Google To Warn Of Bogus Download Buttons

googledeceptive

Google is to start warning users when a “download” button on a website might be a malware trick. Let’s hope it means less work for those of us who act as IT support, for work, friends or family.

Bogus download buttons will be particularly familiar to anyone who has searched for software download sites, often promising free applications, or for video streaming sites with a lax attitude to copyright law. However, the tactic can also target even the most innocent (and naive) computer use, particularly when accompanied by pop-ups and displays falsely claiming a plug-in or other tool needs updating.

Google is, to say the least, giving few details about exactly how it will assess sites and trigger the warnings. It has confirmed the new feature will be an addition to the existing Safe Browsing, which warns users if a page itself is a security threat, such as a “drive-by attack.”

It appears the warnings will pop-up as and when a user tries to click on a relevant link from a Google search page, rather than the browser itself checking every page it visits.

Whether the tool will be a problem for false positives or for more confident users who are happy to hunt for a genuine download on the said sites remains to be seen. The warning message includes a link marked “Details” which, if previous Google moves are anything to go by, may bring up an option to proceed to the page after confirming you do so at your own risk.

If that is the case, this seems like a smart balance. More savvy users can still access sites, while those more vulnerable to an unwanted download should be clearly deterred by the plain language of the warnings.

And that’s great news for those of us who have a friend or family member who, like Jen in the IT Crowd, just can’t say no:


An Inflatable Gummy Bear Lounge Seat

You know you want one.

Get comfy on an inflatable piece of furniture in the shape of a majestic gummy bear. The Gummy Bear Chair is a simple piece of decor that you inflate with the included foot pump and then… chill.

Relax and take in a classic cartoon in your playroom before enjoying a sweet snack in your bedroom—the lightweight air-filled chair is very portable.

The Gummy Bear Chair is great for little ones but big enough for adults who are young at heart.

[Inflatable arm chair that looks like delicious candy]

DOOM: Campaign Trailer from Hell [Video]

I am literally drooling for a new DOOM game, and this is making me drool even harder. Check out the single player campaign and smile at the fact that Bethesda/Id are still nice enough to make single player games that kick this much butt!

Warning: This is Doom we’re talking about, so be ready for some intense, kind of icky footage.

[DOOM]

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USB Cable Devotee Finds Worst. Cable. Ever.

usbc

A Google engineer with something of an obsession with USB Type-C cables has finally paid the price. Benson Leung seriously damaged his laptop during his latest review.

Leung had become something of a cult hero for his online reviews of the cables. While most consumer reviews of a USB cable or adaptor are inherently limited to whether or not it works and if it is awkward or smooth to plug in, Leung would use his professional knowledge to go into intricate detail and make harsh but informed criticisms where appropriate.

In particular, Leung’s bugbear is cables that don’t meet the USB Type-C specification. He commonly finds problems with inadequate resistance which could cause performance issues or even damage when user with a charger or hub. The big issue is that many cheaply made Type-C cables are fine for transferring data, but insufficient when used for powering and charging.

In hindsight, the sheer number of reviews Leung did made his latest test result inevitable. In a review of a cable designed for connecting Type-A and Type-C sockets, he revealed that it had effectively fried both his Chromebook and two gadgets used for testing current and voltage.

The Chromebook suffered damage to an embedded controller, which managed USB charging among other tasks. That’s a big problem as the computer now notices the lack of response from the controller, assumes there’s a serious issues, and will only boot into recovery mode.

On analysing the cable, Leung found four major problems including an insufficient resistor that was set up the wrong way round, several missing wires, and two of the major wires being attached to the wrong pins on the plug.

The cable has now been withdrawn from sale. Unfortunately for Leung, the fault means that his latest review “will probably be the last one I do for a little while.”

Uprising – A Post-Apocalyptic Robot Comedy

Director and promo-commercial writerBen Hansford has been madly in love with robots all his life, and is looking to produce a short comedy film about robots in a post robocalyptic world who decide to raise a human baby. His project is currently on Kickstarter and has already reached a little less than half of the total budget of $36,800 after just a few days. If you want help “Uprising” see the light of day, you can contribute to the campaign right here.

On top of that there’s life-sucking Roombas, self-driving Priuses that hunt humans in packs, vigilante Soda Machines, and Cellphones that send your Snapchats to your Mom.

And of course… ROBOTS! These metal monsters think the #ROFLpocalypse is just a game – so they get busy tea-bagging, dry-humping, and Leader-boarding humanity out of existence.

[Kickstarter: Uprising – A Post-Apocalyptic Robot Comedy]