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Cisco patches critical WebEx security holes
Cisco patches critical WebEx security holes
Cisco has released a security fix for at least six security holes that expose users of its WebEx Player software to remote code execution attacks.
The affected Cisco WebEx WRF Player is an application that is used to play back WebEx meeting recordings that have been recorded on the computer of an on-line meeting attendee.
Full story : HERE
UK trails on super-fast broadband say OECD figures
UK trails on super-fast broadband say OECD figures
The UK is trailing when it comes to next-generation access, new figures show.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the UK is placed 21st out of 30 in terms of speed.
That puts it below countries such as Greece, Portugal and Spain.
The report suggests that countries that invest in fibre networks are likely to see the best economic returns in other areas.
When it comes to broadband penetration, the UK is doing OK - placed 13th out of the 30 OECD members.
But most of these subscribers still access broadband via so-called DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) rather than via fibre.
Overall, nearly one in 10 OECD subscribers currently accesses the internet over fibre.
In Japan and Korea, most people do; it is also growing fast in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the US.
The report finds that many governments are subsidising the rollout of...
Microsoft Investigates Windows 7 "Screen of Death"
Microsoft investigates Windows 7 'screen of death'
Microsoft has confirmed that it is investigating a problem described as the "black screen of death", which affects its latest operating system.
The error means that users of Windows 7 see a totally black screen after logging on to the system.
The firm said it was looking into reports that suggest its latest security update was the cause the problem.
Reports suggest the flaw also affects Vista, XP and other systems.
Software firm Prevx, which has issued a fix for the problem, says "millions" of people may be affected.
"Users have resorted to reloading Windows as a last ditch effort to fix the problem," the firm's David Kennerley wrote in a blog post.
"We hope we can help a good many of you avoid the need to reload."
You can check out the full story here
Many thanks to JK for this one!
iPhone worm creator lands software job
iPhone worm creator lands software job
The 21-year-old hacker who wrote the first iPhone worm has landed a job developing software for the phones.
Ashley Towns wrote Ikee, a self-propagating program that changed the phone's wallpaper to a picture of 80s pop singer Rick Astley.
Mr Towns has now been employed as a iPhone application developer for Australian firm mogeneration.
Ikee was not malicious but paved the way for a more serious variant which targeted users of the online bank ING.
"It leaves a nasty taste that he has been rewarded like this, yet has not even expressed regret for his actions," Graham Cluley of Security firm Sophos told BBC News.
Mr Towns said that he had created the virus to raise the issue of security. He has not faced any criminal charges.
Full story : HERE
BCS to launch Savvy Citizen initiative
BCS to launch Savvy Citizen initiative
Only 20 per cent of the UK's population are information 'savvy citizens', according to new research commissioned by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, for a new public awareness campaign called 'Savvy Citizens'.
The Institute believes that being able to access, understand and use information is vital to modern societies and has positive benefits for people economically, socially, culturally and politically, an assertion widely acknowledged by the public: 62 per cent of UK adults agree information technology has changed their lives for the better and 83% want more information about public services to be freely available.
Full story : HERE
Hackers target leading climate research unit
Hackers target leading climate research unit
The e-mail system of one of the world's leading climate research units has been breached by hackers.
E-mails reportedly from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU), including personal exchanges, appeared on the internet on Thursday.
A university spokesman confirmed the email system had been hacked and that information was taken and published without permission.
An investigation was underway and the police had been informed, he added.
"We are aware that information from a server used for research information in one area of the university has been made available on public websites," the spokesman stated.
"Because of the volume of this information we cannot currently confirm that all of this material is genuine.
"This information has been obtained and published without our permission and we took immediate action to remove the server in question from...
Dell shares lower after quarterly profits drop
Dell shares lower after quarterly profits drop
US computer maker Dell has reported another decline in quarterly profits, sending its shares lower.
Net profit at the US giant was $337m (£202m) in the three months to October, down from $727m last year.
Dell's revenues also dropped 15% to $12.9bn. Both figures missed analysts' expectations, sending shares down 7% in after-hours trading.
Although Dell did not provide a formal outlook, it said it expects fourth-quarter revenue to improve.
Global computer sales have been knocked by the worldwide recession, as customers cut back on their spending.
Since returning as chief executive in 2007, founder Michael Dell has cut more than 10,000 jobs and acquired several companies.
Dell bought IT services provider and fellow Texan firm Perot Systems for $3.9bn in September.
Original article : here
Google previews Chrome open source operating system
Google previews Chrome open source operating system
Internet search giant Google has lifted the lid on its operating system, known as Chrome OS.
The free and open source system is initially aimed at low-cost netbooks and does away with many of the features of a traditional program.
All applications are designed to run in a web browser and all the user's data is stored on Google's servers.
Engineers from the firm said the first computers running the system would be available before the end of 2010.
"We are trying to offer a choice for users," said Sundar Pichai, vice-president of product management, during an event at the firm's headquarters in California.
"This model of computing is fundamentally different."
The event follows the recent launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 and Apple's operating system upgrade, Snow Leopard.
Full story : HERE
Demo :...
Sir Tim Berners-Lee recognised for his contribution to IT
Sir Tim Berners-Lee recognised for his contribution to IT
Sir Tim Berners-Lee was recognised for his outstanding contribution to UK IT at the UK IT Industry Awards held last night at a prestigious ceremony at Battersea Park Events Arena. The audience of over 1,300 guests watched Sir Tim accept the Award via a special video message from his office at MIT.
In total there were 26 presentations at the Awards which are a venture between BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and Computing, merging the BCS IT Industry Awards and the Computing Awards for Excellence to create one platform for the entire profession to showcase and celebrate best practice, innovation and excellence.
There were a diverse range of winning projects and organisations. These included a project that enables the virtual exploration of underwater sites (VENUS), an IT project for Comic Relief by Carrenza and a project by Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust which aims to...
Graduate pay holding up
Graduate pay holding up
Although there are a diminishing number of graduates entering IT sector as unemployment increases to 44 per cent, salaries are rising.
As the unemployment prospects for university leavers entering IT have seen a year-on-year increase of 44 per cent, the number of graduates entering the world of IT is declining, reveals a study by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU).
The rate of unemployed IT increased 4.2 percentage points to 13.7 per cent for the 220,065 students surveyed in January 2009 and who graduated in 2008, reveals HECSUs What Do Graduates Do?
The number of graduates going into IT type roles saw a-year-on-year decrease. The number of IT consultants, software professionals and computer programmers dropped 18 per cent from 2,980 to just under 2,450, whilst the number of graduates working as IT technician/helpdesk support decreased by 15 per cent from 795 to 675. However, there has been...
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