EFF fights US gov over flight passenger data

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has filed suit against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the gathering of data on passengers taking flights between Europe and the US. The civil rights body had asked the DHS for records on how the process is handled, including how the data is maintained, used, disclosed, and secured, under the Freedom of Information Act. However, the DHS failed to respond to the request. ...more

Read extracts online as Google moves in on online book sales

Search engine Google is planning to offer book extracts as part of its new Google Print service which will allow searchers to search, browse and ultimately buy a book online. The system will be integrated into the existing search engine rather than spun off as a separate section. As part of the search results Google will offer a 'book results' link. ...more

Media Center PCs prone to new DoS attack flaw

Microsoft has issued a security advisory over a flaw discovered in Remote Desktop Services, a component of Windows found in versions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000. The vulnerability, described in advisory number 904797, could enable a limited denial of service attack - it can be exploited to cause the Windows system to crash via a specially crafted RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) request. This protocol, which is used for example by Terminal Services, allows users to create a virtual session onto their desktop computer, allowing access to data and applications from another computer. ...more

eBay boosts UK household income

eBay is making a significant contribution to the wealth of UK households, according to the Centre for Economic and Business Research. Online auction sites will generate some ?4bn of trade this year for the 50,000 people in the UK who buy and sell via such websites, of which eBay is by far the most well known and successful. The CEBR estimates that auctions could add ?3,000 to the average UK household income. ...more

InfoSec 2007: Security drives up cost of EC banking directive

When it comes to banks complying with the EC's forthcoming Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), security costs are set to drive up the bill. This is the warning of experts speaking at the InfoSecurity Europe 2007 event at London's Olympia today. UK investment banks face costs of at least ?10 million each to ready themselves for the directive, thanks in large part to the measure's data security implications, said PJ Di Giammarino, chief executive of MiFID think tank JWG-IT and former senior IT professional with Barclays Capital. ...more