News and Analysis Results
Michael Dell says: If I could do it all again...
If Michael Dell were starting up in business today, it would be in storage and operate in China. At least that's what he he said in a briefing and interview session with journalists last week. He and Dell's EMEA President David Marmonti gave their views on aspects of Dell's business. The company is not out of the woods yet, but …
Laptop losses and phishing fruit salad
Dr Neal Krawetz takes a look at the numbers behind reports of laptop thefts and phishing attacks, showing inconsistent metrics and the difficulty in using numbers to determine the real level of threat. Security is about evaluating risks. And who knows more about evaluating risks than insurance companies? For example, the …
Security, privacy and DRM: My wishes for 2007
Holiday time is a bit weird in my family. My brother Gus is the Equipment Manager for the New York Jets (yeah, I know ... tough game last weekend), so we can't celebrate Festivus ... uh, I mean Chrismakkuh until after the football season is over for his team. That means that a bad year for the Jets means Chrismakkuh in January, …
Lost laptops, zero-day vulns and RFID chips
If 2006 had an information security epitaph it would probably be the year of the missing laptop. Security breaches that resulted in the disclosure of confidential data, already a trend in recent years, grew alarmingly - to the point where security watchers noted that 100 million personal records had been compromised in the …
Ernst & Young laptop loss exposes 243,000 Hotels.com customers
Ernst & Young's laptop loss unit continues to be one of the company's more productive divisions. We learn this week that the accounting firm lost a system containing data on 243,000 Hotels.com customers. Hotels.com joins the likes of Sun Microsystems, IBM, Cisco, BP and Nokia, which have all had their employees' data exposed by …
Wells Fargo fesses up to data loss
At least one poor Hewlett Packard employee compromised by Fidelity's March laptop loss has now been told Wells Fargo lost his personal data, too. The staffer received a note this week from Wells Fargo, saying the financial institution had lost a computer packed full of sensitive data such as customers' names, addresses, Social …
Stolen laptops hand hackers keys to the kingdom
As web apps are becoming more secure stolen laptops have become among the easiest ways to break into corporate networks. High profile firms such as Fidelity and Ernst and Young along with celebrities such as Kevin Costner have lost laptops over recent months. Concern over these thefts has focused on the exposure of data left on …
Nokia staff jacked by Ernst & Young laptop loss
When Ernst & Young loses a laptop, it doesn't mess around. The Register has learned that the same missing system with personal information on Sun Microsystems, Cisco, IBM and BP workers also contained data on Nokia's US staff. A Nokia source notified us that he received a letter from Ernst & Young detailing the accounting firm' …
Fidelity lost HP's employee data to impress HP
Given the recent spate of laptop losses affecting major companies, many of you have wondered why the likes of Fidelity and Ernst & Young would let crucial customer information leave their own servers and desktops in the first place. Well, in Fidelity's case, we've learned that the company had a really important demo to perform …
40,000 BP workers exposed in Ernst & Young laptop loss
Like sands through the hourglass, these are The Days of Ernst & Young laptop loss. Yes, friends, The Register can confirm that BP has been added to the list of Ernst & Young customers whose personal data has been exposed after a laptop theft. BP joins Sun Microsystems, Cisco and IBM in this not so exclusive club. Ernst & Young …
200,000 HP staff exposed as laptop loss party continues
Financial services companies appear to have it in for their technology customers with Fidelity Investments adding to a spate of laptop thefts. A laptop lost by Fidelity this month has exposed 196,000 current and former HP employees, staff were told last night. "This is to let you know that Fidelity Investments, record-keeper …
Lost Ernst & Young laptop exposes IBM staff
Ernst & Young has lost another laptop containing the social security numbers and other personal information of its clients' employees. This time, the incident puts thousands of IBM workers at risk. Ex-IBM employees are also affected. The Register has learned that the laptop was stolen from an Ernst & Young employee's car in …
Readers amazed by Ernst & Young's laptop giveaway
Last month, Ernst and Young lost five laptops (that we know about). The accounting firm didn't really hold itself accountable for the missing hardware. It only copped to the losses after being contacted by reporters and downplayed the situations, saying password protection would keep customers information safe. The mainstream …
Ernst & Young loses four more laptops
Ernst and Young appears set on establishing a laptop loss record in February. The accounting giant has lost four more systems, according to a report in the Miami Herald. A group of Ernst and Young auditors toddled off for lunch on 9 February, leaving their laptops in an office building conference room. According to security …
Ernst & Young fails to disclose high-profile data loss
Ernst and Young should go ahead and pony up for its own suite of transparency services. The accounting firm failed to disclose a high profile loss of customer data until being confronted by The Register. Ernst and Young has lost a laptop containing data such as the social security numbers of its customers. One of the people …
Securing the world for lost, bio-diesel car drivers
A varied haul this week, that's for sure. We've got thoughts on security, women and Microsoft certification, technology and education, and of course, the question of whether or not cats should be used to make fuel. It seems this last one is a real opinion divider. Still, before we descend into the dungeons of daftness, let's …
ICANN blog: I don’t like Mondays
More about the intriguingly small country of Luxembourg, where ICANN is currently holding its latest meeting. The euro nearly ruined it. Previously the financial powerhouse of central Europe thanks to its liberal banking laws, in pre-euro days huge quantities of French, Belgians and Germans popped into the country to deal in …
Dirty, dirty PCs: The X-rated picture guide
Top 500 supers - rise of the Linux quad-cores
Early adopters bloodied by Ubuntu's Karmic Koala
Sign up, sign up for The Register IT security newsletter