Shadow cyber spy network revealed

Researchers have uncovered a "complex cyber espionage" network that penetrated various organisations, including the office of the Dalai Lama, reveals the BBC.

The shadow network targeted government, business and academic computers at the United Nations and the Embassy of Pakistan, in the US, among others.

It was used to steal at least 1 500 e-mails from the office of the Dalai Lama, the researchers said.

The security perils of PDF files have been further highlighted by new research illustrating how a manipulated file might be used to infect other PDF files on a system, reports The Register.

Jeremy Conway, an application security researcher at NitroSecurity, said the attack scenario he has discovered shows PDFs are "wormable".

Computer viruses are capable, by definition, of overwriting other files to spread. Conway's research is chiefly notable for illustrating how a benign PDF file might become infected using features supported by PDF specification, not a software vulnerability as such, and without the use of external binaries or JavaScript.

According to a new survey conducted by Microsoft, a third of UK citizens believe it is acceptable to use pirated software at home or at work, says Computing.co.uk.

The poll of 1 000 people showed that pirated software is nearly as popular in the workplace as it is at home. Microsoft said the trend is alarming because chunks of its revenue are lost each year to pirated software.

One in eight employed adults surveyed admitted using pirated software at work, aligning with the fact that 57% of respondents believed their boss would consider the practice acceptable.

A federal appeals court decision against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has left many people wondering if the open Internet's days are numbered, writes CNet.

On Tuesday, a three-judge panel in a federal appeals court in Washington DC unanimously tossed out an FCC cease-and-desist order against cable giant Comcast.

The court ruling has cleared Comcast's name, but some consumer advocates say the consequence is that it has also stripped the FCC of its power to enforce basic Internet openness principles. These advocates are calling for new laws and regulations that will protect the Internet.