BT at it with AT&T - so no change there, then

BT is deep in talks about its plans for restructuring. This weekend the Sunday papers were full of speculating articles about the two companies merging. The Financial Times reported that the two companies would bring together their consumer divisions into a single unit, and that the wireless and business services divisions would follow the same route. ...more

Threatening Zippo Trojan gets its password cracked

Security experts at Sophos say they have cracked the password needed to recover documents encrypted and held to ransom by a virus. Sophos says the Trojan known as Zippo encrypts the documents on systems it infects and then demands $300 - about ?175 - for the password to release them. While companies that make regular backups will be able to continue business simply by restoring the data, anyone that hasn't taken such precautions will need to unlock their files. ...more

Cisco goes legal over Apple iPhone name

Apple may be claiming its iPhone is five years' ahead of its time, but it may yet have to change the name due to a trademark issue with Cisco On Tuesday, Apple announced that it was changing its name and dropping the word computer from its title, but a second name change announcement may be on the cards following news that Cisco is suing the company for infringing its iPhone trademark. The loud fanfare accompanying Apple's unveiling of its three-in-one phone marvel is likely to be muted by news that the networking giant has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, citing it did so to "prevent Apple from infringing upon and deliberately copying and using Cisco's registered iPhone trademark." Chief executive Steve Jobs talked in great detail about how its 'iPhone' was going to revolutionise the mobile phone market during his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. ...more

Attackers find new flaw in Microsoft's old Word

Microsoft has said that its Word software is subject to a flaw which is already being attacked by hackers. An attacker would have to create a specially modified Word document that the target would have to be persuaded to open. However, Microsoft is providing very little detail as to the nature of the flaw, which affects most currently supported versions of the application, from Word 2000 to 2003, Works 2004 to 2006, Word Viewer 2003, and Word 2004 and 2004 vX for Macs. ...more

IBM appoints new chief

The IBM board of directors have elected a new CEO to succeed Lou Gerstner. Samuel J. Palmisano (pictured left, with Gerstner), currently IBM president and chief operating officer, will take over 1 March, but to smooth the transition Gerstner will remain chairman until the end of 2002. ...more