27th September 2007 Archive

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Adobe gifts internal file permissions to unwashed masses

Directory traversal shocker

A scripting error in Adobe's website gave outsiders broad access to internal files on the company's webserver that could prove valuable to malicious hackers trying to penetrate its security. The error, which appeared to reside in a faulty CGI script, allowed people outside Adobe to read and download files entering specially …

Enterprise Security 27 Sep 2007, 00:20
Code dandy Transitive adds laptop, legacy Solaris/SPARC plays

Helping the damned

Software shifting specialist Transitive continues to better define its magical play. In recent weeks, the company has reworked its product portfolio to go after Legacy, Sever and Workstation segments, while also strengthening ties with blade server maker Egenera and AMD. These days, Transitive leads with its Quick Transit …

Servers 27 Sep 2007, 00:25
Sling Media intros simplified Slingbox

Pro model comes to UK too

Sling Media has revamped its UK Slingbox TV-over-the-net gadget line-up, a move that will see the year-old Slingbox Pro finally come to Britain, alongside the global launch of a brand new Slingbox, the Solo. Sling's Slingbox Solo: ideal for DVR owners? The black-clad box is a trimmed down unit that can take just one feed …

Reg Hardware 27 Sep 2007, 01:02
Sling states SlingCatcher release plan

'Hardware SlingPlayer' due in UK in Q1 2008

Sling Media will release its promised SlingCatcher 'Sling Player for TVs' device in the US by the end of the year, the company said yesterday. It'll arrive in the UK in Q1 2008, it told Register Hardware. SlingCatcher was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January this year. Then, Sling Media said the device …

Reg Hardware 27 Sep 2007, 01:02
Yahoo!'s insanity over Zimbra and Google's plan to rule open source code

Audio Oh yes. It's Open Season

What in heaven's name was Yahoo! thinking by purchasing Zimbra for a stunning $350m? Well, Matt Asay, Dave Rosenberg and I cover everything you could ever want to know about this deal in Episode 3 of Open Season. Insight? Hilarity? Ego-fueled punditry? Yep, it's all there. If Zimbra's not your thing, that's just fine. We also …

Open Season 27 Sep 2007, 06:32
SlingPlayer Mobile released for S60 phones

Own a Slingbox and a Series 60 - aka S60 - mobile phone that you'd like to be able to steam video from one device to the other? Now you can. Sling Media has posted a version of its SlingPlayer Mobile app for Symbian handsets for all to download. Back in November 2006, the company posted its first Symbian SlingPlayer, this one …

Reg Hardware 27 Sep 2007, 09:02
Stats office deal sparks confidentiality fears

Possible Patriot Act entanglement raises hackles

A union is warning that the privacy of sensitive information could be put at risk by a statistics agency IT deal. Proposals by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to outsource its IT functions to Fujitsu Services have prompted fears from the civil service union over confidentiality of data. The Public and Commercial …

ID 27 Sep 2007, 09:30
Lobby group calls for police database access for prisons

Hopes to reduce in-custody death toll

Some deaths in custody could be averted if the Prison Service had access to the Police National Computer, an independent forum has said. The Forum for Preventing Deaths in Custody says it wants a more joined-up approach between the Prison Service and police to reduce the number of deaths in custody from non-natural causes. …

Public Sector 27 Sep 2007, 09:36
Magazines go online in iTunes-esque move

Read all about it in PDF

A new online newsagent is hoping to galvanise the Irish publishing market by selling magazines online. Mymagonline.com, which is based in Dublin, is hoping to become the iTunes of the publishing world by offering readers PDF versions of Irish publications. These can be downloaded directly to a PC. The magazine appears on screen …

Bootnotes 27 Sep 2007, 09:42
Canadian privacy commissioner slams TJX data policy

Record-breaking data leak was 'foreseeable'

The leak of 45 million people's credit card information was caused by retailer TJX gathering too much data and not protecting it properly, according to the Canadian privacy commissioner. The commissioner has published the results of an investigation into the company, which found that the unprecedented leak was foreseeable. It …

ID 27 Sep 2007, 09:53
Microsoft: New Live Search 'as good as Google'

'And better than Yahoo!'

Microsoft yesterday used its Silicon Valley outpost, just down the road from Google, to unveil a "major update" to the web's third most popular search engine. And, yes, it's only been a year since the last major update. Bill and the gang plan on re-launching Live Search every 12 months. With this update, the company now …

Applications 27 Sep 2007, 09:56
Tulip tries to buy back Commodore brand

Wants to get back into 'entertainment' products

Dutch manufacturer Tulip Computers has announced it wants to buy back the Commodore brand it sold to Yeahronimo Media Ventures in 2004 for €22m. The computer maker is planning to bid $1 a share for the US computer firm Commodore, valuing the company at $81m. Commodore, best known for its legendary Commodore 64 computer in the …

PCs & Chips 27 Sep 2007, 10:03
US retailer Target lines up pink iPod Shuffle for charity

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

US retail chain Target has begun offering an exclusive pink iPod Shuffle, part of its programme to support breast cancer charities. Target has, for the past few years at least, supported Breast Cancer Awareness month, which runs throughout October in the States. Usually, it announces what it's planning for the charity event …

Reg Hardware 27 Sep 2007, 10:35
Space station barney kicks off in India

Constructive debate, we're sure

It has cost billions upon billions and it isn't finished yet, but partners in the International Space Station project are already arguing about when it should be shut down, according to AFP reports. The various agencies' positions are as follows: In the red corner (not political statement, just a handy colour) we have NASA, …

Space 27 Sep 2007, 10:37
Federal judge slams Patriot Act

Feds push for new, zestier Fourth Amendment

A federal judge today struck down provisions of the Patriot Act as unconstitutional, adding fuel to the politically charged debate over the controversial law. US District Judge Ann Aiken slammed Patriot Act amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for eviscerating the Fourth Amendment to the American …

Law 27 Sep 2007, 10:39
VoIP says hello to the iPhone

Ready to develop, if users want it

UK-based VoIP provider Truphone last night demonstrated its ability to place a VoIP call from an Apple iPhone, as well as some Facebook integration. Unlike other VoIP demonstrations, which rely on call-backs and the voice channel, this is a real VoIP client, running as a native application on the iPhone (and thus requiring …

VoIP 27 Sep 2007, 10:40
IT vendors: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Reg Technology Panel The industry with no shame

It's been well over a year since we asked for your views on the organisations you buy IT products and services from. But today sees the welcome return of our The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Vendor survey. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly helps us paint a picture of the supplier landscape, praising those that are performing, …

Tech Panel 27 Sep 2007, 10:56
Hint of next PS3 spied on web

FCC website gives tantalising glimpse... sort of

Whether it's the rumoured 40GB cut-down model or not, there does appear to be a further Sony PlayStation 3 console in the works. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website currently lists a PS3 with the model number CECHG01 and its certification as a 'good neighbour' wireless device. Sony's US 60GB and 80GB PS3s …

Reg Hardware 27 Sep 2007, 10:58
Avnet to gobble up Acal

Eyes up EMEA market

Electronics distie Avnet said today that it will acquire the IT solutions arm of Storage Area Networking (SAN) reseller Acal plc for a cash consideration of £41m. The firm said it has reached a "definitive agreement" with Acal, which punts products that include Cisco, Brocade, Qlogic, and Kodak to the European market. Once …

Channel Register 27 Sep 2007, 11:01
A little more Conversation, to get in on the action

Symbian handsets get threaded messaging

Nokia Beta Labs has launched Conversation, a free application for S60 third edition handsets that provides an additional tab to your contacts application, showing conversations you're having and with whom. The ability to see one's messages organised by person, rather than date and time, is something Treo and iPhone users have …

Mobile 27 Sep 2007, 11:25
Samsung SGH-G600 mobile phone

Review All camera and no connectivity?

The latest handset to join Samsung's stylish sliderphone line-up is unashamedly image conscious. However, the G600 is all about its photographic features rather than its flash looks, being one of a few mobiles to boast a five-megapixel camera. Samsung has decided to roll out its first European 5Mp mobile without 3G - it's a …

Reg Hardware 27 Sep 2007, 11:26
Jailed worm author offered job by victim

$133K salary awaits Fujacks fiend

A Chinese virus writer sent to jail for four years earlier this week has been offered a well-paying job by one of his victims. Li Jun, 25, played a central role in a malware-fueled scam that led to the infection of hundreds of thousands of Windows PCs across the country. The Fujacks worm he created converted icons of …

Malware 27 Sep 2007, 11:37
Sharp rolls out latest Blu-ray recorders

Four new models to watch

If there’s one sure-fire way to push a next generation format, such as Blu-ray, then simultaneously releasing a whole host of recorders must be it. Sharp's done just that and announced a whopping four new models for every wallet size. Sharp's Aquos BD-HW20 (above) and BD-HW15 The Aquos BD-HDW20 and BD-HDW15 will ship in …

Reg Hardware 27 Sep 2007, 11:47
Japanese to patent transparent frog

Boffins in mutant albino batrachian IP brouhaha

Japanese boffins have used artificial insemination to breed mutant frogs with transparent skin. The scientists reckon this will make biological research - not to mention school biology lessons - signifcantly less messy and traumatic, as it will no longer be necessary to cut the slime-filled creatures up in order to examine their …

Biology 27 Sep 2007, 11:57
Channel wins the war, but salmonella wins the bacteria race to space

To subscribe to Channel Register's weekly newsletter - seven days of channel news in a single hit - click here.

The revelation that the channel model wars are over seems like a good place to kickstart our review of the week's news in The Reg. And the even better news is that the channel won. So break out the champagne, sing some rousing songs and hug a total stranger, the enemy has been defeated and victory is yours. For those of you …

Channel Register 27 Sep 2007, 13:02
Note to despots: You can't kill the internet

Burma's wave of dissent floods through firewall

The latest reports from the turmoil in Burma say at least one person died and many were wounded today when police again shot at protesters on the streets of Rangoon. Until now, one of the most striking things about the monk-led uprising has been the volume of information that has been escaping about the usually secretive regime …

Government 27 Sep 2007, 13:12
Dawn on its way to the asteroid belt

Lift off, at last

Dawn, NASA's mission to the asteroid belt, has at last launched successfully. At the time of writing, NASA mission managers were still waiting for the Delta II's second and third stages to fire, but so far it is all looking good. Lift Off! Image credit: NASA Dawn was originally slated to depart early this summer, but …

Space 27 Sep 2007, 13:44
NASA holds vomit-comet docs v robosurgeons trial

Bones McCoy jobless before even born

NASA is to carry out a contest between human and robotic surgeons in conditions of zero gravity this week. Competing fleshy and machine medics are even now carrying out a variety of procedures aboard C-9 military cargo aircraft soaring in parabolic arcs high above the Gulf of Mexico. NASA is interested in the robo-surgeon …

Science 27 Sep 2007, 14:36
Greenland's super-melty summer

Ice is sooo last season

The higher peaks of the Greenland icesheet spent longer melting this summer than any summer since 1988, according to a NASA funded study. The research revealed that enough snow melted in Greenland this year to cover the surface of the USA more than two times over*. Image of the so-called 2007 Greenland melting anomaly. Credit …

Science 27 Sep 2007, 14:43
Hospital's brand new '£1m' server room goes up in smoke

Money's too tight for air-con?

An investigation has been launched at Leeds' famous St James' hospital after a server room disastrously overheated, permanently frying a new computer system for storing patient x-rays. St James, known as Jimmy's locally, is run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. It confirmed that early assessments indicate damage has …

Servers 27 Sep 2007, 15:03
BenQ touts skinny, touchy-feely digicam

We were quite keen when BenQ announced today the world's slimmest camera. But then we found the Taiwanese company had qualified the claim by stating its DC T800 is the world's thinnest digicam with a 3in touchscreen. BenQ's T800: world's slimmest camera with 3in touchscreen We'll take the company's word for it. What …

Reg Hardware 27 Sep 2007, 15:14
Pyramid flies white flag in Microsoft grey market row

Parallel import fight settled

Microsoft has settled a copyright infringement dispute with UK-based Pyramid Distribution over so-called "parallel importing". Neither firm was willing to provide financial details of the High Court settlement, but according to Microsoft, Lancs-based Pyramid admitted liability for selling tens of thousands in volume of the …

Channel Register 27 Sep 2007, 15:14
Foam hinders Halo 3 disc scratching down under

MS foam home

Not all gamers buying Halo 3 Limited Edition packs received a scratched disc. Copies sent out to Australia apparently contained a cunningly hi-tech device to stop the disc from being damaged. A video on YouTube has revealed that packs distributed down under included a piece of plastic packaging foam in-between the game disc …

Reg Hardware 27 Sep 2007, 15:25
Cambridgeshire letter bomber found guilty

Bedroom bomb factory in mother's house

A former Cambridgeshire school caretaker, accused of carrying out a nationwide letter-bombing campaign, was today found guilty as charged at Oxford Crown Court. Miles Cooper, 27, of Cherry Hinton near Cambridge, had denied eight counts of causing bodily injury by means of an explosive substance and two counts of using an …

Law 27 Sep 2007, 15:35
Experts fret over credit card compliance

PCI DSS fails to settle SMEs

Efforts by the credit card industry to boost merchant security are likely to flounder unless tighter regulations are accompanied by punishments against transgressors. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) methodology aims to improve the security of cardholder data among banks, service providers and the …

ID 27 Sep 2007, 15:49
D-Link switches to green to make more green

Everything's gone green

Another day, and another tech vendor turns the colour of the Incredible Hulk. Ethernet switch box maker D-Link is launching a new product line to satisfy customer demand for greener goods. Unimaginatively dubbed Green Ethernet, the firm reckoned its switches can cut energy costs by nearly 50 per cent. D-Link said the …

Data Networking 27 Sep 2007, 16:00
Gateway launches iMac-alike all-in-one PC

World's cleverest AC adaptor too?

Gateway has unveiled its latest all-in-one desktop PC, dubbed simply the One. Sitting somewhere between an Apple iMac and Sony's Vaio LT series in terms of looks, the slimline 19in machine also sports a unique power-brick-cum-port-replicator. Gateway's One: watch out, iMac The low-end and mid-range models both have a 1. …

Reg Hardware 27 Sep 2007, 16:26
Adopt this dog or we'll kill it

The no-nonsense approach to rehoming mutts

Those among you who remember when it was all fields round here may also recall the famous January 1973 cover of National Lampoon which carried a pic of someone holding a gun to the head of a rather worried looking mutt and the headline "If You Don't Buy This Magazine, We'll Kill This Dog". Well, a US "nonprofit national shelter …

Bootnotes 27 Sep 2007, 18:53
Cisco borgs call center software maker Latigent

Tastes like Web 2.0, chicken

Cisco Systems is to buy Latigent, a Chicago-based call center software maker, for an undisclosed sum. Latigent's web-based software specializes in business intelligence and analytics reporting tools, and will be assimilated into Cisco's customer contract business unit. According to Ciscom Latigent's products are built to …

Data Networking 27 Sep 2007, 18:58
Blueberry heir loses libel suit against drunken lothario

Gorilla-fisting comment didn't sit well, apparently

Let this be a lesson to you all: if you sell tickets to a New Year's Eve party boasting an open bar, make sure that the booze doesn't run out at 10:30. Fail in that, and people will trash you on the internet, and there won't be a damn thing you can do about it, even if you sue the operator of the offending website for …

Law 27 Sep 2007, 19:00
Verizon lifts pro-abortion text message ban

Declares 'great respect for this free flow of ideas'

Verizon Wireless has reversed a decision to "reject a request from Naral Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group, to make Verizon’s mobile network available for a text-message program".. Verizon last week claimed it had the right to prohibit “controversial or unsavory” text messages, and duly judged Naral Pro-Choice …

Mobile 27 Sep 2007, 19:33
Two US computer engineers charged with espionage

Seeking to sell chip designs to Chinese military

A US federal grand jury has charged two computer engineers with stealing microchip designs to sell to the Chinese military. California residents Yuefei Ge, 34, of San Jose and Lan Lee, 42 of Palo Alto have been indicted under charges of conspiracy, economic espionage and theft of trade secrets. The two men are accused of …

Channel Register 27 Sep 2007, 19:43
Oracle embraces old Java apps in next IDE

Preview two

Oracle has come a step closer to releasing the next version of its popular Java integrated development environment (IDE), by posting a second technology preview. The JDeveloper 11g preview is a significant update to the first, released this spring, as Oracle claimed it would let developers migrate applications they've built …

Software 27 Sep 2007, 20:02
How to expose Gmail contacts without really trying

Onslaught of Google bugs continues

Google security lieutenants can't get a break. Over the past week, they've taken a public pounding, following reports of at least four previously undisclosed holes that included new cracks in Gmail and weaknesses that jeopardize the privacy of those who rely on the site to organize photos or administer their websites. Pwnd …

Security 27 Sep 2007, 20:18
FCC wireless plan torpedoed by Google-loving mega-startup

Frontline takes a hardline

The Federal Communications Commission is facing criticism from both sides of the great 700-MHz debate as it prepares to auction off a prime portion of the US wireless spectrum. Earlier this month, Verizon asked the US Court of Appeals to smack the FCC for changing its auction rules, and now über-startup Frontline Wireless is …

Wireless 27 Sep 2007, 20:32
Hynix leaves DRAM market spotless

Falling prices causes memory loss

Hynix, the Korean computer memory maker, is fleeing the DRAM spot market - because prices are too low. That's not the spin the company is putting on the decision, telling Reuters that it wants to "enhance our flexibility and strengthen our position in the contract market". This should make sense: according to market watcher …

Channel Register 27 Sep 2007, 22:48
Oracle teams with Dell, EMC for warehousing

Pre-configured hardware/software package gobbles data

Oracle launched a data warehouse initiative today by teaming with Dell and EMC to produce an easy to deploy, pre-configured data warehouse hardware and software package. The new Oracle Optimized Warehouse combines software, hardware, storage, I/O and networking built on Oracle Database and pre-configured for Dell PowerEdge …

Storage 27 Sep 2007, 23:27
Brazil braces for TV soap-induced blackout

Climax of Tropical Paradise menaces power network

Brazil's power generators are on Defcon red in anticipation of a whopping power surge at the end of hit soap opera Tropical Paradise, which could theoretically blackout the entire country should the flow of juice prove inadequate. According to AP, TV Globo says 90 per cent of the nation's TV viewers will be glued to their sets …

Entertainment 27 Sep 2007, 23:28