Carlo Orlando

The FCC is working on ways to modernize 911 call centers across North America. If current plans come to fruition, it would enable emergency response teams to accept text messages, picture messages, streaming video and other emergent technologies. ... The update, called Next Gen 911, marks the first change made to the 911 system in close to a decade. The most recent revamping occurred back in 2001, when the FCC required cellular carriers to offer the emergency service along with the GPS data of the caller (within 50 to 300 meters in proximity). (Source: computerworld.com ) Phone Calls Are Not ... (view more)

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday officially behind us, Christmas is fast approaching. As such, online scamsters are working overtime to swindle as many victims as possible in response to the increased online traffic that comes with the bustling ... holiday season. Responding to the issue is the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), Better Business Bureau (BBB), and security software companies McAfee and F-Secure, which have all offered their take on the five most pertinent scams that online shoppers will face this year. Scam #1: The Free iPad It seems as if iPad-related scams began popping up ... (view more)

Intel is working on new technology designed to increase the response time in diagnosing and treating NFL-related injuries. By embedding a small Intel Atom microprocessor inside a football helmet, impact measurement data can help quickly determine ... the severity of an injury for medical personnel on the sidelines. Intel, renowned for being the largest computer chip maker in the world, has worked with football helmet maker Riddell on computer simulations to improve future designs and reduce the number of injuries in the contact sport. Joining the tandem are a number of select universities, ... (view more)

Online security companies are celebrating this week after learning that the dreaded Koobface virus suffered a critical blow that could compromise its continued existence. Security officials discovered that most of the web servers hosting the virus' ... "command and control" structure were effectively dismantled, thus limiting its exposure to the outside world. Koobface originally made headlines early last March (2009), when it wreaked havoc on thousands of vulnerable Facebook pages. The virus was responsible for installing malware on the computers of victims who mistakenly (and ... (view more)

The worldwide volume of spam has decreased in the third quarter of this year, thanks in large part to the mass shutdowns of some major botnet systems . In their latest reports, security software companies Symantec and Kaspersky have found that spam ... volumes decreased 47 percent compared to August figures. Botnets are formed when (for example) malicious software is unknowingly installed on an MS Windows PC. That PC then becomes part of a "zombie network" of infected systems which are then used to propagate spam email messages. Kaspersky weighed in on the correlation between legitimate ... (view more)

The latest cash-stealing scam, an evasive "zombie virus," is costing Chinese smartphone owners hundreds of thousands of dollars every day. The virus has already appeared on more than one million mobile phones in the Far East, and is reportedly ... responsible for sending out a barrage of text messages to the friends and family of each victim, costing them an average of $300,000 a day (or 2 million yuan). Smart Phone Virus Clever and Malicious The smart phone virus works similarly to a PC infected with a virus. Like a PC-based Trojan, the virus hides within a fake anti-virus smart-phone ... (view more)

Cloud-based security company "Zscaler" has launched a new Firefox web browser plug-in called "BlackSheep" designed to protect users against a recent browser hijacking tool that allows just about anyone to potentially hijack your web browser session. ... Firesheep: A 'Peculiar' Extension In order to explain the details of how "Blacksheep" came to be, we need to take a few steps back. In October of this year, a Firefox plug-in dubbed "Firesheep" was created. It was an extension put together by developer Eric Butler and demonstrated at the Toorcon security conference. ... (view more)

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is raising a few eyebrows within the tech industry after opting to release US $1.3 billion worth of shares in the company. The move reduces his overall shares by about 12 per cent and marks his first stock sale in the ... past seven years. Not surprisingly, many believe that the sale points to a lack of confidence in the company and creates a strong indicator that the 54-year-old executive is preparing to leave in the very near future. However, Ballmer says nothing could be further from the truth. Microsoft CEO "Fully Committed" In a statement posted on ... (view more)

In most cases, when an individual finds themselves the victims of an online phishing, virus or malware attack, the damage has already been done. Now, a London-based coder has designed a hijacking tool that compromises Twitter accounts for the sole ... purpose of raising awareness over the dangers associated with conducting social network-based communications over unsecured networks. Jonty Wareing, of London, England, created the software tool (called "Idiocy") as a second-chance for those who decide to take a risk when using Twitter, the popular social network. Idiocy is designed to scour the ... (view more)

At one time or another, almost all of us have misspelled an URL (web address) in our web browser -- bringing us to a website that we did not intend to visit. Many of the misspelled web addresses are in fact set up for unintended visitors -- all with ... one goal in mind: to elicit as much cash from the visitor as possible, whether it's direct or indirect revenue. Often these pages peddle questionable links to visitors, where each link presented pays the web site owner every time it's clicked. Typosquatting: Also Known as URL Hijacking This age-old deceptive practice known as 'typosquatting.' ... (view more)