IEEE sets standard for USB drive authentication

The IEEE has approved a new standard for the authentication of USB flash drives and other personal storage devices. The standard, IEEE 1667 'Standard Protocol for Authentication in Host Attachments of Transient Storage Devices', was developed to address information security concerns. Specifically, defining uniform authentication methods to validate devices when they are connected to a computer. ...more

Security flaw gets under the skin of Windows Media Player

Microsoft has issued a security patch to sew up two holes in its Windows Media Player. The first issue concerns version 7 of Windows Media Player, which is bundled with Windows ME, and its 'skin' feature, which allows users to customise the look of the player. Users can download alternative skins, which have a . ...more

SCO plunges to $6.5mn net loss

SCO has announced its fourth quarter results with a net loss of $6.5mn. The Unix company's financial woes continue to stem from its efforts to license its claims to Unix intellectual property with Linux users and its efforts to establish those claims through court cases with IBM and Novell. ...more

Council spam filter fouls community spirit

A Lancashire man was unable to prevent a neighbour building an extension to his home because of the local council's spam filter. Ray Kennedy, 51, of Middleton, sent three emails to Rochdale Borough Council, but the first two were blocked since they contained the common construction term 'erection'. By the time his third email arrived permission for the extension had been granted. ...more

Apple unveils the iPhone

iPhone it is - in Apple's words not a single device but three revolutionary products in one: a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls and a 'breakthrough' Internet communications device. It is also a camera and, at a push, a PDA. But in the UK you will have to wait until the end of the year to get your hands on one. ...more