Firefox Update Includes Security Fix

The Mozilla Foundation has released Firefox 2.0.0.8, an update to this web browser for several platforms, including Mac OS X. In addition to fixing some bugs and enhancing performance, this update also includes eight security fixes, ranging from the banal to the critical. If you use Firefox, as many readers of this blog do, you should update to the latest version.

Software Development Kit for the iPhone (and iPod touch)

Apple, on its Hot News page on October 19, announced that they will be providing a software development kit (SDK) for the iPhone, as well as for the iPod touch. We noticed that Apple highlighted the following in their announcement:

“It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task. Some claim that viruses and malware are not a problem on mobile phones—this is simply not true. There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.”

Naturally, Intego will be following these developments very closely, to help ensure that the iPhone remains safe and secure.

Note: Daring Fireball has an excellent analysis of the questions and issues relative to this announcement.

95% of All E-Mail is Spam!

You may have noticed in your inbox that spam is spreading like kudzu. A new report from Commtech, based on automated analysis of billions of e-mail messages, suggests that 95% of all e-mail is spam. Your mileage may vary, of course, depending on how much real e-mail you get. For example, people who are on lots of mailing lists may get lots of real e-mail, lowering the percentage of spam. But for most users, the scourge of spam is never-ending.

It’s interesting to note the types of spam that are on the rise or waning: image spam is down, as is PDF spam (that is, messages that contain images or PDFs rather than text), and phishing attempts represent 8% of all spam. New types of spam are coming, and old ones are leaving, thanks to vigilant effort from antispam software.

If you want to reduce the amount of spam that fills your inbox, Intego Personal Antispam is the way to go. Its powerful filters sort spam from real e-mail, putting the former in a Spam folder, leaving your inbox almost spam-free. The program also learns over time, as you teach it which messages are spam and which are valid, so your spam protection improves as spammers come up with new methods.

Intego is Ready for Leopard

Apple yesterday announced that Mac OS X 10.5, Leopard, will be released on October 26. But Intego hasn’t been waiting until the last minute to get its software ready. All of Intego’s Internet security software is already compatible with Leopard, and this since updates made in the month of September. To prepare yourself for Leopard, just run NetUpdate (Intego’s automatic update tool) from System Preferences, or from the Intego menu, and update your software. When you install Leopard, you’ll be all set, and you’ll be just as secure as you are under Tiger.

The Paris Apple Expo: A Record Year!

Intego was one of the exhibitors present at the Paris Apple Expo, and was delighted to see what turns out to be a record for recent years. 54,000 visitors strolled among the stands this year, an increase of 17% over the 2006 edition. We noticed at our stand - the famous “green tower” - that there were more new Mac users than ever before.

Intego presented its full line of software, including its Dual Protection Suites, that provide protection for Mac OS X and a Windows installation, and also presented the all-new FileGuard X4 data protection program that lets you store sensitive files in virtual safes.

You can already start planning for next year’s Apple Expo in Paris, which will be held from September 16- 20, 2008.

Keep Your E-Mail Secure

A Macworld article by Joe Kissell looks at how to keep your e-mail secure. It looks at using webmail securely, encrypting e-mail when necessary, using SSL to connect to your mail server, and watching out for phishing attempts.

Phishing is when malevolent people send you e-mails claiming to be from your bank, credit card company, or from on-line merchants such as Amazon or eBay. These e-mails generally ask you to log in to “confirm” your account, or to “update” your credit card. However, these are simply traps by organized crime rings who then take your credit card number and use it as much as they can until it gets cancelled. Intego Personal Antispam blocks many phishing attempts by detecting bogus URLs and sorting the messages into your spam folder. Phishing is one of the biggest scourges of the Internet, and you should be very careful: never log in to any site by clicking a URL in an e-mail message; these URLs are disguised. Be safe - don’t trust any e-mails asking for you to enter your credit card information.