Hackers are increasingly using instant-messaging applications to fool users into installing malicious code and revealing personal information, according to security company Websense. The number of combined IM- and Web-based attacks increased by 300 percent in the first quarter, compared with the last quarter of 2004, Websense said.
According to another recent report, many companies are unprepared for IM attacks. At the same time, market research company IDC estimates that by 2008, about 450 million people will be using an IM product. Brian Burke, IDC's research manager of security products, said that hackers are already exploiting problems with today's IM systems: "Employees who are not familiar with these new threats can easily open a new, seemingly innocuous IM message that pops up on their screen. With that one click of the mouse, they can get infected."
Google creates an animated doodle that features a boy, a girl, Google's search engine, and a jump rope. But might there be darker, more analytical, more troubling interpretations to this tale?
The Silicon Valley online payments startup grew by 1,000 percent last year and is hopeful it can repeat that level of growth this year. To do that, it's had to move away from its early friends-and-family roots and embrace small businesses.
Chamtech's spray-on antenna uses a nano material to provide a low-power boost to antenna range. The wireless-in-a-can product may some day bring an end to unsightly cell towers.
EnerG2 opens a plant to make an engineered carbon that will improve performance of energy storage devices and make storage for start-stop hybrid cars less expensive.
