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New web security standard promises safer, faster browsing
It's safe to say that web security could use a tune-up given the deluge of malware attacks and data breaches. Thankfully, it's about to get one. The Internet Engineering Task Force has approved Transport Layer Security 1.3, a new standard that makes some fundamental improvements to how and when web encryption kicks in. For the most part, int involves both shrinking the window of opportunity for intruders and preventing them from recycling code.
Web status code tells you when sites are censored
With a few exceptions, web status codes are meant to indicate errors. A 404 page shows up when you tried to reach content that wasn't found, for example. However, there's now a code for those times when that absence is all too intentional. The newly published 451 code (a nod to Fahrenheit 451, naturally) lets site hosts and network providers warn you when censorship and similar "legal obstacles" prevent you from seeing web material. In theory, this gives you a much better explanation than the generic 403 "forbidden" code -- and a not-so-subtle hint that you need to jump through hoops to get the truth.
