USB smart drives set for lift off

Akin to the 'LiveCD' idea popular with various distributions of Linux - such as Knoppix - the USB smart drives can contain a range of software applications, such as instant messaging, security, email, synchronisation and VoIP software, so that the owner is confident of a working set of applications at any PC with a USB socket. Perhaps the only categories missing are an Office suite, but we were told most PCs already have Office installed, and remote access software such as Citrix, so that professionals can easily log into their corporate network. The idea is that you can always have your personal workspace with you without having to drag around a laptop. ...more

VIA puts security at the core of new processor

VIA technologies has announced its C5J 'Esther' processor core, aimed at mobile and embedded devices, with support for a range of industry standard security features. 'Our approach to processor design allows small, fanless devices to carry out the most demanding security operations while simultaneously processing today's increasingly sophisticated digital entertainment applications,' said Glenn Henry, President of Centaur Technology - the VIA division that designed the new core. 'The new architecture of the C5J Esther core will allow us to ramp up processor speeds to 2GHz and above within the same thermal design points as previous cores, opening up new markets for our processors and extending the reach of the x86 architecture into new device categories. ...more

US warns attackers armed to exploit Windows flaw

'SEVERAL WORKING EXPLOITS ARE NOW IN WIDESPREAD DISTRIBUTION,' reads the DHS warning - the second in as many weeks, following the discovery of a critical hole in Microsoft's Windows operating system. In what is an unprecedented move, the department is concerned that hackers are leaping at this vulnerability in the handling of Remote Procedure Call (RPC) messages on Windows systems as it gives 'FULL REMOTE SYSTEM LEVEL ACCESS'. This includes the ability to run arbitrary code on affected machines. ...more

BT dives under the Tamar to bring ADSL to Cornish town

BT has gone underwater for its broadband rollout to Cornwall. An undersea cable has been used to bring broadband to the Cornish town of Torpoint. In a two-day operation, a kilometre of fibre optic cable was laid across the Tamar River between Devonport and Torpoint. ...more

Sendmail unveils enterprise anti-spam protection

Enterprise email specialists Sendmail has begun shipping its Sendmail Advanced Anti-Spam Filter software for Linux- and Solaris-based Internet gateways. The Advanced Anti-Spam Filter has been 'trained' with 'tens of thousands' of messages to identify spam accurately, and analyses the entire message, including headers, subject line, body text and 200 attachment types. System administrators can then apply their own specific email policy configurations to the Filter, which can be customised for each individual email user within the enterprise by creating custom rules based on its linguistic full text analysis engine. ...more