80pct of All Web Browsers Open to Attack

A research has found that as many as 8 in 10 web browsers are vulnerable to hackers and criminals because they are not kept up-to-date.

The vast majority of users are not following the basic precaution of installing patches for known security holes, making them a relatively easy prey for identity thieves and other attackers, reports the Telegraph.

Facebook Partners With McAfee to Prevent Cyber Hacking
Facebook users will now get a free virus cleanup of their computers, if their accounts have been hacked into, before they return to the social networking website.

The finding comes immediately after the government estimated that cyber crime costs consumers 3.1bn pounds per year, out of a total cost to the economy of 27bn pounds. Businesses bear a 17bn pounds cost, the Cabinet Office said.

Qualys, a US security firm conducted the browser research. It collected the data from a free service it offers which scans browsers and their plug-ins for unpatched vulnerabilities.

Exluding plug-ins, the security picture for browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari, and is less bleak. Only 25 per cent of those tested in January had unpatched vulnerabilities. This is because they are typically automatically updated, Qualys said. at the RSA ecurity conference in San Francisco.

Twitter Falls Prey To 'Iranian Cyber Army' Hacking
Popular microblogging site Twitter was briefly shut down overnight, its home page replaced with an image claiming the site had been hacked by the Iranian Cyber Army.

But plug-ins, software add-ons which serve up many of the web's advanced features such as video and interactivity, are very often not automatically updated and leave users exposed.

The softest target is Oracle's Java plug-in, which was vulnerable to hacking on more than 40 per cent of the machines scanned. Adobe's Reader plug-in, which allows users to view PDF documents inside the browser window, is second, with around 32 per cent of installations in need of security updates.

Pacemakers are Vulnerable to Hacking: Study
Medical devices such as pacemakers are vulnerable to attacks by hackers, who could gain access to a patient's private details or reprogram their device and put their health in jeopardy

Apple's Quicktime media player plug-in meanwhile has unpatched vulnerabilities on 25 per cent of machines.

The research was presented at the RSA security conference in San Francisco.

Majority of Kids Lie On the Internet About Their Age!
A new study has revealed that six out of 10 youngsters who get familiar with strangers on the Internet lie about their age and 43 per cent have online 'friends' they've never met in real life.

Source-ANI