Major Browsers Support SSL-Free Service Let's Encrypt

A new certificate authority (CA) which aims to encrypt all web traffic on the Internet and therefore will issue free SSL certificates is now supported by all major browsers, as announced the initiators of Let's Encrypt.

With an SSL certificate, websites can encrypt the traffic to and from visitors and identify themselves in front of visitors. Let's Encrypt is an initiative of the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG) and is supported by Mozilla, Akamai, Cisco, the American civil rights movement EFF and various other parties. According to the initiators, there are already parties that offer free certificates for websites, but the installation is still a tricky process, which is a fully encrypted web stands in the way.

Let's therefore Encrypt will automate the installation and issue of certificates. For this purpose has been developed a programming interface (API), as well as client software that makes use of this API. Administrators can use this client software on their own Web server to automatically install a certificate and configure their server so that henceforth use HTTPS.

To avoid warnings in the browser must Let's Encrypt or by the browser as a valid certificate authority are recognized.Something which is now achieved through the intermediate certificates of Let's Encrypt by IdenTrust be signed. All browsers accept IdenTrust and thereby also the certificates of Let's Encrypt. "This is a major milestone because it means that visitors to websites that use Let's Encrypt certificates without special modifications have a secure browsing experience," said Josh Aas of ISRG.

Firefox Stops Java Support, But Flash Continues To Support

Like Google and Microsoft will also stop supporting Mozilla based on NPAPI plug-ins, but for Adobe Flash Player is an exception. According to Mozilla are plug-ins that the old Netscape Plug-in API (NPAPI) use responsible for performance issues, crashes and security incidents.

End 2016 Mozilla also wants to stop the support for most NPAPI plugins in Firefox. A process that was initiated some years ago, by letting users activate these plug-ins manually. In addition, the new 64-bit Firefox for Windows platform will be launched entirely without support plug-ins, because it is no longer needed by the browser developer.

Because Adobe Flash Player on so many websites use Mozilla continues this plug-in, as an exception to the rule, do support. "Mozilla and Adobe will continue to work to make improvements to the Flash experience within Firefox, among others in terms of stability and performance, and security features," said Mozilla's Benjamin Smedberg.

Java

He advises websites that use plugins such as Silverlight and Oracle Java to switch to web technologies. These plug-ins will be late next year would no longer supported. In the event websites can not be without, for example Java advised to develop the required features as a Firefox extension. In order to end of Java within Firefox run smoothly cooperates with Oracle there. So advises Oracle now on websites instead of Java applets, plug-in free solution such as Java Web Start to use.

Fuss About Speculative Connections Firefox

On the Internet fuss arose over a feature in Firefox for ensuring that websites load faster, but can also help to track users. Several years ago, Mozilla has developed an API (application programming interface) to "speculative connections" allows to load websites faster than expected is that the user will also open a link.

Only moving the mouse over a link ensures that a request is sent to the web server of the website. Recently, a user sketched out a scenario whereby can consider whether certain email addresses are in use. Suffice it to any e-mail address to send an e-mail with a link to a unique IPv6 address. Once the user receives the message and moves his mouse over the link or the mouse in the area with link state, Firefox will send the request and may be checked to see if the email address is still in use.

Users can take steps to disable the feature, so Mozilla late this article know. For this, users in the address bar about: config entries. Then there must be sought on network.http.speculative-parallel-limit and must be the value to 0.

1900 Roku Media Streamers Accessible Via The Internet

Around 1,900 Roku media streamers are publicly available on the Internet, while this probably is not the intention of the owners. The Roku is actually a small computer for streaming media such as music and movies to a television and especially in the US very popular .

The device features an API (application programming interface) to be controlled via a smartphone. This is to not use any form of authentication. The idea behind the API is that it is applied locally use only and can not be accessed over the internet.Recently discovered a researcher to incorrectly set Roku media streamers are indeed accessible via the internet and that anyone who can give commands via the API.

John Matherly search engine Shodan therefore decided to scan the Internet, the number of Roku media streamers which is accessible via the web. His scan yielded some 1,900 devices. Matherly according to the number, however, differ depending on the time zone that the scan is performed. Using the scan was also discovered which several Roku media streamers are using it, which versions are installed, Netflix is the most popular channel and that many users do not update the apps and channels on their device.

Google - Captcha Fighter Against Robots

Google has a new captcha developed to distinguish people on websites of robots, whereby it is no longer necessary to solve a puzzle first. CAPTCHAs are used inter alia for the automatic creation of accounts and post spam on websites counter.

To often distinguishable robots people must puzzles and distorted texts are resolved. Google uses recaptcha example, where there are words from books must be retyped. Our own research shows that the search giant artificial intelligence with an accuracy of 99.8% can solve the puzzles. According to Google would therefore be much easier to apply directly to users whether they are human or robot. This allows users to quickly register or use of a service, which also eliminates the annoyance of solving the captcha.

API

A new API (Application Programming Interface) makes this captcha experience now possible. On websites that use the API receives a large number of users the ability to attach a single click that they are not a robot. Although this sounds simple, the underlying technology is complex, according to the search giant. Last year was a special backend developed that performs a risk if users want to solve a captcha.

On the basis of the way in which the user handles were examined with the captcha or the user was a human. The new API is a development of this, which is looked at many factors which indicate that it is a human being. Where does the risk of insufficient evidence to make this decision will appear captcha again. In addition, the API also makes it possible to test other types of captcha's. The new API would now be used on various websites, including Snapchat, WordPress and Humble Bundle.