Serious zero-day exploits emerge in all versions of IE and XP will not get a fix

After end of support for XP, hackers have now found the very first security bug that can put security of XP users at stake. It’s been just three weeks that Microsoft pulled support for its OS.

Microsoft recently announced that all versions of Internet Explorer, from IE6 to IE11, are at risk of drive-by-attacks from suspicious sites. Windows XP can run IE 6, 7 and 8 versions.

This newly found vulnerability of remote code execution, named as CVE-2014-1776, has the capability to give hackers similar user rights as the current user. It signifies that any attacker who is successful in running a PC as admin will have wide number of attacks open to them like; installing new malware on the system, adding new user accounts and altering or removing data stored on target PC. Majority of Windows users run PCs on admin accounts.

And if you till now wondered these attacks are theoretical, then think again, as a security firm has found out that the attacks are actively used in the wild. For the attack to work, a user will need to visit a malicious site trying to install the code. Microsoft meanwhile said that attacks can also trigger from sites that accept or host user-sent ads or content, where a cyber spy can insert a malicious code easily.

Microsoft still needs to decide that whether an emergency patch will be issued in the days to come or we will need to wait till May 13^th, the so-called patch Tuesday for getting repair for the versions supported of IE.

XP in the bitter

Whenever a patch is issued by Microsoft, a large number of Windows PC users do not receive the security update. Microsoft’s end of support for XP on April 8^th meant end of security updates for this aging OS. So, you can take this to be the first of post-support vulnerability, where XP users are left with no option but to find a way out, after this many such security glitches are sure to surface.

When last counted, Windows XP accounted for about 28% of PCs on a global scale, which is better than Windows 8, 8.1, Vista, OS X 10.9 and Linux users together.

Luckily this time, users of Windows XP can nullify this vulnerability by making use of a web browser except Internet Explorer. Since long, users of IE on XP are migrating to Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome as a better and safer alternative, where both browsers are doing well.

Google, meanwhile, has promised that it will continue support for XP version of Google Chrome till April 2015 and Mozilla too has not yet made any announcement about end of support for Firefox on XP. It means if a vulnerability hits any of these two browsers on XP, then a security patch is available, unlike IE.

For users who must anyhow use IE, Microsoft has advised to download and install the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) 4.1. This utility will help in protecting against any malware and is available for Windows XP PCs that have the service pack 3 installed.

You can also set IE to run in a more secured mode by opening Internet Options>Security, where you can set the slider to High option.

Saturday alert by Microsoft might be the trailer of a serious exploit already happening in the wild and which may put XP users at a permanent risk. It will not be the last one, as security experts commented. Last month, security company Avast said that Windows XP was six times more vulnerable than Windows 7 for attacks, and it was said even before the end of support for XP took place.

The author is a Browser support expert deals in providing Mozilla Firefox Support, Safari Support,

Google Chrome Support, Opera Support and Internet Explorer Support . Support can be availed at 1-888-753-5164 toll free.

Users Can Import Yahoo Emails Into Outlook

Started from April 16 2014, users of Outlook can simply import all Yahoo Mail emails and contacts into Outlook and manage them all through one single platform. This is the latest update made in Outlook. Few months back, Outlook allowed its users to import Gmail contacts and emails into Outlook. This step was quite a hit among users. So Outlook took one step further and added the same functionality with Yahoo emails and contacts.

Outlook understands that users now use multiple email accounts to send and receive emails and attachments. Separately opening each single email account one after another and then checking each mail is very tiresome and cumbersome. This process consumes lot of time. So building an email application that incorporates all different email services at one single place seems to be a viable idea and Outlook has done that.

Now Outlook users can import and manage emails from Yahoo Mail or any other IMAP enabled email providers. Gmail import tool of import wizard in Outlook now, also accommodates Yahoo Mail and other IMAP-based services. Though it was possible to import IMAP based email earlier as well, but the task was too laborious. This new tool now does all the heavy lifting, hence letting you do minimal work.

This is a feature that does make Outlook more functional and will attract more customers. Outlook is one of the best medium to send and receive emails, and in very rare cases it creates errors or issues. Simply calling at Microsoft Outlook Technical Support Number when you are having problems in Outlook account is the best way to get your issues sorted. SupportBuddy is a good company to approach. It is the best in providing effective Outlook tech support.

Summarizing all, giving users the ability to easily import Yahoo emails and contacts in Outlook is adding more to Outlook’s arsenal of features. This feature seems handy and can play important role in Outlook’s growth.     

CSA price slashed by Microsoft for Windows XP security patches

The end of support for XP by Microsoft has already happened, but the company is continuing to provide Windows XP security patches to not all, but large enterprise users, who have agreed to pay handsomely for this service.

What’s not known is that Microsoft has made considerable reduction in such custom XP patches, but the exact figure still remains untold. The company meanwhile said that the end of support for Windows XP, which was to happen on April 8^th 2014, was announced in September 2007 only. So large enterprises which have not already migrated, Microsoft decided to present temporary support patches in order to help them seamlessly switch to a more updated and secured operating system.

Its estimated that about 20 to 25 percent of enterprises are still using Windows XP and that one-third of such organizations have more than 10% of their systems still running on XP. The presence of custom applications and peripherals has made migrating to a new platform difficult and challenging for such enterprises.

In 2012, it was estimated that Microsoft was charging for extended support coverage for XP around $5million, which by the year 2013 was chopped down to about $2 million only. Even someone reported, that one of the customers at Microsoft while negotiating managed to cut down Microsoft’s quote of $85 million for a CSA agreement to just $3 million which included all devices in his organization, which were still using XP.

While as per Computerworld, the new ceiling for CSA by Microsoft has been set at around $250 per device or an entire coverage of $250,000.

Microsoft meanwhile is in a dilemmatic situation currently with respect to Windows XP and the company does not wish people to anticipate that they will be continuing to present support even after the deadline for an operating system has passed, which is 13 years old. On the other hand, there are many high-profile shops and organizations still using XP and if users here suffer security issues which gets resolved by the security patches offered by Microsoft, then Microsoft would surely look like a bad guy here.

Even with the prices slashed, the CSA aka Customer Support Agreements are still valid only for users of large enterprises. The CSA is not meant for individual users or small businesses who intend to continue running their beloved Windows XP.

Also, one thing that cannot be overlooked is that there exists a time limit for how long these security patches for XP will be offered for users paying for the CSA coverage. Microsoft is still not ready to utter a word on this part though. Also, if someone wishes to get qualified for the CSA coverage, they must have the migration plans alongside quarterly deployment milestones and an exact date about project completion.

The writer is an Microsoft support specialist at SupportMart - a Global Company offering

technical support for Microsoft . Call 1 800 793 7521, connect with a live technician remotely, and get your issue resolved instantly while speaking on the Windows XP technical support number .

WordPad will remain unaffected by the Zero day vulnerability of MS Word

WordPad, which is a simple and free word processor that comes with Windows, has been reported not to be vulnerable to the zero day RTF vulnerability, affecting Word.

Microsoft recently updated its security advisory for MS Word indicating that the Windows WordPad is not vulnerable to the same. It means, WordPad can be continued to be used as a secured workaround for editing and reading RTF documents.

The vulnerability has been noted as a remote code execution vulnerability that gives an attacker access to the system control, whenever a user accesses an infected RTF File on Microsoft Word. All versions of Word are vulnerable to the zero-day bug. Microsoft even commented that the company is aware about the limited, targeted attacks pointing at MS Word 2010. The company meanwhile has not made an announcement about when the fix for this vulnerability will be released or whether the same will be on the regularly-scheduled Patch Tuesday or ‘out of band’.

Also, to note are that April 8^th is the last scheduled patch day for Office 2003, which too is among the vulnerable products.

In addition, it was informed that the Online Versions of MS Word in Office 365 are open to this attack. Microsoft revealed that users of Office 365 are vulnerable to the issue and users can ensure protection by making use of the mitigations presented in Security Advisory 2953095.

RTF files are used as default format on WordPad. Also, users of Windows 7 and Windows 8 can open RTF documents in WordPad and can even save them in Word format, which is .DOCX format. WordPad in the meantime addresses these files as Office Open XML Documents. Files which have been saved by Word as RTF are not open to this recently detected vulnerability.

Microsoft has even unveiled a “Fix it”, which helps in disabling support for the RTF files. So, until a permanent solution or way-out is available, users of Windows can change the default handler for RTF files to WordPad, instead of MS Word.

The author is an experienced Microsoft support specialist who works at SupportMart. The company is a leading name in this scenario known to offer reliable Microsoft Tech Support that can be availed anytime and any day with just one call at the Microsoft technical Support number 1 800 793 7521 toll free.

LinkedIn rolls-out Trending Content list and score for Content marketing efforts of companies

LinkedIn is soon going to roll-out some new tools for enterprises in a hope to lure more users with their content on LinkedIn.

Foremost is a content marketing score which helps in measuring the effectiveness of the LinkedIn content shared by any business. This is calculated by first considering the total number of unique members on LinkedIn who involve with any company’s Company pages, Sponsored Updates, employee updates, LinkedIn Group and Influences posts. This number is then divided by the total audience count of active users on LinkedIn, which the company wishes to reach. In other words, this score helps in knowing what fraction of the target audiences have actually been reached.

Is this just a Klout score for LinkedIn? Well, there are both some similarities and dissimilarities in the same. But, there’s one thing that only companies are being scored and not individuals. Another advantage is that companies will get to see how they scored against their competitors, meanwhile the rankings are anonymized and the score for every company is kept private.

Tracking any company’s performance on a monthly basis, can help them in knowing how well they are engaging with audiences with time. This knowledge can help in getting empowered to upgrade the strategy to customize engagement within the set target.

Businesses will now have the ability to filter their score depending on the industry, region and more such scores. Also, LinkedIn will be presenting recommendations on how the achieved score can be enhanced.

This brings to the second announcement, where one aspect of content marketing focuses on understanding what to discuss; LinkedIn to help with this will be presenting a list of popular topics that can get businesses heard among their prospects. Identifying trending topics on social networks is not happening for the first time, but for LinkedIn this seems more of an offering for the businesses and markets rather than for consumers.

Citi, is among those few names which have success stories about content marketing on LinkedIn. The goal of such new tools is creating success stories and also to influence companies to get more involved in their content marketing practices on LinkedIn.

The author is an experienced Dell Tech Support Specialist who works at SupportMart. The company is a leading name in this scenario known to offer reliable Dell Laptop Support that can be availed anytime and any day with just one call at the Dell technical Support number 1 800 793 7521 toll free.

Know more about the new anticipated OS by Windows-“Windows 9”

Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system has not been a huge success like its predecessors were on a global scale. The attempt of this OS to merge desktop and mobile has somehow not been too welcoming among users and has not been able to lure new users. And as mobiles and tablets continue to overshadow the PC industry, Windows 8 has moreover appeared to be an unsuccessful attempt by Microsoft. It means a new and improved version of Windows in the least possible time, which will be called Windows 9, is expected to get released soon. This newly released version will definitely won’t be addressed as Windows 8.2 or Windows 8.3.

So, here are few things based on rumors and communication of Microsoft about this new operating system from Windows- Windows 9.

The launch date

Windows 9 is anticipated to get launched in phones, computers, laptops and tablets which will be available for purchase in the spring of 2015. But, an earlier release by Christmas 2014 is also on charts.

Microsoft is anticipated to unveil its plans for Windows 9 in the Build Conference going to be held soon in this month. The partners of Microsoft in the meantime will get a pre-beta version of Windows Developer Preview 9 soon. Thus, these partners will get a chance to see this OS even before the Build Conference takes place.

The single beta of Windows 9 is likely to be released in summer of 2014. Also, Microsoft may release a Release Candidate or RC version by the end of August or beginning of September 2014. The RC on release will give time to collect and fix bugs giving several months time before the final code is revealed to the manufacturers.

From the price front

There is no word out yet on what the price of Windows 9 will be but what the harm in making an educated guess is. Microsoft already has many products which help it in earning great amount of money, but they are involved in building improved products whose charges cannot be kept a lot. The market is changing and the most recent version of OS X by Apple is being offered for free. So, it can be easily anticipated that the same will not cost much. Also, Microsoft may even plan to roll this out for free to consumers but not OEMs. Even if an upgrade fee is asked it will not be that much.

Features you can expect

It’s expected that Windows 9 would be 64-bit only, but the same anticipation for Windows 8 proved wrong. It all depends on Microsoft and the OEMs it wishes to build and what Intel will offer with which to build.

Microsoft meanwhile must allow Windows RT apps and Windows Phone to run on both Windows Phone and Windows. Even Xbox apps should be made cross compatible. Pinning Metro apps to taskbar must be allowed and the Kinect-based 3D gestures must be allowed for the laptops with 3D cameras, which will basically give the ability to control your PC with gestures.

The latest pronouncements by Microsoft depict a return of the Start menu and the Style apps of Windows 6 to be able to run on the desktop. Windows 9 will surely be a better opportunity for users of desktops.

Another less obvious development is the enhanced power management feature. This has particularly been raised by the increasing number of mobile devices which are always battling for the same. Intel meanwhile has done its part successfully by immensely enhancing the power management capabilities by its new mobile processors generation. But, the Windows software still needs to keep pace, so, users can anticipate Microsoft to make great changes in the power management capabilities for Windows 9.

The author is an experienced Microsoft Technical Support expert who works at SupportMart. The company is a leading name in this scenario known to offer reliable Windows 8 Support that can be availed anytime and any day with just one call at the Windows 8 technical Support number 1 800 793 7521 toll free.

Know about two Xtreme laptops from Dell, which are truly Rugged!

Dell, on its mission to do something different, this time has actually broken the record. It’s linked with the release of its two new rugged Latitude laptops.

Dell, recently wearing its fancy coat and gloves, unveiled the first look of its soon to be released Latitude Rugged Extreme laptops duo. If still not amazed, then you will be now, as Dell demonstrated these laptops in not usual conditions, but in an ice bar where temperatures were five degree below the freezing point. The bar was specially crafted from ice blocks to demonstrate how these machines can function even in temperature extremities, whether of hot or cold.

The new rugged laptops which Dell displayed were the Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme and its smaller cousin as Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme. Both these from Dell feature a chunky, armored cover which resembles a rugged design; also a blend of reinforced construction has been used. The sealed vents and port covers help in meeting the MIL-STD 810G standards that help in withstanding vibration, shocks, temperature and latitude extremes, radiation, saltwater, fog and many other unfriendly and uncommon circumstances.

Inside the Dell Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme you can find any of these processors like Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 dual-core alongside optional discrete Nvidia graphics. The other machine, which is Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme, also packs Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processors, with embedded graphics. The temperature on these laptops is kept under control via special waterproof fan system to ensure better cooling, meanwhile there are no compromises made on the protection against dust or moisture.

Both the Dell laptops pack an enhanced daylight viewing display feature. Dell, instead of just cranking the backlight to improve visibility, which leads to shortened battery life, has worked to decrease the display reflectivity, and new layers and coating materials have been layered to boost display.

Night visibility has also been enhanced with the backlit keyboard which comes with an adjustable RBG-colored backlighting, a technology that has already been used on the Alienware laptop series of Dell. The freedom to adjust backlight color helps in making the machine more suited to the existing circumstances. The use of red or yellow backlight helps to preserve the night vision of users. In addition, the blue backlight helps in reducing visibility to those ogling eyes and white encounters for maximum readability even in dim light conditions.

Both Latitude 14 and Latitude 12 come with touch-screen capabilities with Windows 8.1. But, instead of a common capacitive touch display used on most products these days, both Latitude use resistive touch, which works even when wearing regular gloves. To add more to user experience are optional features like Wireless LAN, GPS and mobile broadband with attachments like tethered or handle stylus.

Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme taking a slice of the Dell XPS 12, which was the flip and flop hinge version, the 12 inch rugged laptop can easily convert into a 12 inch rugged tablet as well. The pivoting display is created with sturdier locking mechanisms and stronger hinges, keeping the basic functionality same however.

The Dell Latitude Rugged Extreme in both, 12 and 14 inch versions are created for compatibility with a single new dock. This feature can help companies buy a combination of the two models without feeling worried about which system to use with which dock. Dell, meanwhile, is planning to release its future models with similar dock compatibility, which will help in easier equipment replacements and upgrades.

If worried about the availability or price of these two Xtreme machines from Dell, nothing on this front has been officially revealed, as for now.

The author is an experienced Dell Tech Support Specialist who works at SupportMart. The company is a leading name in this scenario known to offer reliable Dell Laptop Support that can be availed anytime and any day with just one call at the Dell technical Support number 1 800 793 7521 toll free.

Facebook working to add anonymous features for users

Seeing the growing popularity and demand for anonymous-sharing apps like Whisper and Secret, Facebook is now seeking to integrate anonymity features in its services as well.

Lately, the social networking ruler has been busy with the acquisitions, which are happening one after another. Including everything from a mobile app analytics firm Little Eve Labs from India to a firm involved in developing virtual reality hardware Oculus. Also, Facebook has acquired its close peers in social space WhatsApp and Instagram.

A recent report suggests that Facebook is now working on adding anonymity features and there have been talks about the same going on with Secret, which has earned ample fame in the world of anonymous sharing. The prospect of an acquisition is however off-charts and neither Secret nor its rival Whisper, have shown any indication of willingness to sell.

The growing trend of staying anonymous online has led to Facebook losing some value in the hearts and minds of a user segment, which it considers really important, that is ‘youth’ population. The increasing popularity of apps like WhatsApp and SnapChat clearly demonstrate that the nature of Facebook chats that indicates logged in always and conversations conducted publicly is now losing its essence, when compared to direct conversations, which these apps allow. Twitter, meanwhile, has taken a bold step on this front by adding the VM’s private video messages to Vine, addressing the privacy needs and one-to-one communication demand for users.

Most people like maintaining different groups for friends and a separate group for the family when using apps like WhatsApp. This helps them in sharing only the content that they actually wish to share among friends, which is different from what is usually shared with the family. This helps in keeping both fronts balanced and both parties happy.

Facebook too presents all these features, but the process involved is quite cumbersome. When using all other platforms, users find it much easy to limit the access of their content, which on Facebook seems time-consuming and cumbersome. Facebook thus needs to do something substantial on this front. So, let’s see that will Facebook be able to adapt to this new culture, but without losing its unique appeal, among users. This is something which only the right time can reveal.

The author is an experienced Microsoft support specialist who works at SupportMart. The company is a leading name in this scenario known to offer reliable Microsoft Tech Support that can be availed anytime and any day with just one call at the Microsoft technical Support number 1 800 793 7521 toll free.

“Windows for Free on Phones and Tablets below 9 Inch”, now being offered for Microsoft

The whole idea behind Microsoft offering ‘Windows for free on Phones’ campaign is to lure more and more phone manufacturers use Windows phone and to involve more and more developers in the app creation process.

Meanwhile, in the Build Conference recently held in San Francisco, Microsoft gave away some nice freebies including $500 Windows Store gift certificate and Xbox One. Redmond, in the meantime is planning to give Windows license for smartphones and tablets (lesser than 9 inches) for free.

This means that phone manufacturers will now be able to manufacture Windows Phone Devices and Windows-based tablets of less than 9 inch, but without paying a per-device licensing fee to Microsoft.

In order to boost adoption of applications and make them popular among customers on tablets (less than 9 inches) and phones, Windows is now being made available for free. This one is a massive move for Microsoft, as the company has been known to make billions by selling its Windows software licenses. The offer meanwhile will not cover the profitable Windows desktop software, but only the suffering mobile version.

Windows Phones has managed to make it big in overseas countries, but it still stands at third or fourth place following iOS and Android, if considering the mobile OS global market share. And it will be a risk for many phone manufacturers as well, who must think carefully before sticking to what works-Android or about taking a chance by switching onto the free Windows phone licenses.

Erasing the financial requirement, could push more phone manufacturers to experiment with Windows Phone and might even lure more developers into creating newer apps and services for this platform.

Also, there were talks about the version of Microsoft for the Internet of Things, or Internet connected devices, which usually are not anticipated to require internet connectivity. An example is the Windows 8.1 based piano. Also, it’s been signaled that when this version of Windows for Internet of Things is actually released, the same would be again given out for free.

In order to make it easier for developers and prevent them from creating too many versions of their apps, Microsoft made announcement of a Windows app that will be universal.

Universal Windows apps run on similar Windows runtime, helping developers share a common way of construction and architecting apps for tablets, phones and PCs. This will include everything starting from how developers handle, suspend, resume and accomplish background processing to the way in-app security is managed.

The author is an experienced Microsoft support specialist who works at SupportMart. The company is a leading name in this scenario known to offer reliable Microsoft Tech Support that can be availed anytime and any day with just one call at the Microsoft technical Support number 1 800 793 7521 toll free.