John Lister

Researchers have discovered that it's easier to predict social security numbers than previously realized. The discovery means giving away too many personal details online is even more dangerous. A report by Carnegie Mellon University, published in ... The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, says that social security numbers were never intended to be used as a way of confirming somebody's identity. Instead they were meant purely as a way of keeping track of an individual's tax and benefit payments. The researchers were investigating a theory that there was a distinct pattern to the ... (view more)

The first man to "jailbreak" the original iPhone has done so again with the new 3GS model. Jailbreaking means users who install a piece of unauthorized software are then able to run any applications they like, not just those from the official App ... Store. George Hotz cracked the security system on the 3GS in just two weeks, releasing a Windows version of his jailbreaking tool, dubbed purp1erain, on Friday. Yesterday afternoon he released a Mac edition of the same tool. According to Hotz, his work was relatively easy. He took advantage of a security loophole discovered in the last new ... (view more)

Microsoft appears set to offer a discount for families wanting to run Windows 7 on multiple machines. The deal has not yet been officially unannounced, but has left some users wondering if they've jumped the gun by already placing their orders for ... individual copies. Blogger Kristian Kenney noticed a clause in the licensing agreement for the latest leaked version of Windows 7's Home Premium edition. It reads: "b. Family Pack. If you are a 'Qualified Family Pack User', you may install one copy of the software marked as "Family Pack" on three computers in your household for use by people who ... (view more)

Buyers of Vista's Ultimate Edition have long complained they were ripped off by unfulfilled promises for extra features and better performance. Now they're outraged by feelings that they've been left out of cheap deals for switching to Windows 7. ... Upon its release, one of the top-billed extra features in the Ultimate version of Vista was 'Ultimate Extras'. Buyers were told they would regularly receive updates containing "cutting-edge programs, innovative services and unique publications." In reality the extras came irregularly and were underwhelming to say the least. It's now more than nine ... (view more)

The owners of Pirate Bay, recently fined $3.62 million for copyright offences, have sold the site for $7.7 million. The site's new owners, Global Gaming Factory (GGF) have hinted that the site will go legit. That's got some users worried, despite ... reassurances by Pirate Bay staff that its services won't change. GGF is paying half the purchase price in cash and the rest in the form of three per cent of GGF's company stock. In a separate deal, GGF is buying out Peerialism, a Swedish tech company specializing in the logistics of peer-to-peer-file sharing. The price in that deal is $13 million, ... (view more)

According to reports, the death of Michael Jackson, and the online whirlwind it created, helped crash some major news sources. In addition, there have been incidents where online wrongdoers have sought to take advantage in Jackson's death , with ... both hacking and spam related to the subject. Google News Unresponsive Google News was inaccessible for many users for 25 minutes on Thursday afternoon, replaced by a message stating: "We're sorry, but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application. To protect our users, we can't process your request right ... (view more)

Microsoft is now offering users in six countries Windows 7 at around half the standard price -- for a limited time, of course. The deal is open to existing Vista owners and involves paying now then getting the upgrade when Windows is released. In ... the United States, the offer means customers can get an upgrade from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium for $49, and from Vista 7 Professional to Windows 7 Professional for $99. That compares with standard upgrade prices of $119.99 and $199.99 respectively. Surprisingly, Windows 7 Ultimate, the other main retail edition of Windows Vista, is ... (view more)

Legal experts believe a $1.92 million fine imposed on a Minnesota woman for illegally sharing copyrighted music files could prompt a change in the law. Even if Jammie Thomas-Rasset fails in a potential constitutional challenge, anger over the size ... of the fine may force Congress to rewrite the rules. Double Whammy: Fine Skyrockets from $222,000 to $1,920,000 Thomas-Rasset was originally found to have broken copyright laws in 2007 after a court heard she had shared more than a thousand songs on the Kazaa file sharing network, though only 24 were officially cited in the case. A jury ordered her ... (view more)

Apple is celebrating after the latest incarnation of the iPhone sold a million units in its first weekend. However, the firm has issued compensation to some customers who were unable to fully activate their handsets. The sales figures of the 3G S ... are keeping pace with the 3G, which came out last August. That's an impressive number, given that many consumers are cutting back on spending this year and that there are no revolutionary changes to the new model other than an improvement in speed. Pre Sales Figures May be Inflated It's worth remembering that Apple's counting methods are considered ... (view more)