Tech News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7970471.stm ... An electronic spy network, based mainly in China, has infiltrated computers from government offices around the world, Canadian researchers say. They said the network had infiltrated 1,295 computers in 103 countries. They included computers belonging to foreign ministries and embassies and those linked with the Dalai Lama - Tibet\'s spiritual leader. There is no conclusive evidence China\'s government was behind it, researchers say. Beijing also denied involvement. The report comes after a 10-month investigation by the Information Warfare Monitor (IWM), which comprises researchers from Ottawa-based think tank SecDev Group and the University of Toronto\'s Munk Centre for International Studies.
After years of suing thousands of people for allegedly stealing music via the Internet, the recording industry is set to drop its legal assault as it searches for more effective ways to combat online music piracy. The decision represents an abrupt shift of strategy for the industry, which has opened legal proceedings against about 35,000 people since 2003. Critics say the legal offensive ultimately did little to stem the tide of illegally downloaded music. And it created a public-relations disaster for the industry, whose lawsuits targeted, among others, several single mothers, a dead person and a 13-year-old girl. [us album sales] Click below to read more.
Developers have found a way to exploit vulnerabilities within the software\'s code to allow them to customise their PlayStation Home experience beyond the options provided by Sony. PlayStation Home, a Second Life-like virtual world that providea PS3 users with a three-dimensional social gaming space in which to interact and communicate with other players, was launched on Dec 11. One hack uses a combination of the Apache web server and DNS re-direction to allow users of PlayStation Home to watch their own movies on display screens within the game, and change text and music to whatever they choose. Click below to read more.
A coalition of security-software companies, testing firms and information-technology publications issued on Monday two documents setting out guidelines for testing antivirus scanners and malware defenses. The recently-formed group, known as the Anti-Malware Testing Standard Organization (AMTSO), published The Fundamental Principles of Testing and Best Practices for Dynamic Testing... Fear the ellipsis! Click to read more.
Drug-benefits provider Express Scripts announced on Tuesday that it had established a large fund to reward people who provide information leading to the capture and prosecution of the online attackers that stole sensitive data from its servers and then attempted to extort money from the company and its customers. The company announced last week that it had received a letter containing the personal information of 75 customers and a demand for money. Since then, the provider\'s members have received letters listing their personal information -- including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and in some cases, their prescription information -- and a demand for money, the company said in a statement. Wanna make a quick buck? Sell out your buddies! Click to read more.
Wireless networks that use a popular form of security known as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) are vulnerable to an attack that could compromise certain communications in less than 15 minutes, two researchers plan to tell attendees next week at the PacSec 2008 conference in Tokyo. Martin Beck and Erik Tews — two graduate students at technical universities in Germany — found a combination of techniques that allow an attacker to decrypt limited communications protected with the lesser of two WPA security protocols, known as the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol or TKIP. Click below to read more.