Microsoft and Cryptography Research have joined a partnership in order to make security systems against security threats…in this case, Differential Power Analysis (DPA) hacking.

DPA hacking is what’s known as a ‘side-channel’ hacking attack, which simply means that it uses information from cryptographic hardware rather than from software. DPA hackers monitor fluctuating power consumption of devices then derive cryptic keys from it. As this is a growing problem for businesses, Microsoft and Cryptography Research have decided to develop a few solutions.

Dell, the renowned PC manufacturer, has announced its new range of security products and IT security solutions for small and medium sized businesses. The security products have Dell’s branding and backing however, the actual products have been developed by Juniper Networks Inc.

According to Dell, it wants to simplify the range of security products that companies use. The new products are mainly aimed at small and mid-sized businesses. By marketing a new range of security products, Dell is hoping to catch up to its competitors who already have a head start on the market.

This year’s 2010 Verizon Data Breach Investigations report has turned up some surprising facts about data security and data breaches. The Verizon Data Breach Investigations report garners information from the United States Secret Service amongst other sources in order to provide companies with information about data breaches, where they come from and how to counteract them with any efficiency.

According to the new annual report, in 2009 data breaches were more often the result of insiders, i.e. people working inside a company. Organised criminal groups also largely accounted for the increase in the amount of data breaches experienced in 2009. According to the figures, organised crime groups were last year responsible for 85% of all stolen data. Most worryingly of all though, is the fact that the majority of security breaches could have been prevented with simple and easy-to-install protection.

A new list published on Pirate Bay has once again caused a furore about data security and social networking. The list was created by an online IT security consultant named Ron Bowles. Using a simple piece of code, he gathered together the URLs, names and unique IDs of all searchable Facebook profiles. He then published the list.

The list – which has so far been downloaded by around 1000 people – contains information on over 100 million Facebook users, a fifth of the total amount of members on Facebook. Just goes to show that despite its promises and tweaks, Facebook remains as insecure as ever.

The current pool of IT security professionals is highly talented, it’s exceedingly small. At the Cyber Security Challenge UK launch on 26 July 2010, Baroness Neville-Jones, the minister for security said that the UK is in dire need of security professionals and needs to pull together and create more IT and internet security experts. This is one thing that the Cyber Security Challenge UK is meant to encourage.

The Cyber Security Challenge will consist of 3 competitions that aim to find talented individuals who are capable of defending organisations against cyber attacks..

Cisco has just released a mid-year report that shows IT security is losing the war against hackers.

According to the Cisco report, hackers are more talented, better funded and simply more numerous than IT security forces. Which, is quite disheartening any way you look at it.

Due to things like social networking, online banking, Wi-Fi and mobile broadband, it is now easier than ever for hackers to use malware to their advantage. There are that many fish in the virtual sea that they can even pick and choose who to exploit.

Security experts have given advice to help you keep businesses safe against hackers – simply go to the professionals or create your own security team.

Microsoft has had reason to celebrate as it revealed its web browser spam filter technology – also known as Internet Exploer 8’s SmartScreen Filter – has blocked its one billionth piece of malware from being downloaded unawares.

The SmartScreen Filter warns users if they are about to go on a server that has been known to give out unsafe content. As well as this, it also works across emails, malware files and URLs, to offer a more comprehensive solution for protecting your computer from IT security risks. The one billion milestone demonstrates the constant improvements Microsoft has made to the anti-malware technology.

Tomorrow, Theresa May (Home Secretary) will sign up the UK to the EIO – the European Investigation Order, another so called “solution” by the European Union to make the EU a great place to be.

In a perfect world, the EIO may actually be a good thing – actually, in a perfect world, the EIO wouldn’t be needed at all! But in the world we live in, the potential for misuse and abuse is too great to be risked. By signing up, the British police would become the lapdogs of the EU. Any prosecutor from an EU company could demand personal details such as phone and bank records to DNA for crimes as simple as leaving a restaurant without paying. And that’s not to mention how this would affect our already overstretched budget!

What’s wrong with just adding a few more police officers, security guards and CCTV?

Last week the nation was once more reminded of the horror of the Jamie Bulger murder as one of the killers, Jon Venables, was again sent to prison, this time for downloading images of child pornography.

The CCTV image of Jamie Bulger being led away to his death by two ten year old boys will forever be a scar on the collective psyche of the British people, a nation which prided itself on its wealth and the health and well-being of its children. As the saying goes, nothing hurts like the truth and the truth was, that even in a nation of plenty, we bred monsters.

The age of culpability for children is getting lower and we see evermore children committing vile and violent crimes, sickening indicators of a society that has lost its way. Far from deciding at what age a child becomes beyond redemption, we should be considering the fact that as a society, as a species, perhaps we are also beyond redemption, spawning sinners rather than saviours.

CCTV footage has once again played an important part in getting thugs off the street. Despite Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s aversion to CCTV, the fact is that our modern-day nation needs constant surveillance in order to foster the hope that justice may be served…some day.

The event in question is the recent “happy slapping” attack committed by 15-year-old Hamza Lyzai and 16-year-old Leon Elcock which resulted in the death of retired care worker Ekram Haque.

Ekram Haque was struck on the back of the head as he returned from the mosque with his young granddaughter. The attack was caught on CCTV and Lyzai and Elcock received a meagre sentence due to their young age. However tender their age though, the fact remains that due to their actions, a life was needlessly lost.