Google Toolbar Vulnerable ! (CastleCops)

Google Toolbar, is one of the latest utilities able to permit a hack attack and allow intruders to deploy malicious applications. Aviv.Raffon has reportedly found a way to exploit a Google Toolbar vulnerability.

Google Toolbar allows spoofing the information presented in the dialog which is being displayed when adding a new Google Toolbar button. This can allow an attacker to convince the users that his button comes from a trusted domain. This button can then be used to download malicious files or conduct phishing attacks (e.g. show a login form of a bank).

Google has acknowledged this and are already working on a fix. Until a fixed version is provided, it is suggested that you avoid adding new buttons to the toolbar.

More at Source

Google Knol: Not Setting the World On Fire
(Seeking Alpha)

Google (GOOG) has become the new EF Hutton: when it speaks, people listen. So when I first heard about Google Knol I was curious and intrigued: a true competitor to Wikipedia? A new spin on expert networks? An easier way to discover high value content? These are all areas about which I have a high degree of interest and some degree of knowledge.

But after reading the description on the Official Google Blog and thinking about it here is what I've concluded: NO BIG DEAL. Unless I am missing some big conceptual point here (which is always possible, of course), I don't see any benefits to creators of high-value content that don't already exist - and are perhaps manifest in better ways - through personal blogs and message forms, vertical search engines and Wikipedia.

8 bold predictions on Google's next moves
Insiders offer their insights on the Internet behemoth.
(Computer World)

December 20, 2007 (Computerworld) -- There's little doubt that Google Inc. is indeed king of online media. In August 2007 alone, Google captured 57% of worldwide market share among search engines, with more than 37 billion search inquiries, according to analyst firm comScore Inc. in Reston, Va.

Add to that a mind-boggling stock price of $711 per share on Nov. 5. Not surprisingly, this dominance has led to endless rumors about where Google is headed next.

Google Toolbar: A New Malware Threat
(Team Think Blog, ZDNet.com)

Now there’s another source of potential malware to worry about. A researcher has released code that shows how a hacker can use the Google toolbar to get users to install malicious software or expose themselves to a phishing attack by installing a new toolbar button.

The report from TrendLabs Malware blogsays that the attack uses a “…specially crafted link to that refers to the button’s XML file, which when clicked displays a dialog box summarizing the details of the button to be installed.”

The hacker manipulates the URL within the dialog to make it appear non-malicous by adding special redirector strings. Trust is increased, improving the likelihood that the user will click on the link. Once installed, the user must click the link to install the malicious code or launch a fake log-in process.

According to the report, Google classifies the attack as non-critical due to the steps required for its execution. Google is said to be looking at a way to fix the bug.
The attack affects Google Toolbar 4 for Internet Explorer and Firefox as well as Google Toolbar 5 for IE.

Read also:

Google And The Big Brother Nomination
(Search Engine Watch)

Erase Your Search Tracks (BusinessWeek)

Most people probably don’t realize that their online searches are tracked by search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. With a new feature called AskEraser, Ask.com is hoping to give people control over the privacy of their online searches.

It’s a real issue for some people, especially given the uproar that ensued last year when AOL let slip search data from 650,000 users, some of which got tied to specific individuals.

AskEraser, launching on Tuesday, will let people delete records of their future search queries from Ask.com’s servers. That includes the user’s IP address and the text of the search queries. However, search query info will continue to be sent to Google, which runs ads on Ask. (There’s much more detail at Search Engine Land.)

2007 Search Blogs Awards : Nominations Now Open
(Search Engine Journal)

Search Engine Journal is now opening nominations for blogs to be included for this year’s Search Blogs Awards in the following categories: […]

Is Google a Grinch or a good guy? (The Guardian)

The giant search engine has been accused of 'stealing Christmas' from companies by changing how it ranks results. Sean Hargrave finds out if their complaints are valid.