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6th August 2007 Archive

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  • Black market for malware a thriving place

    Defcon It slices, it dices . . .

    The sale of Trojans, phishing kits and other types of malware thrives in a growing marketplace that resembles many of the more legitimate businesses that have set up shop online over the past decade. With a wealth of online bazaars, 24-by-7 support and the ability for other buyers to weigh in on the quality of the products, …

    Enterprise Security 6 Aug 2007, 01:01

  • Hacking for hijinks

    DefCon Blog: Day 1 So much fun, it should be illegal

    This is my second Defcon and there are plenty of high jinks but you'd be hard pressed to find any lawlessness. There was the year the ATMs were reprogrammed to display the Defcon logo. And there's always a lot of drinking and stupid network tricks. But nothing that's actually lawless. I mean, there's nothing actually illegal …

    Security 6 Aug 2007, 08:10

  • Evolutionary vs. traditional database design

    DBA fights back

    We recently published an article on the advantages of evolutionary database design (EDBD), a process which has its roots in the agile/extreme programming world. To provide a little balance, some yang for the yin, we asked Mark Whitehorn to comment on the article and give his views on EDBD vs. the more traditional database design …

    Developer 6 Aug 2007, 09:05

  • The romance and mystery of a good hack

    DefCon Blog: Final Plus an actual wedding

    The 2007 Defcon badge (currently selling on eBay for $202.50) came with its own SDK, which explains why, by Sunday, a couple of attendees had hacked theirs to play music from their iPods. They were two of some 50 contest winners, of whom the most tired – and wired – were the 20 person team who spent 22.5 hours solving the " …

    Security 6 Aug 2007, 09:08

  • Phoenix blasts off on ice-hunting mission

    Next stop, Mars

    NASA's Phoenix mission lifted off successfully from Cape Canaveral this weekend, beginning its nine month journey through space to the red planet. The probe, which will dig into the Martian surface to probe for signs of water, is expected to reach its destination in May or June next year. NASA's Phoenix spacecraft begins its …

    Space 6 Aug 2007, 09:09

  • Offender tagging beaten by skyscrapers

    Serious flaws uncovered in satellite tracking system

    The government may have to postpone the roll out of satellite tracking of offenders after a study uncovered serious technology flaws. A study commissioned by the Ministry of Justice reveals that the signal could be lost and people could remove their ankle tags and leave them behind. The report (pdf) says that in ideal …

    Public Sector 6 Aug 2007, 09:23

  • Congress approves six-month blanket wiretap warrant

    Spooks get broad access to US comms backbone

    US legislators have approved controversial wiretapping operations by American spies, which had been forbidden by secret judges. AP reports that Congress voted 227 to 183 on Saturday to approve a new bill modifying the provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Under FISA, whenever US spooks want to …

    Law 6 Aug 2007, 09:30

  • Nissan rolls out drink-proof cars

    'I'm sorry Dave, I can't let you drive'

    Drink drivers could be prohibited from driving under the influence if new technology from Nissan is introduced. The Japanese car maker has developed a new odour detection system designed to prevent drivers from operating a car if they are over the legal limit. The system works by using a series of sensors to detect the level of …

    Applications 6 Aug 2007, 09:33

  • Martha Stewart criticised for swoop on town name

    Residents' fears 'unfounded' though

    American cooking and home decorating guru Martha Stewart has upset the residents of her newly adopted home town by trade marking the name for her home decorating products. Trade mark law may not extend as far as outraged residents fear, though. Stewart has moved to the chic town of Katonah in upstate New York where she now …

    Law 6 Aug 2007, 09:48

  • Orange launches new assault on English language

    Hands off our dictionaries

    Not content with trying to foster mobification on us, Orange is at it again with smexting: the act of sending text messages while nipping out for a fag. In the two weeks following the workplace ban in England text traffic went up by seven and half million messages; to 519.5 million from 512 million in the last two weeks of July …

    Mobile 6 Aug 2007, 10:18

  • Damaged DNA fixed in nuclear 'workshops'

    Bad news for astronauts

    Researchers in the US are a step closer to understanding how the body deals with damaged DNA. The findings might pave the way for new cancer treatments, and could also be useful in predicting how likely cosmic rays are to trigger cancers in humans. This is an active area of research for NASA because of its plans to send people …

    Biology 6 Aug 2007, 10:30

  • ICANN spreads love, opens bosom to all

    Embraces user community

    The Internet Corporation for the Assignment of Names and Numbers (ICANN) continued its ongoing outreach efforts last week with two announcements: the establishment of an ICANN online magazine and the expansion of a pilot fellowship program oriented towards those from countries relatively underrepresented in the ICANN processes …

    Telecoms 6 Aug 2007, 10:52

  • Pipex chairman looks to ditch WiMAX, hosting gristle

    The internet is soooo over. It's all about private equity

    Pipex chairman Peter Dubens still seems keen to offload what remains of the group following the breakup deal it cut with Tiscali in July. In an interview with the Independent this weekend, Dubens said the ongoing review of the remaining scraps of the Pipex carcass would be complete "the next few months". Tiscali has agreed to …

    Financial News 6 Aug 2007, 10:55

  • Indian cops reach for bananas to flush out evidence

    Good old honest bent yellow policing

    Indian coppers forced a suspected jewel thief to scoff over 40 bananas in a bid to force him to produce a necklace he had allegedly stolen. When the bananas failed to do the trick, the plods, in the Eastern Indian city of Kolkata, moved onto a veritable smorgasbord of other purgative foods. The resourceful plods performed the …

    Bootnotes 6 Aug 2007, 11:18

  • VeriSign worker exits after laptop security breach

    Man overboard

    VeriSign has warned workers of the theft of a laptop that contained their personal information. The laptop was stolen from a car parked in the garage of a California worker sometime on the night of 12 July. The laptop contained personal information - name, Social Security number, date of birth, salary information, telephone …

    ID 6 Aug 2007, 11:20

  • iPhone's keyboard prompts patent violation suit

    Apple faces court action, again

    A Florida-based company has accused Apple of infringing a patent it owns for a readable keyboard display, similar to the iPhone's touch-screen. SP Technologies filed a claim alleging that Apple has infringed on a patent it was granted in 2004 for a "method and medium for computer readable keyboard display incapable of user …

    Reg Hardware 6 Aug 2007, 11:36

  • Staff cut off in Evesham 'rescue' deal

    Evesham re-emerges as Geemore

    British computer maker Evesham Technology laid off more than 100 staff late Friday, telling them the firm was in "administration". But the ultimate fate of the firm was unclear today, with the Evesham website apparently showing the Evesham brand is under new ownership. Evesham confirmed on 1 August that it was undergoing a " …

    Channel Register 6 Aug 2007, 11:45

  • Yahoo! faces! investigation! over! China!

    Documents question its claims

    The US' House Foreign Affairs Committee said last week it will investigate Yahoo! over allegations that it covered up its involvement in handing over information to Chinese authorities to help them pursue political opponents. Yahoo! has always said its Chinese subsidiary was only obeying local laws. Tom Lantos, chairman of the …

    Law 6 Aug 2007, 11:47

  • NASA nuke-bot to tackle space boulders of doom

    Satellite TV armageddon in 2029?

    NASA plans to deal with killer comets or asteroids on collision courses with Earth are more advanced than many analysts had thought. Flight International reported on Friday that the agency's Marshall Space Flight Centre has developed designs for an asteroid-buster spacecraft which could be launched using the future Ares V cargo …

    Space 6 Aug 2007, 12:51

  • US govt password security still dismal

    Clueless civil servants leave citizens at risk

    The importance of keeping passwords secret is endlessly reiterated by security firms, banks, and others. Yet US government tax service workers are still to pick up on the message, it seems. Three in five (60 per cent) US Internal Revenue Service workers readily gave up their user names and agreed to change passwords to ones …

    ID 6 Aug 2007, 14:22

  • Chip sales up but prices down

    Silicon swings and roundabouts

    Price cuts are continuing to hurt profits for chip makers, even though actual sales are increasing. In the first half of 2007, worldwide chip sales hit $121bn, up two per cent on the first six months of 2006. Semiconductor Industry Association president George Scalise said: "Continuing rapid price attrition in several …

    PCs & Chips 6 Aug 2007, 14:32

  • Nokia calls Microsoft for DRM software

    Music to your ears?

    Nokia is to incorporate Microsoft's DRM software into its S60 and Series 40 mobile device platforms, fueling speculation that it's about to jump onto the music downloads bandwagon. Microsoft's PlayReady content access software allows owners of digital content to transfer it between different devices in a DRM-controlled manner …

    Reg Hardware 6 Aug 2007, 14:36

  • UK.gov publishes alien sightings list

    Aliens or traffic lights?

    Terrified Brits reported almost 100 UFO sightings to the Ministry of Defence last year. Quite what they wanted the bowler-hatted ones to do about the lights whizzing through the skies is unclear, but the full report makes for entertaining reading. Street furniture or harbinger of alien doom? Highlights include "a big round …

    Science 6 Aug 2007, 14:51

  • £1.2bn e-Borders data mountain spun as gov bonanza

    Foreign NHS cheats given leave to remain - that'll fix them

    The UK Home Office "e-borders" database scheme continues to march forward, with the government announcing last week a £1bn splurge investment and trumpeting successes thus far. The basis of e-borders is a requirement on airlines, ferry companies etc to submit comprehensive details of all passengers and crew to be carried in …

    Government 6 Aug 2007, 15:01

  • Astronomers wave big thermometer at universe

    Tracking forming galaxies

    The world's largest thermometer has just entered active service. This isn't a cue for all sorts of "ooh, Matron" remarks, since the thermometer in question is taking the temperature of billion-year-old clouds of gas, way "out there" in the universe. And although it is essentially a big thermometer, it should technically be …

    Space 6 Aug 2007, 15:31

  • UK, France and Germany PC shipments moving on up

    Jumps more than nine per cent as laptops drive sales growth

    Western Europe PC shipments have grown by a healthy 9.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2006. According to preliminary results from technology research firm Gartner, 11.2 million units were shipped in the second quarter of 2007, with demand for laptops pushing up sales across the UK, France and Germany. It said the …

    Channel Register 6 Aug 2007, 16:04

  • Aussie senate blocks CDMA switch off

    Bush telegraph must be maintained

    Australia's ex-monopoly Telstra won't be allowed to switch off its aging CDMA network, at least not until it can provide equivalent 3G coverage, according to new conditions imposed by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Telstra was planning to switch off its CDMA network, which reaches 21 per …

    Mobile 6 Aug 2007, 16:06

  • Feds cuff 18 in $126m pharmacy bust

    Follow the money

    A bust on an illegal pharmacy that's reckoned to raked in $126m in illicit revenues from the sale of prescription pharmaceuticals has led to racketeering and related charges against 18 suspects. A 313-count grand jury indictment, returned on July 27 and unsealed last week, alleges offences ranging from distribution and …

    Law 6 Aug 2007, 16:12

  • AMD's Opteron goes to 3.2GHz

    High-end chips gussied pre-Barcelona

    AMD is trying to breath new life into its dual-core Opteron by upping the chip to 3.2GHz just weeks before Barcelona rolls on store shelves. AMD announced today the pricing and availability to its Opteron 2000 and 8000 series x86 chips, both in a mainstream and high performance flavor. The top-end models 8224 SE and 2224 SE …

    Servers 6 Aug 2007, 17:45

  • Sun releases world's fastest chip - at 1.4GHz

    Nice try, guys

    Never one to cower in the face of hyperbole, Sun Microsystems has come out touting the new eight-core UltraSPARC T2 - aka Niagara II - chip as the world's fastest microprocessor. We've written so much about Niagara II that there's not much left with which to surprise you. As promised, the chip has just as many cores as Niagara …

    Servers 6 Aug 2007, 17:46

  • IBM to win $200m supercomputer contract

    Internet oopsie-daisy ruins the surprise

    The National Science Foundation will award IBM a $200m contract to build one of the world's fastest supercomputers, but don't tell anyone because it's a secret. Or at least it was until The New York Times spilled the beans after documents were accidentally posted on a government web site last week. Now there won't be a wild $ …

    Servers 6 Aug 2007, 18:39

  • Google India deal signals mobile push

    As Gphone rumors continue to swirl

    Google may or may not offer its own smartphone in the coming months, but you're sure to see its apps on other mobile devices across the globe. Little more than a week ago, the search giant teamed up with U.S. wireless carrier Sprint to offer Google tools on Sprint's upcoming WiMax portal.Now, Google has laid the groundwork for …

    Mobile 6 Aug 2007, 18:59

  • HP's graphics library goes GPL

    LinuxWorld Visualize Xen love and penguin per use too

    HP has burrowed deep into the data center for its package of LinuxWorld-related announcements. Software libraries, code testing and pay-per-use Linux? Sure, why not. Open-sourcing software tools seems to be all the rage. Two weeks ago, Intel pumped out some parallelization code under the General Public License (GPLv2). Now we …

    Servers 6 Aug 2007, 21:32

  • Lenovo to ship Linux laptops

    Microsoft’s source code departments begin shaking”

    Lenovo is to pre-load ThinkPad laptops with a Linux OS, in response to calls from enterprise customers. Novell's SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is to be available across the PC maker's ThinkPad notebook series starting in the fourth quarter of 2007. The OpenOffice.org productivity suite, an email client and a web browser …

    Reg Hardware 6 Aug 2007, 21:47

  • F5 buys Acopia for $210m

    Web traffic firm buys into the storage market

    F5 Networks is wading into the storage market by spending $210m to acquire privately-held Acopia Networks. The company is paying cash for the entirety of the file-based virtualization firm. F5 has previously focused on technology that speeds up web-based applications with its Big-IP gear. The Acopia purchase moves the company …

    Storage 6 Aug 2007, 22:25

  • Amazon throws cash at MySpace-ified music startup

    AmieStreet: The road to iTunes' ruin

    What will Amazon's upcoming digital music store look like? Here's a hint: The world's most popular e-tailer just threw some cash at AmieStreet, the fledgling music site that prices songs according to their popularity. Today, AmieStreet announced the completion of its first round of financing, and it looks like Amazon was the …

    Music and Media 6 Aug 2007, 23:03

  • E-voting gets bitch-slapped in Calfornia

    Strict measures

    California's top election official has decertified electronic voting machines made by the industry's four biggest vendors, in response to a report that highlighted their potential for election tampering. The move by California Secretary of State Debra Bowen effectively bars the machines of three of the manufacturers - Diebold …

    Government 6 Aug 2007, 23:10

  • Wife of Rambus CEO outed as message board troll

    Can we sue anyone for this?

    The wife of Rambus CEO Harold Hughes has emerged as the latest message board star. According to a report, Nancy Hughes dished out 170 messages under the alias clarissamehitable on the InvestorVillage site, defending her husband's good name while knocking other members of Rambus's management. Legal rag The Recorder reports …

    Financial News 6 Aug 2007, 23:13