Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Spam sneaked out via YouTube systems
Entertainment site service used to send junk mails. Spammers have taken advantage of an email service provided by popular video clip site YouTube , to send out spams pushing dating sites and offering video game prizes. The ‘Invite your friends’ service available on the site allows users to email friends with information on YouTube ‘s…
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Sun patches serious Java flaws
Critical vulnerabilities covered by urgent patches. Sun Microsystems has issued a series of patches to fix several vulnerabilities in its popular Java software. Successful exploitation of the flaws could allow remote access to systems and data. The string of flaws affect various versions of Java Runtime Environment ( JRE ), Java Web Start and other…
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US users overestimating PC security
Survey finds people are less protected than they think. A joint study carried out by McAfee and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) has found that many US consumers wrongly assume their computers are safe from malware and infiltration. Computer users were questioned about security software running on their home machines, and their answers compared…
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Smaller vendors question rumours of impending doom
Experts deny claims that flood of threats gives bigger firms advantage. High levels of new malware, emerging at an ever-increasing rate, may mean smaller security firms will no longer be able to keep up with their larger rivals, according to an analyst with market research firm Gartner . However, the suggestion that malware detection is…
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Alarm over possible PDF flaw
Vulnerability announcement hyped to disaster level. The announcement of a potentially serious vulnerability in the ubiquitous Adobe PDF document format sparked considerable media attention last month, in some cases hyped to the level of a major disaster waiting to happen. The vulnerability was found by researcher Petko Petkov and was announced in a blog entry.…
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What’s in a number?
Latest round of spam stats. According to various reports last month, spam now accounts for 83%, 85%, 91.9% or 95% of all emails received. Regardless of the inconsistencies, the figures (released by various tech firms, consultancies and analysts) do all put the total volume of spam at a very high level. However, now that spam…
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Trivia
Panda reveals country with lowest level of infected PCs. Panda Security has revealed that results from its online malware-scanning tool Nanoscan indicate that computers it scanned in the UK have a lower level of active malware (8.1%) than those it scanned in the rest of Europe and the Americas (ranging from 17.4% in Argentina to…
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Phil makes anti-phishing education child’s play
Researchers create game to raise awareness. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have created an interactive game designed to teach players how to identify phishing URLs and how to be aware of phishing dangers and fraudulent websites when navigating the Internet. The phishy game features, appropriately enough, a fish called Phil, who lives in ‘Interweb Bay’…
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Wot, no comparative?
VB100 Netware comparative review delayed. VB apologises to those expecting to find a VB100 comparative review of products on Novell Netware in this month’s issue. Due to illness, VB ‘s technical consultant was unable to complete the testing process in time for the publication of this issue. However, readers can rest assured that the test…
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China to try e-stamping out spam
Postage stamps to become the norm for Chinese emailers? The national Internet regulator in China has announced future plans to introduce ‘e-stamp’ technology in an attempt to curb rising spam levels. The Antispam Work Commission of the Internet Society of China is working together with researchers from several institutes to develop the email stamp technology.…
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