Security

There is no doubt that conferences can be fun. But if your employer sends you to a conference, what are your responsibilities while you are attending?

Worried about Conficker? You don't have to be. There's a software patch that will get rid of all your Conficker worries once and for all! Better still, it will also rid you of 99.9999% of all your malware concerns once and for all. Its name is Linux.

In today's podcast: Massive computer spy network, GhostNet, uncovered; Google downplays Google Docs security concerns; and Intel to release faster low-power laptop chips.

In Monday's IT Blogwatch, GhostNet researchers unravel spyware from China; some do, and some do not, blame the Chinese government. Not to mention Bet Smart ...

When it comes to hackers we tend to think they’re just creating their exploits for the thrill of it. When we think about Internet scams though, we immediately think (know) profit is the main motive. We read about credit card numbers getting pilfered, identities stolen and bank accounts getting hijacked, but do we ever think about how much the miscreants are actually pulling in for their efforts.

Windows users essentially pay a Microsoft tax for every PC they buy --- the cost of extra security software they need to buy every year, plus the time it takes to rid their PCs of "crapware" and other software junk. But there's no need to pay that tax --- I've got advice on the best free security software and de-crapifying software so you won't have to pay a dime or waste a minute.

Well, I don't know about other security professionals, but I'm not at all shocked that this year’s PWN2OWN contest showed that both Windows PCs and Macs could be cracked. I do have to admit that 10 seconds was a bit of a shocker for the Mac Platform.

With attacks on IT systems rising and getting more successful, managed service providers with security expertise ought to see their business boom.

Have you attended the RSA Conference in the past couple of years and have also recently lost your job? Here's an opportunity to go to RSA again on their dime.

In Thursday's IT Blogwatch, Richi Jennings watches privacy activists get all hot under the collar over Google's cloud computing tentacles. Not to mention the subtlest Trek joke ever...

Lots of people google themselves just to see what comes up. Recently, Kevin Andreyo, a professor in Reading, Pennsylvania, looked himself up using a people search engine. Instead of the anticipated dirt he expected to uncover about himself, he found a list of around 8,000 Comcast subscriber user names along with their passwords. After he contacted both Comcast and the FBI, that document can no longer be found online – except in cache and in online history services. The threat was made worse because the list was posted for at least two months before it was taken down.   

The privacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Google for privacy breaches related to Google Docs and other Google services --- and to ban Google from offering any cloud services, including Gmail, Google Docs and others until the company can prove it is capable of safeguarding people's privacy.

Comcast now believes a phishing or malware scam is to blame for exposing hundreds of its customers' user names and passwords. A list containing around 8,000 names was discovered by a PC World reader this week and brought to the company's attention.

In today's podcast: US keeps text of proposed anti-counterfeit treaty secret; Microsoft sees share of US search market fall; and Swedish company wants to bring MMS to iPhone.

Nothing beats the freedom of WiFi. Coffee shops, restaurants, rest stops, even public libraries offer WiFi to customers and patrons - many times free of charge. Many of these free hotspots are open and while I sometimes try to warn about the possible dangers of open WiFi communications, most of the time I just watch and wonder how many of these users have actually suffered some type of exploit.