« January 2007 | Main | March 2007 »

Vigilante hacking

This is quite interesting. A poll conducted by Sophos has revealed that 64 per cent of respondents think it inappropriate to hack the computer of a suspected child abuser.

This follows a Canadian hacker who took it upon himself to investigate suspects, a move which lead to the conviction of a 66 year old former judge.

February 28, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Security remains a grudge purchase for consumers

It may seem obvious but the industry is still fighting an uphill battle with regards to educating users about security. Frost & Sullivan notes that security is still a grudge purchase for many home users. But, prices go down and the markets expands...

February 27, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Security: an enabler not a hindrance

Wise words from Andy Buss, a senior analyst at Canalys, who said at the NetEvent symposium in Evian that IT security should be an enabler, not a hindrance.

an ill-conceived or poorly implemented IT security regime could end up being an overly restictive "police state". It is possible to remain secure whilst still being flexible.

February 26, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tosh gets a quantum clue

Toshiba claims to have solved the big security bug in quantum cryptography. Apparently this means ultra secure communications are now possible. And what's more, they've also come up with a future proofing system which means higher bitrates to come. Cool stuff.

February 23, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Bug in Google Desktop

Looks like Google has sneakily patched a bug in its Desktop software. Watchfire claims to have found a flaw in the way the Google.com site interacts with the Desktop platform. But Google has already patched the bug, Watchfire says.

February 21, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Finally, a bank getting fined

See how you like that Nationwide - getting slapped with a £980,000 fine for being sloppy with security. Too right. Not just allowing a laptop with 11 million customer details to get stolen, but then waiting 3 weeks to start an investigation is just poor form.

February 19, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

More Chip & Pin hacks

Remember the guys who got a Chip & Pin terminal to play Tetris? Well, they're back with a relay hack for Chip & Pin. With this one, hackers can send data from some unsuspecting victim using their card at an exploited terminal to another terminal in another store or location. The fraud is pretty hard to detect.

February 6, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Malware cracking robot

Hmm. Bit suspicious of this, but PC Tools claims to have developed an automated bot that analyses and provides patches for malware in minutes. the bot does the job of a reverse engineering human. If it's not true, it should be.

February 5, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

The benefits of piracy?

Interestingly, the President of Romania has told Bill Gates that computer piracy had helped his country to develop an IT industry.

Apparently, without piracy, most kids would not have got interested in computers. Almost three quarters of Romanian software is still pirated though...

February 2, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack