Facebook disables chat after security hole discovered

Facebook has taken down its instant messaging-style system which allows members to chat real-time with each other after claims that the system suffers from a serious security problem.

 

According to a report by TechCrunch, a security flaw allows your Facebook friends to secretly spy on your private live chats as well as any see any pending friend requests that you have made.

 

In the past Facebook has insisted that privacy is its “highest priority”, but there isgrowing concern that the site has played fast and loose with the personal information of its 400 million users, encouraging them to share too much private data online and changing privacy settings to be more “open”.

 

A video has been posted on YouTube which allegedly demonstrates the security hole:

 

The news that Facebook has disabled its chat system suggests that they are working on fixing the security problem. Hopefully it will be resolved quickly.

 

But even if this security issue is fixed promptly there are other security issues on Facebook, as with any other social network, that need to be considered if you plan on continuing to use the site. Make sure you read our guidelines for better security and privacy on Facebook.

 

Oh, and you might want to become a Fan of Sophos on Facebook too to ensure you are kept up-to-date with the latest security news.

 

by Graham Cluley, Sophos

 

 

HouseCall – Free Online Virus Scan NEW v7.1

HouseCall is Trend Micro’s highly popular and capable on-demand scanner for identifying and removing viruses, Trojans, worms, unwanted browser plugins, and other malware.

 

 

HouseCall 7 features an intuitive interface and the ability to perform fast scans that target critical system areas and active malware. It also leverages the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network™ to help ensure that scans catch the latest threats.

 

 

HouseCall 7.1 improves on the recently released HouseCall 7.0 by providing a full system scan option and an option to scan only specific folders. It adds support for 64-bit versions of Windows Vista™ and Windows™ 7.

 

 

HouseCall provides a quick and easy check for threats regardless of the protection status of your existing security solution. For more information about HouseCall, please read the Frequently Asked Questions.

 

 

What’s new in HouseCall?

• Full system and custom scan options allow users to specify which folders to scan (new in 7.1).
• Quick scan option offers targeted scanning of critical system areas and active threats, reducing scan times to within a few minutes.
• Stand-alone, browser-independent implementation eliminates compatibility issues associated with browser-activated scanners.
• Smart Scan technology refers to patterns in the cloud, delivering the latest protection while reducing download times.
• Smart Feedback shares threat information with the Smart Protection Network, which correlates data from a global intelligence network to quickly discover new threats.
• Review and restore lets you check and compare scan results and recover files.
• Enhanced detection and cleanup addresses rootkits and other sophisticated threats.

 

Download HouseCall 7.1 (32-bit) | Download HouseCall 7.1 (64-bit)

 

Getting Started with HouseCall

1. Click Download HouseCall to begin. Please note that HouseCall requires a small download before it can scan your computer.
2. You can choose to save a copy of the launcher (HousecallLauncher.exe) and use it to quickly starts scan. Remember to visit this page occasionally to get the latest copy of the launcher.
3. It is recommended that first-time users select the Quick Scan option, which is available in addition to the Full Scan or Folder Scan options.
4. Enabling the Smart Feedback setting helps increase the strength of the Smart Protection Network by sharing malware and threat data as part of our global neighborhood watch program. No personally identifiable information is gathered as part of participation.

Related Blogs

AVG Rescue CD A powerful toolset for rescue & repair of infected machines

The AVG Rescue CD is a powerful must-have toolkit for the rescue and repair of infected machines. It provides essential utilities for system administrators and other IT professionals and includes the following features:

• Comprehensive administration toolkit
• System recovery from virus and spyware infections
• Suitable for recovering MS Windows and Linux operating systems (FAT32 and NTFS file systems)
• Ability to perform a clean boot from CD or USB stick
• Free support and service for paid license holders of any AVG product
• FAQ and Free Forum self-help support for AVG Free users

 

 

Key technologies

 

• Anti-virus: protection against viruses, worms and Trojans
• Anti-spyware: protection against spyware, adware and identity theft
• Administration toolkit: system recovery tools

 

The AVG Rescue CD is essentially a portable version of AVG Anti-Virus supplied through Linux distribution. It can be used in the form of a bootable CD or bootable USB flash drive to recover your computer when the system cannot be loaded normally, such as after an extensive or deep-rooted virus infection. In short, the AVG Rescue CD enables you to fully remove infections from an otherwise inoperable PC and render the system bootable again.

 

Apart from the usual AVG functions (malware detection and removal, updates from internet or external device, etc.), the AVG Rescue CD also contains the following set of administration tools:

• Midnight Commander – a two-panel file manager
• Windows Registry Editor– simple registry editor for more experienced users
• TestDisk – powerful hard drive recovery tool
• Ping – to test the availability of network resources (servers, domains, IP addresses)
• Common Linux programs and services– vi text editor, OpenSSH daemon, ntfsprogs etc.

 

Free of charge

 

The AVG Rescue CD is a free-to-use product that anyone can download. This also covers any new program versions and virus database updates. If you have any other paid AVG license, you are also entitled to receive our full technical support.

 

Download:

Download Rescue CD (for CD creation)

Download Rescue CD (for USB stick)

 

 

Live Support From virusexperts.org is Online Now

There are many websites that offers live computer support and the catch is they charge a lot of money for it. Some charge a flat rate of $34.99 per case and some charge $1.99 per minute with a minimum of an hour. Over here, We will try our best to help you fix your computer problems for FREE.

Read more