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Cisco to Pay $830 Million for Spam Blocker Firm IronPort Systems

Authored by dmw on January 4, 2007 - 11:02am.
San Jose, Calif. - Cisco, the San Jose-based network equipment giant, said on Thursday that it will pay $830 million in cash and stock to acquire IronPort Systems, a San Bruno-based maker of messaging security appliances focusing on spam and spyware protection for large organizations.
tags: Deals | Internet | Tech | Security | Acquisitions | Email | Cisco | Spam | IronPort |

MySpace to Block Registered Sex Offenders

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 5, 2006 - 2:40pm.
Los Angeles - News Corp.'s MySpace online social network announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Sentinel Tech Holding Corp., a provider of online identity and background verification services, to block convicted sex offenders from accessing MySpace.
tags: Internet | Law | Tech | Social Networking | MySpace | Security | Law Enforcement | Privacy | Sentinel Tech |

Sonic Solutions Acquires System OK

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 9, 2006 - 2:26pm.
Novato, Calif. - Sonic Solutions, a developer of digital media software, said on Wednesday that it has acquired System OK, a maker of backup and recovery software based in Sweden.
tags: Deals | Tech | Security | Sweden | Acquisitions | Storage | Software | Sonic Solutions | System OK |

MTN Taps Gemalto for Security on First African Mobile TV Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 19, 2006 - 1:51pm.
Cape Town, South Africa - Gemalto, a developer of digital security technologies, said on Thursday that MTN Group will use its technology in the first commercial deployment of mobile TV service on the African continent. MTN South Africa's service, based on the DVB-H mobile TV standard, will be available to all of its more than five million subscribers in South Africa.
tags: Mobile | Video | Mobile TV | Tech | TV | Security | South Africa | Africa | MTN | Gemalto |

Apple: Some Video iPods Shipped With Windows Virus

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 18, 2006 - 1:49pm.
Cupertino, Calif. - Apple has confirmed that a malicious Windows-based code has shipped on a number of its Video iPods. The RavMonE.exe worm is not rated a serious threat, but can lower the security settings on Windows computers. Apple said the problem affects less than 1% of video iPods shipped after Sept. 12, 2006, and it has so far seen less than 25 reports concerning the problem. The company added that iPod nano and shuffle models, and Mac OS X are not affected by the malicious code. "As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves, for not catching it," Apple said on a support page of its website. Anti-virus firm McAfee on Wednesday released a software tool that removes the RavMonE.exe worm.
tags: Tech | Music | iPod | Apple | CE | Microsoft | Security | iTunes | Software | PMP | Windows | Viruses |

McAfee Acquires Onigma for $20 Million

Authored by dmw on October 16, 2006 - 12:29pm.
Santa Clara, Calif. - McAfee, the larger maker of Internet security products, said on Monday that it has acquired Israeli data protection software maker Onigma for $20 million in cash. Onigma's technology is designed to monitor, report and prevent confidential data from leaving an organization. Christopher Bolin, McAfee's CTO, said that the deal will allow his company to offer clients protection against the loss of confidential data and intellectual property. The deal follows last week's retirement of George Samenuk as McAfee's chairman and CEO, and the termination of Kevin Weiss as its president following an internal probe into e company's stock option practices.
tags: Deals | Tech | Security | DRM | Acquisitions | Tech Deals | Software | Israel | IT |

Remote XT Software Sounds Alarm, Erases Data on Stolen Mobile Phones

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 2, 2006 - 1:34pm.
Marlow, England - Remote XT on Monday launched its mobile phone software that emits an ear-piercing screech and instantly disables the phone if the owner reports it stolen. The U.K.-based service is aimed at consumers who carry sensitive information on their mobile phones, and is available as part of a service that includes encryption, virus protection, mobile e-mail and secure data back-up for about $18.85 per month.
tags: Mobile | Tech | Audio | UK | CE | Security | Software | Law Enforcement | Cellphones | Crime | Remote XT |

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against AOL Over Release of Search Queries

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 25, 2006 - 1:32am.
Dulles, Va. - Three individuals have sued AOL, saying the company violated their privacy by posting their search queries online. The lawsuit is the first class action filed in federal court as a result of AOL's July 31 public release of queries made by hundreds of thousands of AOL members without their permission. The law firm of Berman DeValerio filed the class action on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
tags: Internet | Law | Lawsuits | Tech | AOL | Security | Search | Portals | Privacy | Data |

Personalized Online ID Firm WeeWorld Raises $15.5 Million, Launches in U.S.

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 25, 2006 - 1:28am.
London - WeeWorld, a service that lets users create their own personalized identity that is persistent across blogs, social networks, online forums, instant messenger services, VoIP and mobile phones, announced on Monday its launch in the U.S. and a recent $15.5 million second round of venture capital financing.
tags: Deals | VC | Tech | Security | WeeWorld |

CTO of AOL Resigns Following Privacy Breach

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 21, 2006 - 12:50pm.
Dulles, Va. - Just weeks after accidentally releasing three months worth of search queries for 650,000 of its members, AOL said in an internal memo that CTO Maureen Govern has resigned, Reuters reported on Monday.
tags: Internet | Law | Tech | Career | Moves | AOL | Security | Search | Portals | EFF | Privacy | Resignations |

Analysis: Nine Out Of Ten Emails Are Now Junk, Damn It!

Authored by Jay Baage on August 3, 2006 - 8:54am.

According to a fresh study done by the Swedish Internet provider Spray, the amount of junk mail being sent to its subscribers has increased from 80% to 90% during 2006. I’m sure that this reflects the situation in most of Europe and the U.S. as well (AOL reported around 80% junk mail in the U.S. by the end of 2005). 

tags: Internet | Marketing | Law | Tech | Security | Software | Email | Spam |

Who Wins the Title of Cleanest & Safest Search Engine?

Authored by robert on June 23, 2006 - 1:02am.
The AP reported today that a Long Island politician has dropped a federal lawsuit that had claimed that Google profits from child pornography, specifically through their paid links. The lawsuit was dropped because Google – who denied the allegations - was willing to discuss the issues raised with the politician in the near future. A related issue and trend is the perception, substantial or not, that search engines are not only having difficulty weeding out unsavory websites from their natural search results, but their paid listings, as well.
tags: Internet | Marketing | Law | Tech | Disney | Security | Search | Google | SiteAdvisor | Scandoo | Spyware |

MySpace Enhances Child Safety & Privacy; Faces $30 Million Lawsuit

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 21, 2006 - 2:18pm.
Los Angeles - Social networking site MySpace on Wednesday launched new safety and security features, in the wake of a $30 million lawsuit filed against the company by a 14-year-old girl who claims she was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old she met on the site.
tags: Internet | Law | Lawsuits | Social Networking | MySpace | Security | Children | Parental Controls | UGC |

SunnComm to Submit CD Copy-Protection Software for Security Testing

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 3, 2006 - 6:52am.
San Francisco - SunnComm Technologies, a developer of CD copy-protection software that was found to open computers to security risks, has agreed to address problems with the software and comply with requests for independent security reviews from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital civil liberties group. SunnComm said that future versions of its MediaMax software will not install when a user declines the license agreement that appears when a CD is first inserted into a computer, and also provide uninstallers in all versions of MediaMax. The company will also submit all future versions of its copy-protection software to an independent security-testing firm, and make the results public; it has also promised not to prosecute legitimate security researchers for violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. "While we continue to disagree with SunnComm on the wisdom of CD copy protection in general, we are pleased that it has taken important steps to notify consumers of the security vulnerability and help resolve the security and privacy issues raised by the MediaMax software," said EFF staff attorney Kurt Opsahl.
tags: Security | Software | CD | test | Copy-Protection | SunnComm |

Texas Sues Sony BMG Under Spyware Law; Additional Security Risk Found

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 21, 2005 - 3:08am.
Austin - The Attorney General for the state of Texas has sued major record label Sony BMG under the state's spyware law, in connection with the release of millions of CDs containing technology that hid anti-piracy software that opened users' PCs to virus attacks. "Sony has engaged in a technological version of cloak and dagger deceit against consumers by hiding secret files on their computers, said Attorney General Greg Abbott. "Consumers who purchased a Sony CD thought they were buying music. Instead, they received spyware that can damage a computer, subject it to viruses and expose the consumer to possible identity crime." The state of Texas is seeking civil penalties of $100,000 per violation of the state's anti-spyware law. Meanwhile, another security risk related to the Sony BMG copy-protection technology has been identified, this time in connection with software from Arizona-based SunnComm Technologies. Computer researchers Ed Felten and Alex Halderman identified a security risk in the uninstall program for SunnComm's anti-piracy application, which the company said had been downloaded by just 223 consumers before it was removed from the Web. SunnComm's CD copy-protection software is different than the offending application from U.K.-based First 4 Internet at the heart of the controversy -- although SunnComm's software has likely been included on a greater number of releases, from both Sony BMG and other record labels.
tags: Sony | Security | BMG | Texas | Spyware Law | Risk |

Philips to Offer Music Playback, Security Technology to Internet Retailers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 26, 2003 - 10:27am.
Amsterdam -- Philips Electronics said on Friday that it is developing digital music playback and security technologies that it will offer to online music retailers, Reuters reported. "We are in discussions with parties that want to develop music download sites," Philips' Larry Blanford told Reuters. Philips also said it will not support Microsoft's Windows Media technology in its music initiatives, with Blanford adding, "we need a technology that works, that is available to everyone, managed in a fair way and not constrained to any particular group." http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3515236  http://www.philipsusa.com
tags: Music | Security | Philips | Technology | Playback |