Windows admin 'feature' poses latest hazard

<img border="0" src="../logos/ms_flag.gif" align="right"><font size="3">Windows admin 'feature' poses latest hazard</font>

An obscure messaging feature in Windows could be the latest source of security problems for Internet users, experts have warned

Security experts are warning users to switch off a Windows messaging feature that has been taken over by spammers and could now pose the latest security threat for Windows users.

The feature, known as the messenger service, was originally designed to let a network administrator send warnings to users when, for example, a server is scheduled to go down for maintenance. Last year, bulk advertisers began using the tool to send pop-up advertising messages directly to a user's computer, and researchers say it would be simple for a virus writer to exploit the feature as well. The feature is not related to Microsoft's instant messaging software.

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'Good' worm fights MSBlast

'Good' worm fights MSBlast

Instead of crashing computers and attacking Microsoft, a new variant of the MSBlast worm downloads relevant patches

A variant of MSBlast spread on Monday, but the new worm has an odd twist: it applies a patch for the vulnerability that it and other MSBlast worms use to infect Windows systems.

The new worm, dubbed W32.Welchia, W32/Nachi and Worm_MSBlast.D, appears to properly download the patch for both Windows 2000 and Windows XP from Microsoft's Web site. Moreover, the variant will delete itself the first time an infected computer starts up in 2004.

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Microsoft Outwits Blaster Worm

Microsoft Outwits Blaster Worm

The second wave of an Internet attack by the "blaster" worm barely caused a ripple Saturday.

Microsoft Corp. said it had no major problems from the worm's attempt to turn thousands of infected computers into instruments targeting the software company's Web site and network.

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Registration for open source project brought forward

With a worm designed to exploit a Windows flaw once again in the news, Sun Microsystems has decided to bring forward the registration date for its open source rival to Microsoft.

Dubbed Project Mad Hatter, the Linux-based desktop is being promoted by Sun as a more secure and less expensive alternative to Windows

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Floppy drives near extinction

Floppy drives near extinction

A flash-drive maker has developed a device that can boot PCs

In a move that may speed the death of floppy disk drives, M-Systems on Tuesday said its USB flash memory storage device can now start a PC's boot-up process.

M-Systems said that if users plug the flash memory device into the USB port of a computer that has crashed and turn on the power, the machine will start to boot up. Booting up a computer loads an operating system into its main memory.

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China reveals massive smart ID card plan

China reveals massive smart ID card plan

China's 960 million citizens will be issued with digital smart ID cards, starting from next year

China will replace paper national identification (ID) cards with electronic identity cards starting in 2004, according to wire agency Dow Jones.

The new digital ID card, which uses smart ID technology, will be carried by 960 million Chinese citizens. The embedded microchip in the plastic card stores an individual's personal information, which can be read and checked against databases kept by China's security authorities.

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If you're using a honeypot, you may be breaking the law

Interesting article. Here's the link: http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-6264-5034939.html?fromtm=e101-3

Linux closes on Windows in usability tests

Linux closes on Windows in usability tests

The open-source operating system may be beginning to lose its user-unfriendly reputation with recent improvements, according to a German study

Linux is only marginally more difficult for users to learn than Windows XP, according to a study carried out by German usability testing agency Relevantive.

The tests, which compared SuSE Linux 8.2 Professional running the KDE 3.1.2 desktop environment to Windows XP, found that users were able to learn and complete tasks in Linux nearly as quickly as they could in Windows, and in some cases more quickly.

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IT workers need more skills - bosses

Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North of England can all expect to see an increase in demand for IT jobs over the next year.

However, the increase in demand for IT staff - estimated to grow by 4 per cent in some regions over the next twelve months - is likely to be offset by further downward pressure on jobs in London and the South East.

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'Ethical' hackers probe for holes

'Ethical' hackers probe for holes

TORONTO -- In a 17th-floor corner office in north Toronto, computer nerds are feverishly attacking Corporate Canada -- and getting paid for their efforts.

''If you have a system on line, you will be a target. You are either a target of choice or a target of opportunity,'' said Simon Tang, manager of Deloitte and Touche LLP's Internet security team.

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