War declared on spam zombies

Government and other agencies from 20 countries have joined forces to fight spam by launching the Operation Spam Zombies campaign led by the London Action Plan and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

In a written appeal this week, the FTC urged Internet service providers (ISPs) to monitor the amount of e‑mail sent from a computer and quarantine them if needed, reports The Bosh.

Zombie networks are made up of thousands of virus-infected computers typically controlled by hackers for illegal activity, such as spamming.

The FTC is to send letters to 3 000 ISPs around the world encouraging them to take zombie‑prevention measures such as advising users how to prevent their computers from being turned into zombies, providing tools to remove zombie code from infected computers, and identifying computers sending atypical amounts of mail as potential zombies.

The cable-free PC is another step closer to reality, reports ExtremeTech, with the announcement by the Wireless USB Promoter Group that the wireless USB specification has been completed.

The Wireless USB Promoter Group, made up of seven technology producing companies, says product development has already begun, with the first wireless USB products expected to be available at the end of 2005.

Wireless USB will run over the WiMedia Alliance`s version of ultra-wideband and with the addition of external adaptors, will be compatible with the current USB 1.1 and 2.0 desktop busses.

The UK government has reintroduced hi-tech plans for a national identity card programme using biometric technology.

PC World says this time around, the Labour government has promised to answer concerns raised by opposition parties earlier this year over civil liberties.

The plan calls for establishing a system of ID cards with embedded chips carrying personal information and biometric identifiers by 2010. Biometric details will include fingerprints, face and iris scans, which will all be included in a national identification register database.

UK Prime Minster Tony Blair says identity theft costs the UK billions of pounds each year and has urged members of Parliament to back the government`s plans for addressing the problem.

Nokia has unveiled a pocket-size, Linux-based Web browser for wireless broadband networks that will be available towards the end of 2005, reports Computerworld.

The Nokia 770 is the Finnish firm`s first product without a built-in mobile phone and sports a 4-inch horizontal touch-screen that can display normal Internet pages. It will run entirely on open source software and users will be able to store downloaded Internet content on a removable memory card or transfer it to a computer via USB or Bluetooth.

The report says the product marks a significant strategy expansion for Nokia and is aimed at consumers seeking an affordable extra Internet screen for home use that can be used at wireless hotspots outside the home or connected to a cellphone through a Bluetooth wireless link.

Several innovations already in the pipeline include upgrades by early next year to enable voice over IP calls and instant messaging.

Microsoft has patched a flaw in its Xbox 360 Web site that researchers say could have allowed phishing attacks, reports News.Com.

The Finjan Software security company says the site was patched within 12 hours of notifying Microsoft of the threat. The flaw was a cross-site scripting vulnerability, which could have been exploited by hackers to gather credit card data and other personal information from visitors to the site.

Microsoft announced its plans for the second-generation Xbox earlier this month and the Xbox 360 Web has gone live, but the game player does not go on sale until later in the year.