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| | | March 23, 2003
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Sunday, March 23, 2003 |
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War hubbub on the Internet
With a full-fledged military campaign in Iraq, the Internet has once again turned into a pivotal source for news, up-to-the-minute information from the frontlines and multifarious opinions on the conflict.
Just minutes after U.S. President George W. Bush effectively declared war to Baghdad, news sites and other popular Internet destinations saw a dramatic increase of online traffic. The web sites of trusted media outlets, ranging from CNN and The Washington Post to The New York Times and BBC recorded a traffic increase of more than 30 percent. Despite preparations to launch lighter, low-graphic versions of their web pages -- a move undertaken by many news organizations immediately after the September 11th attacks -- no major outages have been reported.
Internet users on all sides of the conflict have actively started expressing their opinions and reflecting on the events in the news. Vehement debates on message boards and in live chat areas are underway on thousands of web site. In addition, one of the hottest tools on the web, online blogging, appears to be taking center stage. Reporters, viewers and readers are logging the events in Iraq and their potential ramifications. In one case, CNN correspondent Kevin Sites had been recording his encounters in Northern Iraq, but on Friday he stopped publishing his blog due to an apparent disagreement with CNN. CNET News.com reported families of U.S. military personnel had also been using blogs to emphasize their fear for soldiers in the combat zone.
Meanwhile, Internet security and monitoring companies saw widespread hacker attacks and virus threats. Finnish antivirus software vendor F-Secure reported large-scale defacements of web site by attackers attempting to express their views on the war. Also of note, an unambitious Internet worm called Ganda, which was discovered recently, strives for attention by purporting to carry U.S. spy images of Iraq, a screensaver ridiculing U.S. President George W. Bush, and other attachments related to the Second Persian Gulf War.
More from: CNET News.com 1 2 | InfoWorld | InternetNews.com | Reuters 1 2 3 | VNUNET.com | Wired News
Security watch
A batch of severe security vulnerabilities in critical software products were disclosed this week.
Microsoft announced two flaws, both dubbed "critical." A previously unknown security hole in a Windows 2000 component could allow malicious attackers to overtake Internet Information Services (IIS) web servers. News reports also revealed that a publicly accessible server owned by the United States Department of Defense had been compromised as a result of this vulnerability. Late on Wednesday, the software giant also released patches for a flaw in Windows Script Engine, an essential component in virtually all Windows operating systems. The hole could allow hackers to gain complete control over user computer systems.
In addition, security software makers told Microsoft that the company's Office 2003 suite may pose a problem to virus detection. The inclusion of macros in XML files may turn it difficult for antivirus programs to discover macro viruses. Several companies appealed to the giant to include an XML header, identifying the locations of macros in the files. No resolution of the problem has been settled to date.
In a separate development, a major flaw in Linux kernels 2.2 and 2.4 allows local users to gain total "root" access to computer servers. Another report also indicated a critical flaw in Samba -- a popular software program allowing file communication between Windows and UNIX and Linux systems. Patches for both vulnerabilities have been released by major software makers.
More from: AP (via Wired News) | CNET News.com 1 2 3 | ComputerWorld | IDG.net | Washington Post
In Other News...
 Cisco Systems announced a deal to buy consumer networking equipment maker Linksys for about $500 million. The acquisition is widely seen as a move, which will facilitate Cisco's attempts to enter the home and small business networking market.
A pricing error at the UK site of Internet retail giant Amazon.com triggered a flurry of consumer interest. Two models of the iPaq handheld computer from Hewlett-Packard were being offered on Wednesday morning for less than $12 and $40, usually priced at over $430 and $780, respectively. Hours after word about the discount spread across the Internet, Amazon.co.uk was pulled offline for about 15 minutes. The U.S.-based retailer announced it would not ship any orders of the mistakenly priced devices, referring to its policy that sales are not being finalized before an actual e-mail confirmation from Amazon.
On Tuesday, Apple Computer ceased selling the original iMac model, bundled with a CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitor. Launched in 1998, iMac saved the computer maker from a potentially dire situation, setting the trend for an influx of stylish-looking computer products. A day later, Apple announced that former U.S. vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore has joined its board of directors. Mr. Gore is seen as one of the most tech savvy U.S. politicians and has recently been a senior adviser to Google.
The world's largest Internet Service Provider (ISP), America Online, launched a redesigned version of its web site (AOL.com), essentially preserving all basic functionality, but increasing the salience of in-house advertisements and web search powered by Google.
Apple Computer decided to postpone its Worldwide Developers Conference from May to the end of June. The event is expected to coincide with a preview release of the next version of Apple's operating system and is set to begin June 23 in San Francisco, California.
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