McAfee Inc. announced the release of its second issue of Sage, a semi-annual security journal designed to inform executives and technical personnel on cutting-edge security topics.
The journal includes articles from McAfee researchers, managers and evangelists, on topics including cybercrime, Microsoft Windows Vista security, spyware, spam, cell phone security, data leakage and security risk management.

McAfee officials called the constant struggle between security personnel and malware authors an arms race. With that in mind, the Sage journal is designed to help security experts stay ahead of the ever-shifting threat landscape, offering views of what they should watch for and beware of as they plan for the future.

Sage examines the near-term future of the security business — the threats, defenses and issues security professionals will face over the next five years. Among the findings in the report:

* The Future of Cybercrime: Cybercrime follows money. The majority of cyber criminals target PC users, but experts expect more attackers to branch out to other areas of technology, like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and radio frequency identifications (RFID), as those technologies become more widely adopted.

* Securing Applications: Securing applications is a continual race between malware writers and developers, and the developers are struggling to keep up. As more information surfaces about the nature of software bugs and how they might be exploited, hackers are finding vulnerabilities that were previously considered to be secure.

* The Future of Security, Vista Edition: While Microsoft has taken steps to make the base of Windows Vista more secure, the improvements weaken third-party efforts to secure systems and don’t go far enough to do the job alone.

“For the most part this issue has been resolved,” explained David Marcus, security research and communications manager, for Santa Clara, Calif.-based McAfee Avert Labs. “But there is still a huge misconception in the public and in the enterprise that Vista is all about security and that it is locked down but that is simply not the case.

“Some malware is written to target the security technologies on a PC and shut them down. We will see, probably later this year, malware doing that to Vista.”

* Spyware Grows Up: Although programmers add security measures during development, new spyware technology often surpasses even the best planning of the most diligent engineers. Spyware will follow us into new technologies, like Bluetooth and RFID.

* Emails Spam Plague Persists: Expect little increase in the percentage of spam volume over the next two years. That said, the total volume of spam is expected to increase as worldwide bandwidth grows. Image spam is the latest way for spam writers to dodge defenses.

* Online Crime Migrates to Mobile Phones: While current mobile phone service is generally considered safe, McAfee is seeing a rapid growth in mobile attacks with increasingly technical diversification.

“Malware and cyber criminals follow money,” Marcus said. “Though we’re not seeing mobile malware emerge to a large extent yet [in North America], we are seeing it in Europe and Japan where culturally they use their mobile phones differently (for instance, for making online banking transactions or point-of-sale purchases).

“Give it another year or so and we should see it become more commonplace here. But we’re ahead of the curve; McAfee has invested heavily in mobile agent technologies. For example, we’ve been offering a mobile version of our anti-virus solution overseas for quite awhile now.”

* Closing the Data Leakage Tap: Data Leakage is an emerging security concern that could bear an enormous impact on the reputation of a business. While drive encryption is the only reasonably mature preventative technology, McAfee said basic data leakage prevention and disk encryption will become ubiquitous in regulated enterprises within the next five years.

* Managing Risk: Security risk management is an important issue for IT managers. Organizations that fail to be proactive in risk management will find that the businesses they are chartered with protecting will sail on without them.

Source:eChannel Line

The government continues its crackdown on mobile phone theft by introducing tough sentences for those involved with the re-programming of stolen mobiles.

New penalties designed to deter criminals tempted to re-programme stolen mobile phones come into force tomorrow, as part of the government’s continued efforts to reduce this type of activity.

Anyone involved with re-programming will now face up to five years in jail, an unlimited fine or both.

“Being robbed for your mobile is a harrowing and distressing experience that has happened to far too many of us and our children,” said Home Secretary John Reid.

“Fighting crime and anti-social behaviour is Labour’s priority. We are listening to our communities who are telling us that they want tough and innovative action to address their concerns - and we are committed to delivering for them.”

Mobile phone theft continues to be a massive problem as devices become more attractive due to multimedia capabilities and the increasing amount of data people now store on handsets beyond just phone numbers.

Last year, the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum (MCIF) joined forces with the big five UK operators to pledge that 80 per cent of mobiles reported as lost or stolen would be blocked within 48 hours - a promise it has lived up to according to an announcement made in parallel to Reid’s tougher sentencing stance.

“I welcome the progress we have made so far, but we know there is more to do,” Reid added.

“That is why Labour are working to remove the incentive to criminals by blocking stolen phones; why Labour have introduced the tough new sentences which come into effect tomorrow; and why we will now work with the industry and police to anticipate the crime for the future, so we can design out problems in the next generation of phones before they develop.”

The success of the blocking initiative was echoed by Tim Goodwin of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), who said that the programme “demonstrates the industry’s commitment to blocking stolen phones across all networks. I believe this ongoing support is playing a major part in our joint efforts to drive down mobile phone crime.”

Source:IT PRO

McAfee Inc. announced the release of its second issue of Sage, a semi-annual security journal designed to inform executives and technical personnel on cutting-edge security topics.
The journal includes articles from McAfee researchers, managers and evangelists, on topics including cybercrime, Microsoft Windows Vista security, spyware, spam, cell phone security, data leakage and security risk management.

McAfee officials called the constant struggle between security personnel and malware authors an arms race. With that in mind, the Sage journal is designed to help security experts stay ahead of the ever-shifting threat landscape, offering views of what they should watch for and beware of as they plan for the future.

Sage examines the near-term future of the security business — the threats, defenses and issues security professionals will face over the next five years. Among the findings in the report:

* The Future of Cybercrime: Cybercrime follows money. The majority of cyber criminals target PC users, but experts expect more attackers to branch out to other areas of technology, like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and radio frequency identifications (RFID), as those technologies become more widely adopted.

* Securing Applications: Securing applications is a continual race between malware writers and developers, and the developers are struggling to keep up. As more information surfaces about the nature of software bugs and how they might be exploited, hackers are finding vulnerabilities that were previously considered to be secure.

* The Future of Security, Vista Edition: While Microsoft has taken steps to make the base of Windows Vista more secure, the improvements weaken third-party efforts to secure systems and don’t go far enough to do the job alone.

“For the most part this issue has been resolved,” explained David Marcus, security research and communications manager, for Santa Clara, Calif.-based McAfee Avert Labs. “But there is still a huge misconception in the public and in the enterprise that Vista is all about security and that it is locked down but that is simply not the case.

“Some malware is written to target the security technologies on a PC and shut them down. We will see, probably later this year, malware doing that to Vista.”

* Spyware Grows Up: Although programmers add security measures during development, new spyware technology often surpasses even the best planning of the most diligent engineers. Spyware will follow us into new technologies, like Bluetooth and RFID.

* Emails Spam Plague Persists: Expect little increase in the percentage of spam volume over the next two years. That said, the total volume of spam is expected to increase as worldwide bandwidth grows. Image spam is the latest way for spam writers to dodge defenses.

* Online Crime Migrates to Mobile Phones: While current mobile phone service is generally considered safe, McAfee is seeing a rapid growth in mobile attacks with increasingly technical diversification.

“Malware and cyber criminals follow money,” Marcus said. “Though we’re not seeing mobile malware emerge to a large extent yet [in North America], we are seeing it in Europe and Japan where culturally they use their mobile phones differently (for instance, for making online banking transactions or point-of-sale purchases).

“Give it another year or so and we should see it become more commonplace here. But we’re ahead of the curve; McAfee has invested heavily in mobile agent technologies. For example, we’ve been offering a mobile version of our anti-virus solution overseas for quite awhile now.”

* Closing the Data Leakage Tap: Data Leakage is an emerging security concern that could bear an enormous impact on the reputation of a business. While drive encryption is the only reasonably mature preventative technology, McAfee said basic data leakage prevention and disk encryption will become ubiquitous in regulated enterprises within the next five years.

* Managing Risk: Security risk management is an important issue for IT managers. Organizations that fail to be proactive in risk management will find that the businesses they are chartered with protecting will sail on without them.

Source:eChannel Line

As mobile data usage increases, the more sophisticated mobile devices are taking on advanced computer-like characteristics. But with that yin comes the yang of viruses. According to computer security firm McAfee, virus and other security threats to mobile devices have increased 30 percent since the beginning of the year, and the company expects the problem to peak in the next 18 months. Of course security software companies love to scare people into buying their products, but their claims are backed up by several analysts and even an FBI cyber-crime agent.

Source:Fierce Mobile Content

Every year in the UK, many hundreds of thousands of mobile phones are stolen and statistics have shown that 28% of all robberies in the period 2000/1 involved a mobile phone.

A new initiative has been launched by the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit to respond to and tackle this disturbing problem. The police and mobile phone industry have joined forces to create “Immobilise Phone Crime“, and a national mobile phone database has been created to block lost or stolen phones so that they cannot work on any UK network, thereby making stolen phones useless.

To use the free service, simply register your details including your phone’s unique IMEI number on the website, and should your phone be lost or stolen, one call to a national rate number can quickly and simply immobilise it, giving you piece of mind. The organisation even reunites recovered phones with their owners.

Source:Itwales

Blyk, the pan-European free mobile network for young people, funded by advertising, has chosen Nokia Siemens Networks to supply, build and host its core network. In its first-ever full mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) hosting arrangement, Nokia Siemens Networks will be hosting the entire operation of Blyk’s core network. The contract was initially signed by Nokia.

The Blyk service is based on an advertising-supported model. Blyk provides free calls and text messaging to 16-24 year-old subscribers funded by mobile advertisements delivered directly to their phones. Blyk will initially offer its mobile services in the United Kingdom, before expanding to other European countries. The service is scheduled for commercial launch in mid 2007.

“Blyk is bringing something completely different to the world of mobile communications, something that hasn’t been done before,” says Kai Friman, Head of Member Operations, Blyk. “That’s why getting it right is absolutely crucial. We have full confidence in Nokia Siemens Networks’ ability to provide a fully hosted solution for Blyk and its unique way of doing business.”

“As our first hosting deal with a full core network scope, this is an extremely exciting step for Nokia Siemens Networks,” says Olli Oittinen, Head of Solutions Sales Management, Nokia Siemens Networks. “Not only does it showcase the truly pioneering spirit of companies such as Blyk, but it also reinforces our own focus on the MVNO market and the opportunities of hosting in general. We are fully committed to providing a comprehensive range of hosting solutions and see hosting as a very attractive option for MVNOs and other operators, as demonstrated by this groundbreaking deal with Blyk.”

Under the hosting arrangement with Nokia Siemens Networks, the company provides the entire core network to Blyk, including mobile softswitching.

Source:Cellular-News

India has the highest telecom growth rates in the world and operator Bharti Airtel wants to capture as much of the market as possible. Via a managed services agreement with Ericsson, Bharti has been able to forgo the traditional telecom business model and focus instead on its core interests: acquiring customers and improving customer relations.

Jagbir Singh, chief of operations, Bharti Airtel Limited, says: “We have to ensure that our operational costs are the lowest in the world and that we have the fastest rollouts to gain market share and offer competitive tariffs to customers.

“For faster rollouts we need managed services and a partner like Ericsson. Ericsson is helping us maintain good quality of service, and we don’t need to focus on the day-to-day issues of the network. This lets us focus on acquiring, owning and serving customers.”

J. Sugumaran, senior vice president and CNO (Mobility), Bharti Airtel Limited, says: “We decided to find a new model that would help us differentiate ourselves in the market. Ericsson comes with immense technological capabilities. They design, implement and maintain networks, and they bring their best global practices here to work for us. We felt that they could manage the network in a better way and let us focus on our core values.”

India is signing up more than 7 million new customers each month, and the market as a whole is expected to reach 400-500 million by 2010. There are eight other players in the market and India has the lowest tariffs in the world, so competitive pressures are intense.

Ericsson manages the day-to-day operations for more than 70 percent of Bharti’s network, serving roughly 25 million subscribers in India. As part of the managed services agreement, Ericsson is also expanding the network by rolling out more than 1000 base stations every month. This means a new site is integrated into the network every 40 minutes.

Bimal Dayal, vice president at Ericsson India and key account manager for Bharti, says: “Bharti has grown by leaps and bounds over the past three years and the fuel for this growth has been, in part, the managed services deal with Ericsson. As the largest operator in India and by giving us large repeat orders, Bharti shows its confidence in Ericsson as a vendor and a credible large services provider.”

Sarvdeep Garg, Ericsson Operations Director with the Bharti key account team, says: “Because of the high rollout, we have to be right the first time every time, which is why we have a series of checks and balances and rigorous tests to ensure quality at every stage. Basically, planning is the key to ensuring fast rollout with top quality service.”

Source:Ericsson

Employer confidence within Australia’s telecoms sector is at record high levels, according to the latest Hudson Report Employment Expectations survey. The survey of 7,426 employers nationally by Hudson showed that just over half of telecoms employers expect to increase permanent employment levels in the April - June 2007 quarter, while 5.4% expect to reduce staffing levels, translating to a net effect of +45.8%.
The result represents an increase of 23.8 percentage points (pp) compared to the employment expectation figures recorded for the sector in the corresponding period last year.

Martin Retschko, Director IT and T Sector at Hudson, said the record high employer confidence levels are a good indication of the current strength in the telecommunications sector. “The employer confidence is being driven by continued high adoption rates of technology at the consumer, corporate and government levels, as well as a number of major projects driving demand for both contract and permanent resources,” said Mr Retschko.

The results also showed temporary recruitment levels in the telecommunications industry increased rapidly during the January - March 2007 quarter with a net +33.3% of employers bringing on board more contractors.

“The increase in demand for temporary and contract employees shows employers are under pressure to get immediate results and fill positions not easily sourced through the permanent recruitment market,” said Retschko.

“With the current talent shortage we are seeing many employers filling short-term employment gaps with a temporary or contract employees while they spend time sourcing and attracting the most suitable person for the role.”

Overall, the Hudson Report Employment Expectations survey revealed employer confidence in Australia across all sectors has reached its highest level in five years with a net +34.3% of all employers indicating they expect to increase their permanent workforce over the next three months.

All Australian states and territories except Western Australia returned increased positive net effects compared to the employment expectations recorded for last quarter. The Australian Capital Territory recorded the largest increase in employer sentiment, rising 3.7pp - the highest net effect recorded in the ACT in five years (+48.5%).

Source:Cellular-news

EDGE Evolution is set to triple data speeds in existing GSM networks, helping to deliver mobile broadband to the low-income market segment.

Ericsson is set to launch EDGE Evolution as a software upgrade to existing infrastructure by 2009, a move that is expected to dramatically change how consumers, particularly in the developing world, access and use the internet.

John Gagnerud, product marketing manager at Ericsson, says: “What we’re talking about is providing broadband internet access to the masses in both rural and urban areas. Lots of people don’t have computers at home - because they can’t afford them. But a GSM/EDGE mobile (device) might give them access to e-mail, which will be revolutionary for many.”

EDGE Evolution will boost current EDGE data speeds by up to 300 percent and will significantly improve latency, coverage and spectrum efficiency. This improved data performance for GSM will serve as an important complement to high-speed WCDMA/HSPA networks, meeting the growing demand for data bandwidth and mobility.

The market potential is amazing, Gagnerud says: some cities in the developing world are already consuming twice as much mobile data as Sweden.

“In China, the city of Guangzhou has a population of 10 million-13 million people and the mobile telephony market penetration is hovering around 90 percent,” he says. “This city, with a population a bit larger than the country of Sweden, consumes about twice as much data as we do.”

A general desire for internet content is fueling much of the boom in this sector, as are tailored e-services. Many governments have ambitious ICT plans and mobile networks can deliver advanced access to everyone.

“Successful e-services are usually developed locally - as they should be - and they play a big role in the lives of some people,” Gagnerud says.

Electronic banking over mobile telephones is one example of applications with huge potential. “If people are able to do their banking over the telephone, this will revolutionize the entire banking industry, especially in countries that lack this type of infrastructure today,” he says.

The GSM Association reports that only a billion of the world’s people have bank accounts - but three times as many have mobile phones.

“These are basic needs - not quite as basic as food and shelter, but access to the internet is growing in importance. If a government wants to lift its people out of misery, access to the internet is one of the ways to do that,” Gagnerud says.

Source:Ericsson

Mobility, mobile devices and system reliability will become increasingly important within e-government in the years to come, and telecom vendors and operators will play an important role in facilitating easy-to-use services and applications for citizens. These were the conclusions reached at this year’s e-Government National Awards.
Christopher Histed, CEO of PublicTechnoloy.net, the prime e-government news service for public ICT in the UK, says: “Mobile devices and mobile technology will become desperately important. Additionally, system reliability will be crucial. With past IT failures in mind - when failures in a small number of high-profile government IT systems caused significant problems - central and local government is extremely cautious when it comes to investing in ICT.”

In a nationwide survey of local government employees published in January 2007, 61 percent of CEOs and heads of service said they would be spending more of their ICT budget on mobile devices for remote working in 2007-8 versus the current year. Local government in the UK will spend GBP 2.7 billion on ICT in 2007-8.

The e-Government National Awards were founded in 2003 by PublicTechnology.net, in cooperation with central government organizations, and they represent the UK’s highest commendation for the best e-Government services. These are services which, through innovative online delivery or IT implementation, have positively transformed the lives of citizens, local communities, business, and stakeholder groups. The winners and finalists highlight the massive benefits to UK citizens of services such as online school admissions, online transport aid, help lines, and numerous council e-services that improve citizens’ lives across the UK.

Simplicity, vision, target group orientation and strong usage were the common key factors for this year’s award winners. All nominations delivered services designed for the target audience - UK citizens.

TransportDirect won the citizen-focused online services category. Its service offers users the ability to plan their journeys via all modes of transport, including car and public transport, across the whole of Britain via the internet, mobile phones or iDTV. The Department for Education and Skills won with its Connexions Direct national website and helpline, a service that offers engaging and accessible online information, advice and support for 13-19 year olds in England.

The winners of the 11 categories were chosen from 345 nominations from across the public sector. Judges included central government organizations, vendors and operators.

Commenting on the event, awards judge Nigel Dutton, of mobile network operator O2, said: “It’s inspiring to see the public sector seizing the golden opportunity presented by e-government and by mobile e-government in particular. Being mobile can enable public servants to deliver better outcomes and better fulfill local needs, increasing job satisfaction.”

Source:Ericsson