John Lister

Security firm Symantec is urging all Windows users to disable "PCAnywhere" (a remote-control software program) on their systems immediately. The concern to disable the product dates back to 2006, when Symantec's PCAnywhere source code was stolen, ... but has never appeared in the open until now. Symantec says users running old versions of PCAnywhere could have their systems easily hijacked. A security bulletin on their site says that even the latest edition of PCAnywhere (version 12.5) is "at an increased security threat," and have urged customers to disable the software and ... (view more)

Microsoft has just revealed that Windows was not its leading money-maker during the last three months of 2011. While this is shocking news to many, it may be only a short-term quirk, and, generally speaking, Microsoft continues to rake in the cash. ... For the three months ending December 31, the company took in a total of $20.89 billion, up five per cent over the same period in 2010. Once costs were deducted, Microsoft was left with just under $8 billion in profit for the quarter, down about two per cent, year-over-year. Both figures were very close to the consensus of predictions by stock ... (view more)

Google has unveiled a major overhaul of its online user tracking system, claiming to make its services more useful. However, critics fear the changes, set for March 1, 2012, will allow for more effective snooping of user data and online activities. ... The changes center around the way the company keeps track of activity data, and the way it's then used. Google Pools Online Tracking to 'Improve' Advertising, Search Under the old system, someone who receives a lot of emails about football will see advertisements for football. Someone who watches a lot of comedy clips on YouTube will see lots of ... (view more)

The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has shut down a leading "direct download" file-sharing site: Megaupload. In addition, employees have been charged with copyright-related offenses. Megaupload is designed to share files, regardless of ... legality. The site also allowed users to post links to the copyrighted files so anyone could obtain them. Overall, critics suggest Megaupload was much easier to use than other file-sharing sites, such as torrents or newsgroups. The site was also free of charge for most users. Anyone prepared to pay for premium membership got priority service, higher ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed it will release a PC version of its Kinect hands-free motion control system on February 1, 2012. The new hardware offering will be expensive. Kinect was first offered for the Xbox 360 video game console in late 2010. It was ... Microsoft's effort to counter the Nintendo Wii system, which allows players to control on-screen action by moving a handheld device rather than a traditional controller. Microsoft One-Ups Wii Controllers with Kinect The motion-oriented controls of the Wii made games more accessible to casual players, while adding more realism to the game. Players ... (view more)

You might normally expect hackers to operate in secret, and to communicate through hidden channels. The group behind a notorious social networking virus, however, appears to be actively and publicly posting about the sites which they attack. ... Facebook has apparently tracked down what it believes to be a group of five men responsible for the notorious "Koobface" virus and has publicly named them. So far, the men have not been confirmed as under investigation by law enforcement, nor have they been formally charged. The company says it will publish further details in coming weeks to ... (view more)

Google says it was "mortified" at word that its staff have been using misrepresentation to win business in Africa. Employees of the US search firm have been accused of using a Kenyan company's business listings to contact customers and pitch a ... competing service. The victimized firm is known as "Mocality," a company that tries to help businesses of all size benefit from the Internet. Mocality is paid to index details of Kenyan companies, creating an online directory of more than 170,000 firms. Last year, the company began receiving phone calls from companies asking about ... (view more)

Online battles between Saudi and Israeli hackers have moved from credit card hacks to the shutting down of whole websites. The online 'war' began early this month, when a hacker claiming to be from Saudi Arabia published stolen Israeli credit card ... details . The actual location of the hacker, who used the code-name xOmar 0 (and variations, such as OxOmar), remains in dispute, with some experts claiming he is in Mexico. Assertions about the number of compromised credit card accounts also vary from 15,000 to 400,000. Political Leaders Speak Out The credit card attack had political ramifications ... (view more)

The number of computers sent to stores at the end of 2011 appears to have taken a surprising dip, leaving the industry anxious about the expected release of Windows 8 later in 2012 . Manufacturers' US shipments dropped 6.71 per cent during the last ... quarter of 2011, while the global figure fell just a little: about 1,600 fewer computers in a sea of more than 90 million units. At this stage, it appears the total shipments for the year will rise, compared with 2010, but by the smallest margin since 2001. (Source: betanews.com ) Big Sales Increases Year-to-Year the Norm It's worth noting that a ... (view more)

A military and security intelligence firm that fell victim to a hacking attack has suffered another embarrassment, even while analysis reveals that hundreds of military and political officials had their digital details exposed by hackers. As ... reported last month , hackers struck Stratfor (or "Strategic Forecasting"), a Texas-based security consulting and analysis firm. They captured details of some 4,000 clients, cheekily using the stolen credit card information to make charitable donations. Stratfor customers recently received an email apparently sent by CEO, George Friedman, asking ... (view more)