Flaw Can Be Used to Bring Down Entire Internet
A computer researcher in Milwaukee found a flaw in the Internet that would allow hackers to turn off computers and routers remotely. Until now the flaw has been kept secret and the U.S. government has fortified its most important systems, but on Thursday, Paul "Tony" Watson, the man that discovered the flaw, will give the flaw's full details to the public.

Survey Finds Chocolate is Easy Bribe for Passwords
A recent British survey found that more than 70% of respondents would give up their computer passwords in exchange for chocolate. Others didn't even need to be bribed to tell researchers their passwords. Because people often use weak passwords (like pet and children names), security firms predict an increase in online identity thefts. Experts estimate that identity theft costs the British economy millions of pounds each year.

Pop-Up Company Sues Utah
Utah passed "The Spyware Control Act" earlier this year to prevent installation of software that monitors your Internet activity and sends the results elsewhere without your knowledge (spyware). Now a New York-based software company that produces pop-up ads and spyware is suing Utah, arguing that Utah is violating its right to advertise.

FTC Considers Next Steps to Combat Spyware
Spyware has primarily been used to gather information about consumer preference. As the danger of identity theft becomes more real, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had a daylong workshop to consider creating spyware and adware regulations.

Spammers in Maryland May Get Up to 10 Years in Prison, Fines of Up to $25,000
The Maryland legislature passed a bill that, if signed by the governor, would allow punishments of up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $25,000 for spammers. The bill, patterned after a federal bill, would prohibit spammers from disguising their email address and from stealing email addresses from web sites.

Orb That Tracks Progress May Some Day Integrate Into Daily Life
A Massachusetts company created a plastic white orb that changes colors based on changing information it gets from the computer. For example, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up, the orb glows green. When the market is down, the orb glows red. People have programmed this orb to react to all kinds of information, from traffic to the number of emails in their inbox. The orb is an example of "ubiquitous computing": computers interacting with our lives without us seeking them out.

Research Centers On Alert After Recent Hacking Incident
In recent weeks, hackers have targeted many universities with scientific research and high-performance computing centers. While these organizations are working to "patch the holes" made by these hackers, there is no guarantee that the hackers don't continue to have access to the data, and that the data on the machines is still safe and correct.

Change Your Default Windows Start Menu
When you choose Start in Windows XP, a few programs are displayed by default. You can remove Internet Explorer and Outlook Express from your start menu by choosing Start, Control Panel, Taskbar and Start Menu. On the Start Menu tab, choose the Customize button, then uncheck the boxes next to Internet and E-mail, or choose new programs from the drop-down lists. You can also add other programs to your Start menu. To do this, navigate your list of program files (Start, All Programs), choose the program you want, right-click and choose "Pin to Start menu."

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