proxy

How to trigger OS X system events with Griffin Proxi

Being able to automate tasks is a very convenient option when using computer systems, which is one of the reasons why Apple included its Automator tool in OS X that can various scriptable tasks within applications and therefore do things like organize files and contacts, create documents with specific items in them, and manage calendar events.

While Automator and other scripting options like shell scripting or AppleScript are convenient, they are missing the triggering tool that will run them. Apple supplies its Apple Events options where you can have the system run a script when a folder's contents are … Read more

McAfee software lets scammers hijack PCs to send spam

McAfee is looking into a problem with a service in its SaaS Endpoint Protection software that appears to be allowing computers to serve as open proxies for sending spam, the company told CNET today.

"We are aware of the issue and have both threat analytics and development teams diligently analyzing the problem and possible solutions," the company said in a statement. "We will have more information on the issue shortly."

A public relations representative said she was attempting to get more information on the matter but did not get back to CNET by the end of … Read more

Microsoft CEO Ballmer's pay: Nearly $1.4 million

Microsoft's board decided to pay Chief Executive Steve Ballmer a $682,500 bonus on top of his $682,500 salary in the fiscal year that ended June 30, concluding that Ballmer met, but did not exceed, his performance targets for the year.

The pay was disclosed today in Microsoft's annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ballmer's compensation plan allows for the bonus to be two times his salary, if the board deems his performance worthy.

In the filing, the board gave Ballmer credit for the successful product launches of the Kinect motion-sensing controller for the Xbox as well as the cloud-based Office 365. The board also noted "enhancements" to Windows Azure and Bing, as well as "continued progress positioning the company as a leader in the cloud and cloud-based infrastructure."

Ballmer also benefited from the company's partnerships with Facebook and Nokia. And the board noted the company's "significant progress in development of the next generation of Windows." The company previewed Windows 8 at its Build conference in Anaheim, Calif., last month. And last, the board credited Ballmer for his work in the pending acquisition of videoconferencing pioneer Skype.

The board also highlighted a few misfires that prevented Ballmer from receiving his total potential bonus. It pointed to "lower than expected initial sales of Windows Phone 7." Ballmer said as much during the company's financial analyst meeting in September, noting: "We haven't sold quite as many probably as I would have hoped we would have sold in the first year."… Read more

SurfEasy: Browsing privacy for Grandma

VANCOUVER--The Grow start-up conference here is supposed to be off the record. I'm here as a mentor, not to cover it. But you know how it is with entrepreneurs--you can't stop them from pitching.

One such entrepreneur here (not in one of my mentoring sessions) is Chris Houston, who showed me a hardware mockup of his safe Web surfing package SurfEasy. It's a USB key that stores in a business-card-size container and holds an auto-launching version of a portable browser--it runs straight from the USB stick--that connects via an encrypted link to a proxy server farm that … Read more

Google adds malware warning to search results

Google announced today it is instituting a malware warning system on its search results page to alert users to the possibility that their computer is infected.

The Internet giant said it took the action after discovering unusual patterns of activity on the Web that it identified as a strain of malware that causes infected computers to send traffic to Google through proxy servers.

"Recently, we found some unusual search traffic while performing routine maintenance on one of our data centers," Damian Menscher, a Google security engineer, said in a Google blog post. "After collaborating with security engineers … Read more

Web proxy add-on Cocoon goes free

There aren't many security-focused browser add-ons that funnel the entire Internet through a proxy before allowing it to reach you, and that rarity was part of the reason Cocoon was one of a small group of add-ons that charged for its services. Starting today, however, the makers of Cocoon (download) have exclusively told CNET that the add-on will be completely free--for now.

The add-on, which appears as a toolbar in Firefox, creates a protected browsing state. When active, all interactions between the Internet and the computer you're using are forced to occur over protected SSL connections to Cocoon'… Read more

Wrap Firefox in a Cocoon of privacy

Web browsers are ground zero for Internet security threats, and the debate over responsibility for preventing those threats has resulted in a Gordian knot. The people behind the new add-on for Firefox called Cocoon (download) want to cut through debate by serving the entire Web to you via proxy. (Cocoon is also available at GetCocoon.com.)

Made by Santa Barbara, Calif., start-up Virtual World Computing, Cocoon's goal is to put the Internet on a server to prevent individual users from having to touch it, Cocoon Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Jeff Bermant said in an interview today at CNET'… Read more

View blocked Web sites with a proxy

Hulu is a great service, unless you don't live in the U.S., in which case it's blocked.

BBC's iPlayer rocks, unless you don't live in the U.K., in which case it's probably blocked, too.

Using a proxy can get you around these blocks and give you access to the video services. Proxies take all your Internet requests and relay them from their location, so you appear to be in that location.

For instance, a proxy address for a London server would make it look as if your computer was in London, and the … Read more

Risk reversion

A reverse proxy server stands between your home network server and the Internet, controlling access and protecting your network. Fastream Technologies' IQ Proxy Server is a forward-reverse proxy server application for Windows. It acts as a secure front end for all incoming traffic, and it can also perform common tasks like load balancing, authentication, and caching. It boasts a robust, scalable server engine that can handle up to 20,000 hits at once and serve more than 10,000 requests per second in keep-alive mode. It supports all major Web protocols, features a strong firewall for both forward and reverse … Read more