Microsoft exec calls for internet quarantine in response to drastic times

Technology giant Microsoft wants to treat PCs infected with malware like they have the plague.

"Just as when an individual who is not vaccinated puts others' health at risk, computers that are not protected or have been compromised with a bot put others at risk and pose a greater threat to society," Scott Charney, corporate vice president for trustworthy computing at Microsoft, wrote in a recent company blog post.

Charney's proposal would ban PCs infected with malware from internet connectivity in an effort to prevent the spread of botnets to other devices on the web. While his proposal sounds radical, research supports it. A separate study showed disconnecting infected PCs from the top-50 internet networks could eliminate the spread of nearly half of all botnets, PC World reports. The process is feasible as well, as the news provider reports internet service providers have the resources to disconnect individual computers from their networks if they lack secure anti-malware protective measures.

The proposal comes at a time when national security, government infrastructure and energy grid technology have been threatened by malware attacks. According to Charney, drastic measures are required when even national defense systems are incapable of preventing cyber crime.

"Notwithstanding this emerging discussion, it appears to many people that neither governments nor industry are well-positioned to respond to this highly complex threat and that, from a policy and tactical perspective, there is considerable paralysis," Charney wrote.

Just as the World Health Organization calls for quarantine when human viruses rapidly spread throughout the population, such as the H1N1 virus or the Avian flu, MIcrosoft is positioning itself as the authority looking to eliminate the spread of computer viruses, such as Stuxnet or Zeus.

"In the physical world, international, national and local health organizations identify, track and control the spread of disease which can include, where necessary, quarantining people to avoid the infection of others," Charney said. "Simply put, we need to improve and maintain the health of consumer devices connected to the internet in order to avoid greater societal risk."

The announcement is a sign of the progress malware has made on an international scale. As botnets are designed to discretely spread through networks of devices, destroying hardware and stealing money along the way, cutting off infected devices instills a barrier between malware and uninfected computers. The call to isolate infected devices, and cut off computer viruses before they can infect others connected to the web, will put more emphasis on secure anti-malware software.

While Microsoft's proposal is unlikely, it highlights the importance on updating to the latest protective software solutions. The quarantine would deny internet access to machines that fail to update their protective solutions, implying the importance of anti-malware software to security across the entire internet.

Organizations join to petition for net neutrality

SavetheInternet.com recently reported that it had collected 250,000 signatures from people in the United States on a petition aimed at preserving net neutrality. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Comcast in a suit that claimed the internet service provider violated the law.The organization is made up of members from other special interest groups such as Free Press, the American Civil Liberties Union and MoveOn.org. The hope of the petition is to inform the Federal Communications Commission that the people of the U.S. do not support the Supreme Court's decision."The internet holds truly revolutionary potential to give marginalized communities a more powerful political voice and connect them with 21st-century economic opportunity," James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org, said. "But that potential can only be realized if the internet remains an open communications network, free from discrimination by corporate gatekeepers."The Supreme Court made the ruling in favor in Comcast because it believed that forcing the company to comply with net neutrality violated its ability to run its company without government interference. The FCC has denounced the decision because it fears ISPs will block other websites for issues of content.

Despite mobile broadband growth, fixed broadband ascends

Despite the growth of mobile broadband in recent years, sparked by the adoption of smartphones, fixed broadband subscribers grew 13 percent in 2009, according to ABI Research. Mobile broadband has revolutionized web access for millions of people - especially enterprise users - but fixed broadband is more reliable and normally much faster than wireless.Cities and towns struggling financially are seeking ways of improving broadband speed to draw new residents. As more products and services become available on the web and more people use the internet for entertainment, reliable high-speed broadband is the best way to attract those people - especially among young professionals."Fixed broadband is an attractive platform for the delivery of [internet protocol television], gaming services with low latency, rapid access to web content and secure access to non-building access points," Jake Saunders, ABI vice president for forecasting, said. "Technologies such as fiber-to-the-home, VDSL and GPON are helping to keep fixed broadband relevant to end-users."In parts of the world still without access to reliable broadband, it is unlikely that fixed broadband will become the preferred choice as these countries begin implementing it. According to Business Daily Africa, parts of the continent currently trying to bring its residents broadband prefer mobile broadband.

Main Street Broadband to prove high-speed internet to Donalsonville, Georgia

Residents of Donalsonville, Georgia recently learned that they will soon be able to access high-speed internet thanks to Main Street Broadband. The company will begin its expansion effort immediately in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Service.The expansion is part of a broader undertaking to improve broadband speed in both southern Georgia and North Florida - two of the most under served regions in the United States. Main Street and the USDA have used feedback from people in the area on social networking sites to gauge the areas with the most demand."Our focus is providing quality and affordable high speed internet service to the residents and businesses of Donalsonville," Mike Mies, co-founder and CEO of Main Street said. "We receive such positive feedback from our customers on how they use our services, from continuing education to utilizing social media and enabling small business efficiencies."In Donalsonville, service will likely be available to the entire community some time in June.The North Florida Broadband Authority received an $18 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in late February to improve broadband speed and access throughout the region.

Malware creators using Adobe to spread strains

Slow computers are often the result of a malware-laden hard drive. Cyber criminals spread viruses in a number of ways, but one of the most popular is using fake Adobe updates and other malicious PDF files to take control of computers.

Slow computers are often the result of a malware-laden hard drive. Cyber criminals spread viruses in a number of ways, but one of the most popular is using fake Adobe updates and other malicious PDF files to take control of computers. A recently discovered strain of malware uses a fake Adobe update to overwrite software, especially antivirus programs, to prevent the program from seeking updates. This malware is especially powerful because even after it is removed, the programs it alters are so damaged that they will likely be unable to update themselves down the road. "They will lose the auto-updating functionality of whatever software is affected even after the malware is cleaned up," Rik Ferguson, a security analyst for Trend Micro, told Network World. "That could of course leave them open to exploitation further down the line if critical vulnerabilities don't get patched as a result." Another new strain of malware uses PDFs to spread its virus. A message claiming to be from Facebook informs the recipient that they must change their password by following instructions on the PDF attached to the email. Users are advised that Facebook does not require users to change login information in this way.

Malware numbers misleading, China responsible for most

Despite the numbers that finger the United States as the guiltiest nation in regards to malware, a report recently released by Symantec indicates that Chinese cyber criminals are responsible for more malware than any other nation.

Despite the numbers that finger the United States as the guiltiest nation in regards to malware, a report recently released by Symantec indicates that Chinese cyber criminals are responsible for more malware than any other nation. While a majority of the malware comes from servers in the U.S., when Symantec investigated the actual IP addresses that the malware originated from, it traced most of them back to China. The report shows that 28.2 percent of all malware comes from IP addresses in China. Romania with 21.1 percent and the U.S. with 13.8 percent round out the top three. "A large proportion of targeted attacks are sent from legitimate webmail accounts which are located in the U.S. and therefore, the IP address of the sending mail server is not a useful indicator of the true origin of the attack," Paul Wood, a senior analyst at Symantec's MessageLabs Intelligence, said. Chinese malware has become a major problem globally. Google recently announced that it will no longer censor search results after an attack was traced back to two Chinese schools. The nation's government denies any role in the attack, but the target of the measure - two human rights activists - may prove otherwise.

States hope broadband will create jobs

Citing recent news regarding increased broadband access, technology officials in both Oklahoma and South Carolina have commented that they view broadband as a method of improving employment in the short term. Also, broadband access is a major part of ongoing education reform plans, so the long-term effects of improved access on employment numbers is clear, according to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski. United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is leading the broadband expansion efforts in rural parts of the country. EnidNews.com recently reported that Vilsack believes that grants awarded to ISPs in Oklahoma will help the state's rural regions develop a broadband infrastructure that provides better education opportunities to young people and new capability to farm businesses. "The broadband projects announced [Tuesday] will give rural Americans access to the tools they need to attract new businesses, educational opportunities and jobs," Vilsack said. "The Obama administration understands that bringing broadband to rural America provides a gateway for businesses and key anchor institutions - such as libraries, schools, public buildings and community centers - to provide services to thousands of Americans." In South Carolina, however, a 2009 contract that leased airwaves to two private telecommunications agency prevented the state from taking advantage of the FCC's new plan, according to Free-Times.com.

Blurring the lines: Google, Intel, and Sony rumored to be working on internet TV project

Search giant Google, along with microchip maker Intel and consumer electronics maker Sony, is looking to combine television and internet capabilities, according to a report in the New York Times.

The Times says that "the project, which has been under way for several months, was described by people with knowledge of it. They requested anonymity because the partners were not allowed to speak publicly at this point, and details remained under negotiation." The newspaper also says that Logitech has been contracted to provide hardware support.

According to Wired.com, efforts to bring computers and TVs together have met with very limited success in the past, despite several high-profile attempts like Apple TV. Nevertheless, approaching the problem from the other end - in the manner of Hulu and Netflix - has proved much more promising in recent years.

Broadband systems, however, could be further taxed if significant portions of the population switch to online TV models. This would necessitate large amounts of bandwidth to stream high-quality video and audio content, experts say.

FCC provides users with tools to perform broadband speed test

The Federal Communications Commission recently announced that it has developed tools that will allow users to measure their broadband speed and inform their internet service provider when their service is down.

The Broadband Consumer Test uses two popular tests to make its measurements and is also available users of the iPhone and newly released Droid. Understanding where service is consistently slow or unavailable will provide the FCC with information for its National Broadband Plan. Also, as money continues to be distributed from the American Recovery and Reinvesment Act, the data gathered from the tests will enable the government to make informed decisions as to who is in need of the funds.

"Transparency empowers consumers, promotes innovation and investment, and encourages competition," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement. "The FCC's new digital tools will arm users with real-time information about their broadband connection and the agency with useful data about service across the country."

The FCC plans to announced its intentions for the National Broadband Plan sometime next week. The goal is to provide adequate high-speed internet service throughout the U.S.

Some Newegg customers complain of phony processors

Consumers who purchased certain types of Intel processors through online distributor Newegg were surprised - and understandably aggrieved - to find that the product that arrived was nothing more than a plastic mock-up of a CPU.

The distributor said in a statement that "we have since [the incident] come to discover the CPUs were counterfeit and are terminating our relationship with this supplier." Tech news site HardOCP had initially identified the supplier in question as D&H Distributing, but it was later revealed that IPEX was behind the phony chips.

Newegg has pledged to make restitution to any customers who received the bogus devices, which were supposed to be Intel Core i7-920 processors, and has said that "we take matters like this extremely seriously, and are working in close cooperation with Intel and the appropriate law enforcement authorities to thoroughly investigate this incident."

Experts say that, while online retailers can frequently offer very attractive deals to their potential customers, those customers have a responsibility to be on the alert for any possible fraud or abuse.

Majority of top malware threats are Trojans

Sunbelt Software, a web security company, recently released a list of the most harmful malware currently making its way through the web. Eight of the 10 programs listed were Trojan viruses, including the top four.

The Trojan.Win32.Generic!BT program is the most widespread strain at the moment as it is more than 33 percent of all malware on the web.

Sunbelt expects the threat to continue until the end of June. The most harmful trojans have taken advantage of hype over major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, the Olympics and the NCAA men's basketball tournament to spread from computer to computer.

"Although the newest threats are largely rogue security products, Trojans and bot-installing malware, the spectrum of malware threats out there continues to be quite broad. The old standards continue to circulate online and gain increased penetration whenever internet use peaks, as with events such as the recent Winter Olympics," said Sunbelt Software research center manager Tom Kelchner.

Symantec recently reported that spam was sent at its highest volume ever in February as botnet activity rose substantially from previous months.

Wal-Mart plugs into internet TV market

Internet-ready TV sets may still be in their infancy but as adoption continues to grow, a recent move by the nation's leading retailer may speed that process up.

Wal-Mart has recently acquired Silicon Valley-based online video provider VUDU for what has been reported as an estimated $100 million.

"The retailer's purchase of VUDU will likely facilitate greater integration of online video capabilities into HDTV sets and other devices it sells," said a report by FierceTelecom.

As streaming movies become more prevalent, one analyst told the New York Times that this move shows that the retail giant sees the end of traditional at-home movie viewing.

"At the very least this shows Wal-Mart understands that has to change, because the DVD is eventually going away," James McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester Research."They are making a bet on connected devices."

According to a recent report from Isuppli, 27.5 percent of consumers TVs purchased in January were connected to the Internet, either directly or via external devices, such as digital video boxes or game consoles.

Area governments target increased broadband access

The Central Savannah River Area Regional Agency told the Augusta Chronicle in Georgia recently that more than half of the area does not have access to broadband internet access. To increase availability, the CSRA's Unified Development Agency has applied for federal stimulus money that would be directed toward bringing broadband to the area and increasing internet speed for those who currently have it. President Barack Obama has mentioned increased web access as part of a national plan to improve overall education in recent months. "I call it a fairly aggressive project in that all 13 counties in the region have agreed to work together to try to design a fiber optic ring that would get broadband access to rural areas, certainly underserved," Andy Crosson, CSRA Regional Commission president, told the news provider. On February 23, the Federal Communication Commission announced that its plans for a national broadband system would be made available to the public on March 17. Those without regular web access from an early age are unlikely to develop the level of digital literacy necessary to succeed, experts say.

Registered domains close to 200 million

People attempting to launch a personal or business-based website may have issues trying to find a catchy name or URL that hasn't been registered already.

VeriSign said 11 million new domain names were registered in the fourth quarter of 2009, pushing the total number to 192 million at year's end.

At the end of the third quarter, there were 187 million registered domain names. That was up from 177 million at the end of 2008.

Quick math shows that sign-ups work out to be about 3.7 million new registrations per month in the fourth quarter, the company said. New websites with the .com and .net domains occured at a rate of about 2.4 million per month in the fourth quarter.

And those that have registered the name they want are keeping them at a steady pace as well, VeriSign said, as the renewal rate in the fourth quarter was 71 percent, about the same as it was in the fourth quarter of 2008.

VeriSign said about 88 percent of domain names lead to operating sites, while a quarter of domain names connect to one-page websites, and about two-thirds connect to multiple page sites.

Volvo brings the home PC to the backseat

Keeping the kids entertained on long drives by popping in a Disney DVD may not be enough for today's media-savvy youth. But with a debut at the Chicago Auto Show, the 2010 Volvo XC70 may have an answer for the "are we there yet?" age group.

The new car features what the company claimed to be the industry's "first internet connected rear seat entertainment system" with Windows XP, Wi-Fi and a 500 GB hard drive. The new system will allow even the most media-jaded of tweens to surf the web, friend someone on Facebook or download a movie or song all using a digital touchscreen.

"These technological properties are what we know appeal to the discerning electronics buyers and owners of Volvo vehicles," said Jack Lawson, Product Manager at Volvo Cars of North America.

With connectivity to the owner's home computer, the RSEi-500 - as the rear seat entertainment system is called- will also allow them to take files, movies and more with them on any trip, the company said.

Volvo joins Ford, which announced Wi-Fi capabilities for some of its future Sync-enabled cars late last year, in providing internet access for its passengers.

California considers legalizing internet gambling

California has taken initial steps toward becoming the first state to offer internet poker when the Senate Governmental Organization Committee held an informational hearing to consider the topic. While reports said that there was no pending legislation on the topic, the state's $20 billion deficit has some seriously considering the notion - especially as the committee was told that legalizing online poker could quickly become a $1.4 billion industry in California and could generate $50 million in added revenue for the state, according to the Desert Sun. Federal law currently prohibits online gambling from operating in the U.S., which - in addition to expected in-state opposition, especially from some major casino Indian tribes - led committee chair Senator Roderick Wright, to tell the Desert Sun newspaper "Clearly whatever we do will end up in court.'' Internet gaming accounted for $5.9 billion in 2008 from players in the United States and $21.0 billion from players worldwide for offshore and foreign gambling sites, according to the American Gaming Association.

Study: Teens blogging less, using Facebook more

It seems that blogging is so "over" for most teens, as they turn to social networking sites in droves, according to a recent report. According to a report in USA Today, blogging among teens and young adults has plummeted since 2006. In that year, 28 percent of teenagers from 12 to 17 and adults ages 18 to 29 were bloggers. By the fall of 2009, the numbers had dropped to 14 percent of teens and 15 percent of young adults, according to the study. But it may be a shift in social media preference that has precipitated the decline in blogging, according to the report.. "What we think is really going on here - why young people aren't doing blogs anymore - is that there's been a move from MySpace, which put blogging front and center, to Facebook, which doesn't have that," study author, Amanda Lenhart told the USA Today. Overall, the survey found that 73 percent of teens aged 12 to 17 use social networks in one form or another.

Twitter phishing attack forces password changes

Social networking site Twitter recently instructed a number of users to change passwords after a phishing scam managed to steal the private details of a number of user accounts. Twitter said that it had blocked a number of accounts of users who have fallen victim to the scam, which is designed to steal login information by constructing a fake site or email. The exact number of users affected is said to be small, although the company did not give a specific number. "As part of our ongoing efforts to monitor our user base for odd activity, we noticed a sudden surge in followers for a couple accounts in the last five days," said Del Harvey director of trust and safety at Twitter. "Given the circumstances surrounding this, we felt it was best to push out a password reset to accounts that were following these suspicious users." The site warned users that their passwords "may have been compromised in a phishing attack that took place off-Twitter," resulting in the reset passwords. News of this attack came hot on the heels of a report from Sophos that reported social network malware rose 70 percent last year.

Apple ends the rumors and introduces new iPad tablet computer

That's not a super-sized iPod. It's Apple's new tablet computer. And, no, despite months of speculation, it's not called the iSlate. On January 27, Apple finally debuted its long-rumored tablet computer, the iPad. At just 0.5 inches thick and 1.5 pounds with a 9.7 inch screen, the new device will allow users to browse the web, read and send email, look at photos, watch videos, read e-books and much more, according to the company. In addition to what it said were dozens of apps created exclusively for the iPad, it will run the 140,000 or so apps available at the App Store. Additionally, there will be a new iBooks app, which will manage e-books on the tablet. "iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before." The iPad will be available in late March, starting at a suggested retail price of $499. A WiFi/3G combo model will follow the initial introduction sometime in April, the company said.

Expect big things for tablet computer market in 2010

Just days before a recently announced event will be held by Apple to unveil its "latest creation" to select viewers - rumored to be its iSlate tablet computer- a Deloitte research note said that tablet computers will finally capture the attention and dollars of consumers this year. "Tens of millions of people" will buy a tablet computer - termed a NetTab by Deloitte - in 2010, the company forecasted. This new generation of tablets is expected to fill a void left between smartphones and laptops, for users looking for larger screens at lighter weights and prices. "While it is difficult to forecast sales of devices whose specifications are unknown, some analysts estimate 12-month sales from launch of over one billion dollars," Deloitte said. "This is larger than global sales of personal navigation devices." The activity of manufacturers may indicate that they expect big things from these small computers. In addition to Apple's rumored entry, major PC vendors including Hewlett-Packard and Dell have said they will offer tablets. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer showcased HP's Slate at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

Is the tablet revolution brewing?

With Apple's iSlate launch imminent and companies from Dell to Verizon talking tablet or touch screen computing, some are already deeming 2010 the year of the tablet, according to a variety of sources. Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Motorola and Lenovo Group were among the companies showing off thin, touch screen computing devices at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. With Apple's iSate due out this month, these new portable devices, which are packed with multimedia and web-browsing capabilities, are aiming for Apple and trying to fit into the electronic matrix by slotting between smartphones and laptops. "There's going to be tablets of every form and kind coming," Jen-Hsun Huang, chief executive of Nvidia - which makes graphics chips - told Reuters. Huang added that a number of new devices based on Nvidia's Tegra chip are on the horizon, going so far as to call 2010 the beginning of a "tablet revolution." Microsoft - whose Windows 7 will be running many of these entries - believes that the touch technology seen on the tablets will spread to many other PCs. Rising consumer expectations, increasingly affordable consumer electronics and advances in technology are pushing the touch platform along said Bill Buxton, a principal researcher at Microsoft.

Will Verizon take on Apple tablet in 2010?

While 2009 saw the rise of the netbook, 2010 may be primed for the rise - or better yet, the resurrection - of the tablet computer. With rumors of Apple's iSlate - although that name is not official - gaining steam and credence it may be fueling the interest of others to get into the market. In fact, CNET reported that Verizon might be looking closely at entering the tablet or slate fray as it looks to diversify and expand its offerings. "I do think that slates are going to be emerging in rapid succession in 2010," said Brian Ullem, who heads emerging devices for Verizon Wireless. "What remains to be seen is how people use them. And the operating systems that manufacturers and carriers will select." Meanwhile, as Verizon contemplates entering the tablet market, Apple seems closer to the rumored January 2010 launch of its 10-inch iSlate as some of the part suppliers begin to be leaked to the media. . According to evertiq.com, Foxconn's subsidiary Innolux will be producing the 10-inch touch screen for the new iSlate. Other, primarily Chinese and Taiwanese companies have been named in reports to be providing other components of the iSlate.