Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Software : Firefox axes Flash to keep you safe online

Software : Firefox axes Flash to keep you safe online

Firefox axes Flash to keep you safe online

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Firefox axes Flash to keep you safe online

In case you were wondering why videos and games on Facebook aren't working in Firefox anymore, the makers of the browser have decided to disable Adobe's Flash Player for the foreseeable future.

Mark Schmidt, head of Firefox's support team, announced a new Occupy Flash movement on Twitter stating that the latest version of the browser blocks all versions of Flash Player. However, it won't be a permanent blockade.

Schmidt explained Mozilla will re-enable Flash support when Adobe fixes the vulnerabilities currently plaguing the browser plugin.

Everyone hates flash

This latest protest against Flash comes as a reaction to a recently discovered vulnerability, which allowed hackers steal more than 400GB of confidential data owned by an Italian security surveillance company named the Hacking Team.

Adobe has since released an update on July 8 to patch the critical vulnerability, which potentially allowed attackers to take full control over a computer system. However, the leaked Hacking Team files have also revealed two additional vulnerabilities that Adobe promises to fix in the coming week

Despite the quickly released software update, several tech giants including Facebook's new security chief has demanded Adobe to announce an end-of-life date for Flash.

Google Photos uploads your pics even after uninstalling the app

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Google Photos uploads your pics even after uninstalling the app

It looks like Google Photos will continue uploading your photos even after you uninstall the app itself on Android phones.

David Arnott, Nashville Business Journalist editor, who discovered this anomaly, had previously tried the app and then uninstalled it months ago.

Just recently though, he decided he wanted to give the app another go. But after he reinstalled the app and signed in, he was surprised to see photos that had been uploaded after he deleted Google Photos from his phone.

It's all in the settings

It turns out that Google Photos' uploader settings is actually not part of the app's own settings, but in fact connected to the Google Settings app on Android phones, which is in charge of things like Google's locations, backup and search settings.

The uploading anomaly is likely due to the fact that Google Photos used to be part of Google+, and its settings are also mostly connected to the Google Settings app. It's an interesting web of settings.

So, if you used to use Google Photos or Google's automatic photo backup option, and no longer want your photos uploaded to the cloud, you can simply jump into the Google Settings app and turn off the "Google Photo Backup" option.

While you're there, you may as well check out the other options you can turn on and off as well.

Mac Tips: How to let Gatekeeper open Mac apps from unidentified developers

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Mac Tips: How to let Gatekeeper open Mac apps from unidentified developers

Have you ever downloaded an app on your Mac, only to be told you couldn't open it because it wasn't from the Mac App Store or wasn't from an identified developer? If so, you're experiencing Gatekeeper, a tool that debuted in the last release of OS X Lion that's designed to prevent questionable software from causing trouble on your Mac.

For some users, this can be a great feature that helps keep their Mac safe; however, for power users who know they are downloading apps from trusted sources, it may be imperative to disable this feature from time to time to install and run apps from developers that haven't signed their apps.

In this article, we'll show you the regular way to disable this feature, as well as how to do it from the command line without the need to delve into System Preferences. This is great for when you're remotely installing software on a Mac, or if you just like the command line.

Disabling Gatekeeper

To turn off Gatekeeper, navigate to your System Preferences > Security & Privacy. In the General tab, you'll see a section with the heading "Allow apps downloaded from." If you select "Anywhere" from the list that follows, then Gatekeeper will be disabled and you'll be able to open any app, regardless of where it was downloaded from. This is the least-safe setting for Mac security, however, and you should not leave the setting disabled like this unless you always download apps from trusted sources. For higher security, of course, you can select the "Mac App Store" or "Mac App Store and identified developers" options to keep Gatekeeper turned on.

Disable Gatekeeper

Checking the status of Gatekeeper

If you want check the status of Gatekeeper on your Mac without opening your system preferences, you can do so by opening the Terminal and typing the following command, followed by the return key:

spctl --status

Disable Gatekeeper

If the response is "assessments enabled," then Gatekeeper is active; it'll say "disabled" if it has been turned off.

Disabling Gatekeeper via Terminal

You can disable Gatekeeper from Terminal as well. Do so by typing this command, followed by the return key:

sudo spctl --master-disable

After specifying your administrator password, Gatekeeper will be disabled, and you will be able to install and run software on your Mac downloaded from anywhere online.

Disable Gatekeeper

If you ever wish to re-enable Gatekeeper through Terminal, then simply use the above command again, replacing "disable" with "enable." This will reactivate the Gatekeeper feature on your Mac.

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