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Infrastructure attacks up, says IBM

By Damian Clarkson, ITWeb junior journalist
Johannesburg, 27 Oct 2004

Infrastructure attacks up, says IBM

Attacks against critical networks - including telecommunication companies, government agencies and utilities - climbed 55% between August and July, says IBM.

Most general attacks were based on the long-running Sasser and Korgo worms, while assaults against critical links were due to a bump in attacks on Web servers such as Apache`s HTTP Server and Microsoft`s Internet Information Services server, InformationWeek reports.

IBM also noted that threats against its enterprise customers had climbed by 27% over the same period.

The statement was made at the first of IBM`s monthly reports on security attacks and other business threats, dubbed the Global Business Security Index.

Xandros unveils Linux desktop management app

Linux desktop vendor Xandros yesterday announced the availability of its Xandros Desktop Management Server (xDMS) application.

Aimed at networks from small business workgroups to large enterprises, xDMS provides IT administrators the tools to roll-out, configure and maintain mass deployments of Linux-equipped PCs, InfoWorld reports.

The application also allows administrators to set up software repositories from multiple sources, manage software inventories from the xDMS console and establish managed groups of networked PCs.

The software also allows them to create custom configurations for individual departments and oversee remote, unattended operating system installs and updates.

According to Xandros, it also operates behind a corporate firewall rather than a remote server in order to ensure high security.

Ruling could reduce printer ink costs

A precedent-setting case between Static Control Components (SCC) and Lexmark could potentially pave the way for cheaper ink cartridges in the future.

Lexmark sued SCC in 2002 for a copyright infringement and the court initially ruled in favour of the printing giant. However, a recent federal appeals court ruling lifted a preliminary injunction barring SCC from selling computer chips that enable third-party manufacturers.

According to PCWorld, the Lexmark/SCC case is being closely watched, as the two vendors test whether copyright law protects software used to inhibit interoperability between one vendor`s products and those of its rivals.

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