Millions at risk from 'Freak' bug

Microsoft said it was working on a secure update to close the Freak loophole Microsoft has issued a security warning about a bug that could let attackers spy on supposedly secure communications. Called "Freak", the bug was found in software used to encrypt data passing between web servers and web users. Initially the flaw was thought only to affect some users of Android and Blackberry phones and Apple's Safari web browser. Microsoft's warning suggests millions more may be at risk of losing data. The Freak flaw was discovered by encryption and security expert Karthikeyan Bhargavan and lets attackers force data travelling between a vulnerable site and a visitor to use weak encryption. This makes it easier to crack open the data and steal sensitive information. Statistics gathered by a groupset up to monitor the impact of the Freak flaw suggest about 9.5% of the web's top one million websites are susceptible to such attacks. The monitoring group has also produced an online toolthat lets people check if they are using a browser that is vulnerable to the flaw. Vulnerable Apple is expected to produce a patch for the flaw next week and Google has updated its version of Chrome for the Mac to remove its susceptibility to Freak. It has yet to say what action it is taking with Android. In a security advisory note released on 5 March, Microsoft said every current version of Windows that uses Internet Explorer, or any non-Microsoft software that calls on a part of Windows called Secure Channel, was vulnerable to the Freak flaw. Microsoft has issued advice about ways to remove the vulnerability from some of its software but said applying these fixes could cause "serious problems" with other programs. It said it was working on a separate security update to remove the vulnerability. In its advisory, Microsoft said it had not received any information that suggested the attack was being actively exploited by cybercriminals.

I Went To London To Rest – Buhari

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Mohammadu Buhari, Friday, arrived Nigeria from the United Kingdom after more than two weeks during which he gave a speech at the famous Royal Institute of Internal Affairs, popularly known as Chatham House. Buhari left Nigeria for London on February 19 amid rumours that he sneaked out of the country to attend to his alleged failing health. “I just went off for a couple of weeks to rest. That’s all I did,” Buhari told newsmen who asked about his trip. Asked whether he visited any London hospital while in London, as claimed by Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose who have been claiming that the APC candidate was not enjoying good health, Buhari queried; “What is wrong for me to go the hospital? Am I not here now? Are you not seeing me? Are you seeing a sick man?” He also added that he “went to Chatham House. I read an address and there was a question and answer session. That’s all.” In the meantime, the South West chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated General Buhari on “his safe return to the country.” “Buhari is welcome back in the country and we wish him good health,” Dare Omotosho, Zonal Publicity Secretary of the party said, while speaking with Saturday Tribune in Ado Ekiti.

Pinterest seeks $11 billion valuation with new funding

Pinterest Inc, a photo pin-up site, is in talks to raise $500 million in a round of funding that would more than double its valuation to $11 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The company plans to raise the funds in the coming weeks, but it is not clear if any new investor would join the round, the Journal reported. Pinterest, which allows users to create online bulletin boards based on various themes such as travel, decorating, or sports, was unavailable for comment outside regular U.S. business hours. The new funding would value the company at more than twice the $5 billion valuation last May when it raised $200 million. Pinterest has raised a total of $764 million so far from existing investors SV Angel, Bessemer Venture Partners, Fidelity, Andreessen Horowitz, FirstMark Capital, and Valiant Capital Partners.

Sokoto earmarks N438.8m to build int'l conference centre

The Sokoto State Government has earmarked N434.8million for the construction of an international conference centre in the state. Dr. Muhammad Jabbi, the Commissioner for Environment, announced this after the State Executive Council Meeting in Sokoto on Wednesday. Jabbi said the council made the approval in order to host international and national conferences conveniently in the state. He also said the council approved N84.9 million for the construction of two sets of solar-powered pumps in rural areas of the state. "This is to enable us to use solar pumps for boreholes in the rural areas'', he added. Also read: Sokoto governor assures end to terrorism Similarly, Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Bello Yusuf, said the council approved N95.8 million for the expansion and rehabilitation of Government Secondary School, Illela. Yusuf added that the council also approved N146.6million for the expansion of Government Secondary School, Sanyinna, and the establishment of secondary school for girls in the area. "This is to further boost education standard in the state", he said.

Manchester City FC have not won a Premier League game without Yaya Touré this season. Are their title hopes over?

The champions haven’t earned three points from any of the six games Toure has missed in the top flight this season, with the 1-1 draw at home to Hull the fifth time they’ve been forced to share the points in the absence of their talismanic midfielder. City will be thankful to have taken anything from their encounter with Steve Bruce’s struggling side, after a late James Milner free-kick rescued a point for the hosts - but Chelsea’s 2-1 win at Aston Villa strengthens the Blues’ position at the top of the table. Manuel Pellegrini has described it as “impossible” for Toure and new signing Wilfried Bony – who will both play in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final for Ivory Coast – to return in time for Wednesday’s trip to Stoke. Milner's free-kick rescued a point against Hull City haven’t won away against their midweek opponents since a 1999 Division Two meeting and will need to find a way to reverse their recent trend without Toure to end that run. They have managed Champions League wins over Bayern Munich and Roma this term without Toure but the stats show that, in the Premier League, without the midfielder in their side, City score less often and concede more frequently. Manchester City with and without Toure this season in the Premier League: Played:18-6 Won:14-0 Drawn:2-5 Lost:2-1 Scored per game:2.2-1.2 Conceded per game:0.8-1.5 Points per game:2.4-0.8

Egyptian Man Gets 25 Years In U.S. Prison In Embassy Bombing Case

An Egyptian man has been sentenced on Friday in New York to 25 years in U.S. prison in connection with the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people. Reutersreport: Adel Abdul Bary, 54, pleaded guilty in September to three counts, including conspiring to murder U.S. citizens abroad, as part of a deal that limited his maximum sentence to 25 years. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who in September briefly considered rejecting the agreement as too lenient, said Bary could be released in approximately eight years after receiving credit for more than 15 years already spent in U.K. and U.S. custody. “You, unlike victims of the embassy bombings, can look forward to rejoining your family and living out your life in freedom,” Kaplan said. Prosecutors said at the time of the plea that Bary, who had initially faced 224 counts of murder and scores of other charges, was not as culpable for the bombings as other members of the al Qaeda conspiracy. His primary role, they said, was that of a “communications facilitator” who disseminated messages from al Qaeda leaders to the public, including claims of responsibility for the embassy bombings. He was not accused of planning the attacks.