Microsoft to support Linux in Virtual Server

Microsoft to support Linux in Virtual Server

Microsoft head Steve Ballmer has promised to add Linux support for the first time in one of its products because, he explained, users need to manage heterogeneous networks.

Support for the software giant's open-source rival and greatest threat will come in Virtual Server 2005 Service Pack 1, due to ship by the end of the year, Ballmer said as part of his keynote speech at the company’s annual summit.

"We will add support for non-Windows virtual machines running on our Virtual Server, including Linux," he said. "Virtualisation is an area of intense interest and activity for us. Driving virtualisation is a key technology to facilitate better compatibility and lower total cost of ownership."

Ballmer also said Microsoft would use its Dynamic Systems Initiative to become an "enterprise management vendor" and deliver tools that let users extract management intelligence from their network nodes...

Mitnick: 'Human firewall' a crucial defense

'Human firewall' a crucial defense" />

'Human firewall' a crucial defense

By Munir Kotadia, Special to ZDNet
Published on ZDNet News: April 14, 2005, 12:32 PM PT

Companies can better protect their confidential information by creating an incident response department to deal with suspicious queries, said infamous ex-hacker Kevin Mitnick.

Mitnick explained that this group should be trained in the art of social engineering, be able to investigate any potential [security] attacks and respond in an efficient and effective manner.

The founder of Mitnick Security Consulting (formerly known as Defensive Thinking) also called on companies to properly educate their workforce and strengthen their so-called "human firewall". At a social engineering prevention workshop in Sydney this week, Mitnick and business partner Alex Kasperavicius...

Warning over fake Windows update

Warning over fake Windows update

Users are being warned to watch out for a fake Microsoft security update. Circulating as an e-mail the fake message points people at a bogus website that claims to host critical security updates.

But anyone downloading from the site will get a virus installed that opens a backdoor into their computer the program's creators can exploit.

Security firms and Microsoft urged users to ensure they visit legitimate sites when downloading updates.

Fake sites

Anti-virus firm Sophos spotted the e-mail which uses subject lines saying "Urgent Windows Update" and "Important Windows Update"

In the body of the message is a web link that looks like it should link to the Windows Update website but in fact links to a site controlled by the malicious hackers.


Full story: HERE
Source: BBC...

Man gets nine years for spamming

Man gets nine years for spamming

A man has been sentenced to nine years in jail by a Virginia judge for sending millions of junk emails, or "spamming".

Jeremy Jaynes, 30, is the first person in the US to get a prison term in a spam case. He is said to have been the world's eighth most prolific spammer.

By selling sham products and services advertised in his messages, he earned up to $750,000 (£398,000) per month.

Jaynes has appealed, and the court has put off the start of his prison term because the new law raises questions.
Under Virginia law, sending bulk email using fake addresses is a crime.

"It was not just sending bulk emails, he was falsifying the routing information, disguising the origin," said prosecutor Lisa Hicks Thomas. "The end user couldn't say: don't send this to me," she added. Ms Thomas said she was pleased with the ruling and hoped it would be upheld.

Full story:...

Microsoft Announces Architect Cert

Microsoft Announces Architect Cert

Microsoft has announced its first brand-new certification in years, one aimed at high-level IT pros with significant experience in architecting solutions that involve Microsoft -- and non-Microsoft -- products.

At a 101communications' TechMentor conference in Orlando, Al Valvano, Lead Product Manager with Microsoft Learning, unveiled the Microsoft Certified Architect Program, a board-level certification on a scale the company has never attempted before.

Valvano acknowledges that the MCAP is a work-in-progress, very preliminary work has been done, and any details they've worked out so far are sketches. He said to expect a more detailed announcement with solid information in late summer to the end of the year. Eric Ekstrand, a TechMentor attendee who works for Optum UnitedHealth Group, is cautious when he calls the MCAP "a great idea." Like several in attendance, he's "curious to see how it plays out."

Full...

Power-hungry PCs cost users dear

Power-hungry PCs cost users dear

People who cannot be bothered to turn off their computers properly are costing both the environment and their own pockets dear, a study has concluded. Computer magazine PC Pro measured the electricity consumed by PCs, printers and TVs.

It found many devices were extremely hungry when it comes to eating power.

But a few minor adjustments could save people hundreds of pounds.

Turn it off

A CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor left on during the day and in standby mode during the night costs an equivalent in electricity over five years as a brand new flat screen monitor, it found.


Full story: HERE
Source: BBC

UK Officially The Most Hacked Country

UK Officially The Most Hacked Country

While the UK continues to experience rapid adoption of residential broadband, the country has yet to climb the security learning curve, and this has turned the nation into the one with the most hacked computers in the world.

22 Mar 2005, 09:36 GMT -
Research out this week from Symantec places the UK at the top of the league table of countries that have lots of PCs participating in networks of "bots" -- compromised computers that malicious hackers can control to send spam or attack others.

Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report for the second half of 2004 said that 25.2% are located in the UK. That now puts the country ahead of the US (24.6%), China (7.8%), Canada (4.9%) and Spain (3.8%), Symantec said.

It's the boom that's doing it, Symantec speculated. There are millions more broadband subscribers in the UK now than there were a year ago, but not enough have yet learned that a raw, unfiltered,...

Novell Says Its Next Linux Desktop Will Surpass Windows

Novell Says Its Next Linux Desktop Will Surpass Windows

SALT LAKE CITY—While Microsoft still has the monopoly on the desktop market with its Windows operating system, Novell is readying new features and functionality that it believes will propel its Novell Linux Desktop offering into the mass market.

The current Novell Linux Desktop 9, which was released last November, is targeted not at the mass market but rather at those customers with more contained workloads.

But all of that is set to change with the next version of the product, Novell Linux Desktop 10, scheduled for release next year.

For the rest of this story, click here!

EU warns on Microsoft behaviour

EU warns on Microsoft behaviour

Microsoft has not done enough to comply with sanctions imposed for breaking European anti-trust rules, the European Commission (EC) has said. The software giant was censured in 2004 for misusing its monopoly position in desktop PCs to extend its reach into other areas.

The firm agreed to a 497m euro ($660m, £345m) fine and to make its software work better with competitors' products.

But an EC spokesman said Microsoft was failing to deliver on its commitments.

Full story: HERE
Source: BBC News

SUSE 9.3 Pro for Home Networking

SUSE 9.3 Pro for Home Networking

Novell announced the April release of SUSE Linux 9.3, the next version of its consumer Linux software, today at CeBIT. SUSE Linux Professional 9.3 will include a complete Linux operating system featuring a complete set of desktop applications and home networking capabilities. It is pitched as a reliable and secure alternative to Windows suitable for both experienced users and Linux newbies.

SUSE Linux Professional 9.3 comes with a wide range of consumer applications including an office suite (OpenOffice.org 2.0); Firefox Web browser; email and instant messaging clients. It will come bundled with a range of graphics and multimedia applications including F-Spot photo organizer, the GIMP 2.2 and Inkscape graphics programs, multimedia viewers and CD/DVD burners. It will also feature the latest tools for setting up a secure home network (an integrated firewall, spam blocker and virus scanner), running a Web server and...