Stories about: ABC

Ah, youth. Ready to take on the world, today's generation of dynamic, tech-immersed youngsters have grown up alongside the Internet. Firsthand, and sometimes single-handedly, they have advanced some of today's hottest technology trends, from peer-to-peer networking, to massively multiplayer online games, to social networks and instant messaging. And along the way, a small, sociopathic number of them have behaved very, very badly.

Last February at Purdue University, a student taking "cs390s - Secure Computing" told his professor, Dr. Pascal Meunier, that a Web application he used for his physics class seemed to contain a serious vulnerability that made the app highly insecure. Such a discovery didn't surprise Meunier. "It's a secure computing class; naturally students want to discover vulnerabilities."

Consolidation (of smaller players) and convergence (of physical and IT security technologies) keep CSOs on their guard.

What have we learned from the current stampede of Windows-infecting worms with names like Zotob, Esbot, Bobax and Spybot? First lesson: If you want to raise public awareness about a tired old subject like computer worms, just gore the oxes of reporters and editors at CNN, The New York Times, The Associated Press and ABC News. There's nothing like personal pain to freshen up a story. In CNN's case, there's nothing like having it happen on live TV.

The speed at which hackers were able to take advantage of newly disclosed software flaws makes its vital for companies to look beyond patching to broader and more holistic measures for controlling vulnerabilities, security experts said.

Contact centre technology vendor Genesys has spoken out against offshoring to India and the Philippines, warning that levels of quality assurance and security are not yet up to scratch.

The federal Privacy Commissioner has opened a formal investigation into possible breaches of the Privacy Act by Telstra mobile reseller Switch Mobile and call centre outsourcer One Touch Solutions following revelations that customer data from the two companies is for sale on the black market in India.

Civil libertarians are warning that the introduction of a national identification card will make it easier for computer hackers to undertake identity theft.

A high-profile computer crime degree certificate course at Melbourne University Private (MUP) has closed its doors to new enrolments as a result of the tertiary institution falling on hard times.

Few, if any, of the industrial control systems used today were designed with cybersecurity in mind. Meanwhile, Australia's critical information infrastructure has never been more vulnerable . . .

It's time make serious strides towards protecting employees, assets, access and the corporate brand.