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Fast-encryption feature arrives in Chrome

Google has begun shipping a feature called False Start in its Chrome browser to speed up secure communications.

False Start essentially cuts out one set of the back-and-forth conversation needed to set up a secure channel between a Web browser and Web pages. Such secure channels use technology called SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security), and a Web site using it shows an address beginning with HTTPS rather than HTTP.

"The latest releases of Chrome now enable a feature called SSL False Start," said Google programmer Mike Belshe in a blog post Sunday. "As … Read more

Google using Chrome to reform slow Web sites

Google plans to use Chrome as a tool to reform the Web by encouraging use of a technology the company says will reduce data-transfer delays.

The technology, called False Start, has the potential to reduce one round of back-and-forth communications between a browser and a Web server when establishing an encrypted connection. That's a significant time savings--about 7 hundredths of a second for communication across the United States and 1.5 tenths of a second from California to Europe.

Even better, unlike many protocol improvements that could improve communications, it doesn't even require changes on both sides of … Read more

Zero-day flaw found in Web encryption

A zero-day flaw in the TLS and SSL protocols, which are commonly used to encrypt Web pages, has been made public.

Security researchers Marsh Ray and Steve Dispensa unveiled the TLS (Transport Layer Security) flaw on Wednesday, following the disclosure of separate, but similar, security findings. TLS and its predecessor, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), are typically used by online retailers and banks to provide security for Web transactions.

Ray, who works with Dispensa at two-factor authentication company PhoneFactor, explained in a blog post this week that he had initially discovered the flaw in August and demonstrated a working exploit to … Read more

First date with the 2007 Acura TL-S

The foundation of every good relationship is the ability to listen and understand one other. How fitting then, that our Valentine's Day delivery to the CNET Car Tech garage should be the Acura TL-S, one of the most understanding cars in the world. We climbed into the cabin of this souped-up version of Acura's midsized technosedan, and in no time we already were making ourselves understood with perfect clarity.

"Driver temperature, 65 degrees," we ventured after a press of the Voice button on the steering wheel. "Driver temperature, 65 degrees," responded TL's empathetic … Read more