From BBC News, Technology
Microsoft tackles 17-year-old bug
A 17-year-old bug in Windows will be patched by Microsoft in its latest security update.
The February update for Windows will close the loophole that dates from the time of the DOS operating system.
First appearing in Windows NT 3.1, the vulnerability has been carried over into almost every version of Windows that has appeared since.
The monthly security update will also tackle a further 25 holes in Windows, five of which are rated as "critical".

Home hijack

The ancient bug was discovered by Google security researcher Tavis Ormandy in January 2010 and involves a utility that allows newer versions of Windows to run very old programs.
Mr Ormandy has found a way to exploit this utility in Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and 2008 as well as Windows Vista and Windows 7.

The Scream! forum user PsiDOC has discovered that BT has added a back door to the latest Home Hub Firmware which allow BT (and probably anybody else) full access to the Home Hub and probably a lot more.

Affected Hardware : BT Home Hub Version 2.0a
Affected Firmware : 8.1.H.J

more information here.

PsiDOC (a regular on our forums) is well versed in the home hub and has previously been modifying the firmware to allow the home hub to be used on other ISP's.

By John Leyden 4th February 2010 12:44 GMT
Microsoft has begun investigating a flaw in IE that most affects older versions of Windows, and turns vulnerable systems into a "public file server".

The vulnerability means that hackers might be able to access files with an already known filename and location, providing they can trick users into visiting a maliciously constructed website. For this approach to work, the Protected Mode feature - which runs by default in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 - needs to be absent or disabled.

The bug is therefore much more of a potential concern for XP and Windows 2000 shops, whose users are potentially in the firing line even if they are running IE 8. The vulnerability has not...

Just a little disk drive monitor I slapped together.

http://www.hiddenvision.co.uk/drivespace

Thought it may be handy for someone else

It is a Multistart application so you can start it more than once.

Open for comments and can make required updates if asked nicely.

Researchers show exploits for IE 7 and 8
By Dan Goodin in San Francisco 19th January 2010 20:52 GMT
Microsoft will release an emergency update that patches the Internet Explorer vulnerability used to breach the security defenses of Google and other large companies.
The software maker has said that real-world attacks against the browser continue to be "very limited" and that they're effective only against version 6, which was first released in 2001. Still, researchers have determined that it's possible to exploit more recent versions using well-known techniques, causing the level of concern generated by the vulnerability to spiral since last week, when Google revealed that it 20 other companies were hit by highly...

From PC Pro
TalkTalk calls time on Tiscali brand

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/images/front_..._141841_50.jpg

Posted on 7 Jan 2010 at 10:36
Carphone Warehouse has put an end to the Tiscali brand, bringing all of its broadband customers under the TalkTalk umbrella.
Carphone Warehouse bought Tiscali's UK broadband assets for a knock-down price of £236 million back in May 2009, making it the UK's largest residential broadband provider with 4.25 million subscribers.
At the time, Carphone's chief executive Charles Dunstone announced his intention to dispense with the...

The Scream Christmas Competition, starts Tuesday 1st December

Win a Limited Edition Black Wii, a Western Digital HD Media Player box with Toshiba USB HDD (v slinky ) or an 5th Gen Ipod Nano
8GB.

Full details here: http://www.the-scream.co.uk/chrimbo_compy

Enter here: http://www.the-scream.co.uk/chrimbo_compy_entry

You can only enter if you had 5 or more posts as of this morning, so you cant register and post 5 times and enter

*sniff*

Today is an important day in the history of Mininova. From now on, we are limiting Mininova.org to our Content Distribution service. By doing so, we comply with the ruling of the Court of Utrecht of last August.
Unfortunately the court ruling leaves us no other option than to take our platform offline, except for the Content Distribution service. According to the verdict (Dutch link) we have to prevent uploads of torrents to Mininova that refer to certain titles or to similar-looking titles. Weve been testing some filtering systems the last couple of months, but we found that its neither technically nor operationally possible to implement a 100% working filter system. Therefore, we decided that the only option is...

By Chris Williams Posted 26th November 2009 10:36 GMT
Virgin Media will trial deep packet inspection technology to measure the level of illegal filesharing on its network, but plans not to tell the customers whose traffic will be examined.
The system, CView, will be provided by Detica, a BAE subsidiary that specialises in large volume data collection and processing, and whose traditional customers are the intelligence agencies and law enforcement.

The trial will cover about 40 per cent of Virgin Media's network, a spokesman said, but those involved will not be informed. "It would be counter-productive because it doesn't affect customers directly," he said.

CView will operate at the centre of Virgin Media's network on...

The Scream Christmas Competition, starts Tuesday 1st December

Win a Limited Edition Black Wii, a Western Digital HD Media Player box with Toshiba USB HDD (v slinky ) or an 5th Gen Ipod Nano
8GB.

Full details here: http://www.the-scream.co.uk/chrimbo_compy

Enter here: http://www.the-scream.co.uk/chrimbo_compy_entry

You can only enter if you had 5 or more posts as of this morning, so you cant register and post 5 times and enter

By Dan Goodin Posted 23rd November 2009 20:54 GMT
A bug in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser is causing more than 50 million files stored online to leak potentially sensitive information that could compromise user privacy, a security researcher said.
The documents stored in Adobe's PDF format display the internal disk location where the file is stored, an oversight that can inadvertently expose real-world names and login IDs of users, the operating system being used and other information that is better kept private. The data can then be retrieved using simple web searches.

Google searches such as...

From The Register
Google Chrome OS due next week, says someone
Goonux for Eee. Maybe
By Cade Metz in San Francisco Posted 13th November 2009 18:02 GMT
Google will offer downloads of its Chrome operating system any day now, according to an internet rumor.
Citing a "reliable source," TechCrunch indicates an early version of the Chrome OS will arrive with a limited collection of hardware drivers "within a week."
Google had previously said that an...

From BBC News - Technology
Net pirates to be 'disconnected'
People who persistently download illegal content will be cut off from the net, Business Secretary Peter Mandelson has announced.
Published: 2009/10/28 10:27:41 GMT
He confirmed that it would become government policy, following months of speculation.
It means persistent pirates will be sent two warning letters before facing disconnection from the network.
ISP TalkTalk said the plans were "ill-conceived" and said it was prepared to challenge measures "in the courts".
"What is being proposed is wrong in principle and won't work in practice," the firm said.
"In the event we are instructed...

From The Register
Sky Player hits Xbox 360
No dish required
By James Sherwood 27th October 2009 14:55 GMT
Broadcaster Sky has launched its long-awaited video-on-demand and streaming service for the Xbox 360.
http://regmedia.co.uk/2009/10/27/sky...eengrab_02.jpg
Sky Player's 'Home' screen on Xbox Live

Called Sky Player, the service – the first of its kind for a games console, Sky claimed - works through Xbox Live and provides gamers with access to 24 live streaming channels...

From The Register By Chris Williams 23rd October 2009 10:31 GMT
TalkTalk-Tiscali merger proves fraught - Axe falls

Tiscali staff have turned to their lawyers after managers from TalkTalk arrived wielding the axe.

Tiscali became part of the Carphone Warehouse group back in May, but the expected cuts only began this month.

With very little warning, a human resources team put most if not all of Tiscali's technical managers at risk of redundancy. The move and the way it was done has sparked serious resentment.

Such is the upset among Tiscali's technical managers in Milton Keynes and Stevenage at how their new owners are handling the cuts, that at least 26 have taken legal advice for potential unfair and constructive dismissal claims.