Articles by Jack M.Germain

An industrywide survey shows that corporate networks are being bombarded with spyware infiltration in record numbers, but relatively few corporations are deploying adequate solutions to combat the threat The survey, conducted by Equation Research for Internet security firm Webroot Software, canvassed more than 275 IT managers and executives nationw...

Dell has declared war on spyware with its announcement on October 20 that all of its computers will ship with a free security software package. Dell will begin bundling the security package in its computers as soon as the spyware component is ready, something company officials expect will occur between early November and the holidays Dell's decisio...

Biometric technology has been around for more than a decade with little fanfare. However, interest is heating up for biometric security devices in communications. Iris scanners, voice recognition modules and fingerprint readers promise to raise the bar on locking down access to computers, networks, Web sites and even cell phones One of the hottest ...

Antivirus software is a required component for safe computing. Security experts warn that an unprotected computer straight out of the box and connected to the Internet will catch multiple virus infections in its first 20 minutes online Antivirus software programs, however, are only reliable if they are regularly updated with the latest detection si...

Biometric security, at least in theory, has been around for a decade. But the use of biometrics for computer security and user authentication has failed to attract much practical interest to date because the clunky devices were costly, inconvenient, and intrusive All that could change this week when IBM introduces a fingerprint reader built into it...

Spyware and its intimate partner, adware, are among the fastest growing threats to computer users. Many Internet security experts now view spyware and adware as variations of the same thing -- intrusion Industry analysts say spyware and adware together infect at least 90 percent of all Internet-connected PCs. The number of malcreants doing the spyi...

One year ago, the prospects for developing biometrics as a reliable security device for computers were viewed by many industry watchers as a nice idea with little applicable potential. After all, biometric security devices have been available in one form or another for 30 years. But the use of biometrics for computer security and user authentication lacked much enthusiasm because of ill-placed perceptions that the procedures were costly, inconvenient and intrusive...

In the financial workplace, e-mail and instant messaging (IM) are becoming essential enterprise tools. Once the province of teens chatting with their friends, instant messaging is now relied on by brokerage firms and other financial companies to maintain contact with clients. An ever-increasing number of government regulations and industry-specific rules make compliance with secure-messaging criteria mandatory...

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is continuing to wage its war against peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks. On August 25, the RIAA filed new copyright infringement lawsuits against 744 individuals on a variety of peer-to-peer platforms, including eDonkey, Limewire, Grokster and Kazaa Meanwhile, the U.S. Court of Appeals in ...

The Internet has brought dramatic changes to the way companies communicate and people conduct their business relationships. One of the hottest marketing trends for businesses across all industry lines involves using the power of the Internet to provide virtual meeting spaces. Web conferencing and Web-based seminars are quickly replacing traditional business travel and telephone conference-call strategies...

Computer users, faced with never-ending security attacks from surfing the Internet and opening e-mail, are showing increased interest in switching Web browsers. Downloads of popular non-Microsoft Web browsers have doubled this summer, software makers say The trend toward considering alternative browsers comes on the heals of a warning in June by th...

The browser war is once again being waged by a half dozen or more software companies who are fighting for a bigger share of the Web browser real estate. But as alternative Web browsers become more popular, so are intrusions by hackers aimed at them Skirmishes among Web browser companies ended in the mid-1990's when Microsoft gained prominence by em...

The Internet industry has been waging a quiet battle for bragging rights to being king of the e-mail security mountain in recent months. Proponents of a new e-mail security standard dubbed Sender ID might soon claim that title More than 80 members of the E-mail Service Provider Coalition (ESPC) gathered at the Microsoft campus on August 12 for a su...

The Voice Over IP landscape has changed considerably in the last few years. The easy availability of broadband access to the Internet, coupled with Herculean leaps in technology, makes VoIP service a viable alternative to traditional telephone and PBX offerings Today's VoIP services offer several features and options not possible a few years ago. T...

Spyware is so prevalent that it is becoming nearly impossible to find computers that do not contain at least some intrusive code lurking on the hard drive or buried deep within the Windows Registry Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without the receiver's knowledge. On the Internet, spyware i...

A newly formed antiphishing group is promising to introduce ways to shut down the spread of online identity fraud scams. Shawn Eldridge, chairman of the new group, Trusted Electronic Communications Forum, sees results coming within the next four to six months "Phishing" for user identification through e-mail scams is quickly becoming the number one...

Internet security firms are gearing up for an onslaught of new attacks that hackers will hurl at inboxes and Web sites. As the computer industry awaits the release of Service Pack 2 of Microsoft's Windows XP -- which will feature improved security capabilities -- hackers are waiting too. They have spent the last 12 months mastering mobile attack t...

College students across the U.S. are majoring in a new technology: wireless connectivity. It is a subject they are learning hands-on and using everywhere they go on campus Of course, wireless connectivity is not a credit-bearing subject on a long list of prerequisites to earn their degrees. Instead, it is a way to keep students plugged into researc...

Computer virus companies spent yesterday scampering to develop defensesfor the newest strain of the MyDoom virus, dubbed MyDoom.O. By midmorning yesterday, thousands of e-mail inboxes were filling up withsubject lines -- and even specifically forged e-mail header information-- designed to encourage opening This latest worm variant of the MyDoom fam...

In today's world of warnings, dangers and the need for safety precautions, even surfing the Internet for business or pleasure is fraught with hazards. Despite the growing epidemic of spyware infections, many computer users remain unfazed by the call to arms in the fight for safer computing practices A recent report from Earthlink and Webroot found ...