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People whose computers are infected with the ' DNS Changer ' virus will lose access to the Internet on Monday, July 9, 2012, unless they take steps to remedy the situation. Right now the Federal Bureau of Investigation is wrapping up an operation ... designed to help such victims maintain their online connections. DNS Changer is named after the domain name system that helps translate website addresses (such as www.infopackets.com ) into a string of numbers known as an IP address, which is the way computers actually identify the machine where a particular website is physically stored. 'DNS Changer ... (view more)

According to a new report, Microsoft and Yahoo have been handing over the names, zip codes, and other personal information of their clients to both major U.S. political parties. Worse yet, those targeted have no idea that they are the victims of a ... political ploy. Seeing targeted advertisements is nothing new to those who frequent the Internet. In the milliseconds that it takes for a page to load, advertisers can identify a user visiting a site and display ads based on what they know about a user. For example, someone checking the Euro Cup scores on the ESPN website might see an advertisement ... (view more)

Software used by Iranian citizens to access the uncensored Internet anonymously has now been revealed to carry malware. Even worse, it carries a variant of malicious software that tracks everything any user types into an infected computer. The ... dangerous software is named Simurgh, after a mythical creature in Iranian folklore. The software is thought to help Internet users combat harsh government controls and shield users from being located and identified. Software Hides Identity of User From Watchers The software is mostly used by Iranians to hide their identity. Users believe it creates ... (view more)

Google has added to its search results a new feature designed to make the search function act "more human". The feature, called "Knowledge Graph", may make the site behave more like rival Microsoft's Bing. The main aim of Knowledge Graph is to deal ... with the shortcomings of using typical search terms, which frequently denote a range of very different meanings. Google gives the example of a search for 'Taj Mahal.' Someone using this term could be looking for the Indian landmark, a musician, a casino, or a restaurant specializing in Indian food. There's no way to know. At the moment, this search ... (view more)

Microsoft's most recent security update includes fixes for a total of 22 flaws affecting the Windows operating system (OS), the Microsoft Office program suite, and the .Net Framework. The 22 fixes are spread across seven security bulletins, three of ... which Microsoft has ranked 'critical,' the company's highest security rating. Another four have been rated 'important,' which is one step down from 'critical.' Remote Code Execution Flaws Rampant All but two of the security bulletins address issues related to remote code execution vulnerabilities. Problems like these can put a computer system at ... (view more)

Facebook has announced it will step up the amount of advertising displayed to users. It plans to include ads within news feeds and, for the first time, on mobile devices. Advertising makes up the vast majority of Facebook's revenue, the remainder ... coming from revenue associated with applications, like Farmville. However, to date Facebook has not followed the traditional model of offering advertisers a variety of different ad sizes and spaces at different prices. Instead, it has concentrated on its ability to target ads at users who meet a specific description set by the advertiser. That's ... (view more)

It's been a week since we had our vote and my email inbox is buzzing with questions and suggestions from our readers. The question below is the most frequently asked question from last week's vote, and it deserves an entire article on its own. ... Please read it carefully. Note: the article below is lengthy (about 1500 words). Most people reading this article will find it highly informative and interesting as it applies to technology, search engines, advertising, profits, and even addresses how and why Google ranks its search results. It also explains why we are asking for contributions to our ... (view more)

A new app for Apple's iPad will allow users to run Windows applications, including Microsoft Office. The Windows applications are available via OnLive, an online digital media distribution service. The Windows environment and applications don't run ... on the user's own iPad; instead, they are available through streaming services from OnLive's cloud computing platform , which is a form of centralized computing . Though the iPad user doesn't have a physical keyboard and mouse, they are able to use genuine Windows 7 controls specially designed by Microsoft for tablet computers accessing the Windows ... (view more)

Apple's newest iPhone is highly popular, but its battery-life problem continues despite a system update intended to fix it. On Thursday morning, Apple released iOS 5.0.1, designed specifically to resolve a bug that reportedly drains the iPhone 4S's ... battery at a too-rapid rate. Unfortunately, some users remain unsatisfied, while others seem to feel the update has made the situation worse. (Source: computerworld.com ) Update Problems Prompt Hardware Fears "After upgrading to 5.0.1 my iPhone is draining the battery even faster!" said Apple forum user. Another, user says that after ... (view more)

Update 2011/09/20: save 50% off the full retail price of Webroot Internet Security Essentials (WISE) -- regular $59.95, now only $29.95 USD. This deal expires Friday, Sept 30, 2011 at 11:59PM EST -- so don't wait! This is an excellent deal on ... excellent software. Included is a 30 day money back guarantee. Proceeds support our site! Read on to find out if WISE is for you! Is it time to renew your security software subscription? Are you unsatisfied with your current coverage? In that case, it might be worth taking a closer look at Webroot Internet Security Essentials, which is currently being ... (view more)