DNS

Google has announced a public DNS system designed to improve the Internet's performance and security. Google Public DNS is a free, global Domain Name System resolution service.

Firefox users should carefully review any security warnings they receive from their browsers. That's because such warnings are not always indicators of a real threat, says Germany-based antivirus firm Gdata.

The impetus behind the fake messages is profit, not security. Hackers are currently attempting to use so-called Trojans to trigger fake security warnings in Firefox, Gdata says. The software then redirects the user to a different Web site where they are encouraged to buy "counterfeit" antivirus software that pretends to find an infection on the computer.

It wasn't all that long ago that the humble router led an uneventful existence. Its task was to distribute incoming data packets to attached computers. It was also entrusted with blocking the occasional packet off the Internet if it hadn't been ordered by one of the PCs.

But in recent years the diminutive network boxes have morphed into tidy little communication hubs combining network connectivity, a WLAN access point, and often even a telephone system as well. "That saves a lot of electricity and jumble of cables," says Johannes Endres from Hanover-based computer magazine c't.

Chinese police have detained four suspects for online hacking activities which eventually led to temporary but widespread failure of Internet access in China on May 19, the Ministry of Public Security said Tuesday.

The ministry said the suspects were detained on May 29 following police investigations in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces.

Computers, cell phones, and personal electronics are all increasingly tied in to home networks. Billions were spent in 2008 on routers and similar peripherals, reports BITKOM, a German industry association. The next step is accessing the home network via the Internet.

by Manisha Verma

Microsoft on Tuesday issued three security bulletins that address a total of eight vulnerabilities, one of them rated critical. Two are rated important.

"This month's critical vulnerability affects the Windows kernel and can allow an attacker to gain complete control of a user's machine simply by the user viewing a Web site infected with a malicious .WMF or .EMF picture file," said Alfred Huger, vice president of development at Symantec Security Response.

As Facebook works to make itself more relevant and timely for its growing member base with a profile page makeover, attackers seem to be working overtime to steal the identities of the friends, fans and brands that connect though the social-networking site.

Effective management of the IP network requires a set of disciplined processes and tools to plan, deploy and manage converged IP services. A key component among this set of tools and processes is IP address management (IPAM), which is employed to track and manage IP address space and supporting network services.

Microsoft is having quite a week. The company is seeing reports of vulnerabilities before Patch Tuesday, fixing data-corruption issues, and getting flooded with visitors trying to download the beta version of Windows 7.

First up, security. If you didn't patch for the Microsoft Windows Server RPC Handling Remote Code Execution Vulnerability last year, you could be targeted this year through a vulnerability that can be spread through USB ports.