Black holes help encrypt data

Scientists have discovered how to use black holes to encrypt data. Using the radio waves emitted from quasars, believed to be driven by black holes, Japanese scientists at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology in Tokyo say it is possible to encrypt and decrypt streamed data securely According to the New Scientist, the radio signals are so random in nature, that messages encrypted in this way would be impossible to hack open. As long as the sender and recipient have access to the same radio signal at the same time, randomness could be overlayed to the encryption of the data stream and successfully decrypted simultaneously. ...more

Mass-mailing worm Mimail-A all set to burrow across Atlantic

Sophos has issued a full emergency alert regarding a Mimail-A worm. The mass mailing worm has already been detected in the States, as of Friday 1 August, and the concern is that it will spread rapidly in the UK from the beginning of this working week. 'The Mimail worm is getting a second lease of life as UK businesses log on to start a new working week,' said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos Anti-Virus. ...more

Google kick starts Code Jam Europe

Google has opened the registration for this year's European Code Jam programming competition. According to Google, it will 'grab your interest, entice your mind and engage your skills', and there are cash prizes up for grabs. Note that the coding challenge - solving increasingly difficult algorithmic problems within set time periods - is also a thinly disguised recruitment exercise for the search giant, which is on the lookout for technical talent. ...more

NTL completes ADSL2+ broadband trials

NTL has completed its ADSL2+ broadband and TV-over-IP trials, which began in March. The cable franchise has demonstrated that its existing copper network is capable of supporting both broadband connections up to 18Mbps and HDTV (high-definition television). The first commercially available ADSL2+ services are on-track for 2006, with BT and Easynet also conducting trials. ...more

Trade and Industry Select Committee backs BT and LLU

The House of Commons's Trade and Industry Select Committee has backed the findings of Ofcom's recent Strategic Review of Telecommunications in the UK. The committee agrees with the regulator's two key findings. Firstly that in the absence of investment in new national networks of exchanges independent of BT, local loop unbundling is the best way to increase competition in the wholesale broadband market. ...more