If you are using an older version of Windows Live Messenger you may have noticed that URLs have been disabled (i.e. they are not clickable). Microsoft has taken this step to help prevent a worm spreading through its instant messaging service (although presumably someone could still copy and paste the link manually into a browser). …
Category: Browsers
Nov 13 2010
Hotmail Finally Implements Complete SSL
In a development that could be seen as a response to the havoc that FireSheep has created in the last week, Microsoft has finally enabled complete SSL security for its Hotmail service. Previously, authentication would be encrypted using SSL but users would then be switched back to plain HTTP (which of course is insecure). The …
Nov 07 2010
Shorten Your Own URLs with Bit.ly
Another quick tip for tonight. If you want to share links with friends or would like to shorten URLs for your own convenience you can use a service such as Bit.ly to help you out. If you sign up, you can not only create shorted URLs but also customise the shortened URL. For example, a …
Nov 06 2010
Force Secure HTTP with NoScript
Yesterday, I blogged about how FireSheep made it quite easy for the average person to impersonate other users on social networking websites that were using the same insecure wireless network. The simplest thing a user can do is to force secure HTTP (or HTTPS – HyperText Transport Protocol Secure) but this can be a chore …
Nov 05 2010
FireSheep – Why You Should Be Worried About Unsecured Wi-Fi Networks
You may have caught glimpses in the news about a Firefox add-on called FireSheep but you may or may not know of its capabilities and the implications it will have upon your interactions online. In a nuthsell, this add-on allows a user to see the social network activities that are taking place on an unsecured …
Nov 02 2010
Learn How to Make App Tabs in Your Browser
Just a quick tip for this evening. With Mozilla Firefox 4.0 Beta 6 and also Google Chrome you have the ability to create an “app tab” (in Firefox speak) or a “pinned tab” (in Chrome speak). Basically, these are like sticky tabs that persist between browser sessions (i.e. when you close and reopen them) and …
Oct 13 2010
Keep Your Firefox Plugins Secure
Regular readers would know that I like to keep my computers fully patched to help prevent against nasty things from getting into them and that I also encourage others to do the same since one compromised computer can cause problems for many other people. One thing that can be overlooked is the humble browser plugin …
Sep 29 2010
Xmarks Shutting Down in Early 2011
Back in June, I blogged about a great piece of software called Xmarks (previously known as Foxmarks when it was originally written as a plug-in for Firefox). In a nutshell, it allowed you to sync your bookmarks and your website credentials up to the cloud (over a secureand encrypted connection) and then sync them down …
Sep 23 2010
Web Fonts – Should You Be Excited?
Unless you closely follow the developments of the Google Docs service you would more than likely have missed this update. Previously, Google Docs had a somewhat limited number of fonts from which to choose which could make documentation bland and limited in its professional use depending upon your requirements. Starting today, Google has added six …
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