Massive data files are carried on MP3 players, BlackBerrys and wafer-thin chips

Gillian Shaw
Sun

The ubiquitous iPod, once thought to be a risk only to one’s hearing, is now regarded as a potential threat to corporate security. It and various MP3 players are now banned in the workplace by 30 per cent of mid- and large-sized businesses across Canada.

Personal laptops and tiny USB memory keys that can carry vast amounts of data are also forbidden by half of all businesses, according to a survey by Ipsos Reid for Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc. being released today.

“You could have millions of customer names and addresses on some of these devices that could be carried out in someone’s pocket,” said Andy Canham, president of Sun Microsystems of Canada. “A lot of people have done good work on locking and barring the front door, but they don’t understand there is a huge back door they are not aware of, or they haven’t figured how to address it correctly.”

The gaping back door is an increasingly mobile workforce, with employees carrying potential data goldmines in their pockets or briefcases on everything from wafer-thin memory cards to BlackBerrys, personal digital assistants, cellphones and notebook computers.

The data can inadvertently go astray when a device is lost or stolen, or it can be deliberately carried out by disillusioned employees or others who gain access to confidential corporate files.

Canham said companies that find that customer information has gone missing face a credibility crisis — one that can severely damage their brand. He pointed out that, according to the Ipsos Reid study, some 28 per cent of customers would be prepared to immediately terminate their relationship with a company if they discovered that it had compromised their personal information.

“Where we see most of the concern from consumers is things as basic as your name, your credit card number, the expiry date, your home address,” he said.

In the hands of identity thieves that kind of information can wreak havoc.

Canham pointed out that three per cent of the respondents in the survey have personally been prey to identity theft in the past year.

“How many times does each of us leave a cellphone in a taxi?” said Canham. “There can be not only cellphone numbers, there can be photographs, there can be videos, and there can also be MP3 players that can store amazing amounts of information.”

An eight-gigabyte compact flash memory, the size of an after-dinner mint wafer, can hold approximately a half-million pages of text, or 800,000 e-mails. iPods can hold up to 60 gigabytes.

With wireless technology and advances in mobile computing improving efficiency and productivity, Canham said there is no reversing the obvious trend, but companies must combine policies, processes and tools with education for employees to safeguard data.

“That’s the dilemma,” he said. “Do you want to stop somebody from bringing their cellphone home? Probably not. We think it is going to be difficult to turn technology back. It will continue to advance, and companies will want to take advantage of it.”

Canham said his company has worked with clients to mitigate the threat of data loss through such measures as thin client computers that have only a screen and keyboard, and no data residing on the machine.

“You can run all kinds of traditional applications, but in a secure environment, and if someone broke into your house and stole it, they wouldn’t have anything but a screen and a keyboard,” he said.

The survey found that while companies are taking measures to mitigate the risk of data loss, only 32 per cent of executives surveyed believe their businesses are performing at optimum levels to prevent and manage potential attacks.

The study also found that:

– Seven out of 10 executives believe there is room for improvement in preventing risk among their mobile workforce.

– 17 per cent say they have a very poor understanding of the risks associated with remote or wireless access.

– 13 per cent believe they are doing a poor job at mitigating risks.

– 11 per cent say they are not applying proper procedures to successfully deal with security breaches.

– 42 per cent said the greatest negative impact a security breach will have on their operations is theft of customer information.

– Nine out of 10 companies surveyed provide company cellphones to some of their employees, and almost as many provide laptop computers to employees to access the workplace from outside.

– Currently, 22 per cent of the Canadian workforce on average has remote access to a corporate Intranet, but that figure is expected to climb to almost 30 per cent within the next year.

– Among companies that did not offer remote access, 72 per cent said security concerns influenced that decision.

Data for the survey was collected from March to May of this year from 259 companies.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

Sun

These seemingly innocent words and phrases are considered spam by many filters, according to Web Marketing Today. If you use them in an e-mail, it could be yanked from the Internet without you even knowing: Free; Congratulations;

Compare rates; Great offer;

Order now; Guarantee;

Amazing; Increase sales;

Dear friend; Cash

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Sun

Cliff Bowman, president of Vancouver-based Builders International Real Estate Marketing Corp., has launched the “world’s first global online search engine” that allows consumers to shop for condominium properties worldwide by location, price and lifestyle.

The website is an expanded Internet version of Bowman’s one-stop “auto mall” for condos — The City and Country Condo Centre — which he opened at 400 Robson St. in 2004.

The condo centre features several local projects, while the website at Condocenter.com allows homebuyers to view residential and recreational real estate opportunities in cities and countries around the world, according to their lifestyle, the locations of choice, type of residence and price point.

Condocenter.com has 200 new projects listed, featuring hundreds of available condos.

“Before Condocenter.com, it was extremely difficult for buyers to search and compare features or costs across a broad selection of urban and resort condo properties located throughout the world,” says Bowman.

“Now it is all in one place as buyers continue to evolve towards a ‘lock and leave’ freedom of lifestyle.”

HOME-BUILDING SEMINAR

A seminar for people thinking of building a home will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 22 at the office of the Great Vancouver Home Builders’ Association at 15463 — 104th Ave., Surrey.

Housing-technology experts from GVHBA, B.C. Hydro, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. and Terasen Gas will offer information and suggestions.

Richard Kadulski, an award-winning architect, proponent of leading-edge housing technology and member of GVHBA Technical Committee, says the seminar team will highlight the latest innovations in construction technology, design, indoor air quality and green initiatives.

“Topics will be discussed in an interactive classroom format. Also, lots of printed material on newly developed products and services will be available free at the workshop,” says Kadulski.

Allan Dobie, senior researcher at CMHC, will be presenting Net Zero Energy Healthy House, a CMHC initiative that involves the integration of renewable energy resources with indoor environment strategies.

Other topics to be covered include:

– Principles of durable building envelope construction;

– Healthy housing tips for superior indoor air quality;

– Ventilation systems;

– Net Zero Energy Healthy House;

– Energy-efficient and green construction practices…

– How energy choices affect costs.

Registration costs $60 plus GST per person or $100 plus GSt for a couple and includes lunch and coffee breaks. The seminar is limited to 50 people. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 604-588-5036.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

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Byron Acohido
USA Today

SEATTLE — In a widely aired TV commercial, a hip-looking dude personifying Apple products wipes the nose of a sickly businessman representing Windows PCs, and smugly declares Apple’s immunity to computer viruses.

But the ad belies an alarming shift in cyberattacks. Cyberintruders once bent on breaking into the Windows operating system are increasingly probing for vulnerabilities in popular software applications — and not just Microsoft’s.

Critical security holes have been turning up in Web browsers, anti-virus programs, word processors, spreadsheets and digital media players. “As we start to see the operating system become more secure, the criminals are moving up the application layer trying to attack Office or iTunes or RealPlayer,” says Stephen Toulouse, Microsoft security response center program manager.

The profit motive has never been greater for cybercrooks to take control of a PC to hijack online accounts and commit identity theft. Yet most people don’t realize the degree to which their favorite software applications have come under assault, say security experts. Popular routes include:

• Tainted spreadsheets. Microsoft on Tuesday issued patches for 17 security holes — a dozen for its ubiquitous Office programs. One flaw was discovered in mid-June by a corporation. An employee had opened a tainted Excel spreadsheet attachment, which then took control of the PC, says David Cole, director of Symantec’s security response center.

• Web-browser bugs. A Russian-built program called WebAttacker is being planted on websites across the Internet, says Roger Thompson, chief researcher for Exploit Prevention Labs. It checks each website visitor’s browser for vulnerabilities, then uses one to take control of the PC. Cybercrooks have discovered “a rich pool of vulnerabilities” in browsers, says Thompson.

• Apple security holes. Apple has issued patches for vulnerabilities 35 times since January 2005, including 12 this year. Seven have been to fix flaws in its popular iTunes and QuickTime digital media software. The most recent iTunes patch, issued June 29, plugs a security hole that could allow an intruder to execute malicious code. Apple turned down interview requests for this story.

Apple and other software vendors are just starting to come to grips with security patches, says Scott Carpenter, director of security labs at Secure Elements. Unlike Microsoft, which has emphasized security since early 2002, Apple lacks a “well-developed process of notification and remedies,” he says. “Apple’s message is, ‘You don’t have to worry about security with a Mac,’ but that’s just not true.”

USA Today

In the media and the halls of Congress, the Internet, phone and cable TV industries are raising a ruckus over “net neutrality.” What’s the squabble about? Here’s a look at both sides.

Net neutrality: To hear Google and Amazon.com tell it, the egalitarian Internet may soon be nomore. They contend that AT&T, Comcast and other big broadband providers are poised to rim theWeb with toll booths — destroying “Internet freedom” by charging them and smaller Internet companiesextra fees to zip their multimedia content to consumers on superfast broadband lanes. Thecontent providers are pushing for a new law to guarantee “network neutrality,” or equal treatmentfor all websites, even those that can’t afford to pay up.

The phone and cable giants in turn say the content providers simply want to stick consumers withthe bill for souping up the Web’s broadband arteries.

The “net neutrality” issue is being addressed ina larger communications reform bill before Congress. The House has passed a version, and the Senatecould vote on its own measure as early as September.USA TODAY telecommunications reporter Paul Davidson sorts out the arguments:

Proponents

Players: Google, Amazon, Microsoft, eBay and other large Web-content companies.

They want: Congress to prohibit phone and cable companies from charging premiums to Web-content providers to ensure fast delivery of broadband content, such as video or games, and from blocking or slowing access to websites. They say all content providers should get equal treatment (or network neutrality), especially since phone companies can guarantee speedy delivery of services such as video-on-demand.

Consumer impact: Letting broadband providers charge extra for faster content delivery would create a two-tiered Internet, net neutrality proponents say. While stalwarts such as Google could afford the extra fees, they argue that many upstarts could not, smothering innovation on the Internet and leaving consumers with fewer choices. Many fees would get passed to subscribers, who could end up paying both Internet service providers and content providers for faster speeds. Consumers should get the same service from all content suppliers, proponents say.

Political allies: A diverse coalition that includes Common Cause, Gun Owners of America and the Christian Coalition.

Tactics: They’re using advocacy groups with grass-roots-sounding names — called It’s Our Net and Save the Internet — to argue that the Internet’s democratic nature is at risk. They have largely used the Net itself to promote their cause with ads and e-mail campaigns.

Opponents

Players: AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth, Comcast, other large phone and cable broadband providers.

They want: Congress to take a hands-off approach. They say they’d never impede access to websites but should be able to offer websites premium-priced delivery services to offset the phone and cable companies’ multibillion-dollar investments in broadband. Consumers would benefit as movies are downloaded faster and live games are freed of pesky delays.

Consumer impact: Premium delivery offerings would not mean longer waiting times for consumers to access websites that choose not to pay the premiums, opponents say. The addition of a high-speed toll lane would merely give subscribers even faster service from the sites that do pay, they say. If phone and cable companies can’t charge content providers, they say they’d have to sock consumers with higher fees to manage increasingly congested broadband lines as multimedia content floods the Web.

Political allies: Internet pioneer David Farber, renowned computer scientist at the Carnegie Mellon University; technology entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban; League of United Latin American Citizens. Former Clinton White House press secretary Mike McCurry is co-chairman of Hands Off the Internet.

Hands Off the Internet, the opponents’ main advocacy group, says in print and broadcast ads that big online companies are trying to avoid paying their “fair share” to build the next-generation Internet. They want to “stick consumers” with the bill.

Up to Congress now

The telecom companies largely got their way in a bill passed by the House and a similar measure passed by the Senate Commerce Committee last month. Both measures authorize the Federal Communications Commission to enforce principles that say consumers are entitled to access any Internet content they wish. Neither bill bars broadband providers from charging websites extra for faster content delivery, nor do they explicitly prohibit slowing access to content. Senate Republicans barely defeated an amendment that would have set tough net neutrality standards, paving the way for a Democratic filibuster that makes the bill’s passage a long shot this year. The main provision of both bills would make it easier for phone companies to offer pay TV by eliminating or streamlining the local franchise process that cable companies must navigate. But the bills have major differences on other issues, further clouding their prospects in a short legislative session.

Sun

1) Dell Latitude D420 ultraportable notebook, starting at $1,700.

Featuring 12.1-inch-wide aspect display, a full keyboard and a dual pointing capability, the Latitude D420 weighs three pounds unless you start adding stuff like the optional MediaBase with a choice of optical drives to attach to the bottom of the system. Systems come with smart card readers and Trusted Mobile Platform security and — should you want to go whole hog in preventing others from using the notebook — you can add a biometric fingerprint reader as well. Battery life is said to be more than seven hours.

2) Netgear HDXB 101 Powerline 200 megabits per second HD Ethernet Adapter Kit, $250 U.S.

Say you have problems with WiFi connections in your house or simply want better broadband distribution for online gaming, audio and HD video. Well, the solution could be just to use the powerlines in your house, which is where this high-speed unit from Netgear comes in. All you do is plug one of the units into a router and the other to any Ethernet enabled device, and bam, you’ve got a connection through your home power lines. You can get additional adapters for $130 each.

3) Panasonic KY-H30A Induction Heat Cooktop, $2,500.

We know you’re an early adopter of technology, so in the summer, when you want to keep as much heat out of the kitchen as possible, it might be a good time to look at this item from Panasonic. The cooktop — with two burners that use a magnetic coil to generate a magnetic field through stainless steel cookware — generates heat while the element remains cool to the touch when in use. You could amaze your friends by putting a $100 bill between the cooktop and the pot and not have it catch on fire.

4) Toshiba Satellite R20 Tablet PC, $2,000.

This convertible notebook, designed especially for students who take handwritten notes or have a need to make diagrams, has a screen that can be either used as a Tablet PC or rotated into becoming the usual notebook computer. The R20 has Intel Core Duo T2300 processor and has a 14.4-inch monitor with WXGA-plus resolution of 1440 by 9000.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

 

Sun

“Hey dude, your Dell’s on fire,” is not a likely advertising campaign, but Info-Tech Research Group is warning that incidents of laptop computer batteries erupting in smoke, fire and even explosions have caused numerous laptop recalls within the last year and pose a threat to personal safety, especially during air travel. “The most recent event we’re aware of involved a Dell laptop exploding and bursting into flames at a business meeting in Osaka, Japan,” said Info-Tech senior analyst Carmi Levy in a press release Friday. “The potential for an in-flight incident of this nature when travellers are using battery power for portable PCs certainly exists.” Dell announced a recall of about 22,000 of its notebook batteries in December 2005. Hewlett-Packard announced a recall of some 15,700 notebook batteries in April this year after 20 reports of batteries overheating.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

 

Marc Saltzman
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