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Monday, August 31, 2009
US UNVEILS NEW RULES ON BORDER SEARCHES OF LAPTOPS
Washington: The Obama administration unveiled new rules for searching computers and other electronic devices when people enter the United States, attempting to address concerns about violating privacy and constitutional rights.
At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security defended such searches as necessary to detect information about potential terrorism plots as well as other crimes such as child pornography and copyright infringement.
"The new directives announced today strike the balance between respecting the civil liberties and privacy of all travelers while ensuring DHS can take the lawful actions necessary to secure our borders," DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement.
Between October 1, 2008 and August 11, 2009, 221 million travelers were processed at U.S. borders and about 1,000 searches of laptop computers were conducted, of which 46 were in-depth examinations, the agency said.
Searches often involve asking people to turn on the device to verify it is what it appears to be, the DHS said.
Privacy groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation have pushed Congress to stop border officers from searching laptops, cell phones and other electronic devices without probable cause when people enter or return to the country.
The rules permit searches of such devices without a person's consent. The review is to be done in the presence of the owner, unless there are national security or law enforcement reasons to conduct it elsewhere.
Immigration and customs officers can also hold the devices or the data, which may be copied without the knowledge of the owner for further review, according to the rules.
The new regulations note that border officers should be particularly careful when handling legal or business materials or other sensitive data like medical records or information carried by journalists.
At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security defended such searches as necessary to detect information about potential terrorism plots as well as other crimes such as child pornography and copyright infringement.
"The new directives announced today strike the balance between respecting the civil liberties and privacy of all travelers while ensuring DHS can take the lawful actions necessary to secure our borders," DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement.
Between October 1, 2008 and August 11, 2009, 221 million travelers were processed at U.S. borders and about 1,000 searches of laptop computers were conducted, of which 46 were in-depth examinations, the agency said.
Searches often involve asking people to turn on the device to verify it is what it appears to be, the DHS said.
Privacy groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation have pushed Congress to stop border officers from searching laptops, cell phones and other electronic devices without probable cause when people enter or return to the country.
The rules permit searches of such devices without a person's consent. The review is to be done in the presence of the owner, unless there are national security or law enforcement reasons to conduct it elsewhere.
Immigration and customs officers can also hold the devices or the data, which may be copied without the knowledge of the owner for further review, according to the rules.
The new regulations note that border officers should be particularly careful when handling legal or business materials or other sensitive data like medical records or information carried by journalists.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
MICROSOFT STRIPS TO SEDUCE LINUX
"The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion" said Albert Einstein.
When we look at relationships and the course history takes the past seems like an illusion wondering if it ever existed. It was just the other day that Microsoft and Open Source were bitter enemies.
One a packaged software corporate giant driven solely by profits. The other completely driven by passion by a group of geeks not even under the same roof.
In 2001, Microsoft had said "Linux is cancer." A few years MS started decided to apply balm to heal the cancer and mend its relationship with Linux through its Open Source initiatives. Its 2009 now and Microsoft, the once closely guarded organisation is stripping its soul, literally, to woo Open Source by releasing 20,000 lines of Linux code to the Linux kernel community in the name of interoperability something not even Bill Gates could imagine 10 years ago!
In Perspective
Imagine if one fine day India and Pakistan decide to get together and exchange their nuclear documents for the common good of the citizens of the sub-continent. Sounds unbelievable, right?
Microsoft and Linux have been the same. Besides ideological differences in terms of software creation, ownership and distribution there must be rarely a common ground between them. Microsoft's Chief Steve Ballmer in 2001 had said, "Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches."
Linus Torvalds, father of Linux OS, on the other hand, led a one man army and created an entire guerilla front of geeks separated by geography but bound by passion that in time became the biggest threat for the biggest organisation on earth, Microsoft.
Besides another major difference is the way the two create software. Microsoft's model is solely driven by profits. Linux's model is solely driven by passion. Microsoft writes 1 line of code and gets 1000 patents for it. Linux is written and distributed under the GNU General Public License, which means that its source code is freely-distributed and available to the general public.
Microsoft - A confused organisation
Around 4 years ago things changed at Microsoft through its Open Source initiatives. What can be termed as a late reaction from a confused company that till recently was all against Open Source and GPL. Whether Microsoft was for Open Source or against it perhaps not even Microsoft was very sure!
In July this year came the biggest shocker from Microsoft. The once closed and highly guarded Microsoft decided to open 20,000 lines of Linux code to the Linux kernel community in the name of interoperability. In addition Microsoft also highlighted the ongoing investment the company is making to optimize PHP on Windows Server and the Microsoft SQL Server database system.
What motivated Microsoft to do the unthinkable to get literally get into the heart of Linux kernel? Sam Ramji, senior director of Platform Strategy at Microsoft, in a statement said, "The current economic climate has a lot of companies consolidating their hardware and software assets. Many companies are turning to Microsoft more frequently to help them succeed in a heterogeneous technology. So there's mutual benefit for customers, for Microsoft, and for commercial and community distributions of Linux, to enhance the performance of Linux as a guest operating system where Windows Server is the host."
And what was the objective of Microsoft doing this? Says Tom Hanrahan, director of Microsoft's Open Source Technology Center, "Our initial goal in developing the code was to enable Linux to run as a virtual machine on top of Hyper-V, Microsoft's hypervisor and implementation of virtualization."
The Linux View
From Linux side Greg Kroah-Hartman, Linux Driver Project Lead, said "Microsoft's contribution is a good move for Linux. I'm pleased to see Microsoft working to build a better relationship with the Linux community. I think that this will be good news for users and organizations who want to see better interoperability between Windows and Linux."
If Microsoft opening was a surprise, the bigger surprise came from Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, "Microsoft hatred is a disease" said he.
Microsoft's Motivation - Greed or Interoperability
The big question is can Microsoft be trusted? What it couldn't do to Open Source all these years is this a new way of finishing Linux and making it obsolete.
There is a possibility. On the macro level Microsoft's Open Source could be to make Linux obsolete. Mary Jo in Zdnet says "Microsoft's goal is to convince OSS vendors to port their software to Windows. But Microsoft doesn't want OSS software to just sit on top of Windows; the company wants this software to be tied into the Windows ecosystem by integrating with Active Directory, Microsoft Office, Expression designer tools, System Center systems-management wares and SQL Server database."
Linus Torvalds has so far been very confident of Open Source and doesn't see Microsoft as a threat. Says he "I agree that it's driven by selfish reasons, but that's how all open source code gets written! We all "scratch our own itches". So complaining about the fact that Microsoft picked a selfish area to work on is just silly. Of course they picked an area that helps them."
He goes on to add "Does anybody complain when hardware companies write drivers for the hardware they produce? No. That would be crazy. Does anybody complain when IBM funds all the POWER development, and works on enterprise features because they sell into the enterprise? No. That would be insane. So the people who complain about Microsoft writing drivers for their own virtualization model should take a long look in the mirror and ask themselves why they are being so hypocritical."
Microsoft's Interoperability Argument
It is also true the way business and governments are operating in mixed environments which include both Microsoft and open source applications. Interoperabilty does make increasing sense especially for enterprise customers.
The Last Word
Microsoft is a commercial organization and its objective solely is profit. Microsoft's biggest worry right now is Google, which it sees as its biggest enemy that maybe eating into its bottomline soon. Call it desperation but Microsoft urgently needs to get into newer markets and also tap cheaper talent pools. The Open Source may just be the right platform to piggyback and also get closer to a community IBM, SUN and Google have been wooing and using for years now. IBM, SUN and Google are also commercial organizations using Open Source talent pool. Will someone also question their motives on wooing Open Source?
When we look at relationships and the course history takes the past seems like an illusion wondering if it ever existed. It was just the other day that Microsoft and Open Source were bitter enemies.
One a packaged software corporate giant driven solely by profits. The other completely driven by passion by a group of geeks not even under the same roof.
In 2001, Microsoft had said "Linux is cancer." A few years MS started decided to apply balm to heal the cancer and mend its relationship with Linux through its Open Source initiatives. Its 2009 now and Microsoft, the once closely guarded organisation is stripping its soul, literally, to woo Open Source by releasing 20,000 lines of Linux code to the Linux kernel community in the name of interoperability something not even Bill Gates could imagine 10 years ago!
In Perspective
Imagine if one fine day India and Pakistan decide to get together and exchange their nuclear documents for the common good of the citizens of the sub-continent. Sounds unbelievable, right?
Microsoft and Linux have been the same. Besides ideological differences in terms of software creation, ownership and distribution there must be rarely a common ground between them. Microsoft's Chief Steve Ballmer in 2001 had said, "Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches."
Linus Torvalds, father of Linux OS, on the other hand, led a one man army and created an entire guerilla front of geeks separated by geography but bound by passion that in time became the biggest threat for the biggest organisation on earth, Microsoft.
Besides another major difference is the way the two create software. Microsoft's model is solely driven by profits. Linux's model is solely driven by passion. Microsoft writes 1 line of code and gets 1000 patents for it. Linux is written and distributed under the GNU General Public License, which means that its source code is freely-distributed and available to the general public.
Microsoft - A confused organisation
Around 4 years ago things changed at Microsoft through its Open Source initiatives. What can be termed as a late reaction from a confused company that till recently was all against Open Source and GPL. Whether Microsoft was for Open Source or against it perhaps not even Microsoft was very sure!
In July this year came the biggest shocker from Microsoft. The once closed and highly guarded Microsoft decided to open 20,000 lines of Linux code to the Linux kernel community in the name of interoperability. In addition Microsoft also highlighted the ongoing investment the company is making to optimize PHP on Windows Server and the Microsoft SQL Server database system.
What motivated Microsoft to do the unthinkable to get literally get into the heart of Linux kernel? Sam Ramji, senior director of Platform Strategy at Microsoft, in a statement said, "The current economic climate has a lot of companies consolidating their hardware and software assets. Many companies are turning to Microsoft more frequently to help them succeed in a heterogeneous technology. So there's mutual benefit for customers, for Microsoft, and for commercial and community distributions of Linux, to enhance the performance of Linux as a guest operating system where Windows Server is the host."
And what was the objective of Microsoft doing this? Says Tom Hanrahan, director of Microsoft's Open Source Technology Center, "Our initial goal in developing the code was to enable Linux to run as a virtual machine on top of Hyper-V, Microsoft's hypervisor and implementation of virtualization."
The Linux View
From Linux side Greg Kroah-Hartman, Linux Driver Project Lead, said "Microsoft's contribution is a good move for Linux. I'm pleased to see Microsoft working to build a better relationship with the Linux community. I think that this will be good news for users and organizations who want to see better interoperability between Windows and Linux."
If Microsoft opening was a surprise, the bigger surprise came from Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, "Microsoft hatred is a disease" said he.
Microsoft's Motivation - Greed or Interoperability
The big question is can Microsoft be trusted? What it couldn't do to Open Source all these years is this a new way of finishing Linux and making it obsolete.
There is a possibility. On the macro level Microsoft's Open Source could be to make Linux obsolete. Mary Jo in Zdnet says "Microsoft's goal is to convince OSS vendors to port their software to Windows. But Microsoft doesn't want OSS software to just sit on top of Windows; the company wants this software to be tied into the Windows ecosystem by integrating with Active Directory, Microsoft Office, Expression designer tools, System Center systems-management wares and SQL Server database."
Linus Torvalds has so far been very confident of Open Source and doesn't see Microsoft as a threat. Says he "I agree that it's driven by selfish reasons, but that's how all open source code gets written! We all "scratch our own itches". So complaining about the fact that Microsoft picked a selfish area to work on is just silly. Of course they picked an area that helps them."
He goes on to add "Does anybody complain when hardware companies write drivers for the hardware they produce? No. That would be crazy. Does anybody complain when IBM funds all the POWER development, and works on enterprise features because they sell into the enterprise? No. That would be insane. So the people who complain about Microsoft writing drivers for their own virtualization model should take a long look in the mirror and ask themselves why they are being so hypocritical."
Microsoft's Interoperability Argument
It is also true the way business and governments are operating in mixed environments which include both Microsoft and open source applications. Interoperabilty does make increasing sense especially for enterprise customers.
The Last Word
Microsoft is a commercial organization and its objective solely is profit. Microsoft's biggest worry right now is Google, which it sees as its biggest enemy that maybe eating into its bottomline soon. Call it desperation but Microsoft urgently needs to get into newer markets and also tap cheaper talent pools. The Open Source may just be the right platform to piggyback and also get closer to a community IBM, SUN and Google have been wooing and using for years now. IBM, SUN and Google are also commercial organizations using Open Source talent pool. Will someone also question their motives on wooing Open Source?
BY THE NUMBERS:MOST INFLUENTIAL TWITTERS
Check out the pictures of MOST INFLUENTIAL TWITTERS here in the given link:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/29/top-twitters-celebrities-technology-webceleb09_0129_top_twitters_slide.html?partner=sify
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/29/top-twitters-celebrities-technology-webceleb09_0129_top_twitters_slide.html?partner=sify
IN PICTURES: CELEBRITIES WHO TWITTER
Check out the pictures of CELEBRITIES WHO TWITTER here in the given link:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/29/twitter-celebrities-famous-technology-webceleb09_0129_celeb_twitters_slide.html?partner=sify
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/29/twitter-celebrities-famous-technology-webceleb09_0129_celeb_twitters_slide.html?partner=sify
IN PICTURES: TWITTER TO FIND A JOB
Check out the pictures of TWITTER TO FIND A JOB here in the given link:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/07/twitter-tweet-jobs-leadership-careers-employment_slide.html?partner=sify
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/07/twitter-tweet-jobs-leadership-careers-employment_slide.html?partner=sify
IS TWITTER TAKING OVER YOUR HOME LIFE?
We've all joked about the digital leash to our Blackberries and iPhones. It's hard enough to get through the weekend, let alone an hour, without checking e-mail, posting back-to-school checklists or the like on Facebook or Googling to find out some piece of trivia, like who sang "Eye of the Tiger." Some women, though, are taking their relationship with tech to a different and highly personal level.
Sara Morishige, the wife of a Twitter exec, famously tweeted updates during the recent birth of her daughter. She sent a tweet when her water broke and another after she'd decided to go with an epidural.
In pictures: 10 things Twitter says about you
Blogosphere responses mostly reflected distaste ("can't wait to hear about the colonoscopy" was one sarcastic post). The play-by-play of the birth - and the long tail of its comments - suggest that digital media is spurring changes to how we go about our analog lives.
David Weinberger, a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, says what's really happening is that this constant and hyper-connectivity is happening without established social rules and etiquette; a digital dinner party without an Emily Post to guide us, if you will. "We know when we talk to a stranger face-to-face how much information is OK to reveal," he says. "But the same can't be said yet for Twitter."
At this July's BlogHer, an annual conference for female bloggers, blogger Alana Reynolds recounted how her husband exasperatedly and repeatedly asks her not to use Twitter during dinner with their children. Each time, she sheepishly puts her handheld device away. In an interview with ForbesWoman, she says they came to a truce: "I don't Twitter during family time and [he doesn't] complain when I really need to do it."
Another blogger described her pulse-pounding frustration while at the Parthenon in Athens recently; she had no Internet access on her iPhone. How could I get updates and detailed information on the ruins, she moaned to the audience, scoffing at someone's suggestion that she could have consulted a guidebook. A guidebook's information wouldn't be as up-to-date or detailed as a travel blog or site, she said.
"These are social worlds that we are constructing for ourselves that are as complex as our real worlds," says Weinberger. "People behave in them for the widest possible range of motives: to distance themselves or to involve themselves."
Danah Boyd, a well-respected expert on social media, also at Harvard, had this to say about Morishige's tweeting of her birth and the dinner-tweeter: "When 'family time' becomes obligatory, not everyone is particularly excited. As a result, you're seeing a reworking of who controls the situation. Control is the issue at stake here." In other words, women who are masters of their Facebook pages or Twitter profiles may not necessarily feel the same control over their analog environments when the screen is dark.
One technophile says she has observed - and overcome - the digital obsession. Blogger Lucretia Pruitt helps large companies reach audiences through social media. She describes a time when she decided to "go offline" for a weekend, as an experiment - no cell phone or Internet. She did, however post a message saying that if someone needed or wanted to reach her, she would answer her home phone. One friend e-mailed her 14 times. "When I called her back on Monday, she said, 'Are you mad at me?'" Pruitt reports with disbelief.
Still, she is raising her 6-year-old daughter to be a "digital native" - someone to whom technology is as innate as TVs or telephones are to older generations. "We know she's going to grow up constantly wired, where she'll have instant answers to questions and constant access to cellphones," says Pruitt. "[It'll be] a natural thing."
Pruitt proudly says that her daughter had a computer "before she could walk" and learned to spell by using the keyboard.
That said, her daughter isn't allowed to veg out in front of the computer. Pruitt insists that she play outside and limits her screen time.
Pruitt thinks the real problem is with adults - mostly mid-20s and up, who are still figuring out the relationship they want to have with connectivity. Some bloggers and tweeters, for example, think they have to respond to every e-mail and every comment on every post or tweet. It can take hours.
"In 2007, I would get up in the morning and try to respond to everyone," recalls Pruitt. "I realised you don't get up every morning and call everyone you know. You don't have to keep up on everything that's going on with everyone. If it's important, they'll re-tweet it or directly message you," she says.
In pictures: 10 things Twitter says about you
Betsy Weber, who leads online social marketing for TechSmith in Okemos, Mich., says she has made friends through Twitter - including, surprisingly, her neighbors. She organises events called Tweet-ups in which Twitter pals get together in the 3-D world. "For me, it's been great to get out from behind the computer and meet these people in person," says Weber. "And, I find that our local community is stronger and better connected because of these new connections being made online and then reinforced offline in person."
Alana Reynolds got back to a reporter seeking confirmation that she sometimes tweets at dinner. She e-mailed and said it was true, adding, "Can I get back to you a little later? I'm ironically on a date with my husband right now."
Sara Morishige, the wife of a Twitter exec, famously tweeted updates during the recent birth of her daughter. She sent a tweet when her water broke and another after she'd decided to go with an epidural.
In pictures: 10 things Twitter says about you
Blogosphere responses mostly reflected distaste ("can't wait to hear about the colonoscopy" was one sarcastic post). The play-by-play of the birth - and the long tail of its comments - suggest that digital media is spurring changes to how we go about our analog lives.
David Weinberger, a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, says what's really happening is that this constant and hyper-connectivity is happening without established social rules and etiquette; a digital dinner party without an Emily Post to guide us, if you will. "We know when we talk to a stranger face-to-face how much information is OK to reveal," he says. "But the same can't be said yet for Twitter."
At this July's BlogHer, an annual conference for female bloggers, blogger Alana Reynolds recounted how her husband exasperatedly and repeatedly asks her not to use Twitter during dinner with their children. Each time, she sheepishly puts her handheld device away. In an interview with ForbesWoman, she says they came to a truce: "I don't Twitter during family time and [he doesn't] complain when I really need to do it."
Another blogger described her pulse-pounding frustration while at the Parthenon in Athens recently; she had no Internet access on her iPhone. How could I get updates and detailed information on the ruins, she moaned to the audience, scoffing at someone's suggestion that she could have consulted a guidebook. A guidebook's information wouldn't be as up-to-date or detailed as a travel blog or site, she said.
"These are social worlds that we are constructing for ourselves that are as complex as our real worlds," says Weinberger. "People behave in them for the widest possible range of motives: to distance themselves or to involve themselves."
Danah Boyd, a well-respected expert on social media, also at Harvard, had this to say about Morishige's tweeting of her birth and the dinner-tweeter: "When 'family time' becomes obligatory, not everyone is particularly excited. As a result, you're seeing a reworking of who controls the situation. Control is the issue at stake here." In other words, women who are masters of their Facebook pages or Twitter profiles may not necessarily feel the same control over their analog environments when the screen is dark.
One technophile says she has observed - and overcome - the digital obsession. Blogger Lucretia Pruitt helps large companies reach audiences through social media. She describes a time when she decided to "go offline" for a weekend, as an experiment - no cell phone or Internet. She did, however post a message saying that if someone needed or wanted to reach her, she would answer her home phone. One friend e-mailed her 14 times. "When I called her back on Monday, she said, 'Are you mad at me?'" Pruitt reports with disbelief.
Still, she is raising her 6-year-old daughter to be a "digital native" - someone to whom technology is as innate as TVs or telephones are to older generations. "We know she's going to grow up constantly wired, where she'll have instant answers to questions and constant access to cellphones," says Pruitt. "[It'll be] a natural thing."
Pruitt proudly says that her daughter had a computer "before she could walk" and learned to spell by using the keyboard.
That said, her daughter isn't allowed to veg out in front of the computer. Pruitt insists that she play outside and limits her screen time.
Pruitt thinks the real problem is with adults - mostly mid-20s and up, who are still figuring out the relationship they want to have with connectivity. Some bloggers and tweeters, for example, think they have to respond to every e-mail and every comment on every post or tweet. It can take hours.
"In 2007, I would get up in the morning and try to respond to everyone," recalls Pruitt. "I realised you don't get up every morning and call everyone you know. You don't have to keep up on everything that's going on with everyone. If it's important, they'll re-tweet it or directly message you," she says.
In pictures: 10 things Twitter says about you
Betsy Weber, who leads online social marketing for TechSmith in Okemos, Mich., says she has made friends through Twitter - including, surprisingly, her neighbors. She organises events called Tweet-ups in which Twitter pals get together in the 3-D world. "For me, it's been great to get out from behind the computer and meet these people in person," says Weber. "And, I find that our local community is stronger and better connected because of these new connections being made online and then reinforced offline in person."
Alana Reynolds got back to a reporter seeking confirmation that she sometimes tweets at dinner. She e-mailed and said it was true, adding, "Can I get back to you a little later? I'm ironically on a date with my husband right now."
Saturday, August 29, 2009
BURGLARS USING FACE BOOK,TWITTER TO FIND TARGETS
Sydney: Facebook users enthusing about an upcoming holiday or a recently purchased high-tech gadget may not just be telling their friends but also potential burglars, warns an insurance company.
A survey of 2,092 social media users by British-based Legal & General found nearly four in ten, or 38 per cent, of people using social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter post details about holiday plans and 33 per cent details of a weekend away.
"Coupled with the finding that an alarmingly high proportion of users are prepared to be 'friends' online with people they don't really know, this presents a serious risk to the security of people's home and contents," said the insurer.
In a report called "The Digital Criminal," Legal & General said people used social media sites to connect with people who were essentially strangers, which could provide potential thieves with vital, personal information.
To test how readily people accepted 'friends' online, Legal & General's survey, conducted by European market researcher Opinion Matters, involved sending out 100 'friend' or 'follow' requests to strangers selected at random.
Of those 13 per cent were accepted on Facebook and 92 per cent on Twitter- without any checks.
But despite these new 'friends,' the survey found that nearly two-thirds, or 64 per cent, of 16-24 year olds shared their holiday plans, with younger users the most likely to give away information about their whereabouts.
Men were found to be quite relaxed about giving personal information online, with 13 per cent including their mobile number on their profile compared with 7 per cent of women. Nine per cent of men also posted their address compared to 4 per cent of women.
"This reaction could result in a complete stranger potentially being able to learn about a person's interests, location and movements in and out of their home," said Legal & General.
Reformed burglar Michael Fraser, who appears in BBC's "Beat The Burglar" series and helped Legal & General prepare the report, said this kind of information was being used by professional burglars to establish a list of targets.
As well as information about trips away, people were posting party photos showing the interiors of homes and also chatting about their cool new purchases and presents.
"I call it "Internet shopping for burglars." It is incredibly easy to use social networking sites to target people, and then scope out more information on their actual home ... all from the comfort of the sofa," said Fraser in a statement.
"There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that burglars are using social networks to develop relationships with people to identify likely targets."
A survey of 2,092 social media users by British-based Legal & General found nearly four in ten, or 38 per cent, of people using social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter post details about holiday plans and 33 per cent details of a weekend away.
"Coupled with the finding that an alarmingly high proportion of users are prepared to be 'friends' online with people they don't really know, this presents a serious risk to the security of people's home and contents," said the insurer.
In a report called "The Digital Criminal," Legal & General said people used social media sites to connect with people who were essentially strangers, which could provide potential thieves with vital, personal information.
To test how readily people accepted 'friends' online, Legal & General's survey, conducted by European market researcher Opinion Matters, involved sending out 100 'friend' or 'follow' requests to strangers selected at random.
Of those 13 per cent were accepted on Facebook and 92 per cent on Twitter- without any checks.
But despite these new 'friends,' the survey found that nearly two-thirds, or 64 per cent, of 16-24 year olds shared their holiday plans, with younger users the most likely to give away information about their whereabouts.
Men were found to be quite relaxed about giving personal information online, with 13 per cent including their mobile number on their profile compared with 7 per cent of women. Nine per cent of men also posted their address compared to 4 per cent of women.
"This reaction could result in a complete stranger potentially being able to learn about a person's interests, location and movements in and out of their home," said Legal & General.
Reformed burglar Michael Fraser, who appears in BBC's "Beat The Burglar" series and helped Legal & General prepare the report, said this kind of information was being used by professional burglars to establish a list of targets.
As well as information about trips away, people were posting party photos showing the interiors of homes and also chatting about their cool new purchases and presents.
"I call it "Internet shopping for burglars." It is incredibly easy to use social networking sites to target people, and then scope out more information on their actual home ... all from the comfort of the sofa," said Fraser in a statement.
"There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that burglars are using social networks to develop relationships with people to identify likely targets."
Friday, August 28, 2009
NOKIA LAPTOP - MOST AWAITED NETBOOK
NOKIA BOOKLET 3G
Finally Nokia also launched their small laptop for those people who always mobile and want to get connectivity everywhere. So far Nokia was dominating the world of mobile but as the demand of mobile broadband increasing at fast pace they now launching their mini laptop as well.
Name of this device is Nokia Booklet 3G.
Specification of Nokia Laptop -
12 Hours Battery Usage Life
3G Broadband
WiFi
A-GPS
10.1 inch screen with high definition resolution
1.25 Kg in weight
Thickness 19.9 mm
Operating System Supported by Microsoft Windows (can be latest version of windows 7)
Ovi Services from Nokia
No VPN required to access your email
Nokia Music Library will provide millions of songs
So now you can have whole day mobility.
Finally Nokia also launched their small laptop for those people who always mobile and want to get connectivity everywhere. So far Nokia was dominating the world of mobile but as the demand of mobile broadband increasing at fast pace they now launching their mini laptop as well.
Name of this device is Nokia Booklet 3G.
Specification of Nokia Laptop -
12 Hours Battery Usage Life
3G Broadband
WiFi
A-GPS
10.1 inch screen with high definition resolution
1.25 Kg in weight
Thickness 19.9 mm
Operating System Supported by Microsoft Windows (can be latest version of windows 7)
Ovi Services from Nokia
No VPN required to access your email
Nokia Music Library will provide millions of songs
So now you can have whole day mobility.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
MICROSOFT APOLOGISES FOR CHANGING RACE IN PHOTO
Software giant Microsoft Corp. is apologising for altering a photo on its Web site to change the race of one of the people shown in the picture.
A photo on the Seattle-based company's US Web site shows two men, one Asian and one black, and a white woman seated at a conference room table. But on the Web site of Microsoft's Polish business unit, the black man's head has been replaced with that of a white man. The color of his hand remains unchanged.
The photo editing sparked criticism online. Some bloggers said Poland's ethnic homogeneity may have played a role in changing the photo.
"We are looking into the details of this situation," Microsoft spokesperson Lou Gellos said in a statement Tuesday. "We apologise and are in the process of pulling down the image."
A photo on the Seattle-based company's US Web site shows two men, one Asian and one black, and a white woman seated at a conference room table. But on the Web site of Microsoft's Polish business unit, the black man's head has been replaced with that of a white man. The color of his hand remains unchanged.
The photo editing sparked criticism online. Some bloggers said Poland's ethnic homogeneity may have played a role in changing the photo.
"We are looking into the details of this situation," Microsoft spokesperson Lou Gellos said in a statement Tuesday. "We apologise and are in the process of pulling down the image."
Monday, August 24, 2009
DELL LAUNCHES MOBILITY SERVICE TO PROTECT PCs,DATA
Dell has introduced "Dell prosupport Mobility Services" a suite of modular asset and data protection services for Indian small and medium businesses, here today.
Designed to protect the PCs as well as the critical data stored in them, Prosupport Mobility offers access, security and support to ensure high availability of IT resources- which in turn is imperative for the SMBs to run their business profitably and productively, Vice-president global SMB services, Dell, Tim Griffin told media persons.
As a part of Dell's continued SMB commitment, Dell also announced that it will not work with channel partners in India to enable them to provide service support to the customers.
Dell channel services will allow its SMB customers to have a single point of contact for their support requirements through their local channel supplier, increasing access and support choices while backed by Dell expertise, he said.
Griffin said that after the launch of Prosupport services last year that moved away from the industry mold of traditional one-size fits all approach, the new prosupport Mobility services help protect the data and assets anywhere in the world.
Designed to protect the PCs as well as the critical data stored in them, Prosupport Mobility offers access, security and support to ensure high availability of IT resources- which in turn is imperative for the SMBs to run their business profitably and productively, Vice-president global SMB services, Dell, Tim Griffin told media persons.
As a part of Dell's continued SMB commitment, Dell also announced that it will not work with channel partners in India to enable them to provide service support to the customers.
Dell channel services will allow its SMB customers to have a single point of contact for their support requirements through their local channel supplier, increasing access and support choices while backed by Dell expertise, he said.
Griffin said that after the launch of Prosupport services last year that moved away from the industry mold of traditional one-size fits all approach, the new prosupport Mobility services help protect the data and assets anywhere in the world.
YAHOO TO COMPETE WITH BING DESPITE MICROSOFT DEAL
California: Yahoo Inc said on Monday it has revamped its search to compete against Microsoft Corp's Bing, even as it relies on the Redmond giant to power its queries.
The announcement of plans to put a new face on Yahoo Messenger and Mail and add functions to its search engine came after news that Google and Yahoo each lost a fraction of a point of US search share to Microsoft last month.
"We are not a version of Bing," Prabhakar Raghavan, a senior vice president of Yahoo, said to reporters at the company's headquarters.
"We are Yahoo and that will continue … We collaborate on the back-end but we are competitors on the front-end," he said,
At a press event held at their headquarters, the company gave more details of its complex relationship with Microsoft.
At the end of July, Microsoft and Yahoo signed a 10-year deal under which search on Yahoo's websites will be generated by Microsoft's new Bing search engine. The companies hope the deal will take effect early next year.
Microsoft will license Yahoo's search technology, allowing it to integrate certain aspects of it into Bing. Microsoft's advertising search product, AdCenter, will also replace Yahoo's equivalent product, Panama.
Raghavan said that when Microsoft sends ads along with its answers to queries, Yahoo may or may not use all of them, depending on a complex formula.
A new series of boxes to the left of search results and ads will give users more ways to make use of what they have found, said Larry Cornett, Yahoo vice president of search products.
A box powered by Internet security company McAfee Inc, will filter dangerous links. Videos will play without leaving the search page.
A box to sites like Yelp, which provides user feedback on stores and restaurants, can be clicked to check out the quality of a sushi restaurant without leaving the search page.
Cornett, who demonstrated the new approach, said it was undergoing testing and will be available some time this year.
Comscore reported Microsoft gained 0.5 per cent in July, but still only holds 8.9 per cent of the search market, compared to 64.7 per cent for Google and 19.3 per cent for Yahoo.
Yahoo shares closed up 20 cents, or 1.35 per cent, to end the day at $14.99 on the Nasdaq.
The announcement of plans to put a new face on Yahoo Messenger and Mail and add functions to its search engine came after news that Google and Yahoo each lost a fraction of a point of US search share to Microsoft last month.
"We are not a version of Bing," Prabhakar Raghavan, a senior vice president of Yahoo, said to reporters at the company's headquarters.
"We are Yahoo and that will continue … We collaborate on the back-end but we are competitors on the front-end," he said,
At a press event held at their headquarters, the company gave more details of its complex relationship with Microsoft.
At the end of July, Microsoft and Yahoo signed a 10-year deal under which search on Yahoo's websites will be generated by Microsoft's new Bing search engine. The companies hope the deal will take effect early next year.
Microsoft will license Yahoo's search technology, allowing it to integrate certain aspects of it into Bing. Microsoft's advertising search product, AdCenter, will also replace Yahoo's equivalent product, Panama.
Raghavan said that when Microsoft sends ads along with its answers to queries, Yahoo may or may not use all of them, depending on a complex formula.
A new series of boxes to the left of search results and ads will give users more ways to make use of what they have found, said Larry Cornett, Yahoo vice president of search products.
A box powered by Internet security company McAfee Inc, will filter dangerous links. Videos will play without leaving the search page.
A box to sites like Yelp, which provides user feedback on stores and restaurants, can be clicked to check out the quality of a sushi restaurant without leaving the search page.
Cornett, who demonstrated the new approach, said it was undergoing testing and will be available some time this year.
Comscore reported Microsoft gained 0.5 per cent in July, but still only holds 8.9 per cent of the search market, compared to 64.7 per cent for Google and 19.3 per cent for Yahoo.
Yahoo shares closed up 20 cents, or 1.35 per cent, to end the day at $14.99 on the Nasdaq.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
ORACLE WINS US APPROVAL TO BUY SUN MICROSYSTEMS
Software giant Oracle Corp has won US antitrust approval to buy computer maker Sun Microsystems, clearing a key hurdle in the companies' plan to close the $7.4 billion deal before the end of this month.
Oracle said on Thursday that the deal cleared the US Justice Department with no restrictions. The takeover also requires approval by the European Commission.
US officials in June said they wanted to scrutinize the deal over questions about Oracle's plans for licensing Sun's Java software, one of the world's most widely used computer languages. Since then, investors have been waiting to see how long that might delay the deal.
Analysts have said that the delay has worked to the advantage of Sun's two chief rivals in the server market, IBM and Hewlett Packard Co.
They have been courting Sun's customers during the past few months, trying to persuade them to change suppliers amid uncertainty about Oracle's plans for running the server business. Until Oracle closes the acquisition, it cannot say much about its strategy for Sun's hardware division.
Oracle has said it expects to close the deal by Aug. 31.
Sun's shareholders have approved the deal.
Oracle agreed to buy Sun in April after the collapse of weeks of talks between the struggling hardware and software maker and IBM.
The deal gives Oracle's outspoken billionaire CEO, Larry Ellison, control of Sun's Java software and the Solaris operating system for Unix servers.
Ellison has said he wants to build and sell Sun computers preloaded with Oracle software and also tweak Java software so that it is easier to use on smartphones and netbook computers.
Shares of Oracle closed up 16 cents at $21.94 prior to the approval.
Oracle said on Thursday that the deal cleared the US Justice Department with no restrictions. The takeover also requires approval by the European Commission.
US officials in June said they wanted to scrutinize the deal over questions about Oracle's plans for licensing Sun's Java software, one of the world's most widely used computer languages. Since then, investors have been waiting to see how long that might delay the deal.
Analysts have said that the delay has worked to the advantage of Sun's two chief rivals in the server market, IBM and Hewlett Packard Co.
They have been courting Sun's customers during the past few months, trying to persuade them to change suppliers amid uncertainty about Oracle's plans for running the server business. Until Oracle closes the acquisition, it cannot say much about its strategy for Sun's hardware division.
Oracle has said it expects to close the deal by Aug. 31.
Sun's shareholders have approved the deal.
Oracle agreed to buy Sun in April after the collapse of weeks of talks between the struggling hardware and software maker and IBM.
The deal gives Oracle's outspoken billionaire CEO, Larry Ellison, control of Sun's Java software and the Solaris operating system for Unix servers.
Ellison has said he wants to build and sell Sun computers preloaded with Oracle software and also tweak Java software so that it is easier to use on smartphones and netbook computers.
Shares of Oracle closed up 16 cents at $21.94 prior to the approval.
ORACLE SAYS JUSTICE DEPT ALLOWS $7.4B SUN DEAL
Business software maker Oracle Corp. said Thursday it has received the Justice Department's approval to move forward with its $7.4 billion acquisition of former dot-com-era star Sun Microsystems Inc.
The deal still needs the go-ahead from the European Commission.
Clearance by the Justice Department had been held up over questions about the licensing of Java, a programming language that Sun invented that now runs on more than 7 billion electronic devices around the world, including cell phones and personal computers.
Another potential antitrust question could surround Sun's MySQL database, an open-source product. Some technologists worry Oracle could make MySQL a lower priority as it tries to boost sales of its market-leading database software.
Sun's performance had been shaky for nearly a decade before Oracle outbid IBM Corp. for the Santa Clara, California-based company in April. IBM is one of Oracle's biggest database software rivals, and is a major Sun rival in computer servers.
The Sun acquisition will give Oracle more control over the development of Java, a key technology used in its products, and also thrust the Redwood Shores, California-based company into hardware, a new area for Oracle.
The deal still needs the go-ahead from the European Commission.
Clearance by the Justice Department had been held up over questions about the licensing of Java, a programming language that Sun invented that now runs on more than 7 billion electronic devices around the world, including cell phones and personal computers.
Another potential antitrust question could surround Sun's MySQL database, an open-source product. Some technologists worry Oracle could make MySQL a lower priority as it tries to boost sales of its market-leading database software.
Sun's performance had been shaky for nearly a decade before Oracle outbid IBM Corp. for the Santa Clara, California-based company in April. IBM is one of Oracle's biggest database software rivals, and is a major Sun rival in computer servers.
The Sun acquisition will give Oracle more control over the development of Java, a key technology used in its products, and also thrust the Redwood Shores, California-based company into hardware, a new area for Oracle.
Friday, August 21, 2009
CHINA LAUNCHES DEFENCE WEBSITE IN TRANSPARENCY BID
China's normally secretive Defence Ministry on Thursday launched a website (www.mod.gov.cn), in a new bid to allay overseas criticism over its military transparency and the build-up of its armed forces.
The site, which also has an English edition (http://eng.mod.gov.cn/), has been long mooted, and comes at a time when China has been ramping up investment in its military to introduce new high-tech weapons.
"The aim of the Defence Ministry's website is to let the outside world know about China's defence policies ... and show off the good image of the military's powerful, cultured and peaceful forces," says a welcome message.
China's military is the world's largest, and reported budget spending has grown by double digits in recent years.
But the secrecy of the country's political system makes its Asian neighbours and Washington wary about its military intentions.
The home page of the Defence Ministry's website is heavy on text, and many of the pictures concentrate on showing soldiers holding children, helping in disaster relief or attending political meetings.
A small picture of President Hu Jintao, wearing a tailored olive green version of the uniform jacket the late Mao Zedong made famous as a "Mao suit", sits near the top of the home page.
It is split into sections with links for "Military Building", "Military Education" and "Defence Technology", among others, as well as news.
The English version has slightly more strident pictures -- including one of rather fierce looking soldiers manning what appears to be an anti-aircraft gun -- but also a link telling people about China's peacekeeping operations.
"Netizens to visit the website will be impressed by its succinct and graceful webpage featuring novel and attractive design with distinctive military characteristics," says the welcome message to the English site.
China's rivals worry that its actual defence expenditure is more than the $70 billion reported for this year, which is dwarfed by the Pentagon's budget of more than $500 billion.
China insists its military modernisation threatens no country.
WEBSITE ON INDIA-AFRICA TIES LAUNCHED
New Delhi:With India and Africa coming closer, a pioneering web portal to bridge the information gap was launched by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna here Monday.
The website, India Africa Connect (http://www.indiaafricaconnect.in), will be a one-stop resource for information and news between India and Africa, with special emphasis on common areas of interest. It has been developed and maintained by Indo-Asian News Service, with support from the Ministry of External Affairs.
'It (website) will help bridge the information gap that still unfortunately exists between us. It is our hope that this website will emerge as a key portal for news, views and features on India and Africa covering subjects and areas of interest to both sides, including on science and technology, agriculture, education, health, energy, tourism, besides fashion and culture,' Krishna said.
Krishna clicked to formally inaugurate the portal in the presence of ambassadors from African nations and senior officials of the external affairs ministry.
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor and MEA Secretary (West) Nalin Surie were also present.
Krishna said India's relationship with Africa - which is over a millennia old - has diversified and deepened, encompassing a wide range of sectors including political, economic, cultural, social and technological areas.
The minister pointed that recent initiatives such as the India Africa Forum Summit in April 2008 had taken this relationship to a new level, and added that the new roadmap seeks to bring greater depth and substance to India's engagement with Africa.
The website, India Africa Connect (http://www.indiaafricaconnect.in), will be a one-stop resource for information and news between India and Africa, with special emphasis on common areas of interest. It has been developed and maintained by Indo-Asian News Service, with support from the Ministry of External Affairs.
'It (website) will help bridge the information gap that still unfortunately exists between us. It is our hope that this website will emerge as a key portal for news, views and features on India and Africa covering subjects and areas of interest to both sides, including on science and technology, agriculture, education, health, energy, tourism, besides fashion and culture,' Krishna said.
Krishna clicked to formally inaugurate the portal in the presence of ambassadors from African nations and senior officials of the external affairs ministry.
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor and MEA Secretary (West) Nalin Surie were also present.
Krishna said India's relationship with Africa - which is over a millennia old - has diversified and deepened, encompassing a wide range of sectors including political, economic, cultural, social and technological areas.
The minister pointed that recent initiatives such as the India Africa Forum Summit in April 2008 had taken this relationship to a new level, and added that the new roadmap seeks to bring greater depth and substance to India's engagement with Africa.
MICROSOFT WILL SOON UNVEIL FREE ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Boston: Microsoft Corp is getting ready to unveil a long-anticipated free anti-virus service for personal computers that will compete with products sold by Symantec Corp and McAfee Inc.
A Microsoft spokesman said on Wednesday that the world's biggest software maker is testing an early version of the product with its own employees. Microsoft would "soon" make a trial version, or product beta, available via its website, he added, but declined to provide a specific date.
Symantec shares fell 0.5 per cent on Nasdaq and McAfee fell 1.3 per cent on the New York Stock Exchange, while Microsoft was up 2.1 per cent. The Nasdaq composite index was down 0.47 per cent.
Investors are closely monitoring the free service, code-named Morro after Brazil's Morro de Sao Paolo beach, amid concern it could hurt sales of products from Symantec and McAfee, which generate billions of dollars of revenue a year protecting Windows PCs from attacks by hackers.
"It's a long-term competitive threat," said Daniel Ives, an analyst with FBR Capital Markets, though he added that the near-term impact was minimal.
Microsoft has said that Morro will offer basic features for fighting a wide range of viruses, which would likely make it comparable to low-end consumer products from Symantec and McAfee that cost about $40 per year.
Their top-selling products are security suites that come with features including encryption, firewalls, password protection, parental controls and data backup.
Three years ago, Microsoft entered that market with Live OneCare, which turned out to be a commercial flop. It announced plans in November to kill that product suite, saying it would launch the free Morro service by the end of 2009.
Analysts said they are looking forward to Morro's beta to see exactly how its features compare to those in products from competitors.
Microsoft has said it will provide protection from several types of malicious software including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans.
Officials with Symantec and McAfee have said they do not see Morro as a threat.
"Microsoft's free product is basically a stripped down version of the OneCare product Microsoft pulled from the shelves," said Symantec Consumer division president Janice Chaffin. "A full Internet security suite is what consumers require today to stay fully protected."
Joris Evers, a spokesman for No. 2 security software maker McAfee, said his company is already enjoying strong growth despite competition from free anti-virus products that are on the market.
"On a level playing field, we are confident in our ability to compete with anyone who might enter the marketplace," he said.
A spokeswoman for Trend Micro Inc, the No. 3 player, declined to comment.
PROTECTING YOUR PC FROM VIRUSES
As much as antivirus companies trumpet their evolving abilities to root out viruses, worms and Trojans on your PC, the cybersecurity industry leaves out one important piece of information: all the malicious code they're not detecting.
Luckily, someone is scanning the scanners. Recently the Austrian non-profit firm AV-Comparatives released its annual report based on a year of testing the cybersecurity industry's antivirus offerings, systematically pitting each one against more than 3 million samples of malware pulled from computers around the world.
The best performers in the firm's tests? Two names most Americans have never heard of: the German company Avira and the Slovakian firm ESET. And those rankings, cybersecurity analysts say, may reflect just as much on the industry's growing pains as they do on the two firms' ability to clean up your hard drive.
Avira, based in Tettnang, Germany, won AV-Comparatives' label as the overall best antivirus product of 2008, based on its ability to pull more malicious files off hard drives than big name competitors like Symantec, McAfee and Microsoft in less time and with less impact on a PC's performance.
In the latest AV-Comparatives tests performed last month, for instance, Avira found about two-thirds of the previously undetected malware--collected over a four-week period--installed on the machines it scanned. ESET's NOD32 program found 51%. Symantec and Microsoft, by comparison, found only 44% of those samples, while McAfee's detection rate was below 30%.
Andreas Clementi, AV-Comparatives' chief executive founder, chalks up Avira's apparent superiority to the fact that the company has a smaller user-base than its larger competitors, so it can more quickly pipe out new virus watch lists to users without dealing with a massive network.
"Symantec, for instance, is used by many millions more people around the world," Clementi says. "Smaller companies can be faster in releasing updates. Symantec has to be careful: If it caused a false alarm, it would create much more trouble for those millions of users."
But AV-Comparatives' top ranking for Avira isn't the last word in antivirus vendor ranking. In fact, the evolution of malicious software means measuring the efficacy of antivirus vendors is more complicated than ever.
In its quarterly cybersecurity showdowns, AV-Comparatives uses 50 1.5-terabyte hard drives packed with a uniform set of newly collected malicious software from "bait" computers around the world.
In half of its tests, it pits antivirus software against previously detected malware and measures the software's ability to successfully scan those big disks. In the other half, it "freezes" a version of the antivirus software, waits a month without updating it and tests it against all the malware the testers have collected during that month. That technique is designed to check the antivirus softwares' ability to find previously undetected breeds of malicious code.
But even in those elaborate tests, AV-Comparatives may not be measuring the newest features of anti-malware programs, protests Symantec's senior director of product management, Dave Cole. The next generation of malware detection, he argues, is "behavior-based" detection, which filters out bad files based largely on how they act over time after they're installed on your PC--not just their appearance at the moment of a scan.
"We used to know it was bad because it was 'the bumpy Trojan,'" Cole says. "Now we know it's something bad because it grabs your keyboard, sends your data to China."
Another test last September by a German antivirus analysis firm called AV-Test, however, may have captured those behavior-based scanning features. AV-Test, in fact, gave Symantec top marks for the kind of "proactive" scanning that Cole describes. Avira, however, fared far worse.
The real winner, it turns out, may be ESET, which placed near the top of both AV-Comparatives' and AV-Test's "proactive" scanning tests. The company, whose antivirus software serves more than 70 million users largely in Russia and the US, claims its secret is "advanced heuristics," the ability to statistically recognise a familiar piece of malware in a new form.
"Viruses today are constantly shifting. They're like wolves in sheeps clothing," says Jeff Brosse, ESET's director of North American research. "Recognising that malware is where we excel."
ESET began working on heuristics long before other antivirus companies, says John Hawes, a researcher for the British virus analysis online newsletter Virus Bulletin, and it has been able to avoid the false alarms that plague most heuristic tests.
"They've struck a good balance between strong heuristics and false positives," he says. Hawes' own tests backs up the other two: He says that the 16-year-old company has been on the newsletter's VB100 certification list more times than any other firm.
But the real outcome of the two tests may be to show how outmoded signature-based malware detection has become. The fact that Avira could outperform competitors and only catch two out of three new types of malware, says security blogger and consultant.
Rich Mogull, shows that without real behavior-based detection, cybersecurity can't keep up.
In fact, he says the real key to defeating malware isn't antivirus but approaches like Firefox's no-script plug-in, which blocks Web pages from running potentially malicious programs. Mogull also advocates software platforms like Windows Vista or Google Chrome that "sandbox" or limit applications' access to computer resources. "You give applications a very small, safe place to play in," he says.
As much as antivirus companies trumpet their evolving abilities to root out viruses, worms and Trojans on your PC, the cybersecurity industry leaves out one important piece of information: all the malicious code they're not detecting.
Luckily, someone is scanning the scanners. Recently the Austrian non-profit firm AV-Comparatives released its annual report based on a year of testing the cybersecurity industry's antivirus offerings, systematically pitting each one against more than 3 million samples of malware pulled from computers around the world.
In pictures: 10 top anti-virus packages for protecting your PC
The best performers in the firm's tests? Two names most Americans have never heard of: the German company Avira and the Slovakian firm ESET. And those rankings, cybersecurity analysts say, may reflect just as much on the industry's growing pains as they do on the two firms' ability to clean up your hard drive.
Avira, based in Tettnang, Germany, won AV-Comparatives' label as the overall best antivirus product of 2008, based on its ability to pull more malicious files off hard drives than big name competitors like Symantec, McAfee and Microsoft in less time and with less impact on a PC's performance.
In the latest AV-Comparatives tests performed last month, for instance, Avira found about two-thirds of the previously undetected malware--collected over a four-week period--installed on the machines it scanned. ESET's NOD32 program found 51%. Symantec and Microsoft, by comparison, found only 44% of those samples, while McAfee's detection rate was below 30%.
Andreas Clementi, AV-Comparatives' chief executive founder, chalks up Avira's apparent superiority to the fact that the company has a smaller user-base than its larger competitors, so it can more quickly pipe out new virus watch lists to users without dealing with a massive network.
"Symantec, for instance, is used by many millions more people around the world," Clementi says. "Smaller companies can be faster in releasing updates. Symantec has to be careful: If it caused a false alarm, it would create much more trouble for those millions of users."
But AV-Comparatives' top ranking for Avira isn't the last word in antivirus vendor ranking. In fact, the evolution of malicious software means measuring the efficacy of antivirus vendors is more complicated than ever.
In its quarterly cybersecurity showdowns, AV-Comparatives uses 50 1.5-terabyte hard drives packed with a uniform set of newly collected malicious software from "bait" computers around the world.
In half of its tests, it pits antivirus software against previously detected malware and measures the software's ability to successfully scan those big disks. In the other half, it "freezes" a version of the antivirus software, waits a month without updating it and tests it against all the malware the testers have collected during that month. That technique is designed to check the antivirus softwares' ability to find previously undetected breeds of malicious code.
But even in those elaborate tests, AV-Comparatives may not be measuring the newest features of anti-malware programs, protests Symantec's senior director of product management, Dave Cole. The next generation of malware detection, he argues, is "behavior-based" detection, which filters out bad files based largely on how they act over time after they're installed on your PC--not just their appearance at the moment of a scan.
"We used to know it was bad because it was 'the bumpy Trojan,'" Cole says. "Now we know it's something bad because it grabs your keyboard, sends your data to China."
Another test last September by a German antivirus analysis firm called AV-Test, however, may have captured those behavior-based scanning features. AV-Test, in fact, gave Symantec top marks for the kind of "proactive" scanning that Cole describes. Avira, however, fared far worse.
The real winner, it turns out, may be ESET, which placed near the top of both AV-Comparatives' and AV-Test's "proactive" scanning tests. The company, whose antivirus software serves more than 70 million users largely in Russia and the US, claims its secret is "advanced heuristics," the ability to statistically recognise a familiar piece of malware in a new form.
"Viruses today are constantly shifting. They're like wolves in sheeps clothing," says Jeff Brosse, ESET's director of North American research. "Recognising that malware is where we excel."
ESET began working on heuristics long before other antivirus companies, says John Hawes, a researcher for the British virus analysis online newsletter Virus Bulletin, and it has been able to avoid the false alarms that plague most heuristic tests.
"They've struck a good balance between strong heuristics and false positives," he says. Hawes' own tests backs up the other two: He says that the 16-year-old company has been on the newsletter's VB100 certification list more times than any other firm.
But the real outcome of the two tests may be to show how outmoded signature-based malware detection has become. The fact that Avira could outperform competitors and only catch two out of three new types of malware, says security blogger and consultant.
Rich Mogull, shows that without real behavior-based detection, cybersecurity can't keep up.
In fact, he says the real key to defeating malware isn't antivirus but approaches like Firefox's no-script plug-in, which blocks Web pages from running potentially malicious programs. Mogull also advocates software platforms like Windows Vista or Google Chrome that "sandbox" or limit applications' access to computer resources. "You give applications a very small, safe place to play in," he says.
In pictures: 10 top anti-virus packages for protecting your PC
Until those kinds of security features become commonplace, the explosion of different malware breeds means antivirus vendors will be fighting a losing battle, Mogull says. "Tests can show which of these work better, but they're all far from perfect," he says. "The truth is, it doesn't really matter which is better. The bad guys will scoot around any of them."
Luckily, someone is scanning the scanners. Recently the Austrian non-profit firm AV-Comparatives released its annual report based on a year of testing the cybersecurity industry's antivirus offerings, systematically pitting each one against more than 3 million samples of malware pulled from computers around the world.
The best performers in the firm's tests? Two names most Americans have never heard of: the German company Avira and the Slovakian firm ESET. And those rankings, cybersecurity analysts say, may reflect just as much on the industry's growing pains as they do on the two firms' ability to clean up your hard drive.
Avira, based in Tettnang, Germany, won AV-Comparatives' label as the overall best antivirus product of 2008, based on its ability to pull more malicious files off hard drives than big name competitors like Symantec, McAfee and Microsoft in less time and with less impact on a PC's performance.
In the latest AV-Comparatives tests performed last month, for instance, Avira found about two-thirds of the previously undetected malware--collected over a four-week period--installed on the machines it scanned. ESET's NOD32 program found 51%. Symantec and Microsoft, by comparison, found only 44% of those samples, while McAfee's detection rate was below 30%.
Andreas Clementi, AV-Comparatives' chief executive founder, chalks up Avira's apparent superiority to the fact that the company has a smaller user-base than its larger competitors, so it can more quickly pipe out new virus watch lists to users without dealing with a massive network.
"Symantec, for instance, is used by many millions more people around the world," Clementi says. "Smaller companies can be faster in releasing updates. Symantec has to be careful: If it caused a false alarm, it would create much more trouble for those millions of users."
But AV-Comparatives' top ranking for Avira isn't the last word in antivirus vendor ranking. In fact, the evolution of malicious software means measuring the efficacy of antivirus vendors is more complicated than ever.
In its quarterly cybersecurity showdowns, AV-Comparatives uses 50 1.5-terabyte hard drives packed with a uniform set of newly collected malicious software from "bait" computers around the world.
In half of its tests, it pits antivirus software against previously detected malware and measures the software's ability to successfully scan those big disks. In the other half, it "freezes" a version of the antivirus software, waits a month without updating it and tests it against all the malware the testers have collected during that month. That technique is designed to check the antivirus softwares' ability to find previously undetected breeds of malicious code.
But even in those elaborate tests, AV-Comparatives may not be measuring the newest features of anti-malware programs, protests Symantec's senior director of product management, Dave Cole. The next generation of malware detection, he argues, is "behavior-based" detection, which filters out bad files based largely on how they act over time after they're installed on your PC--not just their appearance at the moment of a scan.
"We used to know it was bad because it was 'the bumpy Trojan,'" Cole says. "Now we know it's something bad because it grabs your keyboard, sends your data to China."
Another test last September by a German antivirus analysis firm called AV-Test, however, may have captured those behavior-based scanning features. AV-Test, in fact, gave Symantec top marks for the kind of "proactive" scanning that Cole describes. Avira, however, fared far worse.
The real winner, it turns out, may be ESET, which placed near the top of both AV-Comparatives' and AV-Test's "proactive" scanning tests. The company, whose antivirus software serves more than 70 million users largely in Russia and the US, claims its secret is "advanced heuristics," the ability to statistically recognise a familiar piece of malware in a new form.
"Viruses today are constantly shifting. They're like wolves in sheeps clothing," says Jeff Brosse, ESET's director of North American research. "Recognising that malware is where we excel."
ESET began working on heuristics long before other antivirus companies, says John Hawes, a researcher for the British virus analysis online newsletter Virus Bulletin, and it has been able to avoid the false alarms that plague most heuristic tests.
"They've struck a good balance between strong heuristics and false positives," he says. Hawes' own tests backs up the other two: He says that the 16-year-old company has been on the newsletter's VB100 certification list more times than any other firm.
But the real outcome of the two tests may be to show how outmoded signature-based malware detection has become. The fact that Avira could outperform competitors and only catch two out of three new types of malware, says security blogger and consultant.
Rich Mogull, shows that without real behavior-based detection, cybersecurity can't keep up.
In fact, he says the real key to defeating malware isn't antivirus but approaches like Firefox's no-script plug-in, which blocks Web pages from running potentially malicious programs. Mogull also advocates software platforms like Windows Vista or Google Chrome that "sandbox" or limit applications' access to computer resources. "You give applications a very small, safe place to play in," he says.
As much as antivirus companies trumpet their evolving abilities to root out viruses, worms and Trojans on your PC, the cybersecurity industry leaves out one important piece of information: all the malicious code they're not detecting.
Luckily, someone is scanning the scanners. Recently the Austrian non-profit firm AV-Comparatives released its annual report based on a year of testing the cybersecurity industry's antivirus offerings, systematically pitting each one against more than 3 million samples of malware pulled from computers around the world.
In pictures: 10 top anti-virus packages for protecting your PC
The best performers in the firm's tests? Two names most Americans have never heard of: the German company Avira and the Slovakian firm ESET. And those rankings, cybersecurity analysts say, may reflect just as much on the industry's growing pains as they do on the two firms' ability to clean up your hard drive.
Avira, based in Tettnang, Germany, won AV-Comparatives' label as the overall best antivirus product of 2008, based on its ability to pull more malicious files off hard drives than big name competitors like Symantec, McAfee and Microsoft in less time and with less impact on a PC's performance.
In the latest AV-Comparatives tests performed last month, for instance, Avira found about two-thirds of the previously undetected malware--collected over a four-week period--installed on the machines it scanned. ESET's NOD32 program found 51%. Symantec and Microsoft, by comparison, found only 44% of those samples, while McAfee's detection rate was below 30%.
Andreas Clementi, AV-Comparatives' chief executive founder, chalks up Avira's apparent superiority to the fact that the company has a smaller user-base than its larger competitors, so it can more quickly pipe out new virus watch lists to users without dealing with a massive network.
"Symantec, for instance, is used by many millions more people around the world," Clementi says. "Smaller companies can be faster in releasing updates. Symantec has to be careful: If it caused a false alarm, it would create much more trouble for those millions of users."
But AV-Comparatives' top ranking for Avira isn't the last word in antivirus vendor ranking. In fact, the evolution of malicious software means measuring the efficacy of antivirus vendors is more complicated than ever.
In its quarterly cybersecurity showdowns, AV-Comparatives uses 50 1.5-terabyte hard drives packed with a uniform set of newly collected malicious software from "bait" computers around the world.
In half of its tests, it pits antivirus software against previously detected malware and measures the software's ability to successfully scan those big disks. In the other half, it "freezes" a version of the antivirus software, waits a month without updating it and tests it against all the malware the testers have collected during that month. That technique is designed to check the antivirus softwares' ability to find previously undetected breeds of malicious code.
But even in those elaborate tests, AV-Comparatives may not be measuring the newest features of anti-malware programs, protests Symantec's senior director of product management, Dave Cole. The next generation of malware detection, he argues, is "behavior-based" detection, which filters out bad files based largely on how they act over time after they're installed on your PC--not just their appearance at the moment of a scan.
"We used to know it was bad because it was 'the bumpy Trojan,'" Cole says. "Now we know it's something bad because it grabs your keyboard, sends your data to China."
Another test last September by a German antivirus analysis firm called AV-Test, however, may have captured those behavior-based scanning features. AV-Test, in fact, gave Symantec top marks for the kind of "proactive" scanning that Cole describes. Avira, however, fared far worse.
The real winner, it turns out, may be ESET, which placed near the top of both AV-Comparatives' and AV-Test's "proactive" scanning tests. The company, whose antivirus software serves more than 70 million users largely in Russia and the US, claims its secret is "advanced heuristics," the ability to statistically recognise a familiar piece of malware in a new form.
"Viruses today are constantly shifting. They're like wolves in sheeps clothing," says Jeff Brosse, ESET's director of North American research. "Recognising that malware is where we excel."
ESET began working on heuristics long before other antivirus companies, says John Hawes, a researcher for the British virus analysis online newsletter Virus Bulletin, and it has been able to avoid the false alarms that plague most heuristic tests.
"They've struck a good balance between strong heuristics and false positives," he says. Hawes' own tests backs up the other two: He says that the 16-year-old company has been on the newsletter's VB100 certification list more times than any other firm.
But the real outcome of the two tests may be to show how outmoded signature-based malware detection has become. The fact that Avira could outperform competitors and only catch two out of three new types of malware, says security blogger and consultant.
Rich Mogull, shows that without real behavior-based detection, cybersecurity can't keep up.
In fact, he says the real key to defeating malware isn't antivirus but approaches like Firefox's no-script plug-in, which blocks Web pages from running potentially malicious programs. Mogull also advocates software platforms like Windows Vista or Google Chrome that "sandbox" or limit applications' access to computer resources. "You give applications a very small, safe place to play in," he says.
In pictures: 10 top anti-virus packages for protecting your PC
Until those kinds of security features become commonplace, the explosion of different malware breeds means antivirus vendors will be fighting a losing battle, Mogull says. "Tests can show which of these work better, but they're all far from perfect," he says. "The truth is, it doesn't really matter which is better. The bad guys will scoot around any of them."
WHAT TO DO IF COMPUTER IS INFECTED
Computer-virus infections don't cause your machine to crash anymore.
Nowadays, the criminals behind the infections usually want your computer operating in top form so you don't know something's wrong. That way, they can log your keystrokes and steal any passwords or credit-card numbers you enter at Web sites, or they can link your infected computer with others to send out spam.
Here are some signs your computer is infected, tapped to serve as part of "botnet" armies run by criminals:
– You experience new, prolonged slowdowns. This can be a sign that a malicious program is running in the background.
– You continually get pop-up ads that you can't make go away. This is a sure sign you have "adware," and possibly more, on your machine.
– You're being directed to sites you didn't intend to visit, or your search results are coming back funky. This is another sign that hackers have gotten to your machine.
So what do you do?
– Having anti-virus software here is hugely helpful. For one, it can identify known malicious programs and disable them. If the virus that has infected your machine isn't detected, many anti-virus vendors offer a service in which they can remotely take over your computer and delete the malware for a fee.
– Some anti-virus vendors also offer free, online virus-scanning services.
– You may have to reinstall your operating system if your computer is still experiencing problems. It's a good idea even if you believe you've cleaned up the mess because malware can still be hidden on your machine. You will need to back up your files before you do this.
How do I know what information has been taken?
– It's very hard to tell what's been taken. Not every infection steals your data. Some just serve unwanted ads. Others poison your search result or steer you to Web sites you don't want to see. Others log your every keystroke. The anti-virus vendors have extensive databases about what the known infections do and don't do. Comparing the results from your virus scans to those entries will give you a good idea about what criminals may have snatched up.
Nowadays, the criminals behind the infections usually want your computer operating in top form so you don't know something's wrong. That way, they can log your keystrokes and steal any passwords or credit-card numbers you enter at Web sites, or they can link your infected computer with others to send out spam.
Here are some signs your computer is infected, tapped to serve as part of "botnet" armies run by criminals:
– You experience new, prolonged slowdowns. This can be a sign that a malicious program is running in the background.
– You continually get pop-up ads that you can't make go away. This is a sure sign you have "adware," and possibly more, on your machine.
– You're being directed to sites you didn't intend to visit, or your search results are coming back funky. This is another sign that hackers have gotten to your machine.
So what do you do?
– Having anti-virus software here is hugely helpful. For one, it can identify known malicious programs and disable them. If the virus that has infected your machine isn't detected, many anti-virus vendors offer a service in which they can remotely take over your computer and delete the malware for a fee.
– Some anti-virus vendors also offer free, online virus-scanning services.
– You may have to reinstall your operating system if your computer is still experiencing problems. It's a good idea even if you believe you've cleaned up the mess because malware can still be hidden on your machine. You will need to back up your files before you do this.
How do I know what information has been taken?
– It's very hard to tell what's been taken. Not every infection steals your data. Some just serve unwanted ads. Others poison your search result or steer you to Web sites you don't want to see. Others log your every keystroke. The anti-virus vendors have extensive databases about what the known infections do and don't do. Comparing the results from your virus scans to those entries will give you a good idea about what criminals may have snatched up.
CONFLICKER VIRUS DISRUPTS UK PARLIAMENT PCs
London: The IT system in the British Parliament has become infected with the Conficker computer virus, The Telegraph reports.
The worm virus, which has affected more than 15 million computers around the world, has become established on computers used by MPs, Lords and parliamentary staff.
Known variously as Conficker, Downadup, and Kido, it buries itself deep inside a PC’s Windows operating system, from where it can be used by hackers to steal users'' passwords and personal information.
Although it is not clear when or how the machines became infected, there were claims last night that parliament had failed to follow standard online security procedures.
"This incident clearly shows, once again, that when it comes to even the most basic of security procedures, parliament is lagging behind everyone else," the paper quoted Rob Cotton, of IT security company NCC Group as telling Channel 4.
He added: "Unauthorised machines shouldn’t even be capable of coming anywhere near an official network like this, particularly one which could provide a doorway to seriously sensitive material. Even worse, this particular virus is one that has been around since November last year, and security updates and patches have previously been issued to deal with it."
A spokesman for the Houses of Parliament declined to comment.
The worm virus, which has affected more than 15 million computers around the world, has become established on computers used by MPs, Lords and parliamentary staff.
Known variously as Conficker, Downadup, and Kido, it buries itself deep inside a PC’s Windows operating system, from where it can be used by hackers to steal users'' passwords and personal information.
Although it is not clear when or how the machines became infected, there were claims last night that parliament had failed to follow standard online security procedures.
"This incident clearly shows, once again, that when it comes to even the most basic of security procedures, parliament is lagging behind everyone else," the paper quoted Rob Cotton, of IT security company NCC Group as telling Channel 4.
He added: "Unauthorised machines shouldn’t even be capable of coming anywhere near an official network like this, particularly one which could provide a doorway to seriously sensitive material. Even worse, this particular virus is one that has been around since November last year, and security updates and patches have previously been issued to deal with it."
A spokesman for the Houses of Parliament declined to comment.
FREE TOOL TO REMOVE CONFICKER VIRUS
Chennai: Beware of the new Conficker virus that's on the prowl to disrupt your IT system. This virus exploits Microsoft OS Vulnerability (MS08-67) and has infected more than 200 million PCs globally.
In the interest of Internet users, Chennai-based K7 Computing, a leading anti-virus company, has come out with a Conficker removal tool free of cost.
This virus can seriously compromise PC security by blocking access to security Websites (like K7 Computing, Symantec, McAfee etc), disabling Microsoft updates and Windows Security Centre, terminating security applications, and add markers for future use by malware and updating itself automatically.
The latest versions - Conficker.C and D - have been set to look for new updates on the Internet starting from April 1, 2009. It will visit a website, from a set of more than 50,000 random sites, to look for latest updates. These malware websites are expected to be enabled on April 1 to host the updated malware.
The nature of the latest update of this worm is not yet known. The virus may cause havoc by launching denial of service attacks on various websites, including security websites, attack government infrastructures, spread new malware, send out deluge of spam, steal password, credit card data, private & confidential information and destroy all vital information in a PC.
The Conficker virus has already disrupted the IT system in the British Parliament.
In the interest of Internet users, Chennai-based K7 Computing, a leading anti-virus company, has come out with a Conficker removal tool free of cost.
This virus can seriously compromise PC security by blocking access to security Websites (like K7 Computing, Symantec, McAfee etc), disabling Microsoft updates and Windows Security Centre, terminating security applications, and add markers for future use by malware and updating itself automatically.
The latest versions - Conficker.C and D - have been set to look for new updates on the Internet starting from April 1, 2009. It will visit a website, from a set of more than 50,000 random sites, to look for latest updates. These malware websites are expected to be enabled on April 1 to host the updated malware.
The nature of the latest update of this worm is not yet known. The virus may cause havoc by launching denial of service attacks on various websites, including security websites, attack government infrastructures, spread new malware, send out deluge of spam, steal password, credit card data, private & confidential information and destroy all vital information in a PC.
The Conficker virus has already disrupted the IT system in the British Parliament.
100 MOST DANGEROUS WEBSITES FOR YOUR PC
Internet security company Norton Symantec has come up with a list of Top 100 Dirtiest sites, which could infect your computer with malware.
Malware is a software that can damage or compromise a computer system without the owner's consent.
Natalie Connor, spokeswoman of the anti-virus company, said that even visiting any of the named websites could expose a computer to infection and put the personal information into the hands of unwanted people.
"What people don't realise is when you type in a website, you're bringing down information on a page and with it could be malware," News.com.au quoted her as saying.
The list was compiled with the help of global data collected on Norton Safe Web, a site that analysed websites' security risks.
The infected sites had on average 18,000 threats and 40 per cent of the sites had more than 20,000 threats, while 75 per cent of websites on the list were found to be spreading malware for over six months.
According to Connor, most websites in the list had adult content with unprintable names, suggesting they contained hardcore pornography.
Some others sites include those on ice skating, deer hunting, catering and legal services.
Hackers can apparently obtain personal information using keystroke-logging software from both PCs and Mac computers.he reps said that hackers are a force to reckon with as cyber crime is increasing rapidly.
She added: "The last thing we want to do is scare people, we want to educate them so they know how to protect themselves.
"It's not about the fame any more of creating viruses and getting in the media. They're making money."
Norton released a sample of the dirtiest websites:
17ebook.com
aladel.net
bpwhamburgorchardpark.org
clicnews.com
dfwdiesel.net
divineenterprises.net
fantasticfilms.ru
gardensrestaurantandcatering.com
ginedis.com
gncr.org
hdvideoforums.org
hihanin.com
kingfamilyphotoalbum.com
likaraoke.com
mactep.org
magic4you.nu
marbling.pe.kr
nacjalneg.info
pronline.ru
purplehoodie.com
qsng.cn
seksburada.net
sportsmansclub.net
stock888.cn
tathli.com
teamclouds.com
texaswhitetailfever.com
wadefamilytree.org
xnescat.info
yt118.com
Malware is a software that can damage or compromise a computer system without the owner's consent.
Natalie Connor, spokeswoman of the anti-virus company, said that even visiting any of the named websites could expose a computer to infection and put the personal information into the hands of unwanted people.
"What people don't realise is when you type in a website, you're bringing down information on a page and with it could be malware," News.com.au quoted her as saying.
The list was compiled with the help of global data collected on Norton Safe Web, a site that analysed websites' security risks.
The infected sites had on average 18,000 threats and 40 per cent of the sites had more than 20,000 threats, while 75 per cent of websites on the list were found to be spreading malware for over six months.
According to Connor, most websites in the list had adult content with unprintable names, suggesting they contained hardcore pornography.
Some others sites include those on ice skating, deer hunting, catering and legal services.
Hackers can apparently obtain personal information using keystroke-logging software from both PCs and Mac computers.he reps said that hackers are a force to reckon with as cyber crime is increasing rapidly.
She added: "The last thing we want to do is scare people, we want to educate them so they know how to protect themselves.
"It's not about the fame any more of creating viruses and getting in the media. They're making money."
Norton released a sample of the dirtiest websites:
17ebook.com
aladel.net
bpwhamburgorchardpark.org
clicnews.com
dfwdiesel.net
divineenterprises.net
fantasticfilms.ru
gardensrestaurantandcatering.com
ginedis.com
gncr.org
hdvideoforums.org
hihanin.com
kingfamilyphotoalbum.com
likaraoke.com
mactep.org
magic4you.nu
marbling.pe.kr
nacjalneg.info
pronline.ru
purplehoodie.com
qsng.cn
seksburada.net
sportsmansclub.net
stock888.cn
tathli.com
teamclouds.com
texaswhitetailfever.com
wadefamilytree.org
xnescat.info
yt118.com
Thursday, August 20, 2009
'MICROSOFT IS STILL ABOUT THE MAGIC OF SOFTWARE'
On a visit to India to receive the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace for the work done by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates also caught up with the activities of Microsoft India and his pet project, Microsoft Research, which is doing ground-breaking work on humancomputer interaction in Bangalore. In an exclusive interview with Business Today's Rohit Saran and Kushan Mitra, Gates talked about everything from the Apollo moon landings and the controversial AIDS initiative of the foundation to the magic of software and even a passing reference to Google. Excerpts:
It has been 40 years since the Apollo II expedition to the moon. What did that mean to you as a young boy in America in 1969?
Well, a lot. Staying up at night watching updates on TV. Thinking of the scientific advancements that were required to achieve this safely! What really led to this was the competition with the USSR. It made the US put more money into math and science and the dividends on that paid off over time. The so-called DARPA (the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) money was a result of the science of which the moonshot was an exemplary project.
Do you feel the US is losing some of the edge it has had in research since the end of World War II? Forty per cent of the PhDs being done in the US in Science are by foreign citizens ...
Well, there is nothing wrong with that. A lot of smart people have always wanted to go to the US from across the world. Current US policies do not take full advantage of that and I have been critical of that. But when you think of improvements in the world, it is not a goal to have the US' relative position as strong. The US' relative strength was the strongest in 1946. So, in a certain relative sense, it has been downhill from there.
A lot of advances, in computer and medical sciences, are still being done in the US.. It would be good for the rest of the world to reduce that relative lead. Not reduce the absolute innovation, but more in proportion with their share of the world's IQ. It's great that at least India and China are making progress in that direction.
You have put in an additional $80 million in the AIDS alleviation project being funded by your foundation. However, there have been stories written that the $253 million invested so far has been wasted ...
Listen, I'm sorry that you read journalism of that quality. You should do some research. These people are excluded usually from the benefits of protection from this disease (AIDS), and what Avahaan did in terms of building those communities and reducing risky behaviour and saving lives is phenomenal. The data is very clear: Condom use has gone up, violence has gone down, sexually transmitted diseases have gone down. Go to the communities, talk to these excluded people and then write.
Do you feel there are unrealistic or heightened expectations whenever Bill Gates comes along?
No. Half the world's children who are not vaccinated are born here. They don't know my name. They'll never know my name. They have no expectation or anything. The goal should be to get them vaccinated so that they don't die. And is that too high an expectation, that India should do as well as, say, Bangladesh in terms of vaccination? I don't know, but on behalf of those children we should be ambitious.
Do you feel the Internet has changed the face of software development, particularly with regard to free and open-source software?
Not really. There has always been both free and open-source software. I do think that the companies that pay salaries will continue to charge for their software and that there will always be software jobs. I think that commercial software will continue to exist because software is so critical to companies, because they value the competitive edge, the time, the quality and so on.
Software is a much bigger industry today. When we entered, the average price of a piece of software was $10,000. And when we came out with software priced at $10, $20 and $30, people thought we were crazy. The PC revolution could only happen due to low-cost software that gave people a reason to buy the personal computer. And the growth of the industry into a high-volume, low-cost model happened in the '80s and the '90s, and Microsoft was at the centre of it. And it is a bigger industry by at least a factor of 50 today than when we started out.
Where do you see software going in the future?
We will be integrating cameras with computers and with our game console, the Xbox 360, in the future. And that is because of advancements in hardware and software that will be able to "watch you . Our lab does some of that work. There is machine translation stuff that gives people without any knowledge of English access to the Internet. Speech recognition was one of the first Microsoft Research projects 20 years ago and there is very good progress on building it into the PC and the phone. So, this area of "natural interaction speech, vision and ink is the area where people will see experiences change the most.
What do you make of the sudden switchover to low-cost consumer hardware with the "Netbook revolution? Are you working to provide cheaper hardware and make computing accessible to people on this side of the world?
We have been working on low-cost hardware ever since Microsoft has been in existence. The key to our success is volume, a personal computer for everyone. And so, we wish the hardware was free (laughs), but we haven't figured out how to do that. And we don't just want to drive the price down, we want the power of the device to go up say, make it a high-powered reading device. The Kindle is a special-purpose device. But some of these new Netbooks with the thin-form factor and long battery life and the reading software help you navigate and take notes as we are doing in Windows 7. We think we can create a great reading device that also browses, does Microsoft Office, communicates, thus bring it all together so that you don't need to buy two devices.
The lowest cost computing device today is the phone. So you have people whose first computer is the phone..., then they will get a Netbook PC, then if they're doing super-well they'll get a 30-inch LCD to celebrate their great new job or something. So we want to have software that works seamlessly across all those devices, and all those price points are coming down. But it won't just be price, (but also things like) putting the camera in, putting something else in. Microsoft is in various markets manufacturing, healthcare, education and creating the software to help these industries take off.
How do you think Microsoft's approach to research differs from other companies?
If you take R & D (research and development), we spend more than any other company in the world. If you take pure research, we spend a very high percentage compared to most companies and we tend to do longerterm research than most companies. IBM has put some money into research, not as much as us, but they have done good, long-term research. They have somewhat the same open model that we have had. One of our competitors, Google, has not chosen to have the same level of openness in the work they do; hopefully they will make a good choice on that.
And this focus on research is not going to change in the future?
No. Even in these tough economic times, we did not cut back on research. We think it is the key to our future. We have things like quantum computing that in best case will be done in 10 years.
What role does the US government still play in research?
Well, the US government still funds a lot of research, but mainly in health sciences rather than computer sciences. Microsoft does not take much in the way of government money, but our university partners rely heavily on the government and we in a sense rely on them. As part of the research ecosystem they are critical. It is good that the Indian government is doing more, pushing the PhD level programmes, looking at other funding towards innovative universities. Industry and universities kind of grow together. We made an early bet on research, but we figured that the universities would come along with us.
Microsoft is doing some exciting research in software in healthcare. How can software help in making healthcare cheaper and more accessible?
Our lab in Bangalore has created a conference where we discuss such things. A few months ago, we were talking of cellphones for healthcare records and for banking. This conference is pretty hardcore about talking of the few things that worked and the lot of things that didn't work, and that is why bringing social scientists in was part of the original design of the thing. Some universities have been very proactive, such as Carnegie-Mellon, University of California, Berkeley.
You recently said that Microsoft has achieved the ideal of what you wanted it to become. Can you explain this?
Microsoft, every year, has to make new inventions and hire smart new people, and make its old products look a lot less capable than its new products. That's really our stiffest competition. Is the new Office or the new Windows worth the trouble? The new cellphone? The new video game? And the company does that. It has a culture of developing cool new software. The research piece that I've highlighted is the jewel in the crown. Microsoft is a big part of low-cost computing and the Internet. We are a big part of the research that gets done and I'm very proud of that.
So, what is next?
Well, more breakthrough research. It is a part-time thing for me now, but I'm very involved with where search is going and where Office is going. And Microsoft is still about the magic of software and that is not changing. So, in a sense, we are staying true to what we did in the very beginning, but in a far more ambitious and large-scale way.
It has been 40 years since the Apollo II expedition to the moon. What did that mean to you as a young boy in America in 1969?
Well, a lot. Staying up at night watching updates on TV. Thinking of the scientific advancements that were required to achieve this safely! What really led to this was the competition with the USSR. It made the US put more money into math and science and the dividends on that paid off over time. The so-called DARPA (the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) money was a result of the science of which the moonshot was an exemplary project.
Do you feel the US is losing some of the edge it has had in research since the end of World War II? Forty per cent of the PhDs being done in the US in Science are by foreign citizens ...
Well, there is nothing wrong with that. A lot of smart people have always wanted to go to the US from across the world. Current US policies do not take full advantage of that and I have been critical of that. But when you think of improvements in the world, it is not a goal to have the US' relative position as strong. The US' relative strength was the strongest in 1946. So, in a certain relative sense, it has been downhill from there.
A lot of advances, in computer and medical sciences, are still being done in the US.. It would be good for the rest of the world to reduce that relative lead. Not reduce the absolute innovation, but more in proportion with their share of the world's IQ. It's great that at least India and China are making progress in that direction.
You have put in an additional $80 million in the AIDS alleviation project being funded by your foundation. However, there have been stories written that the $253 million invested so far has been wasted ...
Listen, I'm sorry that you read journalism of that quality. You should do some research. These people are excluded usually from the benefits of protection from this disease (AIDS), and what Avahaan did in terms of building those communities and reducing risky behaviour and saving lives is phenomenal. The data is very clear: Condom use has gone up, violence has gone down, sexually transmitted diseases have gone down. Go to the communities, talk to these excluded people and then write.
Do you feel there are unrealistic or heightened expectations whenever Bill Gates comes along?
No. Half the world's children who are not vaccinated are born here. They don't know my name. They'll never know my name. They have no expectation or anything. The goal should be to get them vaccinated so that they don't die. And is that too high an expectation, that India should do as well as, say, Bangladesh in terms of vaccination? I don't know, but on behalf of those children we should be ambitious.
Do you feel the Internet has changed the face of software development, particularly with regard to free and open-source software?
Not really. There has always been both free and open-source software. I do think that the companies that pay salaries will continue to charge for their software and that there will always be software jobs. I think that commercial software will continue to exist because software is so critical to companies, because they value the competitive edge, the time, the quality and so on.
Software is a much bigger industry today. When we entered, the average price of a piece of software was $10,000. And when we came out with software priced at $10, $20 and $30, people thought we were crazy. The PC revolution could only happen due to low-cost software that gave people a reason to buy the personal computer. And the growth of the industry into a high-volume, low-cost model happened in the '80s and the '90s, and Microsoft was at the centre of it. And it is a bigger industry by at least a factor of 50 today than when we started out.
Where do you see software going in the future?
We will be integrating cameras with computers and with our game console, the Xbox 360, in the future. And that is because of advancements in hardware and software that will be able to "watch you . Our lab does some of that work. There is machine translation stuff that gives people without any knowledge of English access to the Internet. Speech recognition was one of the first Microsoft Research projects 20 years ago and there is very good progress on building it into the PC and the phone. So, this area of "natural interaction speech, vision and ink is the area where people will see experiences change the most.
What do you make of the sudden switchover to low-cost consumer hardware with the "Netbook revolution? Are you working to provide cheaper hardware and make computing accessible to people on this side of the world?
We have been working on low-cost hardware ever since Microsoft has been in existence. The key to our success is volume, a personal computer for everyone. And so, we wish the hardware was free (laughs), but we haven't figured out how to do that. And we don't just want to drive the price down, we want the power of the device to go up say, make it a high-powered reading device. The Kindle is a special-purpose device. But some of these new Netbooks with the thin-form factor and long battery life and the reading software help you navigate and take notes as we are doing in Windows 7. We think we can create a great reading device that also browses, does Microsoft Office, communicates, thus bring it all together so that you don't need to buy two devices.
The lowest cost computing device today is the phone. So you have people whose first computer is the phone..., then they will get a Netbook PC, then if they're doing super-well they'll get a 30-inch LCD to celebrate their great new job or something. So we want to have software that works seamlessly across all those devices, and all those price points are coming down. But it won't just be price, (but also things like) putting the camera in, putting something else in. Microsoft is in various markets manufacturing, healthcare, education and creating the software to help these industries take off.
How do you think Microsoft's approach to research differs from other companies?
If you take R & D (research and development), we spend more than any other company in the world. If you take pure research, we spend a very high percentage compared to most companies and we tend to do longerterm research than most companies. IBM has put some money into research, not as much as us, but they have done good, long-term research. They have somewhat the same open model that we have had. One of our competitors, Google, has not chosen to have the same level of openness in the work they do; hopefully they will make a good choice on that.
And this focus on research is not going to change in the future?
No. Even in these tough economic times, we did not cut back on research. We think it is the key to our future. We have things like quantum computing that in best case will be done in 10 years.
What role does the US government still play in research?
Well, the US government still funds a lot of research, but mainly in health sciences rather than computer sciences. Microsoft does not take much in the way of government money, but our university partners rely heavily on the government and we in a sense rely on them. As part of the research ecosystem they are critical. It is good that the Indian government is doing more, pushing the PhD level programmes, looking at other funding towards innovative universities. Industry and universities kind of grow together. We made an early bet on research, but we figured that the universities would come along with us.
Microsoft is doing some exciting research in software in healthcare. How can software help in making healthcare cheaper and more accessible?
Our lab in Bangalore has created a conference where we discuss such things. A few months ago, we were talking of cellphones for healthcare records and for banking. This conference is pretty hardcore about talking of the few things that worked and the lot of things that didn't work, and that is why bringing social scientists in was part of the original design of the thing. Some universities have been very proactive, such as Carnegie-Mellon, University of California, Berkeley.
You recently said that Microsoft has achieved the ideal of what you wanted it to become. Can you explain this?
Microsoft, every year, has to make new inventions and hire smart new people, and make its old products look a lot less capable than its new products. That's really our stiffest competition. Is the new Office or the new Windows worth the trouble? The new cellphone? The new video game? And the company does that. It has a culture of developing cool new software. The research piece that I've highlighted is the jewel in the crown. Microsoft is a big part of low-cost computing and the Internet. We are a big part of the research that gets done and I'm very proud of that.
So, what is next?
Well, more breakthrough research. It is a part-time thing for me now, but I'm very involved with where search is going and where Office is going. And Microsoft is still about the magic of software and that is not changing. So, in a sense, we are staying true to what we did in the very beginning, but in a far more ambitious and large-scale way.
GOOGLE'S WORST ADS EVER (GOOG)
Google (GOOG) announced this week it will be "rolling out a series of enhancements to AdSense's contextual targeting capabilities, which will more accurately match relevant ads to Web pages."
Good! Maybe now we can get past one of the Internet's oldest problems: embarrassing ads placed by contextual targeting.
Click through to see Google's worst contextual ads ever →
"Contextual targeting" is Google's practice of scanning its publishing partner's Web pages for certain keywords or phrases and then using those words and phrases to find the right to ads to serve to visitors of those pages. A post on a group of cute puppies could turn up a Google ad for adopting puppies.
But sometimes this process goes horribly wrong.
For example, back when terrorists attacked tourists in Mumbai last year, In.com headlined a story "Terrorists killed the man who gave them water."
Google's ad for the occasion?
"Terrorism: Pursue a certificate in terrorism 100% online. Enroll today. Ads by Google."
Whoops!
Thing is, there have been plenty more awkward incidents like that -- way too many, really.
We've collected some of the best worst examples here.
Each of them are entirely explainable -- a video about US Airways airplane crash would draw an ad for US Airways tickets because of the obvious keyword match -- but given Google's technological prowess, each are ultimately inexcusable.
In a post to an official Google blog, AdSense product manager Woojin Kim wrote, "we believe that with these changes users will start to see even more relevant ads, advertisers will generate more attractive returns by finding the right users, and publishers should make more money over time."
But let's be honest. Woojin could also probably could have added: "And maybe we'll embarrass ourselves and our partners a whole lot less."
Click through to see Google's worst contextual ads ever →
Good! Maybe now we can get past one of the Internet's oldest problems: embarrassing ads placed by contextual targeting.
Click through to see Google's worst contextual ads ever →
"Contextual targeting" is Google's practice of scanning its publishing partner's Web pages for certain keywords or phrases and then using those words and phrases to find the right to ads to serve to visitors of those pages. A post on a group of cute puppies could turn up a Google ad for adopting puppies.
But sometimes this process goes horribly wrong.
For example, back when terrorists attacked tourists in Mumbai last year, In.com headlined a story "Terrorists killed the man who gave them water."
Google's ad for the occasion?
"Terrorism: Pursue a certificate in terrorism 100% online. Enroll today. Ads by Google."
Whoops!
Thing is, there have been plenty more awkward incidents like that -- way too many, really.
We've collected some of the best worst examples here.
Each of them are entirely explainable -- a video about US Airways airplane crash would draw an ad for US Airways tickets because of the obvious keyword match -- but given Google's technological prowess, each are ultimately inexcusable.
In a post to an official Google blog, AdSense product manager Woojin Kim wrote, "we believe that with these changes users will start to see even more relevant ads, advertisers will generate more attractive returns by finding the right users, and publishers should make more money over time."
But let's be honest. Woojin could also probably could have added: "And maybe we'll embarrass ourselves and our partners a whole lot less."
Click through to see Google's worst contextual ads ever →
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