Short takes from this week's news
Government loses 150 PCs in six months
Central government departments in the UK have had 150 computers
stolen in the past six months. The Home Office suffered the most
thefts, with 95 machines taken. The Ministry of Defence reported 23
computer thefts, a fall from more than 150 last year. MoD staff may
be more vigilant following a number of well publicised laptop
thefts from cars and bars in recent years.
Sun makes single sign-on open source
Sun Microsystems is planning to make some of its enterprise web
authentication and single sign-on technology open source. The move
will give developers a ready-made single sign-on interface to
incorporate into their applications, and allow enterprises to give
employees access to all web-based applications from a single
log-in. The identity management code will be released under Sun's
Common Developer and Distributed License (CDDL) programme.
New .mobi domain to launch in 2006
Microsoft, Nokia, Vodafone, the GSM Association and others will
start issuing .mobi top-level domain names from the first half of
next year. The companies have formed the MTLD venture to distribute
.mobi domains after signing a deal with internet domain regulator
Icann. The move is designed to promote the internet to mobile
device users by registering sites that are optimised for mobile
use.
Mozilla fixes 10 Firefox vulnerabilities
The Mozilla Foundation has issued a patch to fix 10 security
vulnerabilities in its open source Firefox browser. Some are
classed as "high risk" as they could allow remote attackers take
over a user's PC. One of the most serious flaws allows attackers to
add malicious content to users' trusted websites, as a result of
the way Firefox handles frames.
Anti-spyware body defines the enemy
Major suppliers and consumer bodies have backed the recently
launched Anti-Spyware Coalition (ASC). The ASC wants industry and
users to more closely define what spyware is and help users to make
educated judgements as to what should be allowed to reside on their
PCs. ASC's spyware definition is now out for consultation. Users
can contribute to the debate at:
www.antispywarecoalition.org
MPs back tougher sentences for hackers
An all-party group of MPs is backing a 10-minute rule bill
calling for reform of the Computer Misuse Act to make launching a
denial of service attack an offence and increase maximum sentences
for hacking from six months to two years. Tom Harris MP said there
was inconsistency between the severe financial consequences of
hacking attacks and sentencing. The bill follows a campaign by
Computer Weekly to strengthen computer crime law.
Report predicts full convergence by 2012
Industry, government and regulators must take the lead in
fostering a culture of convergence, according to a report from
Intellect, the IT suppliers' organisation. The UK can become a
world leader in digital convergence - where services, telecoms,
content and applications are fully integrated - and is on course
for "full convergence readiness" by 2012, Intellect said.
Restructuring offshore deals is a boom
market
Restructuring of outsourcing contracts now represents 20% of the
value of deals signed in the first six months of 2005, according to
the latest half-year index published by leading sourcing advisory
firm TPI. Cheap offshoring opportunities are fuelling the growth in
restructuring, which is almost double the 10-year average of 11%
recorded by TPI. The TPI index shows that of the 112 outsourcing
contracts worth over E40m signed globally in 2005 to date, 25 have
been restructurings, with a combined value of E4.6bn.
Link network to put bank statements on
mobiles
Cash-machine network Link is to enable people to download bank
statements to their mobile phones. It will launch the service,
mobileATM, which also enables mobile top-ups, with First Direct and
others later this year. Users will either download a Java
application or call Carphone Warehouse to activate the service.
Sophos unleashes zombie hunter
Security software firm Sophos has introduced an automatic
"zombie" detection product, Zombiealert, which allows companies to
locate networked computers that have been taken over by remote
hackers.
Sophos estimates that half of all spam originates from
zombies.