Archive

2005 Stories

• December 23, 2005 23Dec2005 News

  Student developers' chance to win $125,000 of prizes

  Microsoft calls for student developers to represent the UK in 4th annual Imagine Cup Continue Reading

• December 22, 2005 22Dec2005 News

  Gaining access using application and operating system attacks

  In this excerpt from Chapter 7 of Counter Hack Reloaded: A Step-by-Step Guide to Computer Attacks and Effective Defenses, Second Edition, authors Ed Skoudis and Tom Liston explain how security professionals can use exploit frameworks to their ... Continue Reading

• December 21, 2005 21Dec2005 News

  Compliance gets more expensive for IT budgets

  New study shows IT spending has increased in order to keep pace with the growing demands of Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulations. Analysts predict that this may lead to the canceling of other projects. Continue Reading

• December 21, 2005 21Dec2005 News

  Sony struggles to regain trust

  The company is trying to mend a reputation bruised over its antipiracy practices. One advocate for online civil liberties explains why redemption is a long way off. Continue Reading

• December 21, 2005 21Dec2005 News

  XP gets US government security rating

  The US government has given some versions of Microsoft’s Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 operating systems the highly regarded Common Criteria security certification rating. Continue Reading

• December 21, 2005 21Dec2005 News

  Hackers crack X-Box software

  Microsoft’s operating systems aren’t the only products from the company to suffer hacker attacks. Now its new Xbox 360 games console is under threat after hackers claimed to have cracked their way into the software that runs the machine. Continue Reading

• December 21, 2005 21Dec2005 News

  Firms worry over clash between policies and compliance

  Company security specialists are struggling to manage the demands of meeting regulatory accountability for data security while at the same time keeping businesses running with the help of numerous business partners. Continue Reading

• December 21, 2005 21Dec2005 News

  EU data to be stored for two years

  European telecoms companies and ISPs will have to keep their data stored for two years to meet security regulations after EU politicians and legislators voted for the increase in data retention. Continue Reading

• December 21, 2005 21Dec2005 News

  New Dasher worm targets Windows 2000

  A new worm has emerged, which targets Windows 2000 systems. It is based on an exploit for a recently patched bug in Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator. Continue Reading

• December 20, 2005 20Dec2005 News

  Guidance turns investigative tools on itself

  The forensics software firm says it was compromised by hackers in November. It's just one in a growing list of companies admitting to recent attacks or lax security. Continue Reading

• December 20, 2005 20Dec2005 News

  Symantec shuts down discussion groups

  One user has started a new, independent forum in response, saying IT professionals need a place to find support for problems related to the AV giant's products. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  Free tool helps secure Terminal Services

  New freeware offered by software developer 2X improves security for Terminal Services. The tool secures remote Web servers by verifying IP addresses. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  Dell recalls faulty batteries

  PC supplier, Dell is recalling batteries from selected notebook computers, after receiving reports that some are at risk of over heating, and could pose a fire risk. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  New open source software standard unites suppliers

  Seven US universities and four suppliers have agreed common standards for developing open source software. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  Microsoft to boost project management offering with UMT technology

  Microsoft has unveiled plans to acquire the software and intellectual property of the development arm of UMT, which provides project and portfolio management technology alongside consulting services. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  Microsoft, IBM and SAP drop joint project

  Microsoft, IBM and SAP, are to discontinue the UDDI Business Registry (UBR) project, created to test UDDI specifications and products, in January. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 In Depth

  Case study - Datacentre consolidation at Ernst and Young

  As Ernst & Young has grown, so have the demands on its data resources. In order to remain the effective outfit that it is, the firm consolidated its datacentres Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  Suppliers and retailers split on delay to electronic waste scheme

  Retailers are disappointed that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has indefinitely postponed the introduction of a scheme for safely disposing of electronic waste. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  Sun unveils Linux software for Solaris after year-long wait

  Sun Microsystems has finally released software which lets the latest version of its Solaris operating system run Linux applications. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  Microsoft patch hits Internet Explorer 7

  Users who are testing the latest version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, IE7 have complained of problems after downloading last week’s critical internet explorer patch. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  HBOS to boost training efficiency with Enlight deal

  HBOS has signed an agreement with Enlight to use its IT Rollout and Training product across the bank’s entire group of companies. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  IXEurope expands London datacentre footprint

  IXEurope, Europe's fastest growing specialist datacentre services group, has acquired a new site to convert into a datacentre in London to accommodate strong growth from the corporate market. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  HP goes to AMD for server blades

  HP has made an addition to its server blade portfoilio with the introduction of a high-performance blade PC based on AMD64 technology. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  Global Services Company cuts datacentre's servers

  Mercer Human Resource Consulting, a global provider of HR and financial services, has gone live with a state-of-the-art European data centre at an ex-Ministry of Defence site 40 miles north of London. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  IBM names server blade magnificent seven

  There are seven big advantages of deploying blade servers, says IBM’s BladeCenter and xSeries Servers division. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  Sober worm code cracked

  Security firm F-Secure says it has cracked the code used by the Sober worm, potentially blocking the worm from receiving updates. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  Spyware still on the increase

  The latest threat management report from antivirus firm Sophos presents a worrying, but not entirely unexpected, picture on the state of spyware, with companies seeing a dramatic increase in infections throughout 2005. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  Going, going, gone: a Microsoft vulnerability

  There have been a few extraordinary sales on eBay, but you probably wouldn’t have expected to see a Microsoft software vulnerability on the auction site. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  More Microsoft patches this week

  Microsoft is planning two new software security fixes – one of which is said to be critical – in the latest batch of security updates. Continue Reading

• December 19, 2005 19Dec2005 News

  IT security professionals move on up

  Information security professionals are now more highly regarded, and are moving up the corporate ladder towards the board, according to a survey by analyst firm IDC. Continue Reading

• December 18, 2005 18Dec2005 News

  Trio of trouble: Malcode targets Windows, IM users

  AV firms warn IT shops to guard against Dasher, Bagle and Banbra. Dasher targets a Windows flaw patched in October, while Banbra spreads through IM. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  Visto sues Microsoft over wireless e-mail patents

  Visto Corporation is suing Microsoft for allegedly infringing its patents covering wireless e-mail and other applications. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  Swiss government chooses Suse Linux

  The Swiss federal government is to standardise its IT infrastructure on Novell’s Suse Linux server platform. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  Oracle profits slump but new licences up

  Oracle has posted a drop in its second quarter net profits but it says new licence revenues are up. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  Adobe sheds jobs after Macromedia takeover

  Adobe Systems is making 10% of its staff redundant following its £2bn acquisition of Macromedia. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  Government delays WEEE recycling directive again

  The government has admitted that it is unable to make the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive (WEEE) law. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  BUPA adopts .net-based web services

  BUPA has awarded Edenbrook a two-year £5m contract to develop new Microsoft .net-based systems to support its private healthcare business. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  Watmore leaves government CIO role

  Government CIO Ian Watmore is to leave his job on 9 January 2006 to become head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  Microsoft security patches conflict with system settings

  Microsoft’s latest security updates conflict with some systems’ security settings by overwriting a previously installed file. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  Visto signs licensing deal with NTP

  Visto has signed a deal with NTP to license the wireless push e-mail technology that is the subject of legal action between NTP and Blackberry maker Research in Motion. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  Windows platforms achieve government security accreditation

  A number of Microsoft Windows platform products have achieved high security levels in the Common Criteria IT assurance scheme. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  Adobe moves to regular patching cycle

  Adobe is following the lead set by Microsoft and Oracle and plans to start issuing patches for its expanded product suite as part of a set cycle. Continue Reading

• December 16, 2005 16Dec2005 News

  Microsoft sues users for selling on discounted products

  Microsoft is suing nine people for selling on discounted copies of its software. Continue Reading

• December 15, 2005 15Dec2005 News

  European parliament votes for two-year data retention

  The European Parliament has voted make ISPs and telephone companies keep internet and phone data for between six months and two years, to aid law enforcement agencies in their fight against terrorism and serious crime. Continue Reading

• December 15, 2005 15Dec2005 News

  BMW signs pioneering deal with Intel

  BMW has signed a multi-million pound technology, marketing and sponsorship partnership with Intel in which the carmaker will standardise its IT infrastructure on Intel-based systems. Continue Reading

• December 15, 2005 15Dec2005 News

  Microsoft Releases Exchange 12 Beta 1

  Microsoft has started beta testing the next version of its e-mail server system, Exchange 12. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Flaws reported in Trend Micro ServerProtect

  Storage and security managers should be wary of vulnerabilities in the AV product that could enable a denial-of-service and malicious code execution. Workarounds are available. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Hospital ditches EMC Centera for long-term archiving

  UHCS in Augusta, Ga., is replacing its Centera archiving system from EMC with IBM's GMAS product after performance, reliability and cost issues forced it to seek alternatives. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Roundup: 2005's 'curious malicious code'

  These viruses, worms and Trojans sometimes escaped our notice. But it didn't get past one antivirus vendor, who rounded up some of the year's stranger offerings from the underground. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  BCS disability charity and RNIB offer website access accreditation

  A scheme that accredits websites as usable by disabled people has been launched by BCS charity AbilityNet and the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB). Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Your shout: Data security and offshore outsourcing

  Readers' views on the week's news Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Herts SMEs benefit from IT work placements

  Small and medium-sized businesses in Hertfordshire are offering work placements to students on IT foundation degrees as part of a programme to help firms fill IT vacancies and give students practical experience. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 In Depth

  SIP can revolutionise telephony networks but must overcome interoperability issues

  Back in the days of circuit-switched networks, when the only type of electronic communication you would undertake was a telephone call, it was much easier for one device to connect to another. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Storage software market jumps 10%

  The worldwide storage software market grew 10% year-on-year to be worth $2.1bn (£1.24bn) in the third quarter of 2005. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  UK firms overlook service delivery

  Only 48% of companies have a well-defined IT service management process in place, according to independent research from service management company Tertio SMS. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  App dev revs up in 2006

  Research from managed hosting supplier Globix suggests application development will top the 2006 IT budget at 20.7% of spend, even outstripping investment in network security. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Relationships key to outsourcing success

  A commanding 83% of the 150 delegates surveyed at the National Outsourcing Association (NOA) Summit regarded the relationship with their outsource supplier as more important than performance or meeting service level agreements (16%). Only 1% thought... Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  CIOs struggle to shake off techie image

  Some 68% of business executives don’t know how to measure the value of IT and rely on their CIO to translate the benefits for them, according to a survey by portfolio management company UMT. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  IBM gives start-ups access to 40,000 patents

  IBM is giving start-up companies access to more than 40,000 of its technology patents through a new licensing programme. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Car-tracking wireless tags to be trialled in London congestion zone

  Transport for London (TfL) is extending the trial of car-tracking tags for its Congestion Charge road system. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Another PC maker joins £60 laptop project

  One of the world’s biggest laptop PC manufacturers has signed up to the $100 (£60) laptop project to give computing access to the poor in developing countries. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Exploit code for Firefox flaw appears on internet

  Exploit code that can use older versions of the open-source Firefox browser to remotely take over users’ PC has appeared on the internet. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Microsoft patches critical IE flaws

  Microsoft has patched a number of serious security flaws in its Windows operating system, which mainly relate to holes in the company’s Internet Explorer browser. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Independent police complaints body links systems to all UK forces via XML data feed

  Analysing data on complaints lets IPCC track cases and spot trends Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Female BCS membership increases

  Women IT specialists are getting increasing support from the BCS after big growth in female membership of the society. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Quality testing tools could aid developers

  Developers building high-quality software could benefit from two new application quality testing tools from Compuware. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Oil disaster crashes public sector systems

  Hosted police and council IT systems have been crippled by the oil depot fire at Buncefield. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  American Express and Ariba offer joint electronic payment system

  American Express and Ariba have joined forces to launch a complete on-line procurement and payment system for enterprises and their suppliers. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Holway identifies 'destructive technologies'

  The battle for ownership of the "webtop" will be a key theme for the IT sector in the next year or so, IT industry analyst Richard Holway told delegates at a charity event organised by the Prince's Trust Technology Leadership Group earlier this ... Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  European Commission called on to investigate proposed .com deal

  The European Commission is being asked to investigate a proposed domain names contract between international registry body Icann and .com registrar VeriSign over allegations that it is anti-competitive. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 News

  Cisco warns of flaws in OpenSSL software

  Cisco Systems has issued a security advisory over the potential vulnerabilities in using OpenSSL open source data encryption software with some of its products. Continue Reading

• December 14, 2005 14Dec2005 In Depth

  The revolution on the desktop

  The humble desktop PC is changing radically, in a way that promises to make the hardware more secure, enable easier PC management and provide internet users with sophisticated graphical user interfaces. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 In Depth

  A closer look at fixed mobile convergence

  You don't have to put fixed mobile convergence on your holiday shopping list just yet, according to our wireless expert. But now is the time to determine how the technology can benefit you -- so you can shop smart later. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 In Depth

  Next move: How can I branch out beyond open source?

  The question: How can I branch out beyond open source? Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Research firm's IP phones go wireless

  The British Market Research Bureau, part of the Millward Brown Group, will this month extend its IP telephony system to support wireless telephony. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Council contact centre improves service level

  A new contact centre has meant fewer abandoned service calls and a better service for Lancaster City Council and its citizens. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Use of Wi-Fi up but concerns over hotspot cost and security remain

  Sales of Wi-Fi-enabled devices have increased 64% this year and will exceed 120 million units before the year is out, according to research firm In-Stat. But analysts said many organisations are still wary of the technology. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Infrastructure managers moving from consolidation to automation

  European IT infrastructure decision makers will next year shift their focus away from consolidation and look to infrastructure automation and managing storage more efficiently, according to a report from analyst firm Forrester Research. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Finance and IT services offer highest salaries

  The computer services and finance industries pay the highest average salaries to IT professionals, according to the latest Kew Associates benchmarking study. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Capgemini helps its staff diversify

  Thousands of staff at IT services company Capgemini have been given the opportunity to learn new skills that could help them change careers. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Top female IT students scoop awards

  Schoolgirls from Dundee and Cardiff triumphed at this year's Axios A Star Awards for the brightest female IT students in the UK. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 In Depth

  Apacs brings its IT projects in on time

  We have had a great year at Apacs, with most of our projects coming in on time. Some of these will carry over into next year, but none that were time-critical, writes Sue Yoe, director, IT and office services at the Association for Payment Clearing ... Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  IT directors forced to wait on MiFID draft

  The European Commission has pushed back the publication of the final draft of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) to January, having originally timetabled a pre-Christmas release. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Yahoo releases new widget delivery system

  Yahoo has launched a new version of its widget engine, the web portal's platform for running mini-desktop applications. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Wireless groups work together to improve performance

  Several wireless networking trade groups are joining forces to improve data networking speeds and reduce interference between their technologies. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Microsoft to change security settings for IE7

  Microsoft has unveiled several changes in the way its upcoming Internet Explorer 7 browser will classify websites for security, to reduce the chances of users falling victim to malicious code. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Microsoft and SAP to release Mendocino next week

  Some companies will be able to start testing the Mendocino data integration package from SAP and Microsoft next week. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Mobile data security boosted by self-destruct texts

  A service offering secure self-destruct mobile text messages has been launched in the UK. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  SanDisk wins flash patent ruling

  The US Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by digital media manufacturers to throw out a patent infringement lawsuit brought by flash data storage card manufacturer SanDisk. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Mozilla issues security advisory for Firefox 1.5

  The Mozilla Foundation has issued a security advisory to address concerns about a potential flaw in its new open-source Firefox 1.5 browser which could cause a buffer overflow error. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Microsoft starts beta of Windows Live Messenger with VoIP

  Microsoft has started beta testing a Windows Live Messenger service that includes features such as voice over IP. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Vonage launches Wi-Fi phone

  Vonage is this week launching a Wi-Fi phone that subscribers to its voice over IP service can use to make phone calls using wireless hot spots in public spaces. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  GPs could be paid to use new national IT systems

  Health officials want to pay GP practices to use new national systems, as part of efforts to counter flagging enthusiasm among some doctors towards the NHS national programme for IT. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Beware Christmas data theft dangers, warn police

  Police, security experts and lawyers are warning IT departments to be on their guard against corporate data theft as companies wind down their operations over the Christmas holidays. Continue Reading

• December 13, 2005 13Dec2005 News

  Report slams City watchdog's IT as expensive and badly managed

  An independent report has slammed the IT operations of City watchdog the Financial Services Authority as expensive, lacking direction and badly managed. Continue Reading

• December 12, 2005 12Dec2005 News

  Bank of East Asia to replace core system in UK

  The UK operation of Bank of East Asia is preparing to replace its core banking system. The bank will also undertake a hardware upgrade to accommodate the new system. Continue Reading

• December 12, 2005 12Dec2005 News

  Stock exchange offers web service for SMEs

  The London Stock Exchange has developed a hosted web service to give firms with a small market capitalisation and those listed on the alternative investment market a cost-effective online investor relations presence. Continue Reading

• December 12, 2005 12Dec2005 News

  Show me the IT, minister tells insurers

  The government is to consider adopting a private sector IT system for the proposed National Pension Savings Scheme, and has invited insurers to put together detailed proposals by February. Continue Reading

• December 12, 2005 12Dec2005 News

  Recent contracts awarded December 2005

  Recent contracts awarded Continue Reading

• December 12, 2005 12Dec2005 News

  News in brief

  Short takes from this week's news Continue Reading