There are increasing media reports of the vulnerability of government IT systems to hackers. While much of the media attention has been to Chinese attacks on systems at the US Pentagon, UK government and German government, we should not be deluded into thinking that this is a one way street. US, UK and German forces …
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Category:6 Information and Communication Technology
Mobile phones as wallets
In the UK, the 5 big mobile phone service providers have launched, PayForIt, a payment system that turns handsets into digital wallets for buying goods and services with a value of up to £10 (€ 15). It is hoped to raise trust in using the handset as a payment tool and is expected to be …
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Hacking kits available on-line
A recent report by the BBC highlighted the growing availability of hacking and virus writing tools. Available are easy to use tools that automate attacks. With prices up to € 750, you can find everything from individual viruses to comprehensive kits that let budding cyber thieves craft their own attacks. Some of the most expensive …
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BBC iPlayer to be cross-platform
The recent launch of the BBC iPlayer, which allows viewers to see news reports and other programmes on line, was met with criticism because it was soft-launched as a Windows only device. More than 16,000 people have signed an electronic petition that called on the government to ensure the BBC’s iPlayer works on non-Windows PCs. …
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Internet service may become tiered
In comments to the US Federal Communications Commission, which is investigating net access, the Justice Department said that internet service providers should be allowed to charge for priority traffic saying it is opposed to “network neutrality” – the idea that all data on the net is treated equally. This is extraordinary; it is contrary to …
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Carbon footprint your notebook
Those people that run large IT departments can obtain energy estimates and carbon calculations for their infrastructure and potential purchases reasonably easily: they’ve got the budget and the customer power. For those of us running one or two machines, we might not even think of the carbon footprint. But browsing a couple of sites (How …
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Build your own virtual world
A free tool that allows anyone to create a virtual world has been launched by Metaplace. Users can build 3D online worlds for PCs or even a mobile phone without any knowledge of complex computer languages. Users make the virtual spaces from simple building blocks. The results, which could be used for gaming, socialising or …
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Green IT operations, contribute to profits
There are a range of ways enterprises of all sizes can bring down the energy use of their IT operations, and a new article points out the six best, from outsourcing IT operations to building green data centers. In Six Ways to a More Efficient Data Center, CIO magazine offers six ways to lower the …
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New green PC
A new green machine from Lenovo is a response to rising energy costs around the world and to growing concern about electronics’ impacts on the environment. The new PC, officially known as the ThinkCentre A61e, is the company’s first EPEAT Gold-rated product, and surpasses the EPA’s Energy Star 4.0 criteria for computer systems with its …
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