Week in Geek: HP Contributes webOS to Open Source

This week’s edition of WIG is filled with news link goodness such as Apple’s possible loss of the iPad trademark in China, the Justice Department’s investigation into e-book pricing, AT&T’s cut-back on speed for heavy data users, and more.

Weekly News Links

HP’s decision means webOS could end up more open than Android
The ultimate fate of HP’s webOS mobile platform was finally revealed this past Friday. The company has announced plans to contribute its operating system to the open source software community.
Don’t write off Mozilla-Google revenue deal as dead
Mozilla and Google are renegotiating a deal by which Google shares ad revenue that results from searches the browser drives to its site.
Google researchers propose way out of the SSL dilemma
In a paper entitled ‘Certificate Authority Transparency and Auditability’, Google researchers Adam Langley and Ben Laurie have proposed new measures for improving the trustworthiness of the public key infrastructure (PKI) underpinning HTTPS.
Report: Apple to lose iPad trademark in China
Apple may lose the trademark of its popular tablet computer in China after a Chinese patent court rejected its ownership of the trademark in the country.
Linux Mint Swap Banshee Affiliate Code, Take 100% of Profits
Linux Mint, the Ubuntu-based Linux distro that has been basking in waves of positive press of late, has been up to a bit of mischief. Buried within the pages of a long forum thread on German site ‘ubuntuuser.de’ is a surprising revelation: Linux Mint altered the Banshee Amazon MP3 referral code to that of its own, taking 100% of all profits made in the process.
Justice Department investigating e-book pricing
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating allegations that Apple and a group of publishers colluded on e-book pricing, the Wall Street Journal reported.
AT&T throttles speeds for heavy data users
AT&T is apparently making good on its promise to cut back on speeds for heavy data users.
HP sued over security flaw in printers
A lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard alleges that the company sold LaserJet printers that it knew had a security flaw in them that could allow hackers to steal data, take control of networks and even cause physical damage to printers through overheating.
Spam sinks to lowest level in almost three years, says Symantec
Think you’re seeing less junk mail in your inbox these days? If so, it’s not just your imagination. The rate of spam across the world has hit close to a three-year low and now encompasses just 70 percent of all e-mails, according to Symantec’s November Intelligence Report.
Carrier IQ points at manufacturers for insecure logs
Carrier IQ, whose software is accused of being a “rootkit” by developer Trevor Eckhart, has pointed at manufacturers of phones as the party responsible for the security failings of its software.
Android’s popularity makes it open target for malware, says study
Android’s surge in popularity has triggered an accompanying surge in malware aimed at the mobile OS, says a new study today from Fortinet
Security holes caused by pre-installed Android apps
Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered a number of security holes in various popular Android smartphones which can enable attackers to access or delete data, send SMS text messages, tap communication or determine a user’s location.
Attackers Hit New Adobe Reader, Acrobat Flaw
Malicious hackers are targeting a previously unknown security hole in Adobe Reader and Acrobat to compromise Microsoft Windows machines, Adobe warned this past week.
Allegedly critical zero-day vulnerability in current Flash Player
The current version of Adobe Flash Player, 11.1.102.55, supposedly includes a critical security vulnerability that can be used by criminals to inject malicious code into a system, according to security software firm Intevydis.
Microsoft’s December Patch Tuesday should address Duqu worm
Microsoft has announced that it will release 14 bulletins, three of which are rated as critical by the company, as part of this month’s upcoming Patch Tuesday on 13 December. These updates will address a total of 20 vulnerabilities across Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, Publisher and Windows Media Player.

Random TinyHacker Links

How Does Free Software Tend to Put Users at Risk?
We all install and use lots of free software. What are the risks we expose ourselves when blindly installing such software without reading through the installation steps?
Windows Defender Offline (Beta)
Now you can create a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive version to use for your computers.
Finnish security from F-Secure
Are you considering changing your security solution? Then you might want to know more about the solutions offered by F-Secure – a security company based in Helsinki, Finland.
Does your processor support virtualization?
Here are some alternatives for finding the answer to this question.
Scott Hanselman’s Awesome List of Tools for Windows
One of the most comprehensive lists of tools we’ve ever seen, Scott Hanselman has compiled hundreds of links to useful programs. This is a page you’ll want to bookmark and send to your friends.

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By Asian Angel on 12/11/11

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