05 February 2002

__________________________________________________________________________ Security Alert: Major Privacy Hole Discovered In Windows Messenger! MSN Messenger Privacy If you are running MSN messenger (and have JavaScript enabled) you should see your name displayed below, along with a list of all your contacts. Note: this has been tested on MSN Messenger (4.6.0073) for Win2k & Windows Messenger (4.6.0073) for WinXP (all with IE 6). If this page was hosted on microsoft.com, hotmail.com or hotmail.msn.com you would also see your email address and your contacts email addresses (instead of "undefined"). This information could be placed in a cookie and next time you request an item from the server (page, image, etc.), this information would be sent back to the server, allowing Microsoft to know who you are and who your friends are. By default, everyone has access to your display name and those of your contacts, but only Microsoft can get your email address this way. However third parties could get access to the email addresses, by simply adding a single entry to your registry. That would require a little more effort, but is easily done. e.g. Installing software which contains "spyware" or "adware" (such as Kazaa, Go!Zilla, Direct Connect, etc.*), could easily add such an entry to your registry. After that you could be sending your email address to them every time your computer loads an advertising banner from their site. Full Story And Demo: http://raburton.members.easyspace.com/msn/ 12:41:37 PM

__________________________________________________________________________ Breaking News ==> BT To Slash The Cost Of Broadband ADSL In The UK? Take a deep breath... BT intends HALVING the cost of broadband in an announcement due later this week. That's according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph. It claims new CEO, Ben Verwaayen, will indicate that the monthly cost of broadband access will halved to around £15 and £20 for business users and consumers respectively, though more precise terms and conditions are likely to be forthcoming over the medium rather than short term. The move, if confirmed, will represent a victory for telco regulator, Oftel, which recently heaped pressure on BT to open up the so-called local loop - representing the lines between exchanges and users - to other competitors. And for good reason, given the mass take-up of high-speed broadband access in the UK has been hampered to date by a costings structure most punters have refused to accept. Indeed, with around 150,000 subscribers the UK has been a laggard - in relative terms - when it comes to market penetration. What is likely to happen first is a reduction in wholesale charges to around £15 a line - this in turn followed by sharp price reductions to consumers subsequently. Opening up the broadband market could prove a win, win, win situation for BT, its competitors and last, but not least, consumers. BT certainly needs to do something as it won't be able to rely on revenues generated by its recently spun-off mobile telco operation MMO2 - hence, the expected initiative it hopes will attract additional revenues from a mass of new customers taking up broadband services for the first time. Source: http://www.moneyextra.com/news/ 3:35:14 AM