Security news June 23, 2006

Prior to the existence of the Internet as we know it today, if you needed a secure connection between two systems on remote networks, your choices were essentially to use a dedicated high-speed circuit like a T1 line or to rely on a slow modem, with both options often getting quite expensive. (more…)

Internet news

A free Web browser that bills itself as a tool for privacy protection is, in fact, a click-fraud engine for pornographic Web sites, security vendor Panda Software warned today.

Browsezilla, whose name and Lizard-like mascot are reminiscent of the open-source Mozilla browser products, claims to help surfers cover their tracks when visiting pornographic sites. It does not use browser history or save data to a cache, and it allows users to save their bookmarks on a remote server, according to the product’s Web site. (more…)

Security news

New York City’s Domestic Violence Hotline receives more than 147,000 calls per year, and the city’s police department responds daily to more than 600 domestic violence incidents. Helping victims of domestic violence is a challenge because victims are often reluctant to open up to health care workers or law enforcement about their situation, and when they do, language barriers can complicate the dialogue.

The New York City Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence is looking to break through these barriers with an advertising campaign starting Monday throughout the city’s bus shelters, subways, and news publications to promote awareness of domestic violence. Since the campaign is bilingual and targeted at areas more prone to domestic violence, the office is relying on mapping software to spread its message efficiently. (more…)

Multimedia

With more than 115 million registered users worldwide, Download Accelerator Plus (DAP) is the world’s most popular download manager. It leverages patented technology, ease of use, and rich features including multi-connections for optimal downloads from most responsive servers, automatic recovery from lost connections and errors, AlwaysResume (when standard resume is not supported), scheduling, and automatic hang-ups. (more…)

Security news

The online networking Web site MySpace.com will make changes to its service aimed at protecting young members from predators.

News Corp., the owner of MySpace, said it will set guidelines next week for how a member older than 18 contacts someone 14 or 15, forcing them to use actual names or e-mail addresses when requesting to be someone`s MySpace friend. (more…)

Internet news

In the past decade Garry Betty has experimented with just about every possible way of connecting his customers to the internet — and wiped $1 billion of his shareholders’ capital off the balance sheet in the process. But now the chief executive of EarthLink says he sees a way to take his revenge on the giant rivals who have long beaten him bloody. (more…)

Multimedia June 21, 2006

The installation of Photo Finale 4 is easy and intuitive. You can place the program files where you want them. Plus you are asked if you want a Desktop and Quick Launch icon. You then find out it will look for and install a DirectX Update and .NET Framework 2.0 if missing. If you are using a firewall like ZoneAlarm you are bound to get an alert at this time. Warning: If you do not have these installed and you do not have a Broadband Internet connection your system is going to choke because it is a 60 Mb download for the two. At the end of the Install Process ZoneAlarm generated another alert saying that Photo Finale 4 was trying to access the internet again. (more…)

Security news

The search for proof of the existence of UFOs landed Gary McKinnon in a world of trouble.

After allegedly hacking into NASA websites — where he says he found images of what looked like extraterrestrial spaceships — the 40-year-old Briton faces extradition to the United States from his North London home. If convicted, McKinnon could receive a 70-year prison term and up to $2 million in fines. (more…)

Internet news

What if the next burger you ate was created in a warm, nutrient-enriched soup swirling within a bioreactor?

Edible, lab-grown ground chuck that smells and tastes just like the real thing might take a place next to Quorn at supermarkets in just a few years, thanks to some determined meat researchers. Scientists routinely grow small quantities of muscle cells in petri dishes for experiments, but now for the first time a concentrated effort is under way to mass-produce meat in this manner. (more…)

Security news June 20, 2006

Just days after Microsoft confirmed that its Excel spreadsheet had an unpatched vulnerability currently being exploited by attackers, security vendors on Tuesday reported a second zero-day bug in the popular business application.

Last Thursday Microsoft acknowledged that a critical flaw in Excel was being used by attackers who had targeted a single company, the second such admission in a month. In May, a bug in Microsoft Word was used in similar fashion by hackers who targeted a small number of victims. A week ago, Microsoft patched the Word flaw. (more…)