Hackers breached US State Department security

The US State Department has revealed that hackers stole data from its network after an employee in Asia opened a mysterious e-mail that allowed them to break into the government’s computer system more...

Cable and Wireless asks Bulldog data theft victims to get in touch

Cable and Wireless maintans there is no evidence that credit card details were taken in a breach which has led to complaints from customers who received unsolicited marketing calls.
A spokeswoman told The Reg the telco couldn't say what exactly had been stole more...

Violent video games blamed for Virginia Tech slayings

TV pundits and rent-a-quotes have been quick to blame the shootings at Virginia Tech on the use of violent computer games. Attorney Jack Thompson and noted TV shrink Doctor Phil McGraw have both blamed video games for Seung-Hui Cho killing all his school mates more...

Users force Dell to resurrect XP

Responding to customer demand Dell has restarted selling new PCs with Windows XP installed on them. The decision reverses a policy begun in January that meant Windows Vista was the only operating system available on almost all new home machines more...

Colour barcode system to hit DVDs

A colour barcode system holding more data than current codes will find its way onto DVDs later this year. The four and eight-colour geometric patterns can hold up to two-pages of data, double the amount of traditional black and white, striped barcodes more...

PlayStation 3 system update now available

PlayStation 3 owners will be able to buy and play downloadable PlayStation games after Sony announced a new system update.The firm revealed the new file - available from today - will update the technology that makes way for downloadable PlayStation games - which will become available from April 26 more...

Windows Live Messenger comes to Xbox 360.

QWERTY keyboard controller add-on ensures a new level of thumb dexterity challenge. Xbox 360 isn't just good for Mötley Crüe rock-outs on Guitar Hero II; it's also a vital social networking tool. Well, so thinks Microsoft anyway. It's bringing Windows Live Messenger to the living room big screen with its Spring Update for Xbox 360, due next month more...

BBC to open up archive for trial

The BBC is to open up its vast archive of video and audio in an on-demand trial involving more than 20,000 people in the UK. Full-length programmes, as well as scripts and notes, will be available for download from the BBC's website more...

The hard-thought race for intelligent gaming

Gaming has a lot in common with everyone's favourite heiress, at least in the public consciousness: it's pretty, but dumb. And now that Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have released their latest games consoles, that statement becomes all the more pertinent - next-gen games look great, but they play like something that could have been made a decade ago more...

Operation Ore flawed by fraud

Operation Ore has become embedded in public consciousness as the landmark police operation that tracked down people - almost always men - who allegedly paid to access child pornography via computer. In all, 7,272 British residents were on its target lists, more than 2,000 of whom have never been investigated; and 39 men have killed themselves under the pressure of the investigations more...

'Smart dust' could blow open secrets of the planets

SWARMS of minute computers the size of dust particles that are light enough to be carried on the wind should be used to explore other planets, British scientists said yesterday. Using nanotechnology, the devices would be pinhead-sized microchips wrapped in plastic sheaths, the shape of which could be changed using a voltage, allowing them to change direction and surf currents in the planets' atmospheres more...

Nationwide cracks down on phishing

Nationwide Building Society has improved its anti-phishing technology to help shut down fake web sites faster, after becoming an increasingly regular target of phishers. The financial services firm has formed a strategic fraud group and installed anti-phishing software from vendor MarkMonitor to respond to attacks more...

Broadband needs expensive fibre

The UK must address issues stalling investment in next-generation communications networks to avoid losing out to global rivals, says the government’s broadband advisory body.
The UK now has more than 13 million high-speed internet connections and leads the G7 in terms of availability more...

Birmingham IP network connects 750 council sites

Birmingham City Council has completed the installation of one of the largest converged networks ever introduced by a local authority, connecting more than 750 schools, libraries and offices. Service Birmingham, a £475m partnership between the council and Capita which aims to save £1bn over 10 years, has completed the final phase of the IP network to improve communications and access to services more...

LG dual disc spinner is UK bound

No need to wait 'til Christmas for your dual HD DVD and Blu-ray player kicks from Samsung. LG's BH100 hybrid player is on its way right now. Well that format war was fun while it lasted, but now we've settled it, with LG's BH100 dual disc spinner more...

Scientists make Star Trek-style 'deflector'

Scientists are to create a force field that will be similar to the protective shield used on Captain Kirk's starship Enterprise. The radiation shield will mimic the deflection properties of the Earth's magnetic field to protect astronauts on a mission to Mars more...

Resi Evil 4 Wii Edition dated

Nintendo has stepped up to distribute the forthcoming Resident Evil titles for Wii. Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition will be released on 29th June, with Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles simply down for a 2007 release more...

Blackberry failure jams e-mails

A network failure is jamming e-mails being sent and received by users of Blackberry handheld devices in the Western Hemisphere. It is unknown how many of Blackberry's 8 million customers are affected or the geographical reach of the problem more...

Public awareness of data issues is rising

Fourteen per cent of high-income earners (over £25,000 pa) in the UK have been victims of data theft, according to a survey for vendor Secerno. The survey, conducted by Ipsos MORI, also reveals that the level of awareness and concern with regards to data theft amongst the British public is increasing more...

They’re disturbing and addictive, but game violence is no threat

Players of violent video games claim that they recognise the difference between brutality meted out on screen and violence in real life and play mostly to escape the humdrum, according to a new study. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the body responsible for rating new releases, commissioned the research in response to public concern over violent games more...

Yahoo! profits fall as hopes fade for new advertising system

The internet search specialist Yahoo! took a battering from investors after disclosing an 11% drop in profits last night, confounding hopes of a quick payback from a crucial new advertising system more...

Web counting tools 'need change'

The way web audiences are measured could be ripe for an overhaul, according to two reports out this week. Measurements based on page-views and cookies (small text files which track net use) could be affected by changing user behaviour, the studies warn more...

Two cautioned over wi-fi 'theft'

Two people have been cautioned for using people's wi-fi broadband internet connections without permission. Neighbours in Redditch, Worcestershire, contacted police on Saturday after seeing a man inside a car using a laptop while parked outside a house more...

XBox 360 may damage your discs

An investigation by Dutch TV programme Kassa has found that some XBoxes are scratching games discs. Boffins working for the programme say they conducted their tests under lab conditions and found that regular use of some discs in some consoles caused damage to the discs more...

US-hosted phishing attacks drop

March saw a significant decrease in the amount of US-hosted phishing attacks, dropping from 74 per cent of all attacks in February to 55 per cent in March, according to security vendor RSA's online fraud report. The move corresponds with a rise in the number of attacks hosted in Russia and Hong Kong, and could be a result of phishers routing their attacks through servers in other countries more...

'Fatal' blow to web broadcasters

US webcasters will face sharp rises in royalty fees that could be "fatal" to the nascent industry, a coalition of web broadcasters has claimed. The increases will start on 15 May and will eventually charge royalties every time an online listener hears a song more...

Wii and DS top hardware sales chart

Nintendo consoles are officially the best-selling gaming systems in Japan after latest figures from data trackers Media Create revealed the firm holds the top two positions in the hardware sales chart more...

Consumers 'shun' hacked stores

Customers of companies which lose credit card data to hackers are voting with their wallets and taking their business elsewhere, suggests a survey more...

Worst child abuse images quadruple online in three years, says watchdog

The number of images of serious child abuse online has quadrupled over three years, according to figures from Britain's internet watchdog published today more...

Is Britain falling behind with broadband?

Yes, we are lagging behind in high-speed broadband, the revolutionary tool that is turning media industries inside out and empowering consumers to create their own content. With 50% of homes connected, the UK is currently top of the table for broadband take-up among industrialised nations more...

'Action needed' on NHS computers

Delays and costs of the multi-billion pound NHS information technology upgrade mean its future is "not looking good", a group of MPs has said more...

Does anyone care about high definition?

High-definition DVD players have finally hit the market, offering unprecedented picture quality. But movies and video clips are increasingly being watched on low-definition portable devices like video iPods, handheld media players or even mobile phones. So has high-definition DVD missed the boat more...