Security

Plans for the first major update to Windows Vista are experiencing hiccups. A mini-update had to be withdrawn after causing PCs to endlessly reboot, while Microsoft has had to warn that several popular programs will no longer work once the major ... update is complete. Service Pack 1, the first major revision of the Vista system, is expected to be available to customers next month. It's an important step as many users, particularly those in businesses, wait for the first such update before upgrading to a new operating system (in this case, from Windows XP). The problem came with an automatic ... (view more)

Finally, the American consumer believes the Internet is a useful and convenient shopping tool and a good way to save time. However, there are still major obstacles between reaching the comfort zone for consumers. Concerns over privacy and credit ... card security remain a large issue to many would-be buyers. At least, this is what the Pew Interent Project Survey for September 2007 has concluded. Among the findings: Shopping on the Internet has become routine. A large majority of Internet users (93%) have done some Internet task related to e-commerce. e.g. they have bought something, researched a ... (view more)

The annual "X-Force" report, recently released by Internet Security Systems ( ISS ), part of IBM Corp., says 6,437 security flaws were acknowledged in 2007 by network and software vendors, down 5.4 percent from 2006. (Source: com.au ) While computer ... security vulnerabilities decreased last year, security researchers are cautioning that there has been no improvement in web safety. ISS Chief Technology officer Chris Rouland said that in at least 10 years of counting he had not seen that figure drop. Rouland suggests that the 2007 number of vulnerabilities reported would have been higher if a ... (view more)

One of the 'big' features reportedly discussed in the early speculation surrounding Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) was a kernel upgrade that would supposedly bring Windows Vista into line with the Longhorn kernel used in Windows Server 2008. ... Little if any mention has been made by Microsoft about the kernel update, even as Vista SP1 goes RTM (released to manufacturing). The kernel was updated, but Microsoft appears to be more keen to promote the improvements and enhancements to Vista rather than placing emphasis on a kernel upgrade, which might be seen as a risk to stability. Windows Vista ... (view more)

A system to reduce the number of passwords web users need to remember just took a major step forward. You may remember a couple of weeks ago we told you about Yahoo joining the Open ID scheme, in which a user name and password for one site works ... automatically on all other member sites. We concluded: "The Yahoo involvement is an important step for the scheme, but without the likes of eBay, Google, Hotmail, and Amazon being involved, it's unlikely to have any real effect." Well, that might be about to change. Google, IBM and Microsoft have all joined the Open ID Foundation board, the ... (view more)

Most of us consider the world of hacking strange and foreign. Although many of us are techies and follow technology news closely, few would say they are close friends with that guy who recently cracked this government database or that banking web ... site. However, this could soon be the case as one group has decided to release a Do it Yourself, or DIY, hacking tool. The original web site designed to distribute the open hacking program was recently discovered by security firm Facetime. The tool is meant especially for the purpose of cracking social networking pages, like Facebook. However, it ... (view more)

A group of hackers has been carrying out threats against the Church of Scientology. The attacks are in response to the religion's efforts to remove a video originally posted on YouTube and Gawker, which featured Tom Cruise praising the attributes of ... Scientology. (Source: canada.com ) Working under the name Anonymous, the group has posted several videos on YouTube in which it threatens to drive the Church off the Internet and out of existence. In the first video, released last week, ominous storm clouds churn over a building (presumably a Scientology office) while a computerized voice delivers ... (view more)

Microsoft posted notice to administrators that on February 12, 2008 Microsoft will release the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability update to Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) marked as an Update Rollup package -- and they ... included instructions on how to prevent it to ensure you end up with the version of Internet Explorer you want. Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article 946202 describes the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability Update that will upgrade machines running Internet Explorer 6 to Windows Internet Explorer 7 if you use WSUS to manage ... (view more)

Internet scam artists are now using the telephone to breach your privacy and your bank accounts and it seems to be working. Last week the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center raised the alarm about the increasing number of phishing attacks that are ... using a combination of email and telephone. (Source: computerworld.com ) The use of the telephone in these schemes is a departure from the email-only type of phishing assault and is catching many companies and individuals unawares. In the past, typical email phishing scams have involved making various representations via email and asking users to ... (view more)

Trying to sway public opinion about a flailing product, Microsoft has reportedly once again boasted about the security of Windows Vista, claiming that the operating system had 36 vulnerabilities in its first year compared to the 65 found in Windows ... XP during that same period. Analysts remain skeptical. "I think that it's fair to say that Windows Vista is proving to be the most secure version of Windows to date. Our investments in the SDL (Security Development Lifecycle) and our defense in depth approach to building Windows Vista seem to be paying off," wrote Austin Wilson in a recent ... (view more)