Wi-Fi flawed
The popular Wi-Fi (802.11b) wireless standard has a major flaw that could allow hackers to bring down any system by a local denial of service (DoS) attack, according to the Australian Computer Emergency Response Team (AusCERT). The flaw was discovered by students at Queensland University and apparently reported to manufacturers in November, in the hope they could find a fix. They can't.
It has been suggested that users switch to the 802.11a standard used by some businesses, or to 802.11g systems operating at higher data speeds - above 20Mbps. The 802.11g standard is a kludge that uses 802.11b technology for backwards compatibility but switches to 11a-style OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) at higher speeds, albeit with fewer channels.
Although no one has so far bothered to jam Wi-Fi networks, there is no guarantee for the future. Business users are recommended not to install 802.11b for essential infrastructure. The best option may be tri-mode 802.11a/b/g wireless networks, so they have an alternative if attacked. However, there is no guarantee that flaws will not be found in OFDM.
www.auscert.org.au
New relationships
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is the first UK local authority to deploy Microsoft's customer relationship management (CRM) software. This is being used by the council's Directorate of Transportation and Highways to track postal and email enquiries and reduce the number of documents posted to constituents. Letters are scanned into Microsoft CRM 1.2 and transmitted with any emails to one of 35 staff. The system will make it faster and easier for officers to ascertain who looked at a letter, who is dealing with it, and what actions have been taken. www.auscert.org.au
Wider knowledge
Xeta, a London black cab service, is using Pocket PCs to extend The Knowledge. Every cabbie is being issued with an O2 XDA II smart phone/PDA connected to the GPRS (general packet radio service ) data network. The Xpert software driving the system has been developed by Xeta. The service uses global positioning satellites to track the fleet so the nearest cab to a customer can be located and dispatched more easily. It also means that cabs going out of the central London area, memorised by drivers during training, can use satellite-aided navigation to find their outer-London destination. www.xeta-net.com/driverservices.html
Server plans
Microsoft has used the anniversary of the launch of Windows 2003 Server to announce the roadmap for future releases. Later this year, the first service pack for Windows 2003 Server will be released to tackle reliability and security improvements, and add support for 64-bit applications. Next year, an update to the server operating system, code-named R2, will add features, including a cross-company identity management scheme, previously code-named Trustbridge. A second service pack for the Windows server is planned for 2006. This will help bridge users to the next major release, the Longhorn server, which should appear in 2007.
Switching up
3Com says its latest stackable switches will provide a bridge to future networks where 10 gigabit backbones feed one gigabit desktop links. It claims it will be the first manufacturer to provide 10Gbit Ethernet scalability. Although the company admits few companies need 10Gbit networks, it maintains change is inevitable and that enterprise networks should be prepared. The SuperStack 3 Switch 3870 family is available as 24-port or 48-port modules supporting 10, 100 and 1000Mbit/sec per port, with a 10Gbit expansion slot. European prices will be announced at the launch next month, but US pricing is $3,995 (£2,260) and $5 ,995 (£3,390).
Spin doctorates
The European Union is investing €10m (£7m) over the next four years in an attempt to develop secure communications based on quantum cryptography. This would produce the ultimate in secure messaging by creating unbreakable encoding. Quantum cryptography uses subatomic light particles, known as photons, to transmit binary messages. The angle of vibration of a photon can be used to represent a zero or a one. Any attempt by a hacker to intercept the stream of photons will change this angle and can therefore be detected. The new system, known as Secure Communication based on Quantum Cryptography, will attempt to break the current barriers of distance and transmission speeds.
Scots go faster
Scottish small firms lead the UK in using broadband, with 62% taking it up. The UK average is 56%, according to a survey for cable network operator NTL of 400 firms with up to 50 staff. Of the broadband-using firms, two thirds said it significantly improves their ability to communicate with customers and suppliers, while half thought the opportunity to implement new business applications was a major benefit. They reckon broadband allows time savings of 90 minutes of one employee's work time each day. However, a third of non-users said broadband offered no tangible benefit.
