Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Security

Government-Sponsored Cyberattacks on the Rise 96

jbrodkin writes "A new McAfee report finds that 120 countries, notably the United States and China, are regularly launching Web-based espionage campaigns. Government-sponsored cyber attacks against enemy countries are becoming more common, targeting critical systems including electricity, air traffic control, financial markets and government computer networks. This year, Russia allegedly attacked Estonian government news and bank servers, while China was accused of hacking into the Pentagon. A McAfee researcher says this trend will accelerate, noting 'it's easier to attack government X's database than it is to nuke their troops.'"
It's funny.  Laugh.

Submission + - Couple trys to name baby '@'

linuxwrangler writes: A Chinese couple has applied to name their baby @. The Chinese often use an English-like pronunciation of '@' with a pronounced 'T' which is similar in Mandarin to "love him". It is not-yet known if the government, which recently banned use of Arabic numerals, foreign languages, and non-Chinese symbols in names, will accept baby @.
Announcements

Submission + - Watermarking to replace DRM? 3

An anonymous reader writes: News.com has an article on the announcement of Microsoft and Universal to introduce watermarking technology into audio files. The technology could serve several purposes including tracking file sharing statistics and insertion of advertisements into audio tracks. The article goes on to suggest that watermarking could possibly replace DRM in the near future.
Unix

Submission + - SCO stock takes a dump

DrXym writes: The SCO ball of twine keeps unravelling. Following the total disintegration of their legal case on Friday, SCO's stock took a pounding today falling a whopping 70%. That puts SCOX well and truly into NASDAQ delisting territory, assuming they last the 120 days required to be removed. So long SCO, we hardly knew ye.
Power

Submission + - Plug-in hybrid cars: Save the world, make millions (pennnet.com)

SMB writes: Recently the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a study (http://www.epri-reports.org/PHEV-ExecSum-vol1.pdf ) in which they examined the impacts of widespread use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) on greenhouse gas emissions and air quality in the U.S. Among other findings, The study stated that if the use of PHEVs became widespread between 2010 and 2050, they could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 450 million metric tons annually.

Widespread adoption of PHEVs could also benefit electric utility companies, a subject which is examined in the latest episode of a podcast produced by a pair of electric utility trade journals at http://uaelp.pennnet.com/podcasts/podcastDetails.c fm?podcastId=491. According to the podcast presenters, PHEVs offer a channel to accelerate "smart grid" technologies, improve reliability, and perhaps most important to utilities, gain utility companies a whole new customer segment.

Announcements

Submission + - SCO loses court case key to Linux claims

An anonymous reader writes: A U.S. judge ruled on Friday that software company SCO Group (SCOX.O: Quote, Profile, Research) did not have copyrights that are key to its claims of ownership of technology used in Linux software. See story at REUTERS and Forbes.
Media

Submission + - Broadcasters want cash for media streamed at home (webtvwire.com)

marcellizot writes: "What would you say if told you that there are people out there that want to make sharing your media between devices over a home network illegal? According to Jim Burger, a Washington, D.C attorney who deals with piracy in the broadcasting industry, certain broadcasters want to do just that. Speaking in a recent podcast, Burger remarked about how the broadcasting industry is keen to put controls on sharing media between devices even if those devices are on a home network and even if the sharing is strictly for personal use. When pressed as to why broadcasters would want to do this, Burger replied simply 'because they want you to pay for that right'. WebTVWire has a full report."
Security

Submission + - More than half of IRS workers flunk security test

netbuzz writes: "How do you get a secret username and password out of an IRS employee? Seems all you have to do is ask. A report out today says 61 of 102 IRS employees who received test calls were more than willing to cough up their username and change their password to one suggested by the caller. ... It's your tax dollars putting all your other dollars at risk.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/18091"
The Internet

Submission + - Elton John wants to shut down internet 1

bakuun writes: In an article in the british tabloid "The Sun", Sir Elton John describes how he would like for the internet to be turned off for five years as a "cultural experiment".

In the article, he says: "The internet has stopped people from going out and being with each other, creating stuff." ... "I do think it would be an incredible experiment to shut down the whole internet for five years and see what sort of art is produced over that span."

Anyone think he will have any success?
User Journal

Journal Journal: Does "hacker" mean "inquisitive"?

I am a hacker, enter my world...
Mine is a world that begins with school... I'm smarter than most of the other kids, this crap they teach us bores me...
Damn underachiever. They're all alike.

I'm in junior high or high school. I've listened to teachers explain for the fifteenth time how to reduce a fraction. I understand it. "No, Ms. Smith, I didn't show my work. I did it in my head..."
Damn kid. Probably copied it. They're all alike.

The Media

Submission + - Talking to Scoble gets a guy fired

netbuzz writes: "An interview subject on the ScobleShow — hosted by former Microsoft blogger Robert Scoble — has been fired for talking to the press without the permission of his company's public relations department. Certainly not a first, but it does open the door for a discussion about corporate communications and the press in an era of employee blogs and calls for more transparency. Scoble says one lesson he has taken from the episode is to be sure to ask interview subjects beforehand if they've received permission to talk. He won't find many journalists following that advice — and for good reason.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/1693 4"
Windows

Submission + - File-Sharing on Windows Vista (slyck.com) 1

An anonymous reader writes: There has been a lot of hysteria and misinformation regarding the compatibility of P2P clients with Microsoft Vista. Slyck.com explores this issue in depth, and tests many of the most popular clients on Vista. The results are surprising, as few problems were encountered.
Nintendo

Submission + - Nintendo opens up the Wii (theglobeandmail.com)

Raver32 writes: "Nintendo Co. has opened its blockbuster Wii game system to independent video-game developers for the first time, the company announced Wednesday. Nintendo said it will let individuals and outside game studios create and sell downloadable Wii games with a tool called WiiWare. Gamers will be able to purchase the games through the console's Wii Shop channel starting in early 2008. Perrin Kaplan, a Nintendo spokeswoman, said the game-creation kit is designed for people with at least some knowledge of computer programming. Developers can start designing games using a PC but must complete them on the Wii console, Kaplan said. "Independent developers armed with small budgets and big ideas will be able to get their original games into the marketplace to see if we can find the next smash hit," said Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, in a statement."
Security

Submission + - MS Patch Day Misses Word Zero-Days

bungee jumper writes: "Microsoft released four bulletins with patches for 10 vulnerabilities but there are no fixes for known (and under-attack) MS Word zero-day flaws, eweek.com reports. The January batch covers critical bugs in Excel, Outlook and Windows. The first confirmed Windows Vista flaw, a denial-of-service issue that was publicly released on an underground hacker site in Russia, also remains unpatched."

Slashdot Top Deals

How can you do 'New Math' problems with an 'Old Math' mind? -- Charles Schulz

Working...