Sober worm cracked

Sober worm cracked

Finnish security firm F-Secure has cracked a code used by the Sober worm, potentially allowing the company to block the worm from receiving updates. Sober has mutated constantly since October 2003, when the first variant was picked up, with more than 20 other variants making the rounds. Last month the latest version, called Sober.Y by F-Secure (or CME-681 using US-CERT's CME naming system), was responsible for the biggest outbreak of the year, and still accounts for about 40 percent of all infections detected by F-Secure.

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To catch a spy: Anti-spyware tools reviewed

To catch a spy: Anti-spyware tools reviewed

It has been 12 months since we last took a look at anti-spyware applications and in that time the market has changed considerably. Twelve months ago very few of the traditional antivirus vendors had products that could specifically target spyware threats, and there were virtually no enterprise-level desktop solutions around. Now many vendors are in the process of combining their antivirus, anti-spyware, and anti-spam applications into one package. A recent report by independent US market research company Radicati, titled: "Corporate Anti-Spyware Market 2005-2009", predicts that the number of corporate users with anti-spyware tools will grow from 16 million users in 2005 to 540 million in 2009. An increase that will be invariably reflected here in Australia.

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Microsoft admits to Explorer code changes

Microsoft admits to Explorer code changes

Microsoft has confirmed it is working on Internet Explorer code changes in order to bypass patents held by Eolas. From January, Microsoft will push the new code through updates and bug fixes to change the way Explorer deals with ActiveX. Developers have been warned of how the changes work, although Microsoft has promised that they are "minor". ActiveX controls allow for animated content, such as movies or music, to be built directly into Web pages.

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Ubuntu Holiday Giveaway

Ubuntu Holiday Giveaway

To continue a tradition started last year, members of the Ubuntu Community have created a Holiday Give Away wiki page. The goal of that effort is to try to provide people with Ubuntu CDs in time for the Holidays in December. Other ideas of things that can be shared within the community are personalized CDs with extra packages not usually found on the official CDs, and unwanted hardware looking for a new home.

To find out more and perhaps participate, click Here.

Skype adds in video to net calls

Skype adds in video to net calls

Popular internet phone service Skype is adding video calling to its software.

Skype's software lets computer users talk to each other for free and make cut-price calls to mobiles and landlines. The new version adds video and a bunch of extra features in what is becoming an increasingly competitive area. Internet portals such as MSN, Yahoo and AOL have offered video with their instant messaging services for a while, though usage is not widespread.

Full Story: HERE
Source: BBC News

Note: If there is a Skype logo then sorry, I missed it !

Gartner: Don’t Upgrade to Vista

Gartner: Don’t Upgrade to Vista

Gartner says upgrading to Windows Vista early doesn’t make sense from a business perspective. Gartner covers Microsoft’s plans to release Windows Vista incrementally, and says that it won’t be worth the deployment cost and risk to upgrade before 2008. He moves on to suggest that it should be entirely ignored until 2008, at which time, organizations should look in to upgrading, however, make sure proper steps are taken to minimize risk and losses, and therefore, will probably not be ready for upgrade until 2010.

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Overhaul for Firefox web browser

Overhaul for Firefox web browser

Thanks to Arroryn for this:

By Mark Ward
BBC News technology correspondent

The people behind Firefox are planning a big marketing push for the latest version of the open source web browser. Firefox 1.5 is due to be available for download on 29 November, marking the end of a thriving year for the browser. Analysts say Firefox has grabbed a 10% share of the browser market and it claims to have a core of 40-50 million dedicated users. Firefox maker Mozilla is now planning more regular updates and to take swift action on security lapses.

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Sober variant on rise

Sober variant on rise

The latest variant of the Sober worm is aiming for the top virus of the year spot, with a staggering one in 14 e-mails circulated on the Internet containing this morning, according to Sophos. Around 85 percent of all viruses reported to Sophos are sober.z, up from around 60 percent last week, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant. Sober.z is the third most prevalent virus for the year so far, behind zafi.d and netsky.p. "It isn't slowing down," Cluley warned. "At the moment, it's getting worse."

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Optical Wireless in the Field

Optical Wireless in the Field

Optical wireless technology remains a niche market. But it has come to the rescue of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in crowded Manhattan, where digging a trench for an optical cable could take months, given the need for construction approvals. The cancer center operates without paper or medical charts, so all data and voice connections need a backup pathway, CIO Patricia Skarulis said last week. Her staff has tried just about every kind of networking technology, including leased lines and microwave communications, she noted. It discovered optical wireless three years ago, installing equipment from LightPointe Inc. as a backup link between two buildings.

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Vista could ship earlier than expected

Vista could ship earlier than expected

With speculation of a ship date for Windows Vista ranging in the second part of 2006, word has surprisingly surfaced that it can be expected much earlier. BusinessWeek has received a copy of the internal blog of Chris Jones, who is a top Windows executive. The blog states that the code for Windows Vista will be completed by August 31, giving Microsoft the opportunity to place Vista on PCs for the 2006 Christmas season.

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