France, Germany warn against IE

France has echoed calls by the German government for Web users to find an alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) to protect security, reports BBCNews.

Certa, a government agency that oversees cyber-threats, warned against using all versions of the Web browser. Germany warned users after malicious code - implicated in attacks on Google - was published online.

But Microsoft says that IE8 is the "most secure browser on the market" and people should upgrade.

Facebook is susceptible to certain types of attacks that could allow someone to hijack an account, while a user is interacting with another Web site, a security researcher warns, writes CNET.

Researcher Nitesh Dhanjani says a design flaw in Facebook is granting third-party apps permission to access user profile data without express approval from users. Facebook used to display a pop-up window warning users when they added any third-party app that doing so would authorise the app to get access to user profile information.

This allowed users to change their mind before adding the app. The company has changed its policy and now some apps can choose to use a new implicit authorisation feature that does not warn Facebook users that a third-party app is trying to request their data, says Dhanjani.

Mobile application stores will continue to draw in customers and drive up profit, according to a new report from Gartner, states eWeek.

Worldwide mobile application revenue is expected to reach $6.8 million in 2010, before soaring to $29.5 million in 2013, Gartner stated in the report. Advertising profit is also expected to climb, even as eight out of 10 downloaded apps will be free to end-users.

“As smartphones grow in popularity and application stores become the focus for several players in the value chain, more consumers will experiment with application downloads,” says Stephanie Baghdassarian, a Gartner research director.

The Jewish Chronicle Web site was defaced over the weekend by hackers calling themselves the "Palestinian Mujaheeds", who posted a rant against Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, says TheRegister.

Hackers posted an image of the Palestinian flag alongside diatribes against Israeli security policy in both English and Turkish. The hacked front page of the site also attempted to play an MP3 file, net security firm Sophos reports.

The Web site was taken offline for repairs following the attack on Sunday, but returned on Monday morning with a story on the attack, downplaying the significance of the admitted breach.