Spyware kits for sale online for a pittance

UK security company Sophos reports that spyware kits are readily available from a Russian website for around ?10. The kit, called WebAttacker, allows the user to quickly and easily create their own malicious code, and offers technical support. The kit comprises of a library of scripts that the user needs to simply bundle into a file upload to a website. ...more

Microsoft issues March security bulletins

Microsoft has announced three security bulletins for March, but rates none as critical. A patch for MSN Messenger - as opposed to Windows Messenger, which is not affected - addresses a vulnerability that Microsoft rates as 'moderate'. The flaw exists in the way the software handles file transfers between users and an attacker could potentially read the contents of a file on another's computer if they knew the target's sign-on name and the location of the file. ...more

DART takes aim at interoperability everywhere

Billed as 'Interoperability Done Right', DART software exposes all the software, hardware and content resources of DART-enabled devices, so that they can be shared and used irrespective of compatibility requirements. Chris Shipley, executive producer of the DEMO Conference, where the technology was announced recently, said: 'DART software provides peer-to-peer content access and distribution by effectively turning all devices into one virtual device.' The barriers of mismatched protocols, application versions and file formats are the key hurdles to the success of the networked home according to research firm Ovum. ...more

SuSE announces 8.2

SuSE has unveiled version 8.2 of its Linux-based operating system on home turf at the CeBIT show in Hanover. Claiming to be Europe's most popular and the US's fastest-growing Linux distribution, the company is confident enough to be targeting home users with this latest edition. ...more

Matsushita plans DVD console

Leading Japanese electronic company Matsushita is to launch a DVD player that will also be able to play console games. The company will launch the new device at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles tomorrow. Details are sketchy, but a report in Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbum says that the DVD player/console hybrid will be compatible with the Nintendo Gamecube. ...more