Two million US PCs recruited to botnets

The US leads the world in numbers of Windows PCs that are part of botnets, reveals a report.

More than 2.2 million US PCs were found to be part of botnets, networks of hijacked home computers, in the first six months of 2010, reports the BBC. Compiled by Microsoft, the research revealed Brazil had the second highest level of infections at 550 000.

Infections were highest in South Korea, where 14.6 out of every 1 000 machines were found to be enrolled in botnets. The 240-page Microsoft report took an in-depth look at botnets which, said Cliff Evans, head of security and identity at Microsoft UK, now sat at the centre of many cyber crime operations.

US computer sales were pretty disappointing during the past three months, unless you're talking about Macs, notes CNet.

According to the Quarterly PC Tracker Survey released by IDC, Apple shipped 1.99 million Macs in the US during the third quarter of 2010. That's good for 10.6% of the 18.9 million PCs shipped in the US, putting Apple's share at its highest in the US in the company's history, according to IDC.

While that is still far behind Hewlett-Packard's 24.3% share and Dell's 23.1% share, both of those companies' shipments remained relatively static over the last year. Apple saw its shipments grow 24% from the same quarter a year ago.

The US school which used laptop cameras to spy on its students has agreed to pay damages to settle a civil suit brought as a result of the scandal, says The Register.

The Lower Merion School District in Philadelphia used tracking software from LanRev and laptops' internal cameras to take covert pictures of students.

The school has agreed to pay $175 000 to Blake Robins, one of the students; $10 000 to Jalil Hassan; and $425 000 to their lawyers. David Ebby, school board president, said the school's insurers had already spent $1.2 million on the case.

The South Yorkshire police force is reducing crime by making use of BlackBerry apps while on the beat, reports Computing.

The apps, called Idea Person and Idea Vehicle, give police officers an immediate history of a vehicle or person via their smartphone.

Sergeant Simon Davies, project manager at South Yorkshire Police, said the deployment of BlackBerries across the force has allowed it to spend more time on the street during shifts.