Gadgets, games lose appeal

Gadgets, popular games, online shops and pay-per-click advertising all show their dark side this week, but on the upside, we take a look at IBM`s SecureBlue and a virus of a different kind.

A few weeks ago I discussed the phenomenon of do-it-yourself malware kits for "dummies". The availability and ease-of-use of these perilous lessons made me feel ill.

Recently, while surfing for the latest and greatest of PC gadgets, I was further unnerved to discover some of the products that are blatantly being sold by online shops.

For example, Web sites are selling key logging devices that can "monitor unauthorised access to your computer or your network". Surely, you would have a password to block unauthorised use in the first place? I hardly believe someone would utilise such a device for any other reason than to spy.

Similarly, there are hearing devices being sold that allow for a 50 decibel gain on sounds picked up. The blurb suggests it be used to "amplify bird sounds and frogs at night". How many IT professionals do you know who are budding biologists? This product is a blatant spying-device.

Spyware and adware consultant Benjamin Edelman discussed this week how spyware can "completely fake a click" causing Yahoo to charge an advertiser a "pay-per-click" fee for something that was not clicked.

In defence of the brains behind this operation, the user does fully consent to be spied on.

Ilva Pieterse, ITWeb contributor

Edelman says: "In canonical click fraud, one advertiser repeatedly clicks a competitor`s ads - or hires others to do so, or builds a robot to do so. Deplete a competitor`s budget, and he`ll leave the advertisement auction."

Although not Yahoo`s fault, these incidents are to be a difficult to control. Edelman has proof of click fraud and uses his latest blog entry to present a long list of evidence: videos, screenshots and packet logs "showing exactly what happened and who`s responsible".

The public is used to hackers using porn, game cheats, or pirated downloads as bait to malicious Web sites, but the latest trick is exploiting none other than the popular game Sudoku.

This new tactic lures victims to click on a link and download a Sudoku puzzle application, called YazzleSudoku. Thereafter, every time the application is opened, it downloads a spyware.

Strangely enough, however, the program does warn the user about the spyware that will be installed once gameplay commences, which is pertinent to the functioning of the game. So, in defence of the brains behind this operation, the user does fully consent to be spied on. Makes me wonder if they don`t deserve it...

A new technology developed by IBM, called Secure Blue, is designed to increase the security of consumer products, medical devices, defence systems and digital media using encryption.

Secure Blue will be featured on relatively low cost and low performance devices like mobile phones and PDAs and is designed to deflect the tampering of chips and enhance the security of an entire microprocessor-based device. IBM aims to bridge the gap between handhelds and high-end computers by securing smaller mobile device`s hardware and not just the software.

For a different spin on viruses and IT this week - researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are using the bacteria-infecting M13 viruses for the purpose of technological advancement. Although not being used for information security, which would`ve been ironic, the viruses are being used to build smaller lithium-ion batteries that are as powerful as possible.

By manipulating certain genes inside the viruses, researchers have managed to "train" the organisms to grow and self-assemble into nanowires for use as battery electrodes.

Each virus, and therefore wire, is only six nanometres (six billionths of a metre) in diameter and 880 nanometres long.

Amazing, who would`ve ever thought something good could come from a virus?

Sources used: The Register, SearchSecurity, Yahoo