Plans for a new service using the government’s controversial ID cards scheme to speed up criminal record checks have met with approval from volunteers involved in a trial of the technology. The volunteers piloted two potential online services developed by the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) which could be used to authenticate the identities of and information supplied by job applicants.
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Research commissioned by ZyXEL has found that 87% of IT managers are losing sleep at night over remote working because of the potential security risks to the network. Over the last few years, increasing numbers of businesses have been adopting remote and flexible working practices, largely due to the positive effect on workers’ morale, lifestyle and overall productivity. However, it is clear from the research that IT managers are very concerned about hackers using this avenue as a “back door” into the company network or to the risk of the corporate network by the use of unauthorised software and Internet access.
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More than three quarters of IT managers are concerned about the security risks posed by remote working, new figures suggest. A study by networking company ZyXEL found that IT managers are worried about the possibility of hackers exploiting remote working practices to access the company network.
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In its widest-reaching round of iPhone security updates yet, Apple released 10 fixes on Thursday, correcting vulnerabilities in the popular mobile phone’s Safari browser, mail client and Bluetooth server. Seven fixes affected Safari browser vulnerabilities. Of the remaining three Bluetooth-related updates, one fixed a “critical” flaw that could allow outsiders to eavesdrop on iPhone conversations.
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Cybercriminals are downsizing their botnets to try and trick software security companies. Computers infected with a virus unknowingly become “zombies” in a botnet â which is a network used to send out spam and to mount further attacks on other machines. The zombie army can be controlled remotely, with the botnet creators usually trying to build the largest possible botnet of compromised computers to rent out to gangs for as little as $100 (ÂŁ49) for a couple of hours.
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But it will not be a complete overhaul, says Google. A refresh of Googleâs free email service GMail is likely to be available soon, although it will not be a complete upgrade, Google has confirmed. Rumours of a new GMail surfaced on the web last week after plans were reportedly leaked. However, Google insisted that the changes would not constitute an entirely new version.
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Apple’s latest iPhone software update turns iPhones that have been “unlocked” into very expensive paperweights, according to users. Yesterday’s iPhone 1.1.1 update breaks phones that have been hacked so that they work on mobile networks other than AT&T, the only US carrier Apple has allowed iPhones to work with. In recent months, a number of tools have been developed which allow iPhone users to break free of the AT&T-only restriction, but Apple has said that it would fight any attempts to unlock the iPhone.
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VoIP telco Engin has introduced an $0 VoIP adaptor for customers prepared to take a 12 month contract. However, the basic monthly fee is $9.95 a month and does not include any call value, so you’re effectively paying for the VoIP adaptor over the course of the 12 months. The free VoIP adaptor is an Engin-locked Linksys SPA 3102. You can also buy one from a retailer and get $100 cash-back once you’ve been with Engin for three months.
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Accounts on Google Inc.’s Gmail can be easily hacked, allowing any past — and future e-mail messages — to be forwarded to the attacker’s own in-box, a vulnerability researcher said Tuesday. Dubbed a “cross-site request forgery” (CSRF), the Gmail bug was disclosed Tuesday by Petko Petkov, a U.K.-based Web vulnerability penetration tester who has made a name for himself of late. In the past two weeks, Petkov has publicly posted information about critical, zero-day bugs in Apple Inc.’s QuickTime, Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Media Player and Adobe Systems Inc.’s Portable Document Format (PDF).
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WASHINGTON (AP) â A government video shows the potential destruction caused by hackers seizing control of a crucial part of the U.S. electrical grid: an industrial turbine spinning wildly out of control until it becomes a smoking hulk and power shuts down. The video, produced for the Homeland Security Department and obtained by the Associated Press on Wednesday, was marked “Official Use Only.” It shows commands quietly triggered by simulated hackers having such a violent reaction that the enormous turbine shudders as pieces fly apart and it belches black-and-white smoke.
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