Science & Technology
Enforcement of the Red Flags Rules has been put off again -- this time until next summer, at the request of Congress.. The Federal Trade Commission again is pushing back the deadline for financial institutions and creditors to comply with the Red Flags Rules.This marks the fourth time the agency has delayed the deadline, now set for June 1, 2010. The rule had been scheduled to take effect Sunday.The latest enforcement extension comes at the request of members of Congress, the agency said in a Friday announcement.The Red Flags Rules, developed in accordance with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA), require financial institutions and other organizations classified as ?creditors? to develop programs to identify, detect and respond to indications of identity theft.But the rules have been met with opposition, resulting in three other delays. Some organizations complained that the provision was written too broadly. Others simply said they were unprepared to meet the
Worms rose from being the fifth most prevalent type of malware worldwide during the second half of 2008 to the second most prevalent cyberthreat during the first half of 2009, according to Microsoft.. The number of worm infections worldwide has doubled since the end of 2008, wreaking havoc primarily on enterprise environments, according to the seventh volume of Microsoft's Security Intelligence Report released Monday.Trojans were the most prevalent type of malware worldwide during the last half of 2008 and remained at the top of the list during the first half of 2009, the report states. Worms now are the second most prevalent type of malware worldwide, up from formerly holding the fifth spot during the last half of 2008. The jump from fifth to second is due in large part to the widespread worm families Conficker and Taterf, the report states. The now-notorious Conficker worm was the most prevalent individual threat family overall, detected by Microsoft on 5.2 million computers during t
A new ransomware variant encrypts files on a computer, but uses a novel twist on monetizing the extortion threat.. A new ransomware variant encrypts files on a computer but uses a novel twist on monetizing the extortion threat, according to researchers at Symantec. Instead of demanding money directly for decryption keys, as has been the case in other instances, it presumes that the owner of an infected computer will search for information to help unlock the files. The search typically leads to a fraudulent company offering a fix but requiring a payment to obtain it.The malware was found by Shunichi Imano, an engineer with Symantec Security Response. In a blog post Friday, he said that the malicious software, called Trojan.Ramvicrype, uses the RC4 algorithm, a widely-used software cipher, to encrypt files on compromised computers, rendering them unusable.Once on a victim's machine, the trojan encrypts files in recently opened locations, Imano said.?One of the worst-case scenarios occurs
BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - The mysterious people who etched the "Nasca Lines" across deserts in Peru hastened their own demise by clearing forests 1,500 years ago, according to a study on Monday.
DENVER (Billboard) - MTV Urge ... Yahoo Music Unlimited ... Virgin Digital ... Since 2003 -- when iTunes launched in the United States -- all of these digital music services have come and gone, without challenging Apple's market dominance, despite the backing of resource-rich parent companies.
More than 1,000 freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction, reflecting the strain on global water resources, an updated global "Red List" of endangered species showed Tuesday.
Silicon Valley venture capital firm Greylock Partners said Monday it has 575 million dollars in a new fund to back promising technology startups.
The snows capping Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest peak, are shrinking rapidly and could vanish altogether in 20 years, most likely due to global warming, a US study published Monday said.
The snows capping Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest peak, are shrinking rapidly and could vanish altogether in 20 years, most likely due to global warming, a US study published Monday said.
The two man-eating lions of Tsavo which terrorized a railroad camp in Kenya and have inspired three Hollywood films may not have been as deadly as legend would have it, a study published Monday has found.
A Microsoft security report released Monday warns that cyber crooks are digging into computers for weak spots to penetrate with worms -- malicious software that steals control or data.
Residents of the Venezuelan capital face cuts in water service for as much as 48 hours per week, after the government imposed rationing to stem a 25 percent shortfall in the city's supply, officials said Monday.
Leaders from nine major faiths meet at Windsor Castle on Tuesday in an exceptional initiative that supporters predict will harness the power of religion in the fight against climate change.
Google's voice search tool now understands Chinese. The Internet giant announced on Monday that users of Nokia S60 series mobile phones could now search the Internet using voice commands in Mandarin Chinese.
Negotiators meeting for a final session before a worldwide conference on climate change were urged on Monday to craft simple, clear options for politicians facing next month's haggle in Copenhagen.
A global warming pact to be agreed next month in Copenhagen must take into account the carbon dioxide absorption potential of Russia's sprawling forests, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
A global warming pact to be agreed next month in Copenhagen must take into account the carbon dioxide absorption potential of Russia's sprawling forests, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
The global warming pact to be agreed next month in Copenhagen must take into account the carbon dioxide absorption potential of Russia's sprawling forests, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao reiterated to the European Union Monday that technology transfers and financial support from developed nations were key to the success of upcoming climate change talks.
Greenpeace activists on Monday scaled Barcelona's landmark Sagrada Familia church in a protest to call for action against climate change, as a UN conference got underway in the city.
The European Space Agency on Monday launched a water tracking satellite that will help give faster predictions of floods and other extreme weather incidents caused by global warming.
The European Space Agency on Monday launched a water tracking satellite that will help give faster predictions of floods and other extreme weather incidents caused by global warming.
Negotiators meeting for a final session before a worldwide conference on climate change heard urgent demands on Monday to craft simple, clear options for politicians facing next month's haggle in Copenhagen.
European palm oil buyers who are refusing to purchase expensive eco-friendly palm oil were named and shamed Monday by environmental campaigners WWF International.
Nepal is to hold a cabinet meeting on Mount Everest to highlight the impact of global warming on the Himalayas ahead of next month's climate change talks in Copenhagen, a minister said Monday.
A 315-million-euro satellite that will gauge the impact of climate change on the movement of water across land, air and sea was hoisted into space on Monday, the European Space Agency said.
South Korean police said Monday they would request help from China to track the origins of cyber attacks that briefly crippled US and South Korean government and commercial websites in July.
Nepal is to hold a cabinet meeting on Mount Everest to highlight the impact of global warming on the Himalayas ahead of next month's climate change talks in Copenhagen, a minister said Monday.
A 315-million-euro satellite that will gauge the impact of climate change on the movement of water across land, air and sea was hoisted into space on Monday, the European Space Agency said.
Environmental group Greenpeace was on Monday unfurling a banner on Barcelona's landmark Sagrada Familia church calling for action against climate change, ahead of a UN conference in the city.
An oil rig burned uncontrollably off Australia Monday as officials warned the massive blaze could not be contained until they plug a leak which has gushed tonnes of crude over the past 10 weeks.
Authorities in China rushed to clean up an oil spill at the mouth of the Yangtze River after an Iranian-registered ship ran aground in bad weather, state media said Monday.
Companies worldwide are slashing spending on information technology because of the global downturn and will have to learn to do more with less, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said Monday.
A 315-million-euro satellite that will gauge the impact of climate change on the movement of water across land, air and sea was hoisted into space early Monday, the European Space Agency (ESA) said.
A massive oil rig fire burning out of control off Australia's northwest coast cannot be stopped until a well that has been leaking for 10 weeks is capped, officials warned Monday.
HAVANA (Reuters) - A popular website of classified ads that has given Cubans a taste of the free market has been blocked on the communist-run island, Internet users said.
Swathes of dirty clouds brood over a coal plant in rural Japan, but scientists are now hoping to send the pollutants the other way, deep into the bowels of Mother Earth.
Swathes of dirty clouds brood over a coal plant in rural Japan, but scientists are now hoping to send the pollutants the other way, deep into the bowels of Mother Earth.
Coal super-powers China, India and the United States are set to dominate world climate talks next month, but even in the heartland of US coal there are doubts their re-branded fuel can be part of the solution.
Officials in southern Colombia have issued a code orange alert for the newly-active Galeras volcano which they said could erupt in a matter of days or weeks, according to the state-run Geological and Mining Institute.
Australian authorities were Sunday ordered to help extinguish a fire which broke out on a leaking oil rig that has been pumping thousands of barrels of oil into the Timor Sea for months.
An oil rig which has been leaking thousands of barrels of oil into the Timor Sea off Australia's northwest coast for more than two months was on fire Sunday, the company said.
Chinese meteorologists covered Beijing in snow Sunday after seeding clouds to bring winter weather to the capital in an effort to combat a lingering drought, state media reported.
China on Saturday opens a new bridge over the Yangtze that will pave the way for rapid development of the country's "last virgin island," Chongming -- now just an hour's drive from booming Shanghai.
Al Gore is confident that US President Barack Obama will attend key UN climate change talks in Copenhagen, the former US vice president and Nobel peace laureate said in a German magazine interview.
A massive oil leak off Australia's northwest coast poses an "immediate risk" to dozens of marine species, with untold numbers possibly dying and sinking to the Timor Sea floor, a report has said.
Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has revealed he dislikes whale meat, a newspaper reported Saturday, in an unusual confession for the prime minister of a country that defies Western criticism of whaling.
Canada and Greenland agreed on a series of measures aimed at protecting shared populations of polar bears which roam between the Nunavut territory and the huge arctic island, officials said.
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Scuba divers are exploring the depths of a volcanic lake in Guatemala to find clues about an ancient sacred island where Mayan pilgrims flocked to worship before it was submerged by rising waters.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc <CSCO.O> and EMC Corp <EMC.N> are teaming up to sell a new line of networking gear, computers and storage equipment designed for use with cloud computing, according to sources familiar with their plans.
