Articles by date
07 December 2007
Shorter URLs help phishers hook more victims (CNet)
CNet have published the following story on phishers taking advantage websites with shorter domain names, with fraudulent phishing URLs consistently having lengths of between 30 and 37 characters previously, however phishing host names have shrunk down to an average of only 17 characters in recent weeks.
Facebook apologises for mistakes over advertising (The Guardian)
The billionaire founder of Facebook has apologised to the website's 57 million devotees for its handling of a controversial advertising feature which has sparked furious protests about privacy. Also includes links to stories from IDG and the International Herald Tribune.
us: House vote on illegal images sweeps in Wi-Fi, Web sites (CNet)
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill saying that anyone offering an open Wi-Fi connection to the public must report illegal images including "obscene" cartoons and drawings--or face fines of up to $300,000.
Apple's dominance faces Pepsi challenge (The Times)
Apple's dominance of online music and the music labels' best efforts to fight piracy are set to be dealt a blow from an unlikely quarter - PepsiCo, the fizzy drinks group.
us: Film Industry Touts ISP Partners In Filtering Online Content (Intellectual Property Watch)
ISPs are going to lead the monitoring of networks to ensure they are not being used for infringing purposes in the entertainment industry's seemingly endless battle to maintain control over where their content is distributed, and to whom, Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Dan Glickman said Tuesday.
The Chinese cyberoffensive: Computer networks in countries such as the US, the UK and Germany have been targeted (LiveMint.com)
Britain's intelligence agency MI5 has recently written to 300 companies in that country, warning them of a threat from Chinese hackers. That's just the latest manifestation of a global worry -- cyberattacks originating from Chinese computer networks. Apart from the UK, the US, France and Germany have openly derided these attacks and have also taken the matter up with the Chinese government. Even a few strategic Indian government networks have faced the wrath of Chinese attacks. In mid-August, a couple of our defence websites were attacked and were propagating viruses.
Choking The Russian Voice - sale of livejournal.com (Forbes)
The sweeping 70% victory of President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in the recent Russian elections sucked the air out of the opposition's attempt to gain even one seat in parliament. Now Russians could have less of an independent voice in cyberspace. LiveJournal, the U.S.-based blogging service more Russians use than any other, was acquired on Monday by Russian media holding company SUP--another sign that Russians are losing outlets for personal opinions.
Rural Connectivity Project for Africa (AllAfrica.com)
The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO)is to embark on a project for African rural inclusion known as Commonwealth African Rural Connectivity Initiative (COMARCI).
Internet in the developing world by Steven Huter and Adiel Akplogan (The Guardian)
The first full internet connection to the African continent was established in Tunisia in October 1991. Over the next 15 years, the transition from store-and-forward email networks to full internet connectivity in capital cities all over Africa progressed steadily, with Eritrea being the last to join the global internet in November 2000.
06 December 2007
Reputation of UK Brands Dramatically Affected by Phishing Attacks according to Survey Commissioned by Cloudmark
Cloudmark Inc., the global leader in carrier-grade messaging security, today announced the results of a survey conducted on its behalf by YouGov, which revealed that public confidence in consumer brands is dramatically affected by phishing attacks, with 42% of people surveyed feeling that their trust in a brand would be greatly reduced if they received a phishing email claiming to be from that company. The survey also showed that the majority of consumers feel that the responsibility for protection against phishing attacks lies with themselves, their service provider and the service provider that transported the phishing emails.
Nominet sees opportunities and risks (IT Week)
IT Week reports on the October registrar conference and what 2008 will mean for the domain name industry in the UK. The report notes, "There were also warnings from some quarters over the continued rise of the practice of domain tasting, and firms were urged to tightly manage their domain name portfolios."
Latino groups seek .LAT domain to transcend political boundaries (ars technica)
Jacqui Cheng writes in ars technica on the proposal for a .LAT gTLD for the Latino community: The Latino community may soon have its own top-level domain, .LAT, if a proposal by two organizations goes through. eCOM-LAC, an organization that works to ensure regional representation of Latin America, and NIC Mexico, the entity that manages the top-level domain of .MX for Mexico, announced the new extension earlier this month as an effort to "identify, differentiate, and add value to Internet resources related with Latinos."
Many Australian websites may be outside the law (Courier Mail)
Thousands of Australian businesses are unwittingly breaking copyright laws via their websites, warns a Brisbane intellectual property law specialist. McCullough Robertson partner Malcolm McBratney says recent developments in IP law indicate businesses will be liable for infringements even if they're unaware of them according to a report in The Courier Mail.
05 December 2007
Business should fund domain name police, says expert (Out-Law.com)
A technology law expert has called on the business world to set up a policing outfit to tackle cybersquatters reports OUT-LAW.COM. The call comes as Dell raises the stakes in the fight against domain hoarders, demanding compensation of $1 million per name in a lawsuit. John Mackenzie, an intellectual property and technology law expert at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind OUT-LAW.COM, said that businesses should band together to tackle the multi-million dollar cybersquatting industry pro-actively.
AllBusiness.com domain sells for US$55m
Online business resource AllBusiness.com has been acquired by Dun & Bradstreet for approximately US$55 million to enhance its internet presence reports The Associated Press. AP further reports the site will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of the veteran commercial info company with Kathy Yates remaining as CEO. Dun & Bradstreet expects the acquisition to generate about $10 million of incremental revenue in 2008.
UK Cybercrime agency faces cuts as computer raid threats grow (The Times)
Staff cuts at the government agency that tackles cybercrime will leave British businesses vulnerable to attack from criminals and industrial espionage, experts say. It has emerged that the Serious Organised Crime Agency, formed last year, will have to shed up to 400 staff when the Home Office announces its policing budget this week.
Al Qaeda-linked Web sites number 5,600 (Reuters)
There are now about 5,600 Web sites spreading al Qaeda's ideology worldwide, and 900 more are appearing each year, a Saudi researcher told a national security conference on Tuesday.
French auction regulator sues to close down eBay France (InfoWorld)
The French auction regulatory authority is seeking to close down eBay France for operating an online auction without a permit, it announced Monday. Also includes a link to a story from The Times.
Social Networks Lead Ask, Google, Yahoo Search Terms For 2007 (Information Week)
It's December and in the news business that means one thing: lists. During the holiday season, companies, sensing easy publicity, release lists of all sorts and journalists dutifully, or perhaps lazily, reprint them. This week, the search companies, except for Microsoft, are putting out their lists of top search terms for 2007. Also includes a link to a story from Reuters.
Google's War On Cyber-Crime (Forbes)
"Don't be evil" isn't just Google's corporate mantra. Lately, the search giant has also applied its moral code to real evildoers: Web sites that use shady software to exploit unwitting searchers. Over several days last week, Google removed thousands of pages from its search results that security software maker Sunbelt Software discovered were secretly infecting users with hidden malicious programs.
The Evolution of Spam, Part 3: Now Taking Control of Your PC (E-Commerce Times)
"People have to stop buying from spam. I have to wonder if there are really people, even one in 10 million, who are so stupid that they think it is a good idea to buy Viagra from an e-mail titled 'Fires in California kill a second person.' It would seem so," said Randy Abrams, director of technical education at ESET.
Rise in broadband use in Europe (BBC)
A total of 42% of households in the EU now have a broadband connection, according to an official survey by the national statistics offices across Europe. That represents a 12 percentage point rise on the figure for 2006.
us: Civil liberties group wants wiretapping legislation changed (ComputerWorld)
The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) has urged the U.S. Congress to make changes to a bill that would extend a controversial wiretapping program. The CDT, a group that focuses on online civil liberties, called for the U.S. Senate to pass a substitute to the FISA Amendments Act, which is likely to be debated on the Senate floor later this week.
Nokia lays plan for more Internet services (ComputerWorld)
Nokia Corp. today unveiled an ambitious plan to move beyond cell phones and deeper into the world of Internet services, where it will compete more directly with Google Inc., Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp.
Beacon's user tracking extends beyond Facebook, CA says (ComputerWorld)
If you think that just because you never signed up for Facebook you're immune to the tracking and collecting of user activities outside of the popular social networking site, think again. Facebook Inc.'s controversial Beacon ad system tracks activities from all users in its third-party partner sites, including people who never signed up with Facebook or who have deactivated their accounts, CA Inc. has found.
