Microsoft bounty for worm creator

Microsoft bounty for worm creator

A reward of $250,000 (£172,000) has been offered by Microsoft to find who is behind the Downadup/Conficker virus.

Since it started circulating in October 2008 the Conficker worm has managed to infect millions of computers worldwide.

The software giant is offering the cash reward because it views the Conficker worm as a criminal attack.

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(Thanks to GiddyG for the link)

Decline in IT Security vacancies

Demand for information security staff declined noticeably in the second half of 2008

Demand for information security staff declined noticeably in the second half of 2008. Recruitment freezes and elongated recruitment sign off procedures are becoming more common and unemployment amongst security practitioners is increasing. However, information security extends into all areas of the economy, both in the private and public sectors, and is not substantially dependent on financial services. Demand is therefore potentially broadly based.

Looking ahead, although there is unlikely to be any upturn in the market in the near term and redundancies and unemployment are likely to track developments in the wider economy, security departments now have a better defined role than previously and information security is not the target for cost savings that it once was.

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Twitter: what is in it for IT professionals?

Twitter: what is in it for IT professionals?

Twitter is increasingly helping journalists to pick up and follow stories, but the media is not the only sector to benefit - IT professionals can get just as much out of tweeting.

1. Techno talk
2. Get in the know
3. A useful tool
4. Get involved
5. Useful links

The hype around the social networking tool is reaching new peaks, but Jeffrey Mann, a Gartner analyst who specialists in web collaboration, says a little over-reaction does not mean it is not useful to business.

He says IT staff can use it in much the same way as other business professionals - boosting their own public profile, keeping up with recent developments in the sector, and taking part in the day’s debate.

Read the whole article here.

-ken

Microsoft warns firms over skipping Vista to Windows 7

Microsoft warns firms over skipping Vista to Windows 7

Companies face operational problems if they try to upgrade to Windows 7 straight from Windows XP, Microsoft has warned.

Many firms have stuck with Windows XP instead of upgrading to Windows Vista, on grounds of costs and unwanted Vista features.

However, warns Microsoft, those firms that have stuck with XP may face problems if they leapfrog Vista and go straight to Windows 7, expected to be fully released early next year.

Gavriella Schuster, a senior director of Windows product management, said, "Make sure you take into consideration the risk of skipping Windows Vista. Deploying Windows Vista now will make the future transition to Windows 7 easier.

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Fewer jobs for IT graduates

Fewer jobs for IT graduates

IT graduate vacancies are expected to fall 7.1% between 2008 and 2009, according to a report by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).

The drop is higher than the expected average drop in the recruitment market, which is 5.4%.

The association interviewed several hundred employers in the UK including Siemens, Deloitte and Cisco, and found starting salaries had fallen by 3.7%.

IT starting salaries range between £25,000 and £35,000, with the average at £27,000. There is no average increase in graduate starting salaries for the first time in the history of the report. < >

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-Ken

Nvidia to develop £200 Vista-capable laptop

Nvidia to develop £200 Vista-capable laptop

Nvidia is working with Microsoft to develop a £200 version of its Ion laptop running Windows Vista Home Edition.

Mike Ybarra, general manager for the Windows division at Microsoft, said, “What many people call a ‘netbook’ today is really a small notebook, and users expect it to perform like one. With Nvidia’s Ion platform combined with Windows Vista Home Premium, consumers will get an affordable, Windows experience in a small notebook or desktop PC.”

Although manufacturers originally aimed to sell netbooks as low-cost, very limited mobile devices, primarily for web browsing and e-mail, the machines have proved fully capable of running business software and even some multimedia applications.

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-Ken

Microsoft Fast-tracks Windows 7, Goes Straight To RC1

Microsoft Fast-tracks Windows 7, Goes Straight To RC1

Citing the positive response from the developer community, Microsoft has asserted that it won’t launch any more beta versions of Windows 7, as the release candidate for the operating system is there in the offing.

The operating system has exhibited notable stability since its pre-beta code was launched, and the company claimed that the constructive beta feedback from developers has provided the impetus to switch to its next level of development.

Exact information about the launch date of the first release candidate (RC1) hasn’t been disclosed yet, albeit the company is expected to unveil the finalized version of the operating system by the end of this year.

Read the rest of the article here.

-Ken

Kaspersky's website hacked

Kaspersky's website hacked

Security firm Kaspersky has downplayed claims that its US website was hacked at the weekend, exposing a database containing customer details.

A hacker claimed in a blog posting that he was able to access Kasperky's databases containing a customer details including users, administrators, activation codes and e-mail addresses.

A posting on Hackers Blog said the SQL injection vulnerability in usa.kaspersky.com is very real, but Kaspersky "does not need to worry about us spreading their confidential stuff".

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-Ken

The Pirate Bay Demand Webcast of Trial

The Pirate Bay Demand Webcast of Trial

Set to start in just a few days time, the trial of The Pirate Bay will be one of the most important cases the file-sharing community has ever witnessed. However, due to restrictions, the number of people viewing it first hand could be very limited indeed. “Time to make demands,” says Peter Sunde.

On February 16th 2009, one of the biggest trials in P2P history begins. The case of the largest BitTorrent tracker, The Pirate Bay, will be followed by millions around the world.

The Pirate Bay team have been preparing for the media battle, in part by designating their tour bus as the site’s official media center. But already there are complaints about how accessible the trial will be to the public, with TiAMO and Brokep demanding changes to how it will be made available. In true Pirate Bay style, they want everyone to have access, one way or another.

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IBM's Palmisano: Tech's slumdog millionaire

IBM's Palmisano: Tech's slumdog millionaire

IBM's cruel layoff options: Take a job in the Third World and lose your severance, move within the United States at your expense, or lose both your job and severance

Meet Sam Palmisano, bozo of the month. We diss IBM's CEO for allowing some management numbskull to suggest that the thousands of Big Blue employees who have been fired recently should consider a move to India. And work really cheaply. Always helpful, IBM is willing to pitch in with moving costs and -- in a particularly ironic twist -- visa assistance.

Yeah, it's hard to believe. But IBM put it in writing: "IBM has established Project Match to help you locate potential job opportunities in growth markets where your skills are in demand," IBM says in an internal memo first obtained by InformationWeek. "Should you accept a position in one of these countries, IBM offers financial assistance to offset moving costs, provides immigration support, such...