Sebastian Rupley

Peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks are having more problems than just dramatic declines in download numbers. Security company TruSecure, through its division ICSA Labs, warned in January that there has been a significant surge in malicious code posted on P2P networks. ICSA Labs officials claim that 45 percent of thousands of free files they collected via […]

Should ubiquitous wireless access be free? An Atlanta company, 3rd Wave, believes it should be as commonplace in many kinds of businesses as water and bathrooms. The company is already putting its money where its mouth is by installing free hotspots in Atlanta. The company provides free, wireless 802.11b Internet access points to retail businesses […]

In a move that has big implications for both the distribution and sharing of entertainment content and freedom of speech online, a group of entertainment and technology companies called DVD CCA (http://www.dvdcca.org/) filed on Thursday for dismissal of a key lawsuit pertaining to descrambling movie content on DVDs. The lawsuit had been brought in 1999 […]

T-Mobile USA and iPass have announced a distribution agreement that will let business users have access to T-Mobiles HotSpot network through iPasss virtual network. Many IT managers already cater to their users roaming needs by giving them iPass software clients; users then access online services through a mixture of wireless and dial-up links. The new […]

The anti-spam war is gathering momentum. Hardly a week goes by without a major technology company or various arms of the government creating a new way to attack unsolicited e-mail. But the past week has seen some of the most significant efforts yet. Yahoo! has announced ambitious plans to launch an e-mail authentication system that […]

Phishing, e-mail and Web-based efforts by online scammers to hijack personal information from unsuspecting users, faces a new obstacle. A group of global banks and technology companies have joined forces to fight the scams. The group is running a Web site, Anti-Phishing.Org (www.antiphishing.org), where those who have received phishing messages can report them, and personnel […]

Phishing—e-mail and Web-based efforts by online scammers to hijack personal information from unsuspecting users—hit home at PC Magazine this week. A number of magazine staffers, who are a members at eBay, received highly official looking e-mails, purportedly from eBays accounts management department, asking for credit card information, a social security number, and more. The magazine […]

Comdex—the annual trade show soiree that brings the digerati to Las Vegas—takes place next week, and this years event promises to be significantly different from those seen previously. The trade show has suffered tough times recently, with attendance dropping; some major vendors pulling out; and a change of ownership (the show is now run by […]

Apple Computer held its annual financial analysts meeting on Wednesday of this week, and the conference included several glimpses of the Cupertino, California companys future direction. A multipart QuickTime Webcast of the event is on the Web. The Webcast includes a Q&A in which Apple CEO Steve Jobs answers several questions about Apples future plans, […]

Microsoft is preparing a substantial overhaul to its popular Hotmail e-mail service. While company officials arent explicitly saying that many of the new features are geared toward removing spam annoyances, that looks to be the case. The update includes many new interface enhancements, including a new start page.