Sunday, January 30, 2005
Friday, January 28, 2005
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Dr Martens wins logo ownership appeal
England's Court of Appeal this week threw out an appeal against a ruling which said that copyright in Dr Martens' AirWair logo is owned by the company that makes the famous boots and did not pass to its designer.
Microsoft to launch anti-piracy initiative
Microsoft will combat piracy of its flagship operating system by requiring Windows users to verify that their copy of the software is genuine in order to receive timely updates and security fixes, the world's largest software maker said yesterday.
More identity theft offline than online
Federal regulators warn that the Internet is the thriving frontier for identity theft, but 72% of the thefts of personal information for scams last year were done offline, a new report says.
Earthlink wins spam settlement
Earthlink has settled part of a court action brought against a network known as the Alabama Spammers, after two of the defendants agreed to make a payment to the ISP and to stop sending unsolicited commercial e-mail.
Year's first threatening worm arrives
A new variant of the Bagle worm surfaced this morning and early security reports say it appears to be the year's most dangerous worm to date.
Confidential data gets taken for a taxi ride
A Global survey of 900 taxi drivers shows thousands of valuable mobile phones, PDAs and laptops are forgotten in taxis every day. Too often the devices are unsecured – and employers are urged to take responsibility.
Betamax primed for peer-to-peer war
The US Solicitor General and an army of technology groups filed opposing arguments with the Supreme Court yesterday, preparing for a showdown on copyright and peer-to-peer computing. A key battleground will be a 1984 decision on video technology.
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Thursday, January 27, 2005
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Ex-Microsoft Worker Pleads Guilty to Software Theft
A former Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) employee pleaded guilty on Wednesday to selling the world's largest software maker's products for more than $7 million for personal profit, federal prosecutors said.
In Germany, Email Blocking May Be Illegal
Spammers rejoice! A German court may just have criminalized spam filters. According to a recent ruling by the Higher Regional Court (OLG) in Karlsruhe, Germany, companies and universities that selectively block email messages from a specific sender may be in violation of German law. The ruling, issued on January 10, is the first of its kind on this topic by a German higher regional court and will force a criminal investigation against the person(s) responsible for blocking the emails.
Modern Technology Helps Hajj Pilgrims
Modern technology has changed the way Muslims experience the hajj pilgrimage, a rite required of able-bodied faithful who can afford it at least once in a lifetime. It has also perhaps changed the way they experience being Muslims.
Supreme Court sets date for file-sharing case
The U.S. Supreme Court has set a date for oral arguments in a closely watched case that could decide whether file-sharing networks are legal to operate or not. The case will be heard on March 29, the justices said Thursday
Hackers eavesdrop on phone networks to steal data
Computer hackers have taken to stealing data the easy way -- by eavesdropping on phone and e-mail conversations to find the keys to seemingly impregnable networks, security experts say.
The Future of the PC
In the living room you would have a TiVo-like PC that did a few things very well and lacked even the ability to run most applications (and viruses) so that it could be on 24-7 without concern. Another box, networked to the first, would be optimized for games. In the office, the machine would be optimized for e-mail, general document creation and Web services.
Security concerns prompt Internet Explorer defections
Worried about catching viruses, spyware, or other malicious software while surfing the Web?
If you are among the nine in 10 people using Microsoft's Internet Explorer, you may be a candidate to join the increasing number of users turning to alternative Web browsers that experts say are less prone to security flaws and offer newer features.
Telkom, IS clash over VANS licences
Last week's hearings into the value-added network service (VANS) licences saw much argument over what a VANS provider should or should not be allowed to do, with Telkom leading the charge on one side, and Internet Solutions holding the fort on the other side of the table.
HRC seeks intervention in Armscor row
The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has approached the high court to force Armscor to release documents that could prove corrupt dealings with controversial French armaments company African Defence Systems (ADS).
ICANN Scrutinized in Wake of Panix Attack
"There was an error in the checking process prior to initiating the [domain name] transfer, and thus the transfer should never have been initiated," Bruce Tonkin, the chief technology officer of Melbourne IT, said. "The loophole that led to this error has been closed. That reseller is analyzing its logs and cooperating with law enforcement."
When Freedom Becomes an F-Word
A country that prides itself on freedom of the individual now finds itself in a situation where networks preemptively censor themselves for fear of the government indecency patrol. Some of the groups that call for government censorship aggressively argue against government control of the economic sphere.
It's Time IT Seriously Battles Spyware
There was a time when spyware was low on an IT department's priority list. End users thought to be lugging around lots of spyware were simply pointed toward one of several good (and free) desktop spyware-scan sites and told to take it easy on the games, screen savers, and other likely culprits.
You've Got Mail — Messaging Server Trends and Must-Haves
E-mail has long been considered the "killer app" of the Internet. Some 12 trillion e-mail messages are estimated to be sent around the globe every year — and that figure alone grows by the day.
Judge Orders More IBM Code For SCO
Magistrate Judge Brooke Wells ordered IBM (Quote, Chart) to produce information on all its versions of AIX and Dynix, a court order handed down this week reads. It's the latest in a long line of discovery motions and rulings since the SCO vs. IBM case first began in March 2003.
Google loses trademark dispute in France
A French court has ruled that Google must refrain from using the trademarks of European resort chain Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts to trigger keyword ads.
Peer-to-peer nets 'here to stay'
Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are here to stay, and are on the verge of being exploited by commercial media firms, says a panel of industry experts. Once several high-profile legal cases against file-sharers are resolved this year, firms will be very keen to try and make money from P2P technology.
Text messages aid disaster recovery
Text messaging technology was a valuable communication tool in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster in Asia. The messages can get through even when the cell phone signal is too weak to sustain a spoken conversation.
Text message record smashed again
UK mobile owners continue to break records with their text messaging, with latest figures showing that 26 billion texts were sent in total in 2004. The figures collected by the Mobile Data Association (MDA) showed that 2.4 billion were fired off in December alone, the highest monthly total ever.
Format wars could 'confuse users'
Technology firms Sony, Philips, Matsushita and Samsung are developing a common way to stop people pirating digital music and video. The firms want to make a system that ensures files play on the hardware they make but also thwarts illegal copying.
Prepare for a host of new viruses
Computer users should expect a number of virus headaches in the coming year, virus experts warn. The opening weeks of 2005 have already witnessed a number of viruses – including a MyDoom variant and a worm that spread by playing on the recent tsunami disaster – although none have proved malicious. This trend is likely to continue, says Brett Myroff, CEO of local Sophos distributor Netxactics.
Worm hides in ‘news'
A new worm that poses as details of a latest news stories has surfaced in the wild, security experts say. The Crowt-A worm takes its subject lines, message content and attachment names from headlines gathered in real-time from the CNN Web site, says Brett Myroff, CEO of local Sophos distributor Netxactics.
Setbacks delay GautengOnline
GautengOnline, the project to roll-out PCs and Internet connectivity to every school in Gauteng, has extended its deadline by three years, amid implementation problems and PC theft. The project's Web site was also shelved for some time.
'Wegbreek moet sy naam wysig '
Die tydskrif Wegbreek moet sy naam verander en alle goedere wat dié naam dra, aan die uitgewer van Getaway lewer sodat dit vernietig kan word.
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Tuesday, January 25, 2005
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Thinking ahead to keep a step ahead
Forward-thinking South African companies are preparing for deregulation in February by implementing the technology that will handle their computer telephone integration (CTI) needs now and their VOIP requirements in the near future.
Vodacom improves 3G offerings
In line with the changes to come in the telecoms industry on 1 February, mobile operator Vodacom has announced aggressive new tariffs for its third-generation (3G) service. According to Vodacom MD Pieter Uys, the company will introduce a range of new 3G bundles next month, and will also substantially reduce the price of out-of-bundle top-ups.
BEE shareholding a major issue: ISPA
The Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) is adamant the regulator needs to provide clarity on the scope of value-added network services (VANS) and make changes to the black economic empowerment (BEE) shareholding requirements, before any licensing issues can be properly resolved.
SPIT: VOIP's dark side
Spam over Internet telephony (SPIT) may become the latest information age nuisance as the voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) era arrives, say industry players.
IP telephony firm launched
OpenVoice, which designs, delivers and implements telecoms solutions by way of open source platforms, was launched officially in Johannesburg last night. The company's focus is open source application Asterisk, a converged telecommunications platform that allows different types of Internet Protocol (IP) telephony hardware, middleware and software to interface with each other consistently.
VOIP, cellphone roaming a step closer
IBM, VeriSign and Airespace have joined forces to promote roaming between cellphone systems and Internet Protocol (IP) networks, reports PC World. The three companies have formed an alliance aimed at promoting technologies that will enable call switching from cellphones to a voice over IP (VOIP) phone instead.
Google SA ‘a good sign'
International search engine Google's new South African focus is a good sign for an online SA, says local search engine Ananzi. The new-look Google.co.za domain, which was launched last week, features a Google South Africa header, a choice between searching the entire Web or for South African Web content only, and four extra language options: Afrikaans, Sotho, Xhosa and Zulu.
Music Downloads Dance into Mainstream with Tenfold Increase
Record companies are now realizing their first significant revenues from online sales. Music fans downloaded well over 200 million tracks from legal music sites in the U.S. and Europe last year, up from about 20 million in 2003. That quantum leap led to several hundred million dollars in revenues last year.
Non-Competition Agreements: Dangers of Overreaching
A non-competition agreement, especially in the technology sector, should be crafted in such a manner that its restrictions with respect to time, territory (geographic or otherwise), and activity are reasonably well thought-out. It must also conform to local laws, which can vary from one jurisdiction to the next. Otherwise, it will not be enforced by a court.
Search Engines Try To Block Blog 'Comment Spam'
"It may help," said Danny Sullivan, editor of SearchEngineWatch.com. "It isn't going to stop comment spam. What it may do is make it a little less attractive. It's not a magic bullet."
Sun Targets $6 Billion Compliance Market
A study published by IT market research and advisory firm IDC stated that e-mail archiving applications revenue is expected to top US$180 million worldwide in 2004, up from just $33 million two years ago, and to continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 50 percent through 2008.
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Monday, January 24, 2005
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Reporter fired for Yahoo baby hoax
Volkswagen denies offensive viral marketing
An advert that shows a suicide bomber trying and failing to use a Volkswagen Polo as a car bomb was not authorised, Volkswagen said yesterday. But like the best viral marketing campaigns, the clip has spread quickly across the internet.
Tech industry condemns German PC levy
PC makers will lose €90 million a year as a result of German rulings that put a levy on high-tech products, according to an industry group that represents the world's leading IT companies.
Woman charged for spoiling ex-boyfriend's game
A Japanese woman who took revenge on her ex by accessing his account with on-line game Lineage and deleting virtual property is facing charges of illegal access after the former boyfriend reported her to the police, according to the Mainichi Daily News.
Google loses French AdWords case
Google France has lost a trade mark action brought by hotel chain Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts over the search engine’s AdWords keyword advertising service. According to reports, Google is planning to appeal.
Growth of Online Ads Hits High Speed
Demand for online video ads by Ford Motor, Colgate-Palmolive and others will contribute to a breakout year for online advertising in 2005 -- and spell trouble for newspapers and TV, financial analysts say. A surge in text ads on search sites Google and Yahoo -- combined with more high- speed Internet users -- also will help push online ad spending over US$10 billion for the first time, analysts say.
Online Retailers Learned Valuable E-Lessons in 2004
Overstock.com was preparing for its biggest sales day ever. It was just days before the notorious Black Friday, traditionally one of the busiest shopping days of the holiday season, and the discount online retailer was all set to break its previous year's sales record. And then it happened -- its information technology infrastructure buckled under input/output overhead and Internet protocol issues.
Survey on Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance in the Workplace
American Management Association and The ePolicy Institute are conducting a brief survey on Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance in the Workplace www.amanet.org/ems2005. Please take a few minutes to participate in this 18-question survey www.amanet.org/ems2005. This survey, www.amanet.org/ems2005, is a follow-up to the 2001 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance survey conducted by American Management Association and The ePolicy Institute, and is designed to uncover what employers are doing to help keep online employees in-line. To participate in the 2005 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance survey from American Management Association and The ePolicy Institute, click here: www.amanet.org/ems2005
Amazon Ruled "Safe" under DMCA's Safe Harbor
The "safe harbor" provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) shield several common activities of network service providers from potential copyright infringement liability. The protections flow mainly to ISPs and web hosting companies but are also valuable to brick-and-mortar companies that provide web access or allow postings on their websites. Not surprisingly, the safe harbor is available only if companies meet certain "threshold conditions," and uncertainty about the scope of these conditions gives rise to free-floating liability anxiety. So it was good news when one such condition -- that the companies "adopt[] and reasonably implement[]" anti-infringement measures -- was clarified in a recent federal case. In Corbis Corporation v. Amazon.com, Inc., the US District Court for the Western District of Washin gton rejected a copyright owner’s claim that the reasonable implementation clause required a highly detailed policy and near-perfect enforcement. Instead, the court ruled that Amazon's broad anti-infringement policy met the requirements of the DMCA’s § 512(c) safe harbor.
Hackers eavesdrop on phone networks to steal data
Computer hackers have taken to stealing data the easy way -- by eavesdropping on phone and e-mail conversations to find the keys to seemingly impregnable networks, security experts say.
Security concerns prompt Internet Explorer defections
Worried about catching viruses, spyware, or other malicious software while surfing the Web?
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Friday, January 21, 2005
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Volkswagen denies offensive viral marketing
An advert that shows a suicide bomber trying and failing to use a Volkswagen Polo as a car bomb was not authorised, Volkswagen said yesterday. But like the best viral marketing campaigns, the clip has spread quickly across the internet.
VeriSign faces challengers for .net
The time limit for applications to take over as operator of the .net top-level domain expired yesterday with current operator VeriSign facing challenges from .de domain name registry DENIC and several smaller registries.
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Thursday, January 20, 2005
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First convictions in US peer-to-peer piracy fight
Two men have pleaded guilty to copyright-infringement for distributing music, software and movies over the Internet in the first US convictions for piracy over peer-to-peer networks, the Justice Department said.
Internet phishing scams getting more devious
Internet phishing scams are becoming more difficult to detect as criminals develop new ways to trick consumers into revealing passwords, bank account numbers and other sensitive information, security experts say.
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Wednesday, January 19, 2005
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Try Using Alternative Browsers: Microsoft Dares You
I have discovered that Microsoft has a built-in booby-trap to discourage users from permanently adopting alternative browsers. It is the imbedded Internet Explorer coding that you cannot shut off. Sure, you can designate another browser as the default browser.
Microsoft Attorney Bonnie MacNaughton on Software Counterfeiting
Prior to the legislation, Microsoft had purchased hundreds of individual COA labels and computer systems with COA labels that allegedly were attached in an attempt to authenticate unlicensed software via its Genuine Microsoft Software program. Microsoft's testing resulted in the company filing eight lawsuits against counterfeiters.
Click Fraud Detector Launched
A new service aimed at stopping "click fraud" in search marketing has been launched in the UK by ClickDetective. The service is aimed at firms advertising on pay-per-click (PPC) networks like Overture, Google and Espotting. Click fraud involves spurious or harmful clicking of sponsored links, which ClickDetective says can mean much extra cost for PPC advertisers in unnecessary click-throughs.
Opinion: E-Mail Traps to Avoid in Business
E-mail is like having a brilliant friend who is somewhat crazy, not well socialized, and occasionally self-destructive. They can help you. However, they can also get you into big trouble. While we might not have the capability to moderate the behavior of a crazy friend, it is well within our capabilities to moderate our e-mail communications.
Opinion: Internet Branding and Technology Marketing
The Internet highway is just a free medium, like the roads and all the highways. Somehow there are those who walk on the roads and those who run, some drive taxis, others drive Ferraris or race tractor-trailers. To each his own, they are all free, and so are the maps. Thank heaven.
Internet Group Demands Surveillance Data from DOJ
A group that defends civil liberties on the Internet has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to determine if the government is secretly gathering information on the surfing habits of citizens.
Google Gives Away Feature-Rich Photo Tool
Google added to its big picture today with the release of Picasa 2 photo management software. The search engine company is giving away the new release, a major upgrade from the first version, which it acquired when it purchased its developer, also named Picasa, in July.
The VOIP dilemma
Hacker threat to Apple's iTunes
Users of Apple's music jukebox iTunes need to update the software to avoid a potential security threat.
eBay users face fake email risk
Online auction house eBay has confirmed reports that some of its users have been hit by spam e-mails that may be able to gain their account details.
State bill could cripple P2P
A bill introduced in California's Legislature last week has raised the possibility of jail time for developers of file-swapping software who don't stop trades of copyrighted movies and songs online.
Support issues offset open source gains
An increasing number of open source applications are appearing in the software market, and are powering both vital government and high-volume consumer systems.
Legal music downloads 'take off'
Sales of legally downloaded songs have shot up more than tenfold in 2004, with 200 million tracks bought online in the US and Europe in 12 months.
New worm carries porn warning
Anti-virus experts have identified a mass-mailing worm that spreads by fooling users into believing that pornographic adult material has been found on their PAnti-virus experts have identified a mass-mailing worm that spreads by fooling users into believing that pornographic adult material has been found on their PCs.
Firefox grabs more ground from Microsoft
The upstart free Web browser Firefox nibbled away more ground from Microsoft over the past month and now has a market share of nearly five percent, a research firm said on Tuesday.
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Tuesday, January 18, 2005
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ISPA pushes for VANS clarity
The Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) has called on the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) to provide urgent clarity on the types of services that are considered to be value-added network services (VANS).
Phone spam plague spreading
The plague of cellphone spam is spreading and grey areas in local legislation are allowing unscrupulous businesses to proliferate spam, say industry experts.
German Court Finds eBay Indirect Accessory to Identity Theft
Late last year, a municipal court in Potsdam, Germany, issued a decision that raises the compliance bar for online service providers that are aware of identity theft involving their customers. The court found that eBay acted as an "indirect accessory" to identity theft by failure – after proper notice – to prohibit a third party from conducting auctions by fraudulently using the plaintiff's name and address. The decision appears to be largely consistent with the ISP liability provisions of the EU E-Commerce Directive, including Article 14 which provides that, once the provider is made aware of illegal activity occurring on his site, he must act expeditiously to stop it.
A Post-Holiday Letdown for RIAA's Subpoena Hopes
As Don Henley (or was that Shakespeare?) once sang, "Let’s kill all the lawyers, kill 'em tonight." And that may be just what the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is thinking after yet another Christmas-time defeat in the circuit courts. The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on January 4 reversed a district court decision and found that §512(h) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) does not authorize subpoenas to be issued to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) who act solely as a "conduit" for communications.
14 years for British identity thief
A Briton has been sentenced by a US court to 14 years in prison for his part in a massive identity theft. Philip Cummings, 35, used his position in a New York software firm to steal credit reports on around 30,000 people.
Blogger sacked by Waterstone’s
Waterstone’s sacked a man because of his remarks in a web log, or blog. In one of the first dismissals of its kind in the UK, an Edinburgh branch of the leading bookseller said the comments had brought the company into disrepute.
Two Belarussian Men Face U.S. Child Porn Charges
Two men from Belarus have been extradited to the United States to face charges in a child pornography case spanning the globe, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau said on Tuesday.
Federal Judge: Sex Offender May Be Barred From Going Online
A sex offender who used the Internet to lure young victims and traffic in child pornography may be barred from using a computer or any other device with online capabilities, even in the performance of his job, a federal judge has held.
Microsoft Scrambles To Plug Explorer Holes - Again
Richard Stiennon of Webroot pointed out that this evidence of Explorer's spyware susceptibility appears only days after Microsoft announced its own anti-spyware software. "This will just breathe more life into the folks doing bulk phishing," he said.
Tsunami 'Wave Rat' Sells Domain Name, Donates Money
A Canadian student dubbed the "wave rat" for offering the domain name "tsunamirelief.com" for $50,000 on the online auction site eBay has sold it and donated the money to relief efforts, the gaming company that bought it said on Monday.
Hackers steal ID info from Virginia university
George Mason University confirmed on Monday that the personal information of more than 30,000 students, faculty and staff had been nabbed by online intruders.
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Monday, January 17, 2005
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Teacher sues peeping pupil
A teacher at a prestigious Pietermaritzburg boys' school has taken stern action against a pupil who took photographs up her skirt - she is suing him for R50 000.
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Saturday, January 15, 2005
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Adidas sues Abercrombie & Fitch over logo
Adidas has sued Abercrombie & Fitch for trade mark infringement after the US clothing retailer used a three-stripe design on a new line of casual clothes, according to reports. Adidas has asked that infringing products be recalled and destroyed.
Employer Not Liable For Unsolicited Faxes Sent By Salesman In Violation Of Company Policy
An employer is not liable under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) for unsolicited advertising faxes sent by its salesman, where the employer had a policy against the use of unsolicited facsimile advertising. Felland Limited Partnership v. Digi-Tel Communications, LLC, No. 20 (Md. Ct. App. Dec. 22, 2004). The court concluded that under Maryland state law, the sending of the faxes was outside the scope of the salesman's employment, because the faxing was against company policy, and the salesman had created the faxes on his own and had sent them through an outside vendor, without the employer's knowledge or consent.
Internet Web Site Not A Proper Party Defendant In Dispute
A plaintiff suing a group of individuals and entities for breach of an agreement to process and remit credit card payments may not name as separate defendants two Web sites that allegedly "are affiliated companies" of named corporate defendants. Appalachian Enterprises, Inc. v. ePayment Solutions Ltd., No. 01 CV 11502 (GDB) (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 8, 2004). The court ruled that the plaintiff had failed either to allege specific facts demonstrating that the Web sites are companies, or to name any party that owned, operated or maintained the Web sites. The court also granted the motion to dismiss brought by certain of the corporate and individual parties, finding that the plaintiff had failed to make a prima facie showing of personal jurisdiction, and dismissed the complaint in its entirety for failure to plead with the necessary specificity a proper cause of action.
Linking To Infringing Photographs May Constitute Copyright Infringement
In an unusual opinion, a District Court in Indiana held that under certain circumstances, a reasonable jury may conclude that linking to infringing photographs constitutes copyright infringement or contributory infringement. Batesville Services, Inc., v. Funeral Depot, Inc., No. 1:02-cv-01011-DFH-TAB (S.D. Ind. Nov. 10, 2004) (unpublished). The court rejected the retailer's argument that linking can never constitute copyright infringement, commenting that the facts of the case were "unusual enough to take this case out of the general principle that linking does not amount to copying."
Former Head of HR at AOL Pleads Guilty to Theft
The former head of human resources at America Online pleaded guilty to a wire-fraud charge in connection with the theft of $100,000 from the Internet firm. Gregory S. Horton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Alexandria to participating in a scheme to steal money by hiring an outside consultant that shared its fees with him, according to papers filed in court.
N.J. firm settles complaint over online porn billing
A New Jersey company that allegedly scammed thousands of Internet users, fraudulently billing them for online pornography they didn't request, has agreed to make restitution and change the way it conducts business, authorities said Thursday.
Mobile viruses a slow-growing threat
A number of new cellphone viruses have surfaced, and while they pose no real threat at present, that could change in the future, say security experts.
German Court Finds eBay Indirect Accessory to Identity Theft
Late last year, a municipal court in Potsdam, Germany, issued a decision that raises the compliance bar for online service providers that are aware of identity theft involving their customers. The court found that eBay acted as an "indirect accessory" to identity theft by failure – after proper notice – to prohibit a third party from conducting auctions by fraudulently using the plaintiff's name and address. The decision appears to be largely consistent with the ISP liability provisions of the EU E-Commerce Directive, including Article 14 which provides that, once the provider is made aware of illegal activity occurring on his site, he must act expeditiously to stop it.
Hacker breaches T-Mobile systems, reads US Secret Service email
A sophisticated computer hacker had access to servers at wireless giant T-Mobile for at least a year, which he used to monitor US Secret Service email, obtain customers' passwords and Social Security numbers, and download candid photos taken by Sidekick users, including Hollywood celebrities, SecurityFocus has learned.
US hacker breaks into T-Mobile
A man is facing charges of hacking into computers at the US arm of mobile phone firm T-Mobile. The Californian man, Nicholas Lee Jacobsen, was arrested in October.
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Thursday, January 13, 2005
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Marokkane breek in by 260 SA webwerwe
'n Span Marokkaanse kuberkrakers het verlede Saterdag by 260 plaaslike webruimtes ingebreek en sodoende 'n nuwe "rekord" vir die meeste inbrake in 'n enkele dag opgestel. Die groep, alombekend as Team Evil, het binne 'n uur by 'n enkele netwerkbediener, wat al die webruimtes gehuisves het, ingebreek en hul eie politieke boodskappe daarop geplaas.
Who owns your e-mails?
When L/Cpl Justin Ellsworth was killed in Iraq, his father decided to create a memorial to his dead son using the e-mails he wrote and received while in the Middle East. But Yahoo! is refusing to release the messages. Who owns your e-mail after you die?
Alert over Harry Potter web scam
Fans of Harry Potter are being urged to watch out for internet scams after a website claiming to offer copies of the Half-Blood Prince was closed down.
Downloads overtake single sales
Sales of song downloads overtook those for physical singles for the first time at the end of 2004.
Pair arrested for telling lawyer jokes
Did you hear the one about the two guys arrested for telling lawyer jokes? It happened this week to the founders of a group called Americans for Legal Reform, who were waiting in line to get into a Long Island courthouse.
Survey predicts ‘devastating' Net attack
At least one devastating attack will occur on the Internet, a Pew Internet and American Life Project survey has found.
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Wednesday, January 12, 2005
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The truth about the Linux vs. Windows level of security
The following graphs are representing the data collected from Zone-h web-server intrusions between January 2003 and January 2004. The scope of this analysis is to demonstrate that so far the subjects who expressed an opinion about the Linux/Windows level of security didn't have any idea of what they where talking about. First of all, let's analyze the following graph which is representing the total amout of monthly attack based on Single IP. [click on title to view graphs]
Opinion: E-Mail Etiquette in Business Makes a Difference
The Internet revolution has had the unintended effect of decreasing the use of oral communication and increasing the importance of text -- particularly e-mails -- as the primary means of business communications. Why has e-mail become so popular? Why use e-mails instead of phone calls?
SiteDigger Software Looking for Trouble
As security experts warn that search engines can be used by attackers to search out vulnerable systems, new software shows that search technology can also be used to promote security: McAfee's SiteDigger 2.0 uses Google to learn where the computer systems of organizations are vulnerable to exposure and attack.
FTC blocks six X-rated spammers
The Federal Trade Commission has shut down six companies it accused of sending X-rated e-mails in disguise and fraudulently charging recipients who joined sexually explict Web sites in its first legal case involving pornographic Internet spam.
Microsoft issues two new 'critical' security patches
Microsoft warned Windows users yesterday of two new "critical"-rated security flaws in its software that could allow attackers to take control of a computer and delete or copy information.
Worker sacked over blog comments
An Edinburgh man has lost his job over comments made about his employer in an online diary, or "blog". Bookseller Joe Gordon, 37, had worked for Waterstone's book chain for 11 years and was based at its Princes Street store.
Porn spammers nailed
The US federal trade commission has shut down six companies it accused of sending X-rated e-mails in disguise and fraudulently charging recipients who joined sexually explicit websites in its first legal case involving pornographic internet spam.
Hackers target Gamco
A number of the 260 local Web sites that were hacked over the weekend were hosted by Internet service provider (ISP) Gamco, but it will not admit to a security breach. Sites that were allegedly hacked and defaced on Saturday include www.imandi.co.za, www.italianalbums.co.za, www.adventurecenter.co.za and www.corporateimage.co.za, all of which are hosted on a Gamco server based in Johannesburg.
Court takes hard line on counterfeiter
The Pretoria Commercial Crime Court has sentenced local counterfeiter Craig Marnoch to the maximum term of three years' imprisonment in terms of the Counterfeit Goods Act, a first in South African legal history, say lawyers.
Moroccan hacker group defaces SA sites
Last Saturday, a Moroccan hacker group, referring to themselves as 'Team-Evil', conducted a mass attack on a record number 260 SA Web sites. According to the Buys Inc Attorneys' press release, in little more than an hour, more SA sites were defaced than ever previously in a single day. All sites ran on Windows 2003 systems. Reinhardt Buys notes that while hacking is a statutory crime in SA, it remains very difficult to act against hackers operating from foreign countries. 'For this reason and the fact that criminal proceedings against a hacker do not make provision for the payment of damages to victims, the owners of hacked Web sites are increasingly trying to claim their damages from Internet service providers who hosted their Web sites,' Buys claims.
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Tuesday, January 11, 2005
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IBM frees 500 software patents
Computer giant IBM says 500 of its software patents will be released into the open development community. The move means developers will be able to use the technologies without paying for a licence from the company.
Misleading domain name sales stopped
A businessman who called companies and told them that someone was trying to register a domain name similar to their own – but that he could register it for them first, for a fee – has stopped making misleading statements following High Court action.
Ten industries battle for control of the digital home
Ten industries are vying for control of the digital home, according to Forrester Research, which advises them to focus on capturing and controlling new revenue streams through key cross-industry partnerships and acquisitions.
Too blue for the Smurfs
Papa Smurf does not want to be associated with adult entertainment. So when the Smurf trade mark featured in the domain name of a gay porn site, its guardian had little trouble in winning a transfer from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
Data exports from EU set to become easier
Business leaders expressed relief when new model contract terms for transferring personal data from Europe to other countries were approved by the European Commission on December 27th, offering an alternative to existing unpopular model contract clauses.
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Monday, January 10, 2005
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Travel sites sued over hotel tax
Leading internet travel companies have been sued by the City of Los Angeles, which accuses them of paying hotel occupancy taxes based on discounted room rates negotiated with hotels, rather than the marked up rates actually collected from consumers.
Protecting customer data a top priority
Web-based services companies are increasingly under to pressure to ensure that confidential customer information is kept secure and safe from attack, writes E-Briefs.
E-mail – ignore it or read it while on holiday?
Faced with an e-mail overload when you returned from your Christmas break? For those unhappy about devoting their first back-to-work hours to a tedious slog through an overflowing in-box, there are other strategies for dealing with post vacation glut. An obvious one is to clean out the in-box while on vacation, using a laptop, hand-held device, hotel computer or Internet cafe.
Porn ads no longer head list of junk e-mail
Porn adverts have slipped down the list of top junk e-mails in 2004 – mainly because lurid displays of p ornography are now more easily blocked by filters offered by AOL and other Internet service providers.
Earning IT money the Indian way
Phiroz Vandrevala is clearly pleased with himself. Sitting in a trendy bar in London's fashionable Soho district, chomping on his second cigar, the executive vice president of Indian information technology firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has a success story to tell.
France Telecom sued over Mobilcom
France Telecom has been sued for $5.74bn (4.26bn euros; £2.99bn) in damages by its former German partner.
Gates unveils his digital vision
Bill Gates has opened the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, saying that gadgets are working together more to help people manage multimedia content around the home and on the move.
New Trojan Attacking Mobile Phones
The number of malicious code attacks aimed at mobile phones continues to expand, with the latest threat coming from a variant of the Skulls Trojan. Security firm F-Secure said the variant, which it has dubbed Skulls.D, targets smart phones using the Symbian operating system and disguises itself as a freeware application, this time as an updated version of the Macromedia Flash player.
War on Spyware Widening
The arrival of the New Year finds software security firms scampering to create new products or adapt existing packages to protect the enterprise workplace from spyware. Even Microsoft has joined the fray with its mid- December acquisition of Giant Software and that company's innovative AntiSpyware package.
New File-Sharing System Aims to Avoid Legal Shutdowns
Legal attacks on websites that help people swap pirated films have forced the development of a system that could be harder to shut down. One site behind the success of the BitTorrent file-swapping system is producing its own software that avoids the pitfalls of the earlier program.
Four Sydney High School Students Charges in Online Scam
Four Sydney high school students have been charged in connection with a Russian-based Internet scam that stole people's banking passwords and siphoned their cash into accounts in eastern Europe, police said. The four students were promised a cut of the profits for letting their bank accounts be used for laundering money stolen from Internet bankers via a computer virus that dropped a program for secretly recording passwords, police said.
Unpatched Browser Flaws Called "Extremely Critical"
Three unpatched flaws in Internet Explorer now pose a higher danger, a security company warned, after code to exploit one of the issues was published to the Internet. Secunia said that it had raised its rating of the vulnerabilities in Microsoft's browser to "extremely critical," its highest rating.
Boom time for e-mail archiving
South Africa's e-mail archiving sector is expected to mirror the international trend with a compound annual growth rate of more than 50% for the next several years, says research group BMI-TechKnowledge (BMI-T).
ANC threatens judges
The ANC yesterday attacked the country’s white judges, warning of a “popular antagonism” towards the judiciary and the courts if they did not change their mind-set. In its traditional January 8 birthday declaration, the party accused the judiciary of having a collective mind-set that was not in line with the “vision and aspirations of the millions who engaged in the struggle to liberate our country from whiteminority domination”.
Is Your Domain Name Safe?
There have been several recent news reports claiming that the ownership of domain names may be in jeopardy. The basis of these reports stems from the recent policy changes by ICANN regarding the transfer of domain names between registrars that went into effect November 12, 2004. The policy changes seem to have generated a wave of paranoia due to the news stories connected to it.
Skype experimenting with voicemail service
Skype, the company behind the flourishing Internet telephony network, has begun to experiment with a voicemail service, hoping to introduce new paid offerings to capitalise on its success.
Spam plague still growing
The wave of spam is ever increasing, and now accounts for nearly three-quarters of the world's e-mail. According to a Sophos report on the origins of spam, the US remains by far the main propagator, accounting for 42.11%.
California sets fines for spyware
The makers of computer programs that secretly spy on what people do with their home PCs could face hefty fines in California. From 1 January, a new law is being introduced to protect computer users from software known as spyware.
George Foreman's domain name gets a grilling
The company behind the George Foreman Grill has lost an attempt to stop George Foreman Foods Inc. using the former boxing champion’s name as its web address because a licence deal between the food company and the boxer has not yet been terminated.
BitTorrent site closes, movie industry blamed
A web site known as a BitTorrent tracker, popular among fans of peer-to-peer networking, has closed down for good, apparently the result of the movie industry cracking down on the illegal sharing of copyrighted material over the internet.
Chip and PIN is flawed, says security expert
With the rollout of the new chip and PIN payment system due to become fully operational in January, an expert on security engineering has warned that the supposedly secure system is “fundamentally flawed”.
Developers need protection from patents, says Richard Stallman
In what may seem like a bizarre twist to the ongoing debate over software patents, the Agriculture and Fisheries Commission is expected to rubberstamp the European Directive on computer-implemented inventions today.
OFT appeals ruling on overseas credit card purchases
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is to appeal a High Court ruling that consumer safeguards on credit card purchases made in the UK do not generally extend to cover purchases made abroad, whether in person or on-line.
Web sites fail disabled shoppers this Christmas
The UK's top e-tailers have let down disabled internet users and missed an opportunity to boost their Christmas sales by effectively closing their doors on a sector with significant buying power, according to the latest survey from AbilityNet.
The year search became personal
The odds are that when you fire up your browser, you go straight to your favourite search engine, rather than type in a web address.
Registries Vie for .Net Domain
Internet registries around the world are preparing to submit their bids on one of the oldest, and most popular, domain extensions. The deadline for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' (ICANN) request for proposals (RFP) for .net is Jan. 18, 2005, at which time an as yet unnamed third-party technical review board will debate which registry is best suited to take management of .net when VeriSign's (Quote, Chart) contract expires on June 30, 2005.
Marine's family gets e-mail dispute help
Offers of help have been pouring in for a Michigan man who is trying to persuade online giant Yahoo! to allow him access to the e-mail account of his son, a Marine killed in Iraq.
Iowan first convicted in "Fastlink" Internet investigation
An Iowa man is the first to be convicted under "Operation Fastlink," an international investigation of the distribution of pirated software, games, music and movies over the Internet, federal officials said.
Half of UK's mobiles 'go online'
Multimedia mobile phones are finally showing signs of taking off, with more Britons using them to go online.
The Day the Old Telephony Died
The telcos and cable companies are both trying to figure out a way to cope with the issue of delivering voice over the Internet and to be able to connect all other gadgets, gizmos and devices. This enables them to provide the end-user with a Technicolor branding experience of a lifetime.
Yahoo denies family access to dead marine's e-mail
The family of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq was denied access to the soldier's Yahoo e-mail account due to the company's policies, raising questions of whether businesses should balance privacy with special requests.
Apple sues over loose Tiger
Apple Computer filed suit this week against three developers it says posted a prerelease version of Mac OS X onto the Internet.
EU upholds penalties against Microsoft
A European court on Wednesday dealt a blow to Microsoft, ordering the company to start offering a version of Windows without a bundled-in media player.
Too much porn in the workplace, warns CIPD
A survey into illegal and inappropriate images in the workplace has revealed that 71% of UK companies have had to take disciplinary action in the last two years as a result of employees viewing pornographic images on their company computers.
AOL settling fraud claims
Time Warner and its AOL subsidiary have reached a settlement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that ends an investigation of the company over accounting and disclosure practices. A separate deal with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is also expected to conclude.
Soccer Star Ronaldinho Wins Cybersquatting Case
Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho of FC Barcelona, edged out for European Footballer of the Year, won a cybersquatting case against a U.S. web site operator in a ruling by an international arbitrator on Thursday.
New CD copy-lock technology nears market
A new kind of copy-protected music CD will likely hit U.S. shelves early next year, as record label Sony BMG Music Entertainment experiments with a technology created by British developer First 4 Internet, according to sources familiar with the companies.
Record companies sue 754 more alleged file swappers
Recording companies filed copyright infringement lawsuits against 754 computer users Thursday, the latest round of legal action in the industry's effort to squelch unauthorized swapping of music online.
Google hit with trademark suit over 'Scholar'
The American Chemical Society has filed suit against Google, alleging that the search giant violated a trademark held by the group when it launched the Google Scholar search tool.
Banks Warned Against On-Line Fraud Dangers
U.S. banks should use more than a single password to identify on-line customers to prevent fraud, bank regulators said on Tuesday in recommendations that underscore growing concern about theft over the Internet.
Hollywood to sue net film pirates
The US movie industry has launched legal action to sue people who facilitate illegal film downloading. The Motion Picture Association of America wants to stop people using the program BitTorrent to swap movies.
A year of phishing, worms, Trojans
2004 was marked by an explosion of new viruses, worms and Trojans, a proliferation of phishing attacks and the first mobile phone viruses, say anti-virus software vendors.
Beware the Christmas worm
Anti-virus experts are warning of a new worm that comes attached to an e-mail passing itself off as a Christmas card.
An end to the close corporation?
The blueprint that outlines proposed changes to the Companies Act seems to indicate that the implementation of these changes will sound a death-knell to close corporations.
Software Should Not Be Copyrighted -- Lawsuit
Computer software should not be protected by copyright laws designed for music, literature and other creative works, according to a lawsuit filed in a U.S. court in San Francisco.
Two new top-level domain names get preliminary OK
The Internet's key oversight agency gave a preliminary nod Monday to new domain names targeting mobile services and the jobs market.
Companies step up monitoring of internal networks
Companies that have spent billions on cyberdefenses to thwart intruders are now addressing an even bigger threat: employees. Many are investing in software that monitors sensitive content inside corporate networks, say security analysts and venture capitalists. The new interest comes on the heels of headline-grabbing security breaches.
Ask Jeeves Enters Desktop Search Game
Ask Jeeves (Quote, Chart) entered the desktop search competition with a beta version of its own service that scours users' computers. Ask Jeeves Desktop Search lets users find Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, as well as Outlook e-mail messages; simple text files; and image, music and video files on their computers.
Linux: Fewer Bugs Than Rivals
Linux advocates have long insisted that open-source development results in better and more secure software. Now they have statistics to back up their claims. According to a four-year analysis of the 5.7 million lines of Linux source code conducted by five Stanford University computer science researchers, the Linux kernel programming code is better and more secure than the programming code of most proprietary software.
Google wins AdWords trade mark case
Google has won a trade mark dispute, with a District Court judge finding that the search engine’s sale of sponsored search terms “Geico” and “Geico Direct” did not breach car insurance firm GEICO’s rights in the trade marked terms.
ContentGuard Bulks up Property Portfolio
Digital rights management technology provider ContentGuard added five new patents to its intellectual property portfolio. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued patent 6,824,051, which describes a rights management system for managing the use of items by authorized users who are part of an access list.
BitTorrent file-swapping networks face crisis
BitTorrent "hubs" that publish lists of movies, TV shows and other free downloads suddenly went dark this weekend, in a major victory for Hollywood that highlights vulnerabilities in technology behind the world's busiest peer-to-peer network.
Judge rejects guilty plea in AOL spam case
A federal judge refused to accept a guilty plea Tuesday from a former America Online software engineer accused of stealing 92 million e-mail addresses and selling them to spammers.
Californians Pledge Three Billion Dollars to Support Stem Cell Research
On November 2, 2004, California voters issued a historic mandate for stem cell research by passing Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. Supported by 59% of California voters, Proposition 71 will infuse $3 billion dollars into stem cell research at California universities and research institutions over the next 10 years.
Online Holiday Spending Up from Last Year
Music was the fastest-growing online holiday shopping category, up 33 percent, while videos/DVDs and jewelry tied for second place, surging 32 percent each. Online book sales increased 27 percent, while sales of toys and video games grew 22 percent. For the report, 1,174 U.S. adults while online were surveyed, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Google Plugs Desktop Search Security Gap
"The good thing is, there's no dominant [desktop search]," said Richard Stiennon, Webroot vice president of threat research. "Over time, a dominant one will emerge and ship with Windows, and then the viruses and worms will probably use it."
Porn Case: eBay's India Boss Denied Bail
EBay, which bought Baazee.com in August for US$50 million, said it is outraged by the arrest of its top executive. "We are outraged that [Avnish] Bajaj, who had voluntarily traveled to New Delhi to further cooperate with the police on this case, was arrested and sent into judicial custody without bail until Dec. 24," a statement by eBay said.
Best Practices Can Improve E-Commerce Experience
So how can retailers close the gap between their business goals and the realities of the current online shopping experience? Keynote Systems studied common obstacles confronting online shoppers, and how Web retailers can address these problems to create a more seamless and successful shopping experience.
The Next Five Years in High Tech
HP is already the next IBM. It is the dominant vendor in the emerging media center segment, and it retains dominance in printing and imaging. HP is a strong number two to Dell in PCs and has a more comprehensive product set. It also has surprising strength in marketing.
Red Cross Caught in P2P Fracas
The recording industry will ask the International Red Cross to freeze a trust fund allegedly controlled by the owners of Sharman Networks, an Australian software company.
The music industry maintains that Sharman, the maker of the Kazaa peer-to-peer software, is owned by several companies through a trust fund registered in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.
Apple Sues Over Web Leak of Advance Products
Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) is suing anonymous people who leaked details about new products by posting information on the Internet, court documents showed on Friday.
Online Dangers Likely to Continue Growing in 2005
Internet users witnessed yet another wave of spam, worms, viruses and other online attacks in 2004, and experts predict the online world will grow even more dangerous in 2005. U.S. and international authorities tried to keep up with the online crime wave in the past year, arresting or convicting at least 11 virus writers and rounding up hundreds of people accused of computer crimes from credit card fraud to outright identity theft.
Judge tosses Canada's 'iPod tax'
A Canadian judge on Thursday set aside copyright rules that had imposed regulatory fees of as much as $25 on the purchase of iPods and other MP3 players in that country.
Spam Suspicions Greater Than Realities
Approximately 87 percent of Web users believe they've received spam as a result of subscribing to an e-mail newsletter, according to a survey conducted by ReleMail, an e-mail monitoring and certification service. The survey polled 1,000 Internet users who described themselves as subscribing to at least on e-mail newsletter.
Hollywood campaign hits websites
Movie studio efforts to stop pirated films being shared on peer-to-peer networks have claimed a high-profile victim. The campaign of legal action is thought to be behind the closure of the widely used Suprnova.org website.
Internet banking may need two-factor authentication
A federal body that insures deposits at America's banks has called for the upgrading of internet bank accounts that rely upon password-based single-factor customer authentication systems. The FDIC says more must be done to combat phishing.
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Friday, January 07, 2005
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Microsoft Staff Uses Google: Fun Facts from VisitorVille
At Google, a large percentage of the people have high-resolution displays. "That indicates to me that they're investing a lot in fancy monitors, so they have a lot of money flowing in for that sort of thing," said Robert Savage, VisitorVille's mayor. By comparison, at the White House, half the people have old monitors with 800-by-600 resolution.
Mobile Trojan launches Skulls attack
A new variant of the Skulls Trojan horse that affects Symbian-based cell phones has been discovered. F-Secure has reported that Skulls.D kills off all system applications, as did previous variants. But rather than turning individual application icons into skulls, as the first version of the malicious software did, Skulls.D tells people their cell phones have been infected by displaying a full-screen flashing skull, the security software maker said on Monday.
38 Internet escrow sites shuttered by California regulators
California regulators on Thursday ordered five more unlicensed Internet escrow companies to stop selling in the state, bringing the number of shutdown orders to 38 since May.
The companies offer to hold funds in a trust account until a promised action or delivery of goods or services has been completed. Just one Internet-based escrow company is among the 650 independent escrow companies licensed in California.
Evel Knievel loses web defamation claim
Evel Knievel yesterday lost an appeal court ruling over a web site's publication of a photo of the motorcycle stuntman with his wife and another young woman with the caption: "Evel Knievel proves that you're never too old to be a pimp."
Misleading domain name sales stopped
A businessman who called companies and told them that someone was trying to register a domain name similar to their own – but that he could register it for them first, for a fee – has stopped making misleading statements following High Court action.
Federal Court Affirms Injunction Against State VoIP Regulation
On December 22, 2004, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a federal district court's injunction against Minnesota's attempt to regulate Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. However, the decision is only a temporary victory for companies like Vonage that provide consumers with the ability to make phone calls over the Internet, as the Eighth Circuit did not actually reach the merits of the FCC's preemption order, deciding instead that the order could not be collaterally challenged but had to be appealed separately. This means that we will not know for sure whether state regulation of VoIP has been preempted until all appeals of the FCC's Vonage preemption order have been exhausted. Until then, VoIP providers have side-stepped state regulation for just a little bit longer.
IM is a must in lots of offices - but what about the risks?
Talk about instant messaging and some people think it all concerns teenagers exchanging information about the latest news, trends and fashions online. But instant messaging, or IM, is an essential business tool that has become indispensable in many workplaces. Today, 53 million American adults use instant messaging, and 21 percent of those, or 11 million, use it at work, according to a recent survey by Pew Internet & American Life.
Anatomy of an IT Contract -- Choice of Law, Forum, Venue
Business folks reach agreements, lawyers write the contracts. This being the case, often times a business person need not concern him or herself with the details of the final contract or what is commonly referred to as the "legalese" aspects of an agreement.
Adobe Releases Acrobat 7
Adobe announced Wednesday the release of Acrobat 7, the company's PDF creation software family. Version 7 provides users the ability to assemble documents from multiple sources, create intelligent forms, and collaborate on projects inside and outside the firewall. Adobe has three versions of the software.
Instant Messaging Creates Headaches for IT Professionals
Instant messaging is no longer just a quick and easy way to keep in touch with family and friends: It is quickly becoming a mainstay in the workplace, creating a new set of problems to worry about for information technology professionals.
Trial begins for baseball fan accused of hijacking e-mail addresses
The lawyer for a disgruntled sports fan accused of sending thousands of angry e-mail messages that appeared to be from Philadelphia sportswriters acknowledged that his client is "maybe psychologically fanatical" about the Philadelphia Phillies.
Canada considers limiting cross-border Internet pharmacies
Canadian health officials are drafting a proposal to prevent Internet pharmacies from selling mail-order prescription drugs to U.S. consumers, a spokesman said Wednesday, a move that would essentially kill a $700 million industry that has become increasingly popular with patients south of the border.
Court: No warrant needed to search your work PC
Police do not need a search warrant to examine an employee's computer for incriminating files, a Washington state appeals court has ruled. All that is necessary is the permission of the business that owns the computer, the appeals court said in a 3-0 decision last week.
US Getting Serious About Spyware Laws
The new laws, if implemented, are a welcome tool to fight spyware and to set guidelines for what are appropriate activities as far as adware is concerned. However, as with most problems of an "e" nature, no new legislation will substitute for new technological measures and user education.
Global Trademarks Can Be Established Easily
Get your current names analyzed for global acceptability, get your teams into play for new educational tools on how to create, capture and cultivate global icons, make plans for introductions of new global name identities and start building an icon -- solid gold that is.
McAfee's Threat List Incomplete, Analyst Says
"I would think that phishing -- which directly leads to identity theft and fraud -- is more dangerous than [adware program] Gator," said Ed Moyle of SecurityCurve. "I'd take being marketed to over having my identity stolen given the choice."
Go After the Real Pirates
Hackers are, for the most part, people with an insatiable need to know what, where and how. They're clever, often brilliant, and they find cool ways to explore interesting systems. Surreptitiously. Unfortunately, a handful use their knowledge for illicit purposes, and "hacker" is now synonymous with "crook" to many people.
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Tuesday, January 04, 2005
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Tsunami 'Wave Rat' Had Best Intentions, Mother Says
A Canadian student was called a "wave rat" for offering the domain name "tsunamirelief.com" for $50,000 on the online auction site eBay, but his mother said he was only trying to raise money for relief efforts.
Online Groups Brag About Movie Piracy
In not-too-secret online forums, Wesley Snipes' latest movie, "Blade: Trinity," is the subject of intense discussion and evaluation. But unlike typical movie fan sites, the chatter from visitors to Web sites like VCDQuality.com doesn't key on the vampire film's plot, acting or bloody visual effects. Instead, computer users dish out praise or criticism on the caliber of video and sound achieved by online groups whose sole mission is to make available unauthorized copies of Hollywood films within a day or two of a movie's debut, if not before.
Wireless Expected To Be Hot Spot in 2005
Merrill Lynch is predicting that revenue continue to grow for the wireless sector, and subscriber bases will continue to expand. Merrill upgraded almost all of the wireless companies it covers, but said it particularly liked the prospects of Sprint and Alltel.
Man Charged in UK Tsunami Death Email Probe
British police said on Monday they had charged a man with sending hoax emails to relatives of people missing since the Asian tsunami, saying their loved ones had been confirmed dead.
VOIP to saturate in 2005
Voice over IP will be the fastest growing technology application among South African corporations this year, according to research firm World Wide Worx. A survey conducted by the company indicates that VOIP will develop from the emerging technology it was last year with 78% of the surveyed corporations using it this year, up from 31% last year.
New Congress, Old Tech Issues
The 109th Congress convenes at noon today facing the same technology policy questions the 108th Congress was uninterested, unable or unwilling to render judgments on. Leftovers from the last session include the regulation of IP-based network services, stock option expensing and providing more spectrum for commercial wireless broadband providers.
Blog reading explodes in America
Americans are becoming avid blog readers, with 32 million getting hooked in 2004, according to new research.
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Saturday, January 01, 2005
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Blogs take on the mainstream
Web logs or blogs are everywhere, with at least an estimated five million on the web and that number is set to grow. These online diaries come in many shapes and styles, ranging from people willing to sharing their views, pictures and links, to companies interested in another way of reaching their customers.
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