Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

NEWS - December 12, 2005

by roddy32 Dec 11, 2005 11:38PM PST
Browsers to get sturdier padlocks
By Joris Evers
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: December 12, 2005, 4:00 AM PST

The yellow security padlock in Web browsers, weakened by lax standards and loose supervision, will get reinforced next year with tougher requirements and browser updates.

The browser icon was designed to show that traffic with a Web site is encrypted and that a third party, called a certification authority, has identified the site and vouches for its validity. But in recent years, standards of verification have slipped, undermining the sense of security implied by the padlock.

To solve that problem, a group of companies that issue the Secure Socket Layer certificates are working with major Web browser makers to develop a new type of "high assurance" certificate. The informal organization, dubbed the CA Forum, has held three unpublicized meetings this year and plans to meet again next year, representatives from the companies involved told CNET News.com.

more here
http://news.com.com/Browsers+to+get+sturdier+padlocks/2100-1029_3-5989633.html?tag=html.alert

Discussion is locked

3 Posts
- Collapse + Expand Details
- Collapse -
Hackers grab donor info from U.K. charity
by roddy32 Dec 12, 2005 12:21AM PST

By Andy McCue, Silicon.com
Published on ZDNet News: December 12, 2005, 6:59 AM PT

Hackers have stolen the personal details of thousands of donors to a Christian charity Web site and tried to extort money from the victims.

U.K. charity Aid to the Church in Need admitted Monday that its online security systems had been breached by hackers.

The charity does not yet know how much money the criminals have stolen, but the addresses of more than 2,000 online donors have been compromised, and the hackers have used these details to contact the benefactors directly to try and extract more money.

Neville Kyrke-Smith, national director at Aid to the Church in Need UK, said the charity is in a "state of shock."

more here
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5991361.html?tag=zdnn.alert

- Collapse -
File-swapping fine upheld by appeals court
by roddy32 Dec 12, 2005 1:50AM PST

By Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com
Published on ZDNet News: December 12, 2005, 8:46 AM PT

A Chicago woman who downloaded songs for free from the Kazaa file-sharing network violated copyright law and must pay a $22,500 fine to the record labels, a federal appeals court has ruled.

In the first U.S. case of its kind, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected Cecilia Gonzalez' arguments that she was merely "sampling" downloaded music to see which CDs she might want to purchase--and that her sampling was protected under copyright law's "fair use" exception.

Gonzalez' claim that "she obtained 'only 30'--or 'only 1,300'--copyrighted songs is no more relevant than a thief's contention that he shoplifted 'only 30' compact discs, planning to listen to them at home and pay later for any he liked," the court said.

more here
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5991531.html?tag=zdnn.alert

- Collapse -
Open-source antivirus tech may get commercial help
by roddy32 Dec 12, 2005 9:25AM PST

By Joris Evers, CNET News.com
Published on ZDNet News: December 12, 2005, 5:16 PM PT

To plug a hole in its intrusion-prevention product, eEye Digital Security may adopt the Clam AntiVirus project and improve the open-source software.

eEye's Blink intrusion-prevention product includes system- and application-level firewalls and protects computers against phishing, spyware and exploitation of known vulnerabilities. "Antivirus is the only missing piece," Ross Brown, eEye's chief operating officer, said in an interview with CNET News.com.

Blink is used by about 250 organizations worldwide, including the U.S. Army and the Department of Homeland Security, according to Brown. Some want the product to include antivirus support, so eEye is considering its options, including adopting the Clam AntiVirus project. "It seems like a good marriage for us," he said.

If eEye picks the open-source technology, it plans to improve the software. Some eEye developers would work on real-time and file-scanning capabilities, Brown said.

more here
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5992194.html?tag=zdnn.alert

Back to Spyware, Viruses, & Security forum

CNET Forums

Operating Systems
Software
Electronics & Gadgets
Hardware
Tablets & Mobile Devices
General Help
Brand Forums
Roadshow Autos
Off Topic

Other Forums

Forum Info