Fight computer viruses like epidemics: Microsoft

Microsoft has advocated fighting pernicious computer viruses with public health tactics used to stop the spread of SARS, H1N1 and other dangerous real world bugs.

Computers could be granted health certificates to be used online to show they were checked for viruses, Microsoft vice president of Trustworthy Computing Scott Charney said at a RSA computer security gathering here yesterday. "There are a lot of parallels to the health model," Charney said.

"In public health we give people advice like wash your hands to stay safe or get vaccinations," he continued. "We can do that in the Internet world as well, and if your computer is sick we give you treatment."

Computer versions of public health notices could include the importance of running updated anti-virus software or warnings about the latest malicious software spreading online.

Charney told of "proof of concept" online identification software that could play a pivotal role in an online public health model by verifying that people on the Internet are who they claim to be.

People wouldn't be compelled to use computer health certificates, but businesses could require them for certain services.

100 foreign agencies test US networks: Official

More than 100 foreign intelligence agencies have tried to breach US defense networks, largely to steal military plans and weapons systems designs, a top Pentagon official has said.

Defense Secretary William Lynn said that while foreign governments and rogue states may try to launch more destructive attacks against military networks, most may stick to theft and spying because they are worried about a US counter attack.

He provided no details on the foreign cyberintrusions. The greater threat, he said, are terror groups such as al-Qaida, who are more difficult to deter because they have nothing to lose.

Terrorists have vowed to unleash cyberattacks, and over time may be able to either develop their own malicious computer threats or buy them on the black market.

Lynn's remarks, made at a cybersecurity conference in San Francisco, come as the US government is struggling to ramp up its abilities to block cyberintrusions and to lay out policies for launching the high-tech attacks when needed.

US government sites are scanned and attacked millions of times a day, and there have been a number of serious breaches in recent years including into the electric grid and Pentagon weapons contractors.

The biggest challenge faced by the US as it looks to better gird against attacks, Lynn said, is finding ways to share threat information with private industry which owns or operates as much as 85 per cent of the networks.

Those include much of the nation's critical infrastructure, ranging from the electric grid, banking and other financial systems and nuclear power plants.

The idea raises privacy concerns with the prospect of US military or government eyes or ears on private networks. Lynn said the government's intelligence capabilities give it broad knowledge of cyberthreats, and the US already shared unclassified information on a limited basis with defense companies that have sensitive data on their networks.

The challenge, he said, is developing the policies and legal structure so that classified information about threats can also be shared.

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Microsoft, Nokia join hands

In a smartphone world dominated by Apple's iPhone and Google's Android, Nokia's partnership with Microsoft is being seen by many as a last ditch effort to woo consumers.

Nokia's aging Symbian platform has done little to combat the might of the iPhone and Android in the high-end smartphone market, while Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, though visually stunning, is not picking up pace as expected.

However, come 2012, and we'll start to see Nokia phones powered by Windows Phone 7. The phones will leverage Nokia's expertise at designing hardware while the Ovi app store will merge with Microsoft's.

Since Microsoft has very specific hardware requirements for devices that run Windows Phone 7, the new Nokia phones are expected to have 1Ghz processors.

Incidentally, Stephen Elop, Nokia's pragmatic new CEO who spearheaded the partnership, is new at Nokia and their first non-Finnish CEO. He is also a former Microsoft executive. He's been famously in the news for the leaked Nokia internal memo which calls it's employees to action, describing the company's current situation as a 'burning platform'.

Although not 'official' yet, pictured here is the first concept rendering of a hybrid Nokia-Microsoft phone. While the first Nokia-Windows devices are slated for the beginning of 2012, if Stephen Elop has his way, they'll probably be launched closer to the end of 2011.

Disclaimer: All information on this news has been compiled from their respective official websites or through public domain sites and leading newspapers. Although, we have taken reasonable efforts to provide you with accurate information, but we assumes no responsibility for the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the Information and would advise you to verify it from the official product provider. We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct. If you would like to advertise on our site please contact us