Web rivals team up on security

Web browser developers have put aside their differences to discuss a joint strategy for tackling security risks such as phishing, ageing encryption ciphers and inconsistent SSL Certificate practice. George Staikos, core developer for the open source KDE, hosted the meeting attended by Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera representatives with the main objective of addressing the 'fundamental flaws in Internet architecture and browser technology' that allow phishing attacks to take place. 'Primarily this will involve making the information presented to the user easier to recognise and understand and finding a way to make a distinction for high-impact sites (banks, payment services, auction sites, etc) while retaining the accessibility of SSL and identity for smaller organisations,' he said. ...more

Dell extends the Inspiron range

The Inspiron 4150 notebook packs the new mobile Pentium 4, clocking up to 2.0Ghz. Aimed at consumers and small businesses, the 4150 carries a Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M clocking speeds of 1. ...more

Panasonic takes the GPRS route

The brat packets. Panasonic is to launch three GPRS-enabled mobile handsets offering fast data services through their in-built modems when used with GPRS-ready packet-switched networks. The GD75, GD76 and GD96 feature large screens with a graphical user interface that can be navigated through a five-way joystick (four directional axes and a press function). ...more

New virus peddles infection via foot fetish

Sophos has issued an alert for a new virus that encourages victims to visit websites where they may be subjected to images of women laughing. W32/Feet arrives as an email with the subject line 'Tickling Tickle Torture' and a similarly styled message, along with the attachment ticklish.vbs. ...more

Microsoft evidence nabs global spam ring

Microsoft says it has helped gather evidence against a global spam ring, applauding a US judge for bringing suit against them. The company's Internet Safety Enforcement team found its honeypot Hotmail accounts filled with more than 45,000 junk mails believed to have originated from the spam ring in just three weeks. The organisation is spread internationally, with operatives in Boston and Russia, domains registered in Monaco, Australia and France and servers in China, Korea, Brazil and Taiwan. ...more