Stories about: Skype

Sweeping reforms will make it easier than ever for law enforcement to intercept communications if amendments to the Telecommunications (Interceptions) Act are agreed upon by a Senate standing committee.

The security conference that last year made headlines with a hack challenge whose winner walked away with a US$10,000 prize is reprising the contest next week -- this time with more money at stake, the contest's organizer said.

What is true enterprise security and how do you get it? Bogus promises by vendors are all too common. In this interview, outspoken security analyst Nick Selby humorously tackles the truth about data leakage products, smartphone protection, hotspot threats and the word "solution." Nick Selby leads The 451 Group's Enterprise Security Practice. Selby also serves as The 451 Group's Director of Research Operations and is on the faculty of the Institute for Applied Network Security.

The words "horror," "Hell," and "torture" have popped up in headlines more often than one might think. Since it's Halloween week, we thought it would be a good time to reflect on just how scary computers can be.

High-tech consumer products and services of all kinds are making their way into the workplace. They include everything from smart phones, voice-over-IP systems and flash memory sticks to virtual online worlds. And as people grow more accustomed to having their own personal technology at their beck and call -- and in fact can't imagine functioning without it -- the line between what they use for work and what they use for recreation is blurring.

Last Friday while doing some online banking, I noticed two transactions I'd made recently, one a withdrawal and the other a deposit. The transaction amounts were accurate, and so were the dates. The records even referenced a phone number -- complete with a hyperlink -- that I could click on to make a Skype call to that number.

My heart sank when I first saw Al Gore pull out his BlackBerry. It was in the waning weeks of the 2000 US presidential campaign, and there he was on the TV, tapping away on his then-novel converged device. Though I had no evidence, I was positive that whatever he was reading had already been perused by some conservative skunk works, with his responses scrutinized not long after. Given recent revelations about the opposition's ethics and panting obsession with domestic spying, I still suspect that any eavesdropping technically possible at the time was probably being done.

With voice over IP picking up speed, CSOs face the challenge of navigating an entirely new threat landscape for the phone system

Australian VoIP service providers must keep interception channels open for law enforcement following a legislative review which IT Minister Helen Coonan has endorsed.

A new report has warned businesses to take security into account before deciding to allow the Skype VoIP service to run free on a company network.

CIOs and CISOs will need smart policies, good awareness programs and judicious enforcement to manage risks presented by the latest techno-trends.