ARM chips.
• Google agrees with Mozilla’s Windows RT browser concerns
  Mozilla says only a crippled version of Firefox could run on Windows for ARM chips, effectively restricting user choice to IE10, and now the maker of Chrome says it’s worried, too.
• Facebook revises privacy policy
  The move could pave the way for the company to use information about you even if you’re outside of the Facebook network — for instance, via an ad network.
• Democrats to employers: Stop asking for Facebook passwords
  The Password Protection Act of 2012 would make it illegal for employers to force current or potential employees to hand over access to their social network accounts.
• USPS to ban overseas shipments on tablets, smartphones, more
  Starting next week, people won’t be able to ship a whole host of electronics overseas because items like the iPad, Kindle, laptops, and smartphones use possibly combustible lithium ion batteries.
• Wording in cyberwar bill begs question: Who’s in charge?
  House committee approves bill that appears to give the Defense Department power to conduct military activities in cyberspace, including clandestine operations, without running it by the president.
• Asia ‘hotspot’ for DDoS attacks, but no need to overreact
  Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are becoming more rampant in Asia with the region’s connectivity, partly due to its ease of staging, and Asian nations are increasingly perpetuating such attacks on one another, which may potentially lead to a cyberwar, Akamai executive notes.
• Adobe backs down, will release patches for critical holes
  Adobe has announced – through changes to the security advisories it issued earlier this week – that it is developing patches for the critical holes in the CS5.x versions of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash Professional, after previously advising users that they needed to buy the just-released CS6 versions of the applications.
• Android malware woes look a lot like Windows’
  McAfee says that Android malware is taking a worrisome turn, with cybercriminals mimicking popular strategies used against Windows. The latest attacks tap IRC bots, where the malware gets further operating instructions from an Internet chatroom.
• Mac malware infection rates remaining constant
  Flashback infections in OS X systems have lessened, but are holding steady from a lack of users updating or scanning their systems.
• FBI: Updates Over Public ‘Net Access = Bad Idea
  The Federal Bureau of Investigation is advising travelers to avoid updating software while using hotel or other public Internet connections, warning that malicious actors are targeting travelers abroad through pop-up windows while they are establishing an Internet connection in their hotel rooms.
• Cybercrooks bring their schemes to Tumblr and Pinterest
  Digital criminals are expanding their social-networking nefariousness beyond Facebook and Twitter to try to trick users into downloading malicious payloads.
• New malware strain locks up computers unless ransom is paid
  A type of “ransomware” hitting users across Europe demands payment for alleged copyright violations, according to a Swiss security blog.
• Mac OS X leaking passwords of FileVault users
  Users of older Mac OS X versions who upgraded to the current Mac OS X 10.7.3, “Lion” and opted to stick with the older version of the FileVault encryption system, may have a problem. It appears that Apple developers enabled a debug option in 10.7.3 which makes the user’s password appear, in clear text in a log file, whenever the user mounts the encrypted folder.
• How to manage the FileVault password hole in OS X 10.7.3
  A bug in OS X 10.7.3 exposes legacy FileVault users, but there are some workarounds to prevent this from happening.
• U.S. warns of cyberattacks on gas pipeline companies
  The Department of Homeland Security wants the gas sector to monitor malware planted via cyberattacks as part of an investigation.

Random TinyHacker Links

• A Review of GFI Vipre Internet Security 2012
  Lately VIPRE has done some pretty aggressive marketing for their security products. But are they good enough at securing your computer? Are they worth the investment? Find out from this thorough review.
• Be a Beta Tester and Win Geeky Prizes
  BitDefender has an interesting approach for the beta test of their 2013 version of their security products. Anyone who chooses to be an active beta tester gets 60 days of free security with their beta product, is eligible to win really cool prizes such as an Asus B121 12.1 inch Tablet, an Acer Aspire S3 13.3 inch Ultrabook – Aluminium, a Nokia Lumia 900 or 100 Bitdefender Internet Security 2013 licenses for 6 months.
• What Free Apps do Windows Phone Users Download?
  Have you ever wondered what free apps Windows Phone users download most? This interesting lists shares the 7 most popular free downloads on the Windows Phone Marketplace.
• Google’s Project Glass (Infographic)
  We’re for anything that provides a safe HUD.
• Apple by the Numbers (Infographic)
  A quick overview of Apple’s finances, sales numbers, and more.
• The Internet of Yesterday & Today (Infographic)
  A comparison of the Internet: 1996 versus 2011

Super User Questions

• Firefox – Status bar URLs are being clipped
• Is there a modern browser that runs on Windows 3.1?
• What’s the best audio format available when I want to convert my files?
• Why does Ctrl + V not paste in Bash (Linux shell)?
• Difference between SIZE and SIZE ON DISK on a pc? Why is SIZE ON DISK always greater?
• Flatmate uses torrents, will this slow the internet connection?
• Rock-solid hardening of a Windows 7 system?
• How to create a bootable USB Windows OS using Mac OS X?
• Is is neccessary to reinstall your OS after adding more RAM?

How-To Geek Weekly Article Recap

• How to Use CCleaner Like a Pro: 9 Tips & Tricks
• The 10 Best Free Tools to Analyze Hard Drive Space on Your Windows PC
• 5 Alternative Search Engines That Respect Your Privacy
• How To Remove The Background From a Drawing or Lineart
• Ask the Readers: Must Have Tools For Your Geek Toolbox?
• Desktop Fun: Grids and Block Areas Wallpaper Collection
• How To Get Hulu and Amazon Video On XBMC
• How to Change Your Browser’s User Agent Without Installing Any Extensions
• How to Master Ubuntu’s Unity Desktop: 8 Things You Need to Know
• How to Take Screenshots of the Windows Logon Screen: 2 Geeky Tricks

Geeky Goodness from the ETC Side

• The Wrong Way to Use a Dual-Monitor Setup [Humorous Image]
• Top Ten Spam E-mail Categories and Most Dangerous Website Categories [Report Charts]
• Your 15 Minutes of Online Fame Every Hour on the Hour [Humorous Image]
• DIY Wireless Induction Charger
• Zero Dollar Books Showcases Current Free Kindle Best Sellers
• Now That is a Rock-Solid PC! [Humorous Image]
• Notifying Doorbell Sends You a Text and Pic When Rung [Video]
• Hartverdrahtet Is A 4 Kilobyte Visual Feast
• Siri – The Ultimate Combat Assistant [Video]
• Floppy Drives Play The Doctor Who Theme Song [Video]

One Year Ago on How-To Geek

• How to Block All Cookies Except for Sites You Use
• How To Force Your Browser to Remember Passwords
• How to Manually Force Google Chrome to Update Extensions
• How to Bring Back the Firefox Default Menu Button in Ubuntu 11.04
• 7 Search Tips You Probably Don’t Know About

How-To Geek Comics Weekly Roundup

• Madden Football: Bounty Hunter Edition
• New Multitasking Headset
• Think Like the Clients
• Accountant’s Creed Trade-In
• Slowing Down the Refresh Rate
• Looks Like a Run Time Error
• The Problem with Geek Mixers

How-To Geek Weekly Trivia Roundup

• What Iconic Children’s Toy Started Life In A Military Research Lab?
• Which Musician Revitalized His Career By Composing the Windows 95 Start Up Sound?
• The USB in “USB Cable” Stands For What?
• What Popular Computer Game Was Secretly Intended To Increase Mouse Proficiency?
• Ethernet Superseded Which Network Technology?
• Which Much Maligned Font Was Never Intended For Widespread Use?
• What Popular Operating System Has Sugary Sweet Code Names?