Staff remain the weakest link for IT security

Small businesses in the UK blame staff for their IT security woes, according to a survey from the Institute of Directors and McAfee. 50 per cent of those surveyed considered their employees were to blame for the damage caused by virus infections. Although three quarters say they have security policies in place, two thirds of them don't believe their employees pay any heed to these policies. ...more

Windows gamers targeted by Microsoft security bulletin

Fans of multiplayer network games could be subject to denial of service attacks according to Microsoft's latest monthly security bulletin. The vulnerability relates to Microsoft's DirectPlay system. In theory, if a user is running a networked DirectPlay application, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability to cause the app to crash, forcing the player to restart user. ...more

Google pilots Click to Call service

In another of the seemingly endless flow of new initiatives, Google is quietly launching its click-to-call service. Imaginatively called 'Google Click to Call', it may go some way to explaining why the search engine was so keen to buy up bandwidth earlier this year. Click to Call is a service that allows advertisers - usually small local businesses to advertise online without actually having a web site to click through to. ...more

Microsoft opts for SiS for next gen Xbox

Microsoft has signed a deal with Taiwanese chip maker SiS (Silicon Integrated Systems) to develop a new range of I/O technologies for use in the next generation of Xbox games consoles. The move follows hard on the heels of the announcement that Microsoft has selected the IBM chips to power the next generation of Xboxes rather than Intel devices. While Microsoft is gathering its partners together for the project, its clear that the new Xbox - assuming IBM and SiS technologies actually make it into the final design - is probably looking like a 2005 product. ...more

Nokia, Intel partner to push forward WiMax

Nokia, the world's biggest manufacturer of mobile phones and chip giant Intel have partnered to promote the development of WiMax - the new high-speed wireless broadband technology tipped to supercede today's 802.11x WiFi technology in major cities in the next few years. The two companies say they will work together on a range of mobile WiMax technologies based around the emerging IEEE 802. ...more