Cybercrime on the rise

Symantec has released the ninth volume of its ongoing threat report, covering the six-month period from 1 July 2005 to 31 December 2005. The report marks an increase in threats designed to facilitate cybercrime. Malicious code threats that could reveal confidential information rose from 74% of the top 50 malicious code samples last period to 80% this period, reports E-Commerce Times.

In the past, cyber attacks were largely designed to destroy data, but today`s attacks are increasingly designed to silently steal data for profit without doing system damage that would be noticeable to a user, the report says.

"Cybercrime represents today`s greatest threat to consumers` digital lifestyle and to online businesses in general," said Arthur Wong, VP, Symantec Security Response and Managed Security Services.

The UK Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats have backed government measures to increase penalties for UK computer hackers, reports the BBC.

Anyone hacking a computer could be punished with 10 years` imprisonment under the new laws. The move follows campaigning from Labour MP Tom Harris, whose ideas are now being adopted in the Police and Justice Bill.

There will be a clearer outlawing of offences like denial-of-service attacks in which systems are debilitated. The Bill, which was debated for the first time in the House of Commons on Monday, would also boost the penalty for using hacking tools.

The US Patent & Trademark Office has granted Microsoft its 5 000th patent, reports Information Week. The patent, numbered 6 999 083, allows gamers to compete in online video games, but also keep to the sidelines as a spectator and watch the game from anywhere in the world.

Xbox 360 games will feature the newly patented technology, allowing consumers to tune into a video game as they would a sporting event broadcast on a mobile device, television, or online.

The patent relates to a host of technologies. Some features are included in portions of Xbox Live. It can generate highlights, instant replays and unique views of the action within a game.