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14th January 2003 Archive

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  • Is the RIAA "hacking you back"?

    Hydra of horror

    The RIAA is preparing to infect MP3 files in order to audit and eventually disable file swapping, according to a startling claim by hacker group Gobbles. In a posting to the Bugtraq mailing list, Gobbles himself claims to have offered his code to the RIAA, creating a monitoring "hydra". "Several months ago, GOBBLES Security was …

    Music and Media 14 Jan 2003, 00:31

  • IBM Lotus to rename products in 2003

    Does what it says on the tin

    In a bid to simplify its Lotus product portfolio, IBM Lotus Software is poised to re-brand many of its software applications over 2003. The software division owned by IT giant IBM Corp, says that it will be making a transition to new names for many of its products over the course of 2003. With the exception of its flagship …

    Hardware 14 Jan 2003, 09:57

  • Vodafone seeks 100% control of three European units

    Cash offers

    Vodafone Group Plc is taking advantage of the current low stock market value of wireless carriers with the announcement of negotiations for a €2bn offer to buy out minority shareholders in three of its European units. With its own stock currently in the doldrums, Vodafone is breaking with tradition by offering cash to buy the …

    Mobile 14 Jan 2003, 09:59

  • EMC pencils Feb for Symmetrix upgrade

    Much-needed revamp

    EMC Corp will shore up sliding sales of its high-end Symmetrix storage array next month when it will unveil a much-needed revamp to the device, which is being delivered anything up to a year later than originally planned. The company yesterday issued invitations to a conference to be hosted by its CEO Joe Tucci in New York on …

    Storage 14 Jan 2003, 10:01

  • UK culture minister attacks videogames

    Thinking woman's Alf Garnett

    Culture minister Kim Howells has followed up his controversial comments last week on rap music by launching a broadside against film, television and videogames in the pages of the Independent newspaper. Howells, who is a father of three, criticised the "heartlessness" of videogames, accusing them of creating a "pornography of …

    Personal 14 Jan 2003, 10:03

  • Why I should have the right to kill a malicious process on your machine

    Opinion Strikeback, Part Deux

    Opinion A lot has happened since my Right to Defend column in SecurityFocus Onlinr last July, and the subsequent presentation I made at the Blackhat Security Briefings in Las Vegas. The idea has withstood a lot of criticism. To refresh, I believe you should have the right to neutralize a worm process running on someone else's …

    Security 14 Jan 2003, 10:21

  • Microsoft settles $1.1bn California class actions

    Vouchers galore

    Microsoft Corp and lawyers representing Californian businesses and consumers have announced that they have reached a settlement valued at $1.1bn in a series of class action lawsuits alleging that Microsoft violated California's antitrust and competition laws, writes Matthew Aslett. The estimated $1.1bn payout will be made to …

    Software 14 Jan 2003, 10:36

  • Palm draws up plans for Graffiti 2

    Time for a rethink

    Palm Inc has sought to side-step further legal run-ins with Xerox Corp over its PDA handwriting technology by licensing another company's handwriting recognition software. Palm's software subsidiary PalmSource will use Communication Intelligence Corporation's Jot software as the engine for Graffiti 2, the successor to the …

    Software 14 Jan 2003, 10:37

  • DoCoMo eyes European link-up

    Predator casts beady over prey

    NTT DoCoMo is predicting major consolidation in the European mobile market and may seek to join forces with one of the survivors, according to reports. In an interview with the Financial Times, NTT DoCoMo President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Keiji Tachikawa predicted that just four mobile operators would exist in Europe …

    Mobile 14 Jan 2003, 10:37

  • Lions financed by Donkeys: US wireless gurus battle ghosts of VC past

    Silicon Valley shoot-out

    General Ludendorff, a German commander in the First World War, famously contrasted the bravery of the British troops with the stupidity of their leaders as "lions led by donkeys"[*]. In post-doomsday Silicon Valley, there's a similar gulf between the start-up entrepreneurs pitting their wits in a market that's the most hostile …

    Mobile 14 Jan 2003, 11:44

  • BT caps biz phone calls at 10p

    Sorted

    BT is capping the cost of phone calls for businesses as part of a move to overhaul call tariffs. Out goes per-minute billing and distinctions between peak and off-peak calls. Instead, fixed-line calls (nope, it don't apply to calls made to mobile phones) made by business punters in the UK will cost no more than 10p a throw. …

    Business 14 Jan 2003, 11:45

  • Wanadoo eyes ‘profitable performance’ for 2003

    Bon

    Wanadoo - a subsidiary of France Telecom - is on target to register a profit next year, Europe's second largest ISP reported today. The French ISP reported that revenues topped €2.07bn for 2002 - up 33 per cent on last year. Revenues for Q4 2002 reached €629m - up 35 per cent on Q4 2001. This performance was bolstered by a 66 …

    Music and Media 14 Jan 2003, 15:32

  • MandrakeSoft mulls Chapter 11 style escape, says email

    'Weighing all possible choices' - CEO Bancilhon

    MandrakeSoft is looking at a Chapter 11-style bankruptcy, to solve its financial difficulties, according to a leaked email from one of its executives. The executive has declined to be interviewed by The Register. New MandrakeSoft CEO Francois Bancilhon says the liabilities total about €2 million, but that he's weighing all …

    Software 14 Jan 2003, 16:40

  • College girl's breasts provoke stiff competition

    giveboobs.com begets giveschlong.com

    There have been two direct results of our recent piece on "college girl" Michel's appeal for cash to finance an enhanced set of tatas. Firstly, the mammarily-challenged Michel now has an impressive $1227.89 towards her expansion plans. Go, girl, go. Secondly, the boys have hit back with a site aimed at augmentation in the …

    Bootnotes 14 Jan 2003, 16:42

  • Alcatel in return to health shocker

    Welcome boost for struggling telco kit sector

    Alcatel's results have rebounded with strong quarterly sales figures. In a trading update issued today, Alcatel said its sales figures for Q4 2002 were more than 25 per cent up on those on its previous quarter. Sustained sales of broadband equipment and mobile infrastructure, along with seasonal factors, are responsible for the …

    Data Networking 14 Jan 2003, 17:15

  • BBC in ironic virus infection

    Auntie's latest bloomers

    The BBC fell victim to the latest variant of the ExploreZip worm, and a certain amount of hubris, last week. The worm infected some of its machines, a BBC spokesperson confirmed to us today. However she wasn't prepared to go into details of the incident beyond saying that she was able to use her own email as normal. The …

    Malware 14 Jan 2003, 17:18

  • Want to know the ten most critical web app vulnerabilities?

    Open source group spotlights common security risks

    An open source security group has put together a helpful list of the ten most critical web application security vulnerabilities. Although plenty of attention is given to the nuisance of viruses and the risks posed by insecure firewall configuration, application security is arguably an even more important risk area. The …

    Security 14 Jan 2003, 18:59