Trojan threatens banks

Security researchers have warned of a new security threat that appears to spread through pop-up ads and capture personal data, reports PC World.

The report says the Trojan horse file poses as a file named "img1big.gif", but is an executable file that installs a malicious add-on to Microsoft`s Internet Explorer browser. The add-on then monitors and records outbound data to the Web sites of several dozen banks.

"I believe this particular type of malware represents a huge threat to the online financial industry," says researcher Tom Liston. "As the proliferation of spyware shows, installing executable software on a user`s machine is far too easy."

Microsoft is expected to take its first steps to Web search independence today with the launch of a new Internet search tool and changes to its Internet search engine.

However, ZDNet comments that the relatively minor changes signal that after a year in development and $100 million investment, Microsoft`s search push still has a long way to go.

The report says a home-grown Web crawler and algorithmic search engine to be introduced will be in test form only to give Webmasters the chance to test the system before its official launch later this year.

A panel of US IT security experts has proposed a series of recommendations they say state and local jurisdictions must act on immediately to ensure the security of electronic voting systems and the accuracy and transparency of the November presidential election.

Computerworld says the recommendations outline a comprehensive strategy for certifying the security and reliability of touch-screen direct recording electronic voting systems. The systems will be used by 30% of registered voters in the coming presidential election.

The report says while analysts in the security and elections communities have praised the recommendations, most have agreed they may have come too late for authorities to act upon.

A multi-player Java-based cellphone version of the game Reversi could be the beginning of a new mobile software strategy for Nokia and Sun Microsystems, reports ZDNet.

The game, developed by Sega Mobile and based on Nokia`s Snap technology, is one of the first cellphone programs to use both XML-based Web services to allow software from different providers to work together, and "middleware" or applications that sit between layers of other software and act as a translator.