Anti-censorship program withdrawn

Software created to help Iranians escape government control of the Web has been withdrawn over security fears, reveals The BBC.

Haystack was designed to help people in the country communicate via the Web, without revealing their identity.

However, independent tests showed that Haystack's creators had little control over who was using the program.

Security researchers have unpicked the business plan behind a botnet that serves as the backend for a DDOS-for-hire business, writes The Register.

The IM DDOS service, hosted in China, offers the lease of a botnet for anyone keen to flood a targeted Web site via a handy-to-use Web-based interface. Following the registration of domains in March 2010, testing of the botnet began in April 2010, closely followed by a commercial release.

By the second week of August, the botnet was running 25 000 recursive DNS lookups per hour to its associated command-and-control servers, a level of activity that put it front and centre on the radar of security firm Damballa.

Twitter on Tuesday unveiled a major redesign of its home page, one its executives say will give users a better, easier, and faster experience, reports CNet.

Though site redesigns are often disappointing, the new Twitter.com is tantamount to a fundamental re-launch of the popular microblogging service's Web-based interface, mainly because it introduces a new interface built around a second viewing pane in which users will be able to see all kinds of content - from photos and videos to user profiles to geolocation information and more.

Twitter CEO Evan Williams said the new version of the site is available to some users immediately, while others will see it implemented in the coming weeks.

The US might see its markets flooded with a new breed of wireless devices, as regulators have voted to open up a frequency range previously reserved for television broadcasters, says Computing.co.uk.

If approved, the new spectrum, known as white space, will allow for better connectivity than WiFi hotspots currently do, enabling users to move from room to room without losing connectivity.

A vote in favour from the Federal Communications Commission on 23 September would set the final rules for the liberalisation of the spectrum. Technology companies including Google and Microsoft have lobbied for white space frequencies to be opened up, and last month Microsoft switched on a network at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington.