Users warned to beware the 3rd of Feb

Users are being urged to ensure that their anti-virus software and other security systems are in place before tomorrow - the 3rd of February when a new piece of malware threatens the files of infected machines. The malware - termed MyWife, Blackmal, Nyxem, the Karma Sutra worm and other names depending on which security firm you speak to - surfaced last month. The malware gets its name by its use of the time honoured technique of promising pornographic files in the attachment, what Microsoft coyly calls at attempt to 'entice users through social engineering efforts'. ...more

Halo 2 up on eBay ahead of launch

Its official release date is 12.01am Tuesday 9 November but advance copies of the long-awaited Halo 2 first-person-shooter game have sparked bidding wars on e-Bay. It is Microsoft's flagship Xbox game. ...more

The Cornish embrace broadband

BT has announced the widespread adoption of fast Internet access in rural areas of Cornwall. The Actnow project - launched back in February 2002 - was a test case for providing ADSL service in rural areas. The apparent success of the project means that four new exchanges will be upgraded. ...more

Supreme Court and p2p: Apple to be the major beneficiary?

Apple could be the major beneficiary of yesterday's unexpected US Supreme Court ruling that peer-to-peer software makers can be held liable for illegal file sharing using their applications. With observers anticipating a spate of lawsuits against the like of Grokster and Kazaa, Apple's iTunes Music Store is ideally positioned to pick up customers no longer able to download music for free. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said that the ruling 'would likely lead to a pick-up in sales for legitimate online content providers' among whom Apple has more than 70 per cent market share. ...more

France ponders Office Document Format requirements

France might be about to follow Massachusetts in insisting that all French administration computer files are saved in the open standard Office Document Format (ODF). The country's General Repository for Interoperability (RGI) is proposing ODF as the recommended format for semi-structured office documents, such as word processing files presentations and spreadsheets, but wants to make it mandatory for exchanging those documents. Standblog notes that at present these are nothing more than proposals that can expect to meet resistance. ...more