Kiran Upadhyay

Ransomware is an especially odious type of malware. The way it works is simple. Your computer will be infected with some malicious software. That software then renders your computer entirely unusable, sometimes purporting to be from local law enforcement and accusing you of committing a computer crime or viewing explicit pictures of children. It then demands monetary payment, either in the form of a ransom or a ‘fine’ before access to your computer is returned. Horrible, isn’t it? Well, get ready to meet CryptoLocker ; the evil patriarch of the Ransomware family. What Is CryptoLocker CryptoLocker is a piece of malware targeting computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system. It is typically spread as an email attachment, often purporting to be from a legitimate source (including Intuit and Companies House). Some say it is also being spread through the ZeuS botnet. Once installed on your computer, it systematically encrypts all documents that are stored on y...

How many Gmail keyboard shortcuts do you know? Is the option to use keyboard shortcuts even enabled in your account? Everyone knows that using keyboard shortcuts saves you time, so what are you waiting for? With the help of this cheat sheet from Visualeks , you’ll be a Gmail keyboard shortcut wizard in no time. Also available in black on white, and white on black.

Android has had multitasking built into it right from the start. But to really benefit from multitasking, you need a quick and simple way to switch between apps. In Windows, this is Alt-Tab; Android has its own native mechanism for that in the form of the native “recent apps” screen accessible via a single tap on most devices. While informative and fully featured, that screen leaves something to be desired in the efficiency department: Interacting with it takes multiple taps and swipes. Switchr is a new app from developer Mohammad Adib, aiming to offer a fast and simple way to switch between recent tasks. Adib has previously created the excellent Floating Stickies and Sidebar Pro Being familiar with his work, I had high expectations for Switchr. I will be reviewing the $2 Switchr Pro version below. Video Overview Since Switchr is so dynamic and visual, the best way to get a feel for it is to see it in action: So, Switchr promises a lot: Two different forms of task swi...

French site L'Expansion  is reporting that Google has completed a year-long acquisition of the company Flexycore. Flexycore's most prominent product is "droidbooster," an app that claimed to make an Android device run "ten times faster." While that claim might strain the bounds of belief, the company was reputable enough to have a profile on the ARM partner site, and its founder is the former  head of R&D for Texas Instruments. The supposed 10x speed boost came from generating heavily optimized ARM binaries from Android's normal Dalvik code. Droidbooster also claimed to increase battery life, presumably because a sped-up device would spend less time processing and more time in a low-power state. While Flexycore's website is down, its YouTube account still works, which means we can watch a demo! One thing you'll notice from the video is that it is extremely old. It shows the droidbooster tech running on a Froyo-equipped Ne...

Security is an absolute crucial part of computing, and whether it’s a strength of yours or not, you should strive to educate yourself and stay current — I believe anyone who uses a computer should understand and do what they can to prevent security risks. However, if security isn’t a primary interest of yours, this can be difficult to do. Thankfully, there are many experts in this field who do this for us and share their knowledge online. Dave Parrack already covered many security experts to follow on Twitter, if that’s where you prefer to get your information. If you prefer to follow blogs directly, then you’ll want to check out these ten security blogs. Naked Security Naked Security is a blog containing security news, opinions, advice, and research from Sophos , a widely recognized security company. Here you can find a wide range of categories from privacy to security threats to operating systems, including mobile, to cryptography and even specific organizations, amo...

Despite its many flaws Facebook is still an essential website for most people. Everybody uses it in different ways, but Facebook’s raison d’etre (reason for existence) is for friends and family to keep in touch with each other online. And it manages this exquisitely. Unfortunately, Facebook has no power over who you choose to befriend on the site, or what those friends post on their wall. I say “ unfortunately ” because a lot of people post nonsense on Facebook. Nonsense that really should get them unfriended, by you, immediately. Do your friends do these things? It might be time. Like This Or The Puppy Gets It The Facebook Like has become a simple shorthand for registering approval of something without needing to take the time out to comment or explain any further. It’s a genius idea, and one which Google has since replicated with the +1 on Google+. However, it’s open to abuse, with people openly asking for Likes for statuses, pages, or even sweeping statements the...

Keep blogging simple. Ghost is a new blogging platform built upon Node.js. Unlike WordPress, which has become a real behemoth of a CMS over the years and runs on outdated PHP/MySQL technology, Ghost promises to simplify things right back to where they began: pure, unadulterated  blogging . Main Features Ghost began as a Kickstarter last year – “it’s just a blogging platform”, they pitched. When £200,000 ($320,000) was raised for the open source project, they knew they were onto something. Ghost is about simplicity. It’s not a full-fledged CMS: it doesn’t even include comment functionality. It won’t transform your site into a jobs board or eCommerce shop – it’s literally just a blogging platform. It’s a beautiful blogging platform,  but that’s all it is . If you want something that can be mutated into any your heart can dream of, look elsewhere. So what makes Ghost different? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RkcPDHp6lo Preview pane and markdown editor.  O...