Ryan Naraine

For the fourth successive year, online auction giant eBay Inc. has flexed its pricing muscle and jacked up listing fees in some key categories. The new fee structure takes effect Feb. 18 and affects sellers on the eBay.com and eBay Motors sites in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. In some cases, […]

Microsoft Corp. says it has no plans to change the way its Windows Media Player handles the download of DRM licenses. Amid reports that malicious hackers are using the anti-piracy mechanism to infect computers with spyware, adware, dialers and computer viruses, Microsoft officials stressed that the latest attack scenario does not exploit a vulnerability in […]

Looking to improve—and possibly speed up—the creation and release of software security patches, Microsoft Corp. is implementing a closed beta program for external testing teams. The formalization of Redmonds new Security Update Validation Program clears the way for external patch testers to get “limited and controlled access” to security updates ahead of public release. The […]

Anti-virus researchers have issued warnings for yet another strain of malware affecting Symbian smart phone devices, the latest using a combination of tactics to spread. Less than a month after the detection of the “Skulls” Trojan dropping copies of the Cabir virus on Symbian-based cell phones, another mutant has appeared that is both a virus […]

Microsoft has released a fix for a critical hole in the HTML Help ActiveX control in Windows, but a well-known vulnerability in the Internet Explorer browser remains unpatched. Just days after a researchers raised the threat level because an IE exploit was making the rounds, Microsoft rolled out a patch that lessens the danger. But […]

The rumors were true. Apple plans to release two models of a low-priced, bring-your-own-display Mac mini later this month. The Mac mini, unveiled Tuesday at the Macworld expo in San Francisco, is priced between $499 and $599 and is scheduled to hit stores Jan. 22. The desktop computer features a CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo drive, USB 2.0, […]

Hackers are using the newest DRM technology in Microsofts Windows Media Player to install spyware, adware, dialers and computer viruses on unsuspecting PC users. Security researchers have detected the appearance of two new Trojans, Trj/WmvDownloader.A and Trj/WmvDownloader.B, in video files circulating on P2P (peer-to-peer) networks. According to Panda Software, both Trojans take advantage of the […]

When the first version of Microsoft Corp.s new malicious software removal tool is released on Tuesday, it will be pre-programmed to zap 10 of the most virulent worms and viruses, including Blaster, Sasser, MyDoom and Nachi. As previously reported, the tool will be released as a “critical” download and updated once a month as part […]

Microsoft Corp.s newly released anti-spyware is flagging a component of AWS Convergence Technologies WeatherBug application as a threat to Windows users, prompting an immediate complaint from the Gaithersburg, Md.-based company. WeatherBug, which ships with America Online Inc.s instant messaging application, fetches temperature and weather-related content for users, but because it tracks a users geographic location […]

Security researchers have raised the alarm for a series of unrelated, high-risk vulnerabilities in Microsoft Corp.s Internet Explorer and the open-source Mozilla browsers. According to a Secunia advisory, the most serious IE flaw could be exploited by a malicious hacker to hijack a vulnerable machine, conduct cross-site/zone scripting and bypass a security feature in Microsoft […]

Microsoft Corp.s first monthly patch day for 2005 will include security fixes for three vulnerabilities in Windows products, the software giant said Thursday. As part of its advance notice mechanism, Microsoft said the maximum severity rating for the three updates is “critical.” The security updates may require a restart. It is not known whether all […]

Continuing its recent spate of security moves, Microsoft Corp. on Thursday said it plans to release a virus detection and removal tool on Jan. 11. The antivirus fighter will be updated on the second Tuesday of every month as part of the companys scheduled software patching cycle. Meanwhile, exactly three weeks after acquiring anti-spyware startup […]