Chinese Malware Seeks Online Passwords

If the malware originated in China, chances are it
was designed to swipe your username and password. Industry-leading security firm, Sophos, reports that its analysis of viruses, spyware and spam (all of which was written in simplified Chinese) found that over 45 percent of them sought online gaming login information.

Another 7.5 percent of the studied malware was
designed to grab usernames and passwords for the

Chinese QQ instant messaging client. While many
may wonder what benefit grabbing an IM password
holds, Sophos says that many people use the same
password across multiple sites, including online
banking.

To view the full press release about these findings,
visit: http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/
articles/2006/11/chinamalware.html
  

Leaders from more than a dozen high-tech groups
are urging Congress to renew the research and
development (R&D) tax credit, during its post-election session. The United States was the innovator of the R&D tax credit in 1981. Now it has fallen behind other nations, and tech industry leaders warn that could make U.S. innovation fall behind, too.

According to William Archey, CEO of the tech group AeA, Australia now spends the most on R&D, and China offers generous benefits for companies increasing R&D spending by 10 percent each year. Archey compared that to the 20 percent R&D tax

credit the United States used to offer – which expired
this year. “We used to be number one. We’re now
sadly number 17,” said Rhett Dawson, CEO of the
Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC).
Industry officials agree that the R&D credit should
be something the lame-duck Congress can pass
– because it is a non-partisan issue with the potential
to ensure that U.S. companies stay competitive in
worldwide markets.

Additional information about the R&D tax credit can
be found at: http://www.investinamericasfuture.org/

According to Gartner analysts, consumer anxiety
about Internet security has caused a $2 billion loss in e-commerce and banking transactions this year.

The study queried 5,000 U.S. adults about their
e-commerce and banking decisions. Nearly half of
those surveyed said their concerns about information theft, data breaches and Web-based attacks affected their purchasing payment, online transaction and email behavior.

To combat this backlash moving forward, Gartner
notes that organizations will need to do more to
actively regain consumer trust – not only by installing
the right technology to improve security, but also
visibly showing consumers what they are doing to
secure information.

The full study, Toolkit: E-Commerce Loses Big
Because of Security Concerns, is available at:
www.gartner.com

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