100% Increase for iPhone and iPod Touch

Apple Inc. updated its iPhone and iPod Touch lineup Tuesday, doubling the memory and setting a new premium price for its high-end models. The newest iPhone features 16 GB of memory and retails for $499.00. The older 8 GB version of the "smart phone", multimedia player and wireless Internet device costs $399.

The newest iPod Touch comes with 32 GB of memory and retails for $499.

TrueCrypt 5.0 Released...

The newest version of the famous open source encryption software, Truecrypt has officially released. Download here... to get version 5.0.

New features include:

*Ability to encrypt a system partition/drive (i.e. a partition/drive where Windows is installed) with pre-boot authentication (anyone who wants to gain access and use the system, read and write files, etc., needs to enter the correct password each time before the system starts). For more information, see the chapter System Encryption in the documentation. (Windows Vista/XP/2003)

*Pipelined operations increasing read/write speed by up to 100% (Windows)

*Mac OS X version

*Graphical user interface for the Linux version of TrueCrypt

*XTS mode of operation, which was designed by Phillip Rogaway in 2003 and which was recently approved as the IEEE 1619 standard for cryptographic protection of data on block-oriented storage devices. XTS is faster and more secure than LRW mode (for more information on XTS mode, see the section Modes of Operation in the documentation).

Note: New volumes created by this version of TrueCrypt can be encrypted only in XTS mode. However, volumes created by previous versions of TrueCrypt can still be mounted using this version of TrueCrypt.

*SHA-512 hash algorithm (replacing SHA-1, which is no longer available when creating new volumes).

Note: To re-encrypt the header of an existing volume with a header key derived using HMAC-SHA-512 (PRF), select 'Volumes' > 'Set Header Key Derivation Algorithm'.

5 Undersea Cables Cut!!!

An estimated 1.7 million Internet users in the United Arab Emirates have been affected by the recent undersea cable damage, an expert said yesterday, quoting recent figures published by TeleGeography, an international research Web site.

Internet data was majority affected as it is the biggest capacity carried by the undersea cables.

However, all voice calls, corporate data and video traffic were also affected.

Two telecom experts yesterday briefed the media on the current methods being undertaken by the telecom provider to re-route the Internet traffic to provide normal operations to the users.

Quoting TeleGeography and describing the effect the cuts had on the Internet world, Mahesh Jaishanker, executive director, Business Development and Marketing, said, “The submarine cable cuts in FLAG Europe-Asia cable 8.3km away from Alexandria, Egypt and SeaMeWe-4 affected at least 60 million users in India, 12 million in Pakistan, six million in Egypt and 4.7 million in Saudi Arabia.”

A total of five cables being operated by two submarine cable operators have been damaged with a fault in each.

AT&T Network Down...

AT&T EDGE users are experiencing problems. It seems most of the problems are coming from the Midwest of the US. If you are experiencing problems, please call AT&T Business Customer Service Center @ 800-222-0400 or at their corporate website. Although the EDGE network is down, you can still get access if you have access to a Wi-Fi hot spot. AT&T should have this issue fixed by tonight, but the outage may last until February 5, 2008.

Small Office, Home Office, Government, or Enterprise, Absolute Is a Must...

We all know the importance of keeping our doors and windows locked from prying eyes and thieves. We all know we shouldn't leave our valuables in the car at shopping malls or in plain sight, but it's because of these nasty little habits that we tend to leave our valuables in plain sight or in unlocked cars and houses without ever thinking twice. Quick question? Have you ever wondered exactly how much information you have stored on you PDA or laptop? If so your probably like me and you know the hundreds if not thousands of data files from music to photos and everything in between that are stored in all the nooks and cranny's of the HDD. Have you also ever thought of a backup plan or do you even back up at all? Thats the important question. Some people back up day to day, but for other users that say I'll do it this weekend and before you you know it its probably six months down the road;) and to no avail there is still no backup. I can't stress backing up enough. I know lots of clients who have been totally wiped out because of not backing up and losing tons of pictures and music. However, this isn't always the worst case scenario. The worse case could be if someone stole your laptop and you just finished uploading the new addition to the family, or the wedding photos you took, or you get the idea. Thats where Absolute Software comes in hand. This company has designed a product that runs from the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) and has protection for the Laptop or desktop in case if your laptop/desktop is ever lost or stolen. Its compared to Lo-Jack on automobiles. It is not very pricey either. Check their price for a 3 year subscription. Its probably what most people spend on a night out on the town...They are a good company, and I have no direct sales pitch with them, but I do encourage everyone to buy and install this software on their laptops or desktops. In todays cyber-crime arena there is no telling when you are the target next...

Palm Treo and The Opera Browser...

With all the craze surrounding the Apple iPhone, and its vast new user experience, I have not yet broke down and got one yet. I still use my trusty Palm Treo 680 and its loyalty to do everything I need at the present time is ok for now. With that said, I have been testing the newest version of the Opera Browser for Palm Treo Smart phones (version 4.0.10031), and I must say I really like the way it loads pages, the user experience, and the layout of the page after loading. I just downloaded the Opera browser yesterday afternoon and finally started to try it out. The speed in which it loads pages is really quick. I currently have AT&T and the browser zips through ESPN like no other. The browser also incorporates a nice user feel as does the full version for PC. Once the page is loaded its real easy to scroll and zoom and find information on the page really quick. Its a nice piece of work, and I encourage everyone to download and try the newest browser for many smart phones on the market. Get your Opera Mini download from: Opera Mini and select your product and type of install. Enjoy...

Cyber Espionage is on the Rise...

As the New Year is amongst us, we need to look at new threats from abroad and how malware plays a critical role in these new threats. There have been a record number of spear phishing attacks that are successful now more then ever. According to the famous SANS Institute, There is plenty of evidence that cyber attackers are turning their attention to espionage in both the public and private sectors. The US government has reported what appear to be systematic attacks on computer systems at research laboratories across the country. Private companies have been targeted as well. The IP addresses used in the attacks make them appear to come from China; whether or not that is where the attacks are originating, China seems not to be taking any steps to thwart the attacks. Evidence indicates that the attackers are focused and persistent, attacking the same place hours after hour, day after day. The attacks are sophisticated as well - they do not contain the usual errors associated with small-time hacking groups. In addition, a recent New Yorker article profiling US Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell reports that the US Defense Department detects approximately two million suspicious probes on its network every day; the State Department also detects approximately two million such probes every day. (Article Courtesy of SANS)

Spyware Is Everywhere...

Customers of Kmart and Sears who have been siging up for a new marketing campaign, have been introduced with spyware. According to a leading researcher for the Harvard Business School, Asst. Prof. Ben Edelman, he states"The software is not something you would want on your computer, or the computer of anyone you care about." He also adds,"The software tracks every site you go to, buy, and every product you look at but don't buy. Its Just Spooky." Sears has launched this marketing campaign back in March of 2007.

SANS Confirms PowerGrid Was Hacked!!!

Hackers have caused a disruption to power for several states and Criminals have been able to hack into computer systems via the Internet and cut power to several cities, [said] CIA analyst Tom Donahue [who] disclosed the recently declassified attacks while offering few specifics on what actually went wrong. Criminals have launched online attacks that disrupted power equipment in several regions outside of the U.S., he said, without identifying the countries affected. The goal of the attacks was extortion.