Vista is no panacea for security - Symantec

Symantec has issued a report on the state of security within Microsoft's flagship operating system Vista, claiming that the platform is far from the panacea for all security ills that many had hoped. The security company said that Vista's new plumage has been mainly plucked from the open-source community, rather than being new security developments in themselves. 'Most are derived from the groundwork originally laid by open source operating systems such as Linux and OpenBSD, the PaX and Stackguard projects, as well as numerous academic publications,' it claims. ...more

Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo square up for console battle

The battle for market share in the multi-billion dollar video game industry begins again this week with the US launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 on Friday and the debut of Nintendo's Wii on Sunday. A limited supply, delayed debut and drop in the number of games built exclusively for the new PS3 could choke market leader Sony's quest for mainstream hearts and dollars until after the crucial holiday season, a far different scenario from the last console battle when Sony beat key rivals to market. 'It's a significantly more competitive market this time,' said Yankee Group video game analyst Michael Goodman, adding that many parents are not brand loyal and will not let Christmas pass without a console for the gamer on their list. ...more

New viruses work under cover of Nyxem

With media coverage firmly focused on the world's Office files due to be smoked by the Nyxem worm today, other virus writers have been busy while the heat is off. Firstly, UK security company Sophos says that a new and as yet unnamed virus has brought the Russian stock exchange to its knees late yesterday. The Russian Trading System (RTS) stock exchange confirmed: 'On February 2, 2006, a computer virus attack forced a suspension of trading on the RTS FORTS futures market, classic market and the stock exchange. ...more

Demon seeks further Whois controls

Nominet has denied allegations by Thus, owner of Demon Internet, that the Whois register of domain name owners may be in breach of data privacy regulations. Under new UK and European legislation, the .uk domain registrar Nominet is obliged to compile the Whois register, containing certain details about the domain name holders. ...more

Bluetooth technology ready for the big time

It's been a long time coming, but analysts at the In-Stat/MDR research group predict Bluetooth is about to explode onto the mainstream market, with shipments of devices offering the wireless technology rocketing 60 per cent every year to more tha 700 million by 2008. 'Most of the end-use markets for this technology seem to be making significant headway,' said Joyce Putscher, Director of the high-tech market research firm's Converging Markets and Technologies Group. In particular, ever more mobile phones are integrating the technology along with accessories such as wireless headets. ...more