2nd December 2003 Archive

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Hackers used unpatched server to breach Debian

brk()ing and entering

A security alert issued by the Debian says that a known Linux kernel code vulnerability was used to break into the project's servers, bringing development builds to a halt. An encrypted program (encrypted using the TESO BurnEye obfuscator) used an overflow in brk() which allowed the user process to get executable access to …

Security 2 Dec 2003, 09:29
Diebold gives up e-vote clampdown

The archive is safe

ATM giant and voting machine hopeful Diebold has dropped its attempts to stifle discussion of flaws in its computer systems. An archive of internal Diebold emails, some listing embarrassing errors in Florida during the 2000 Presidential Election count, has been widely hosted on the Internet since it first leaked. Diebold …

Music and Media 2 Dec 2003, 09:37
Training police to capture online child predators

Conference call

A conference to help police capture online child predators is launched today. The International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) is running the four-day Conference on Computer-Facilitated Crimes Against Children at the headquarters of international police agency Interpol in Lyon, France. This brings together …

Music and Media 2 Dec 2003, 09:44
First motorists collared by mobile ban

Had to happen

Police in Scotland have nabbed their first motorists caught using mobile phones while behind the wheel. Eight motorists were stopped by police yesterday, following the introduction of new legislation which outlaws the holding of a phone while driving, the Scotsman reports. Early yesterday morning (around 2am) a 35-year-old …

Mobile 2 Dec 2003, 09:49
Rogue diallers now use satellite

But how do they make money?

The German site Dialerschutz (Dialler Protection) warns Internet users against new rogue diallers which connect through Emsat, Eutelsat's satellite system. Internet users have been faced with exceptionally high phone bills. Emsat provides mobile telephony and data services to regions where terrestrial cellular networks have not …

Security 2 Dec 2003, 10:08
The Wells Fargo example

Opinion Doing the right thing

Companies should protect consumer data better than Wells Fargo did, but in cleaning up its laptop data spill the bank blazed a trail worth following, says SecurityFocus columnist Mark Rasch. In July of this year, a new law took effect in California, SB 1386, that requires all companies that do business in the state to "promptly …

Security 2 Dec 2003, 10:13
Sony ships blu-ray 23GB storage system

Professional Disc for Data out to oust MO

Sony has begun shipping its blue laser Professional Disc for Data (PDD) optical drives and media. The system, which offers up to 23GB of storage capacity, is being initially aimed at system integrators and OEMs, but Sony expects to offer product under its own name during Q1 2004. Sony didn't disclose pricing, but the drives and …

Storage 2 Dec 2003, 10:14
Siebel preps architecture shift

Universal Application Network

Siebel is preparing to shift its architecture to its new Universal Application Network platform. The concepts and methodology behind the development of the UAN align with wider architectural changes in software architecture, and are leading Siebel's efforts to adapt. UAN is even impacting on how the core Siebel application …

Hardware 2 Dec 2003, 10:16
Sage profits, customers jump

Challenging Europe

Sage pre-tax profits climbed 12 per cent (at constant exchange rates) to £151m on sales up 4 per cent to £560.3m for the year to 30 September 2003. The accountancy and business management software vendor squeezed out some extra margin points too, increasing operating margin by 1.6 per cent to 27.8 per cent. The declining dollar …

Business 2 Dec 2003, 13:28
Useless Longhorn build on sale for $1.58 – trade slow in pirate coves?

Nothing better worth stealing, apparently...

Over a month after its release at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference, Longhorn build 4051 has made it into the pirate coves of Malaysia, priced - Reuters tells us - at an eye-watering $1.58. For this you get, well, not a lot actually, but if you happened to be passing the Holiday Plaza centre in Johor Bahru, $1.58 …

Software 2 Dec 2003, 13:29
OFT cracks down on dodgy domain sellers

IRBL fingered

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is to continue to crack down on dodgy domain sellers who pressure companies into registering domains. The pledge comes as a Swansea-based company has given written assurances that it will not make misleading claims when flogging domains. The assurance from Internet Registrations Bureau Limited ( …

Music and Media 2 Dec 2003, 13:30
DVD Jon retrial begins today

Nobody expects the MPAA acquisition

The retrial of DVD Jon Johansen is set to begin in Oslo today. The hearing is taking place, despite the January acquittal of the Norwegian 20 year-old by a lower court on charges relating to his involvement in creating and distributing a utility for playing back DVDs on his own computer. An Oslo district court decided that …

Music and Media 2 Dec 2003, 13:33
Orange says sorry for charging for phone spam

Won't do it again, here's your money back etc.

Orange has admitted that it made an £84,000 cock-up after billing punters for receiving marketing picture messages from the mobilephoneco. In total, Orange sent around 210,000 picture messages (one batch notifying the end of British summertime and the other around Halloween) to its punters, but charged them by mistake. …

Mobile 2 Dec 2003, 13:35
There's a noose in the hoose – iTunes shoppers discover DRM

Backlash

If Jon Johansen - who goes on trial again later today in Norway - had the intention of raising public awareness of Locked Music when he posted his DRM crack for iTunes, he's certainly achieved it now, we reckon. Johansen posted his code on Friday a week ago, but the discussions were rumbling on well into Thanksgiving: the …

Music and Media 2 Dec 2003, 13:38
Delayed GNER Wi-Fi train trial steams out

19-day trial run for First Class passengers

UK train company GNER yesterday began a free, 19-day Wi-Fi trial on board rail services out of London's Kings Cross to Scotland and the North of England. Access may be free of charge, but the trial is limited to a mere 42 trips in total, operating Monday to Friday through this week and the following two. Access is also …

Wireless 2 Dec 2003, 14:43
ATI begins sampling HDTV chip

Inside digital tellies soon

ATI has launched its latest picture processing chip aimed at the US HDTV market. The Theater 313 is being pitched at makers of set-top boxes, digital TVs and PC TV add-in cards, and can handle both cable-transmitted and terrestrial-broadcast digital content that meets the Digital Cable Ready and Advanced Television Systems …

Personal 2 Dec 2003, 14:50
PlayStation 3 ‘concept image’ hits web

Official Sony piccy - or talented fake?

A picture purporting to be concept art of Sony's next-generation console, the PlayStation 3, has been circulated on the Internet, showing a sleek silver console with a slot-loading DVD drive. So, is this an early glimpse of the future of console entertainment? We have our doubts, since although we've been unable to confirm …

Personal 2 Dec 2003, 15:10
Mimail variant attacks anti-spam sites. Again

This time it's war

A new variant of the infamous Mimail worm attempts to knock anti-spam websites off the Net. Mimail-L typically spreads as an attachment (wendy.zip) to a pornographic email claiming to come from a woman called Wendy. Windows users who run an infectious file (for_greg_with_love.jpg.exe) within the compressed attachment get a …

Anti-Virus 2 Dec 2003, 15:21
Ebay takes action over child porn complaints

'Suspicious' images lead to suspension

Ebay has taken action following allegations that its online auction house was being used to trade in child pornography. One of its users - who has now been suspended from the service - bought and sold hundreds of items, many of which included pictures of naked children and babies. Although many of the items were old or " …

Music and Media 2 Dec 2003, 15:30