Even though it is frowned upon, lots of us download copyrighted content online ? legally and otherwise ? from questionable sources. Be it may via BitTorrent trackers, Usenet, IRC or file sharing forums, there is no dearth of shady distributors of pirated content online.

Why are so many people willing to offer pirated content to you? To ensure that everyone of us can enjoy over-priced & DRM-ridden copyrighted material? Yes and no. Except for a few, the rest have an ulterior motive for peddling malware & spyware.

 
Often times software downloaded from these shady sites are tampered with to include backdoors and malware. And in recent times, fake audio and video files in zipped archives which when extracted and played, download spyware in the guise of acquiring codecs.

For the unsuspecting soul who thinks a file downloaded for free is awesome, here is an an opportunity to learn about the digital trapdoors, ways to avoid them and how to verify if it is the real deal before installing so that you can enjoy secure...

To draw a comparison, the internet is like the badlands of the Wild West. Full of opportunities but also a free-for-all, where you don?t know when the next attack is going to come from. The browser is one of the most vulnerable soft spots.

The browser remains our main porthole for viewing the web. It?s also the main entry point for malware, Trojans, and others browser attacks of their ilk. Then there are the plug-ins like Firefox add-ons, Active X controls etc. There are many ways for a malicious code to punch a hole through. One of the worst is the ?Man-in-the-browser? attack.

 
Let?s all be paranoid by default and get ourselves a good anti-virus and firewall to begin with. Then, it?s always a wise idea to keep our software and sundry apps patched with the latest security updates. But most of all it pays to keep eyes and ears open to what?s happening around us. The web may be like the badlands, but it also has heroic sheriffs and town marshals. A few online...

This 30x super zoom looks and handles like a DSLR - but is it as good?

The Fujifilm FinePix HS10 ties with its direct rival in Olympus' SP-800UZ for offering the world's longest zoom range on a non interchangeable lens camera. The Fuji, alternatively known as a bridge model because feature-wise it plugs the gap between point and shoot pocket compact and more professional digital SLR, closely resembling the latter, has a robust-feel 30x optical zoom bolted on its front.

This provides a 24-720mm equivalent focal range in 35mm film terms, enabling close up portraits and wide angle landscapes to be captured with the one device (and for this reason such bridge models are also known as "all in ones"). It's ably backed up with sensor shift image stabilisation to help avoid blur.

Though the headline resolution is a "mere" 10.3 effective...

The must have of the summer?

It's almost traditional to start a Dragon Quest review by contrasting the enormous popularity of the series in Japan, where it's a phenomenon on the scale of Star Wars or Harry Potter; with its reception over here, where it's never found the mass appeal of Pokemon or Naruto. Well, it might be time to kiss that reliable opening goodbye, because Dragon Quest IX deserves to make a splash in Europe. Not only is it one of the biggest and best games on the DS, it's a great example of the Japanese RPG at its very best.

Releasing the next chapter of a mega-selling franchise as a handheld exclusive was certainly risky, but the risk has paid off handsomely. With its bright, cartoon-styled 3D graphics and menu driven combat, Dragon Quest turns out to be a natural for the DS, and the game...

Amazon reports that sales of e-books in its Kindle
digital book format have outpaced sales of printed
hardcover books.
Photo: Amazon

Figures showing significant (even spectacular) growth in sales of e-books should reassure consumers who've hesitated to get into e-reading for fear it's a passing fad. They also reinforce how many more platforms there are now on which to read e-books, including Apple's iPad tablet computer.

Amazon, the leading e-book brand, with its Kindle format and e-book readers,