Last Tuesday, a trio of Google researchers published news regarding the existence of an Internet-wide security vulnerability that has a cute name but unfortunately also potentially disastrous effects. POODLE, which stands for Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption, is a new security hole that targets Secure Socket Layer (SSL) 3.0. Since SSL protects data that are in transit between a website and the users, POODLE potentially allows hackers to decrypt the HTTP cookies, which can be used to store personal information, website preferences or even passwords, depending on the situation. For example, POODLE could allow an attacker to hijack and decrypt the session cookie that identifies you to a service like Twitter or Google, and then take over your accounts without needing your password.

An anonymous hacker has recently declared to have leaked a few hundred usernames and passwords from Dropbox accounts. A series of posts have in fact been made to Pastebin claiming to contain login credentials for hundreds of Dropbox accounts. The leak, which comes from an anonymous user taking Bitcoin donations for the full disclosure, contains accounts with email addresses starting with the letter "B". The hacker claims that more username/password pairs will be released as soon as they receive donations to their Bitcoin address. According to the hacker a total of 6,937,081 account credentials have so far been compromised.

What was once known as SkyDrive by Microsoft is now called OneDrive. However, the different name is not the only new feature introduced, and thanks to a few tricks and mobile apps, OneDrive is an efficient and updated version of its predecessor. Microsoft's online backup and syncing service is the most flexible and all-encompassing of its class, with syncing and access apps not only for PCs, but also for Macs, Androids, iOS, and Windows Phones. By comparison, Apple's competing iCloud is only available for Apple devices.