Future cyber attacks will target the Internet itself

A survey of IT experts reveals that many believe future cyber attacks will target not only individual systems and the information held on them but also the Internet itself. The Pew Internet and American Life Project polled 1,286 experts on what they believe the future of life online will be over the next 10 years. Two-thirds agreed that as the Internet becomes the main infrastructure supporting communications and business, 'at least one devastating attack will occur in the next 10 years on the networked information infrastructure or the country's power grid. ...more

UK company to trial nationwide lamp post Wi-Fi

A UK company has announced plans to begin trials to provide a nationwide WiFi network by turning lamp posts into wireless hotspots. The aptly named Last Mile Communications aims to install access points in more than 150,000 lamp posts, using the existing electrical cabling to carry signals to the Internet, and will begin testing later this year. The system was originally developed for traffic management and by using existing cables ensures no road digging is required. ...more

UK games chart: Need for Speed holds its line

Things have settled down at the very top of this week's ELSPA UK games chart. EA's Need For Speed: Underground 2 keeps ahead of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and FIFA 2005. There are two new entries in the top five, however. ...more

Sophos says Apple good security choice

Experts at UK security company Sophos suggest Apple might be the best route to security for the masses - that is, until consumers all buy one UK security company's senior technology consultant Graham Cluley rolled out the damning virus statistics for 2005, showing that with a 48 per cent rise in new viruses, buying a Windows box has never been more risky. This year saw nearly 16,000 new viruses added to the Sophos database. It's a recognition of the responsiveness and efficiency with which the virus underground operates, using a variety of techniques such as using different packaging algorithms, releasing multiple virus variants simultaneously and tweaking old versions to broaden the scope for successful infection. ...more

Sun warns caution over Microsoft's 'standard' promise

Sun Microsystems is urging the state of Massachusetts not to be swayed by Microsoft's submission of Office XML to the Ecma standards body. In a letter sent to Secretary Trimarco, Massachusetts Executive Office of Administration and Finance, Sun's head of corporate standards, Carl Cargill, outlines his concerns over Microsoft's recent move. Massachusetts, of course, has recently lead the criticism of Microsoft and advocated the use by public bodies of an Open Document Format (ODF). ...more