Skill Zone News issue 43
Phone hacking has dominated the mainstream media this month, but less well reported is a surprising upsurge in computer hacking in all its guises.
29th July 2011
Spam volumes down,... but is it a good thing?
A year ago, as much as 90% of mail was spam. This summer the levels have fallen to about 78%, but that could be because the botnet operators have found other more lucrative ways to use their networks of compromised machines.
Mouse gnaws away at security
When security specialists Netragard were asked to test a client's network resistance to attacks, they were set a tough challenge. They were not allowed any physical access to the system they were testing and, for the purpose of this test, social engineering techniques were ruled out. Could they crack the defences?
You can't trust the coppers like the old time specials
The phone hacking scandal has brought up the issue of payments to police officers by the press and abuse of power. Almost unnoticed is a report by Big Brother Watch on police data breaches.
Is information empowering?
Empowerment is a term often used in connection with the internet, and assumes that making information available can only be a good thing, but a survey by the insurers Direct Line shows the flip side of that coin.
Cookie recipes
Like a lot of technology law, the EU cookie directive is well intentioned, but you always have to wonder if the legislators understand the nitty-gritty of computer systems.