Finally it is online and working – the national identity card data base went live on October 20th and already has 538 people on in by November 19th. It is first opening to the general public in Greater Manchester and people residing there can apply from November 30th. The next phase will be in the north-west of England, probably Liverpool from early next year. (more…)

Police in the UK are warning computer users to upgrade their computer security and avoid opening emails they don’t recognise after a banking Trojan named Zeus (aka Zbot) infected thousands of computers globally to steal sensitive personal data. Passwords, credit card and bank account details have been stolen in this massive fraud. (more…)

In the cut-throat world of business rivalry in all fields, it is no wonder that competition is even more fierce in the field of mobile communications – everybody wants a slice of the pie. As such T-Mobile’s loss of personal data is a big blow. Employees of the company stole and sold records of thousands of customers to third parties.

When people started getting calls from other mobile companies just as their contracts with T-Mobile was about to expire, the data loss came to light. Christopher Graham, information commissioner, said that the data breach was the biggest of its kind. (more…)

The Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) is going to be responsible for cybersecurity, cyberdefence and even cyberattack (if necessary). Based in Cheltenham, the centre will be working with 19 staff members who are going to be recruited from within the government’s agencies/departments like the signal intelligence agency GCHQ, the Cabinet Office, UK intelligence agencies and law enforcement. (more…)

Google has launched its Dashboard which allows a Google user greater and easier access to his account and also permits him to change his privacy and other settings. This is because Google was on the hot seat for the potential its services had to invade a user’s privacy.

Google Docs, Google Desktop and Gmail and also Street View have been in the news for providing easy access to unauthorised personnel even if it was unintentional on Google’s part. With Dashboard, a user will be able to check which Google applications have access to his data which is on Google and disable those functions. (more…)

If you are one those people who have a fear of flying – and with good reason nowadays with terror threat – or who are totally phobic of being in a claustrophobic place up in the sky with no way of getting out, then Virgin Atlantic is ready to come to your rescue.

Initially Virgin Atlantic in partnership with Mental Workout (a software company) started a successful Flying Without Fear course. The same has now been developed as an application to be used with an iPhone and helps people calm down and be able to fly. (more…)

Many people use BlackBerries because the phones offer so many features and are easy to use. The phone is often used by high end users and many confidential conversations take place with most people unaware how easy it is to eavesdrop on these conversations.

A new software, PhoneSnoop, which was developed by Sheran Gunasekera who is director of security for Hermis Consulting in Jakarta, Indonesia, can be installed with or without the knowledge of the user and used to eavesdrop on conversations. Sheran says that the software which is available free is supposed to highlight the fact that BlackBerries are not secure. (more…)

All kinds of sensitive and personal data are stored by various organisations in the private and public sectors. Off and on the public hear about how sites were hacked or information lost or there has been breach of confidential data. What makes news, however, is only the tip of the iceberg – there are many more instances where cases are not reported and never come to light. (more…)