Articles by Jack M. Germain

American corporations drawn to China's vast market of 1.3 billion people have to be prepared to jump through some regulatory hoops and adhere to a host of government censorship codes. Xinhua, China's state news agency, recently announced rules that require foreign media to get prior approval for the distribution of news, pictures and graphics within China. These rules prevent international financial information companies like Reuters and Bloomberg from selling their news services directly to Chinese banks, brokerages and other potential customers...

MX Logic released on Monday a new managed security product giving small to medium-sized businesses new options in fortifying their computers against spyware, spam and viruses These computer-intrusion threats top the list of SMB concerns, driving 2006 IT security spending for SMBs to more than US$10 billion. MX Logic is an e-mail and Web defense man...

Oracle released its 2007 first quarter fiscal results late Tuesday showing soaring corporate profits that reflect considerable market share gains in the business management software field, according to the company President and CFO Safra Catz said Oracle was in excellent fiscal shape and has exceeded all forecasts. "We delivered strong revenue gro...

EBay is an icon for online merchandising for both private sellers and small companies. However, industry watchers warn that user dissatisfaction over increased rates and its rules could give alternative auction Web sites more market share Rival auction sites are catering both to newcomers to online auctions and unhappy eBay customers, said Chris Fa...

New electronic privacy laws are forcing businesses to rethink how they handle their digital data. The retail industry is now regulated by new privacy laws aimed at reducing the growth of identity theft and consumer fraud Congress passed The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, known as FACTA, in 2003. This law, which amended the Fair Credit R...

Information technology experts warn that lingering security issues are making Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, another uncontrolled tool for identity theft. RFID is an old inventory control technology that is quietly being deployed throughout business and industry to track everything from pets to people and products. This technology is helping optimize inventory and business systems and is making consumers' lives more convenient...

Communication security experts do not all agree that cell phone and mobile device viruses pose imminent threats to U.S. consumers. Whether virus attacks become a problem in six months or five years might depend on how cell phone carriers react now to the threat potential A Gartner report by security analysts John Pescatore and John Girard released ...

The adoption earlier this month of a new e-mail security technology by e-commerce merchant Amazon.com, Internet service provider RoadRunner and Internet security firm IronPort Systems signals what industry watchers say might be the start of a trend that will harden e-mail from phishing and spamming attacks Amazon and RoadRunner are the first major ...

Identity theft from phishing and pharming attacks is one of the biggest problems computer users face. It can take ID theft victims four or five years to repair the damage, according to financial consultants "The most prevalent ID theft threat is the phishing attack, and it is getting worse. Attacks are larger and are more frequent," Peter Schlampp,...

Spam-fighting strategies used by ISPs and consumers might be turning the tide against unwanted e-mail. However, innovative phishing scams continue to target both corporate users and consumers Users of file-sharing networks are particularly vulnerable to attacks, a new industry analysis warns....

Widespread use of computer networks and the adoption of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone service are fueling the rapid growth of electronic learning beyond the classroom. The e-learning technology is improving the way for students to earn degrees and enhancing the way employers in-service their workers' job skills and reduce training costs...

Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) connections to the Internet provide business and personal users with near limitless computing convenience. However, unprotected wireless connections can be more damaging to corporate network security and user privacy than always-on cable connections without firewalls Security experts are warning wireless users about the lat...

Security risks from instant messaging networks and spam-clogged e-mail inboxes are forcing corporations to finds ways to either limit employee access or clamp down with improved security Financial firms have an added burden. They must treat instant messages the same as e-mail communication and ensure that workers comply with federal security regula...

Scientist Peiter "Mudge" Zatko makes his living anticipating and protecting users against the next generation of cyber threats. His problem is simple: When he talks, not everybody really listens If they did, the next generation of cyber threats wouldn't be lurking around the next unprotected computer....

Spyware and adware infections have become so widespread on enterprise networks that corporate IT departments are beginning to reinforce their network perimeters with a better mousetrap This security strategy, known in IT circles as unified threat management, puts multiple layers of hardware and software protection into one package. Using this strat...

Mike Klein, CEO of network security firm Interlink Networks, knows a good marketing tactic when he sees one. When Zone Labs started giving away no-nonsense firewall protection as a free download, he was paying attention "They did it well!" Klein told TechNewsWorld. "We based our free WiFi protection on that same model."

Consumers and enterprise IT managers have to become more vigilant about spyware and adware infections to stay ahead of new threats. However, greater awareness of security issues since last year has tipped the scales slightly against intruders That's a lesson to be learned from an analysis of data collected since January by Webroot Software, which m...

Anonymizer, a leading provider of Internet privacy and security products, plans tomorrow to release Anonymizer Total Privacy Suite, the first comprehensive identity protection product that works with Firefox, Mozilla's popular open-source Web browser The new software, available for online purchase for US$59.95, safeguards Firefox users from spyware...

The dot-com crash that saw hundreds of start-up businesses on the Internet close up shop in 1998 and 1999 is not discouraging new Net entrepreneurs. A record number of domain name sales in 2004 shows that business presence on the Internet is stronger than ever A domain name that reflects an organization's brand and offerings is vital to driving new...

Fuel cell technology for big-ticket consumer items like automobiles is still many years away, based on numerous industry reports. However, the day when portable devices like laptop computers, PDAs and cell phones can run for extended time periods without refueling is indeed much closer High-demand consumer devices such as mobile phones, notebook co...