Category
Security
US state acts to stop 'spammers'
US state Texas has filed a lawsuit against two men believed to be among the world's top five spammers. It is seeking millions of dollars in damages in…
US duo in first spam conviction
A brother and sister in the US have been convicted of sending hundreds of thousands of unsolicited e-mail messages to AOL subscribers. It is the first…
Cyber criminals step up the pace
So-called phishing attacks that try to trick people into handing over confidential details have boomed in 2004, say security experts. The number of ph…
Anti-spam laws bite spammer hard
The net's self-declared spam king is seeking bankruptcy protection. Scott Richter, the man behind OptInRealBig.com and billions of junk mail messages,…
California sets fines for spyware
The makers of computer programs that secretly spy on what people do with their home PCs could face hefty fines in California. From 1 January, a new la…
Freeze on anti-spam campaign
A campaign by Lycos Europe to target spam-related websites appears to have been put on hold. Earlier this week the company released a screensaver that…
Screensaver tackles spam websites
Net users are getting the chance to fight back against spam websites Internet portal Lycos has made a screensaver that endlessly requests data from si…
Microsoft releases patches
Microsoft has warned PC users to update their systems with the latest security fixes for flaws in Windows programs. In its monthly security bulletin, …
DVD copy protection strengthened
DVDs will be harder to copy thanks to new anti-piracy measures devised by copy protection firm Macrovision. The pirated DVD market is enormous because…
Microsoft debuts security tools
Microsoft is releasing tools that clean up PCs harbouring viruses and spyware. The virus-fighting program will be updated monthly and is a precursor t…
Joke e-mail virus tricks users
A virus that disguises itself as a joke is spreading rapidly across the net. Anti-virus firms are issuing high-level warnings about the new version of…
Yahoo moves into desktop search
Internet giant Yahoo has launched software to allow people to search e-mail and other files on their PCs. The firm is following in the footsteps of Mi…
Bush website blocked outside US
Surfers outside the US have been unable to visit the official re-election site of President George W Bush. The blocking of browsers sited outside the …
Call for action on internet scam
Phone companies are not doing enough to warn customers about internet "rogue-dialling" scams, according to premium phone line regulator Icstis. It has…
Who do you think you are?
The real danger is not what happens to your data as it crosses the net, argues analyst Bill Thompson. It is what happens when it arrives at the other …
Swap offer for pirated Windows XP
Computer giant Microsoft has launched a pilot scheme to replace counterfeit versions of Windows XP with legal ones. The first-time initiative is restr…
Microsoft makes anti-piracy move
Microsoft says it is clamping down on people running pirated versions of its Windows operating system by restricting their access to security features…
Concerns over Windows ATMs
Cash machine networks could soon be more susceptible to computer viruses, a security firm has warned. The warning is being issued because many banks a…
Junk e-mails on relentless rise
Spam traffic is up by 40%, putting the total amount of e-mail that is junk up to an astonishing 90%. The figures, from e-mail management firm Email Sy…
Mac Mini heralds mini revolution
The Mac Mini was launched amid much fanfare by Apple and great excitement by Apple watchers last month. But does the latest Macintosh justify the hype…
Hacker threat to Apple's iTunes
Users of Apple's music jukebox iTunes need to update the software to avoid a potential security threat. Hackers can build malicious playlist files whi…
Warning over tsunami aid website
Net users are being told to avoid a scam website that claims to collect cash on behalf of tsunami victims. The site looks plausible because it uses an…
More women turn to net security
Older people and women are increasingly taking charge of protecting home computers against malicious net attacks, according to a two-year study. The n…
Rich pickings for hi-tech thieves
Viruses, trojans and other malicious programs sent on to the net to catch you out are undergoing a subtle change. The shift is happening as tech savvy…
Movie body targets children's PCs
The body that represents the US movie industry has released its latest tool in its campaign to clamp down on movie file-sharing, aimed at parents. The…
Microsoft plans 'safer ID' system
Microsoft is planning to make Windows and Internet Explorer more secure by including software to give people more control over personal information. "…
Windows worm travels with Tetris
Users are being warned about a Windows virus that poses as the hugely popular Tetris game. The Cellery worm installs a playable version of the classic…
Dozens held over ID fraud site
Twenty-eight people, including a Briton, have been arrested after a global operation against a website allegedly involved in identity fraud. Those arr…
Spam e-mails tempt net shoppers
Computer users across the world continue to ignore security warnings about spam e-mails and are being lured into buying goods, a report suggests. More…
Microsoft releases bumper patches
Microsoft has warned PC users to update their systems with the latest security fixes for flaws in Windows programs. In its monthly security bulletin, …
US cyber security chief resigns
The man making sure US computer networks are safe and secure has resigned after only a year in his post. Amit Yoran was director of the National Cyber…
Security warning over 'FBI virus'
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning that a computer virus is being spread via e-mails that purport to be from the FBI. The e-mails show …
Microsoft seeking spyware trojan
Microsoft is investigating a trojan program that attempts to switch off the firm's anti-spyware software. The spyware tool was only released by Micros…
How to smash a home computer
An executive who froze his broken hard disk thinking it would be fixed has topped a list of the weirdest computer mishaps. Although computer malfuncti…
Microsoft sets sights on spyware
Windows users could soon be paying Microsoft to keep PCs free of spyware. Following the takeover of anti-spyware firm Giant, Microsoft said it would s…
Beckham virus spotted on the net
Virus writers are trading on interest in David Beckham to distribute their malicious wares. Messages are circulating widely that purport to have evide…
Santy worm makes unwelcome visit
Thousands of website bulletin boards have been defaced by a virus that used Google to spread across the net. The Santy worm first appeared on 20 Decem…
Virus poses as Christmas e-mail
Security firms are warning about a Windows virus disguising itself as an electronic Christmas card. The Zafi.D virus translates the Christmas greeting…
Apple Mac mini gets warm welcome
The Mac mini has been welcomed by Apple fans, industry experts and PC users. The release of the tiny, low-cost machine is seen as a good move for Appl…
Rings of steel combat net attacks
Gambling is hugely popular, especially with tech-savvy criminals. Many extortionists are targeting net-based betting firms and threatening to cripple …
Anti-spam screensaver scrapped
A contentious campaign to bump up the bandwidth bills of spammers by flooding their sites with data has been dropped. Lycos Europe's Make Love, Not Sp…
DVD copy protection strengthened
DVDs will be harder to copy thanks to new anti-piracy measures devised by copy protection firm Macrovision. The pirated DVD market is enormous because…
Bad e-mail habits sustains spam
The 'bad behaviour' of e-mail users is helping to sustain the spam industry, a new study has found. According to a survey conducted by security firm M…
Net fingerprints combat attacks
Eighty large net service firms have switched on software to spot and stop net attacks automatically. The system creates digital fingerprints of ongoin…
Have hackers recruited your PC?
More than one million computers on the net have been hijacked to attack websites and pump out spam and viruses. The huge number was revealed by securi…
The pirates with no profit motive
Two men who were part of a huge network of internet software pirates, known as Drink Or Die, have been convicted at the Old Bailey. BBC News investiga…
Security scares spark browser fix
Microsoft is working on a new version of its Internet Explorer web browser. The revamp has been prompted by Microsoft's growing concern with security …
Warnings about junk mail deluge
The amount of spam circulating online could be about to undergo a massive increase, say experts. Anti-spam group Spamhaus is warning about a novel vir…