Science and Technology in the Virtual World (June 2008)

Recent News

Security is not primarily a technical issue
11/12/2008
From ComputerWeekly.com:

The great myth associated with information security is that the risks are primarily technical, writes Simone Seth, senior research consultant at the Information Security Forum (ISF). However, practitioners in the trenches know better the greatest vulnerabilities organisations face are down to human behaviour. Continue...

More Than 50 Percent of Users Continue Risky Internet Behavior after a Security Breach
11/11/2008
From Market Watch:

Palo Alto Networks today announced the results of a study by the Ponemon Institute examining behavioral aspects around corporate policy compliance with regards to Internet tools and applications. The most startling discovery was that when confronted with a security or privacy breach as a direct result of using an Internet application, 45 percent of employees did nothing and continued using the product. Furthermore, 19 percent simply decreased frequency or level of use. Continue...

Cyber threats on the rise, FBI official says
10/15/2008
From Federal Computer Week:

Malicious cyber activity has grown more prevalent and sophisticated during the past year and threats come from organized crime groups, terrorist organizations and foreign governments, according to a senior FBI official. Continue...

Google Co-Founder Has Genetic Code Linked to Parkinson?s
09/18/2008
From NY Times:

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. ? Sergey Brin, a Google co-founder, said Thursday that he has a gene mutation that increases his likelihood of contracting Parkinson?s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that can impair speech, movement and other functions. Continue...

Scientists Move a Step Closer in Developing Super-fast Quantum Computers
09/06/2008
From Newspost Online :

"Researchers at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) may have found a way to overcome a key barrier to the advent of super-fast quantum computers, which could be powerful tools for applications such as code breaking..." Continue...

The Second Browser War
09/04/2008
From Economist.com:

Google's new web browser is its most direct attack on Microsoft yet. Several years ago, Silicon Valley was rife with rumours that Google, then primarily a search engine, might be building a new web browser to rival that of Microsoft, called Internet Explorer, or even an operating system to rival Microsoft's Windows. Google mocked those rumours and they died down. But if Sergey Brin, Google's co-founder, is to be believed, the speculation itself made him think that "maybe it's not a bad idea". And so this week Google did launch a new browser, called Chrome, that is also, in effect, a new operating system. Continue...