July 2016

Pin Patrol is a free browser extension for the Firefox web browser that lists the HSTS and HPKP log the browser maintains.

We talked about HTTP Strict Transport (HSTS) and HTTP Public Key Pinning (HPKP) before here on Ghacks.

The two security features that are part of Firefox improve how Firefox handles secure connections. Without going into too many details. HSTS blocks insecure connections to sites if a web server instructed Firefox on first connect to do so.

LastPass has a bunch of critical problems of which at least one allows attackers to compromise the password manager remotely according to Google researcher Tavis Ormandy.

Opera announced yesterday that the company has been experimenting with a new memory Heap compaction feature in the Dev and Beta versions of Opera for some time.

The new feature promises better memory usage in Opera 39 and newer by adding a heap compaction phase to the browser's memory management functionality.

So-called Software Giveaway Sites, or software freebies sites, offer one or more commercial programs for free each day to their visitors.

All you need to do to grab a free license is to grab the program on that specific day. These versions are often limited, for instance by not including update rights in the license. While that may be an issue for some programs, it does not really matter for others.

Surprise, surprise. If things remain as they are, Windows 10 users who upgrade to the Anniversary Update won't be able to turn off Cortana anymore using the Cortana settings.

Microsoft announced two new tools, Researcher and Editor, for Word 2016 today that introduce better research integration and writing assistance.

Word 2016 is the newest version of the popular word editing software that is available to Office 365 users and customers who purchased a standalone copy of Office 2016.

The update is available today to all Office 365 subscribers who are using Word 2016 on the Windows desktop according to Microsoft.

No More Ransom is an anti-ransomware help site by law enforcement and IT security companies to assist users in preventing, identifying, and decrypting ransomware threats.

The website offers three core features: ransomware information, access to decryption tools, and a ransomware identification tool.

If you are running Firefox Nightly, the cutting edge version of the Firefox browser, you may have noticed a new system add-on that goes by the name FlyWeb already.

FlyWeb, just like Pocket or Hello, are so-called system add-ons. The main difference to regular add-ons is that they get installed with the browser and not by the user.

Only a couple of days are left until Microsoft's "everyone, gather around and grab a free copy of Windows 10" offer expires.

Verizon and Yahoo announced today that Verizon will acquire Yahoo's operating business for "approximately $4.83 billion [US Dollar] in cash".

The acquisition marks the end of Yahoo's independence, and moves core assets under the Verizon umbrella.