Security news September 30, 2005
Sony is engaged in a tug-of-war with hackers who keep cracking its PlayStation Portable software to unlock the device and run their own applications on it. (more…)
Security news
It’s not easy building a new version of Linux and establishing a large following. But with the Ubuntu project, one team of programmers has managed to do just that.
The fact that there are at least 386 available versions of Linux shows just how many groups want to launch their own “distributions”–Linux combined with other open-source software into a full-fledged operating-system product. But the fact that few people are familiar with distributions other than Red Hat, Suse and Debian is a testament to how hard it is to be successful. (more…)
Internet news September 29, 2005 
Nicholas Negroponte, chairman and founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Labs, has been outlining designs for a sub-$100 PC.
The laptop will be tough and foldable in different ways, with a hand crank for when there is no power supply.
Professor Negroponte came up with the idea for a cheap computer for all after visiting a Cambodian village. (more…)
Security news
A new flaw in Internet Explorer could be exploited to launch spoof-based attacks, or access and change data on vulnerable PCs, security experts have warned.
The problem lies in the way Microsoft has implemented a JavaScript component in its Web browser, security researcher Amit Klein wrote in a research document. Internet Explorer does not validate some data fields provided by a PC when the component, called XmlHttpRequest, is used, he wrote. (more…)
Security news
ecurity breaches that compromise confidential customer data could prove far costlier for the companies involved than generally thought.
In a national survey of more than 1,000 victims of personal data security breaches, nearly 20% said they had already terminated their relationships with companies that maintained their data, while another 40% said they might do so. And nearly 5% of those surveyed said they had hired lawyers to seek legal recourse after their data was put at risk. (more…)
Internet news September 28, 2005
As body counts mounted and missing-person reports multiplied after Hurricane Katrina, some morgue workers began using tiny computer chips to keep track of unidentified remains.
Radio frequency identification chips — slender red cylinders about half an inch long - were implanted under the corpses’ skin or placed inside body bags at two Mississippi counties. (more…)
Security news
The Australian government is working on a proposal to deploy smart cards to millions of citizens under a project to slash administrative costs and crack down on identity theft.
Sen. Eric Abetz, the special minister of state, told ZDNet Australia on Wednesday that he and the Joe Hockey, minister for human services, are working on a project in which cards incorporating smart chip technology and a photograph of the bearer would replace a raft of government services- and concession-cards, including Medicare cards (more…)
Internet news
Technology to make voice calls over broadband has hit UK High Streets with the launch of Freetalk in Dixons, Currys, The Link and PC World.
It lets people make calls over the net using a phone handset and without switching on a computer. (more…)
Security news September 27, 2005
As mobile phones become digital do-it-alls, handsets need better protection from hackers and from unauthorized access when they’re lost or stolen, says an industry group proposing new, hardware-based security standards for the devices.
The Trusted Computing Group (TCG)-backed by big names like Nokia, Motorola, Intel, Samsung, VeriSign and Vodafone–plans to unveil its plan Tuesday at a conference sponsored by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. The TCG has already developed similar specifications for PCs and servers. (more…)
Internet news 
The smaller version of the popular iPod was unveiled at the beginning of September to much fanfare and delight at its sleek design. (more…)
Problems with the recently launched iPod Nano are emerging as owners complain of broken or scratched screens.
The smaller version of the popular iPod was unveiled at the beginning of September to much fanfare and delight at its sleek design. (more…)
