Short takes on this week's news
DNS poisoning attacks are on the increase
Domain Name System (DNS) attacks are becoming more widespread since
they were first reported last month, according to the Sans
Institute's Internet Storm Centre. DNS poisoning attacks affect
enterprise servers and cause users to be directed to malicious
websites when they try to access legitimate sites. Servers running
NT 4.0 or versions of Windows 2000 prior to Service Pack 3 are
particularly vulnerable, the centre said.
UK companies slow to adopt grid computing
UK businesses have been slow to invest in grid technology,
according to research sponsored by Oracle. Grid computing lets
firms build powerful computer platforms by linking together servers
whose processing power is then accessible across the business.
Oracle's latest Grid Index research, conducted by QuoCirca, found
the UK has increased its overall Grid Index performance from 3.1
last September to 4.3 (on a scale of 0 to 10).
Fontal.A Trojan targets Nokia
smartphones
Security firm F.Secure has discovered a Trojan virus that crashes
users' smartphones and causes them to lose their data. The Fontal.A
Trojan is aimed at Nokia Series 60 phones that run on the Symbian
operating system. The Trojan is spread through file sharing, with a
corrupted font file being installed on the device. F-Secure warned
users to only install files from trusted sources.
MI5 criticised for poor project management
Security service MI5 has been criticised for lacking project
management expertise following delays to a project to renew its IT
infrastructure. A report by the Intelligence and Security Committee
last week revealed that the project will generate less capability
than planned, and will cost at least 50% more than originally
estimated. However it will be operational earlier than projected.
Hotel installs Wi-Fi for royal wedding
The Harte & Garter Hotel in Windsor converted into a giant
Wi-Fi broadband press centre to host hundreds of international
journalists covering Prince Charles' wedding to Camilla
Parker-Bowles. The hotel was fitted with Wi-Fi access points and
fixed broadband links by BT.