Yahoo issues emergency IM patch

Yahoo has rushed out an updated version of its popular instant messaging software, after learning that a flaw in the software could let an attacker hijack a user's computer, reports CBC News.

Versions of Yahoo Messenger for computers that run on Microsoft Windows and were downloaded before 8 June are vulnerable to the flaw, the report says.

The vulnerability involves components of the software, which is used to stream data to other people from a user's Web cam, according to eEye.

As messaging technology overlaps and more employees communicate using a variety of tools, IT shops will have to respond with new user policies to lock down corporate data, reports Computer Weekly.

Gartner analyst Arabella Hallawell says messaging technologies are converging, with people using instant messaging, Web mail and blogs to communicate.

On the voice over Internet Protocol side alone, Skype, IM, video-conferencing and chat programmes are being used in combination, she said, adding that companies need to make sure proprietary information isn't being sent through these channels.

UK-based security vendor Akonix Systems says it has found 170 instant messaging (IM) threats this year, 73% increase over the same period last year, reports PC Advisor.

The figures show a sharp rise in instant messaging-based attacks, according to Akonix, with 20 threats detected in May alone, and an average so far this year of more than one new threat per day.

The IM attacks rely on social engineering to spread malicious code, typically sending a link that appears to come from an IM contact.

Surgeons at a Singapore government hospital can now respond more quickly to critical laboratory test results via SMS on their mobile phones, reports Earthtimes.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital's automated laboratory system allows doctors to get abnormal results of life-threatening cases in two minutes.

Sources reported that some 12 000 laboratory tests are carried out on patients daily at the hospital.