World News | Latest News

Monday, May 2, 2011

Sony says 25m extra users hacked

2 May 2011 Last updated at 21:26 ET

Sony has warned that almost 25 million extra Playstation users may have had their personal details taken in a hacker attack.

The admission comes as the company reels from a number of security breaches.

On Monday, it took the Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) service offline as part of its wider investigation.

Last week, it admitted that the personal details of 77m Playstation users may have been stolen by hackers.

'Cyber-attacks'

In a message to its customers, Sony said: "We had previously believed that SOE customer data had not been obtained in the cyber-attacks on the company."

However, it added that "on May 1 we concluded that SOE account information may have been stolen".

Sony was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that the latest incident occurred on 16 and 17 April.

This was earlier than the larger Playstation user security breach.

Sony said that during the security breach, details of non-US users were compromised.

It explained that the direct debit details of almost 11,000 customers in Austria, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany were stolen, as were the credit or debit card details of some 13,000 non-US customers.

Digital book sales soar in the UK

2 May 2011 Last updated at 21:13 ET

Sales of digital books are soaring in the UK, figures from the Publishers Association show.

The association said that in 2010 sales of e-books and audio book downloads in the "general titles" category, which includes novels and consumer titles, shot up from �4m to �16m.

Academic and professional books still dominated overall digital sales, which reached �180m last year.

It still remains a small proportion of total book sales, which hit �3.1bn.

However, the increased digital sales suggests devices such as Amazon's Kindle and the Sony Reader are increasingly making an impact.

Richard Mollet, chief executive of the Publishers Association, said: "Digital publishing is growing at an impressive rate in whichever part of the sector you choose to look.

"Now that technology is putting e-reading devices into consumers' hands, we are starting to see the rapid growth of digital sales in this area too, as consumer publishers develop digital formats to reach wider audiences."

He added the traditional print book market remains "hugely popular" and the figures suggest print and digital books will co-exist in the future.

In the US, electronic books sold more than either hardbacks or paperbacks in February.

The Publishers Association said the digital innovation taking place in the UK could be threatened if copyright laws are watered down in a government review.

Mr Mollet said: "The innovation in the digital marketplace and the strength of British publishers' export performance is only possible because of the robust and flexible copyright framework which underpins the UK creative industries."

Sony suspends another game system

2 May 2011 Last updated at 12:59 ET

Sony has suspended another of its online gaming systems, following the recent PlayStation Network hack.

The company took the Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) service offline as part of its wider investigation into security breaches.

Multiplayer games including DC Universe and Facebook-based Fortune League were unavailable as a result.

Sony admitted last week that the personal details of 77m PlayStation users may have been stolen by hackers.

The suspension of SOE was announced in brief statement on its website, Station.com.

"We have had to take the SOE service down temporarily.

"In the course of our investigation into the intrusion into our systems we have discovered an issue that warrants enough concern for us to take the service down effective immediately. We will provide an update later today (Monday)," it said.

Last week, Sony said that it did not believe SOE users had been affected by the PlayStation Network hack.

A community relations spokesperson wrote on one of Sony's support forums at the time: "We have been conducting a thorough investigation and, to the best of our knowledge, no customer personal information got out to any unauthorized person or persons.

"We are continuing that investigation and monitoring the situation carefully; should the situation change, we will - of course - promptly notify you."

Sony Online Entertainment designs and publishes online multiplayer games for the PC, PlayStation 3 and, in the case of Fortune League, Facebook.

PlayStation Network

As Sony's investigation continued, the company promised that it would get the PlayStation network up-and-running again this week.

It said users would see a phased re-introduction of gaming, movie and music download services.

PlayStation Network has been unavailable since 20 April.

Sony revealed last week that hackers may have stolen users' personal information, including e-mail addresses, passwords and dates of birth.

It warned that credit card details could also have been taken, but said that particular data was encrypted.

Bin Laden raid was tweeted live

2 May 2011 Last updated at 05:49 ET

The raid that killed Osama Bin Laden was revealed first on Twitter.

An IT consultant, living in Abbottabad, unintentionally tweeted details of the US-led operation as it happened.

Sohaib Athar wrote that a helicopter was hovering overhead shortly before the assault began and said that it might not be a Pakistani aircraft.

He only became aware of the significance of his tweets after President Obama announced details of Bin Laden's death.

Mr Athar's first posting on the subject came at around 1am local time (9pm BST).

He wrote: "Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event)."

Soon after, he reported the sound of an explosion, now known to have been US forces blowing-up their damaged helicopter.

"A huge window shaking bang here in Abbottabad Cantt. I hope its not the start of something nasty :-S"

Throughout the raid, Mr Athar was drawing on information from friends in the local area who were also online.

"Start Quote

A huge window shaking bang here in Abbottabad Cantt. I hope its not the start of something nasty"

End Quote Sohaib Athar

"The few people online at this time of the night are saying one of the copters was not Pakistani..."

"People are saying it was not a technical fault and it was shot down. I heard it CIRCLE 3-4 times above, sounded purposeful."

US officials stated that the raid took less than 40 minutes, but Mr Athar said there was still a military presence in the area two hours later.

"And now, a plane flying over Abbottabad..."

In his Twitter biography, Sohaib Athar describes himself as: "An IT consultant taking a break from the rat-race by hiding in the mountains with his laptops."

However, his postings during and after the raid reveal a frustration that world events had caught-up with him.

"I guess Abbottabad is going to get as crowded as the Lahore that I left behind for some peace and quiet. *sigh*"

Mr Athar told the BBC's Nosheen Abbas in Pakistan that his tweets has led to a deluge of interview requests from media organisations around the world.

He also said that he was not surprised to be the only person writing about events as they happened.

"I've been tweeting for about 5, 6 years, and been tweeting about Abbottabad because no one really talks about it,

"In fact, not many people use Twitter here. Everyone uses Facebook," he said.

Revolutionary tool

In the five years since Twitter was created, it has played a growing role in the reporting of world events.

The first glimpse that many people had of the site's potential was in 2009 when a US Airways plane made an emergency landing on New York's Hudson.

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Twitter founder Biz Stone and other technology leaders talk about the power of social networking

Ferry passenger Janis Krums tweeted a picture of the stricken aircraft, moments after it came down.

More recently, Twitter has been hailed as a catalyst in making world events happen.

Anti-government protesters in the Middle East and parts of Africa have made extensive use of the website, along with Facebook to disseminate their messages.

The 2011 Egyptian uprising, which led to the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak, has been widely referred to as the "Twitter Revolution".

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Sony to resume PlayStation gaming

1 May 2011 Last updated at 02:50 ET

Sony has said it will resume some services on its PlayStation Network, which was shut after the theft of personal details of about 77m users.

Sony officials said they had boosted the security of their computer systems after user names, email addresses and log-in details were stolen.

Executives, including Kazuo Hirai, the head of Sony's PlayStation unit, apologised for the security breach.

The theft has prompted legal action and investigations in the US and Europe.

"The organisation has worked around the clock to bring these services back on line and are doing so only after we had verified increased levels of security across our networks," said Mr Hirai in a statement.

He is seen as the frontrunner to take over as head of Sony Corp.

Deep bow

"These illegal attacks obviously highlight the widespread problem with cyber-security," Mr Hirai's statement said.

Later, at a news conference, Mr Hirai and two other Sony executives apologised and bowed deeply.

"We apologise deeply for causing great unease and trouble to our users," he said.

PlayStation users got their first indication that something was wrong with the service when it became unavailable on 20 April.

In the following days, Sony issued three brief statements asking users to be patient while it investigated an "external intrusion", or hack.

The full extent of the security breach became apparent on 27 April.

In a statement posted on the official PlayStation blog, the company said user account information for the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services had been compromised following an "illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network".

Sony said that although credit card data was encrypted and there was no evidence it was stolen, the theft of the data could not be ruled out.

The PlayStation network allows gamers to download software and play with other users.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Cyber-stalking laws review urged

30 April 2011 Last updated at 21:06 ET By Samantha Fenwick Reporter, 5 Live Investigates

A senior police officer is calling on the government to review whether laws governing cyber-stalking in the UK are fit for purpose.

Greater Manchester Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan wants police to be given more powers to seize computers used to harass victims online.

It is hard to prove who committed stalking even though it is easy to establish which computer was used.

The Home Office says it is investigating the issue.

Mr Shewan, who is the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) leader on the issue of stalking and harassment, met ministers at the Home Office last week.

He said: "The legislation is 12 years old and I don't think anyone envisaged 12 years ago the extent that the world wide web would open up opportunities to harass and stalk people via the internet."

Cyber-stalkers can currently either be charged under the Protection from Harassment Act or the Malicious Communications Act, but charities and academics say neither is sufficient given the expansion in technology in recent years.

300% increase

As the number of people using computers has increased, so has the ability to tap into personal information online.

Mr Shewan wants it to be easier to seize computer equipment from a suspect and to get internet providers to hand over the unique identifier of each computer - the IP address.

Cyber-stalked by a stranger

Award-winning photographer Robin Cracknell was cyber-stalked by a stranger for four years.

Christopher John Hobby, aka Kris Manalien, set up bogus websites in Mr Cracknell's name and claimed online he was a paedophile.

Last month Hobby, who is also an artist, was jailed for six months for harassment.

Mr Cracknell said: "Being stalked, harassed and blackmailed by a stranger for four years is psychologically very draining."

Collectors and gallery owners searching for his award-winning work online found fake blogs and offensive Youtube clips about him instead.

His professional reputation was damaged and he was devastated to find his 12-year-old son could see the paedophile allegations on the internet.

Mr Cracknell said: "I refuse to feel like a victim but I have had my integrity and credibility damaged and am still coming to terms with the financial and psychological consequences."

Professor Carsten Maple, who heads the National Centre for Cyber-stalking Research at Bedfordshire University, said it was easy for those in-the-know to track down information.

He said Trojan spyware can be used to hack into anybody's computer, access their personal files and even secretly switch on their webcam.

Trojans are viruses which pose as harmless programmes and can be sent into computers via e-mails and other methods.

Yet currently police find it difficult to seize computer equipment unless they can prove there was an intention to cause fear or distress.

Prof Maple added his voice to calls for a review of the legislation.

He said: "The lack of power to seize computers makes it difficult to prove who is responsible for stalking, even if it can be shown beyond reasonable doubt that a particular device was used to commit a crime."

Jane Harvey from the Network for Surviving Stalking said 77% of stalking victims waited until more than 100 incidents had happened before going to the police.

She said when they finally took that step it was vital their allegations were taken seriously and the situation investigated fully.

"This is a devastating crime - being stalked online can ruin people's lives," she said.

"We urge the government and the police to do everything possible to ensure those affected by cyber-stalking get proper access to justice."

Prosecutions under the Malicious Communications Act have soared to an all-time high and increased almost 300% in five years to 899 last year.

Charges under the Protection from Harassment Act have risen from just under 12,000 to 12,549 in five years.

Separate figures from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) show that last year 33% of stalking incidents were by e-mail, 32% by text message and another 8.4% through social networking sites.

A Home Office spokesman said it was working with the police, Crown Prosecution Service and charities to try to improve the police response and make sure there were robust prosecutions.

He said: "Cyber stalking is a crime. As with all other forms of stalking we take it very seriously and we expect other agencies to do the same.

"The Home Office, Ministry of Justice and the Crown Prosecution Service are currently working together with victims and support charities to discuss whether the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and its enforcement has been effective in providing an appropriate response to stalking."

You can hear the full report on 5 live Investigates on Sunday 1 May at 2100 BST on BBC Radio 5 live. You can also listen again on the BBC iPlayer or by downloading the 5 live Investigates podcast.

Send your comments and stories to 5 live Investigates

Friday, April 29, 2011

The royal World Wide Wedding

29 April 2011 Last updated at 19:01 ET

By Iain Mackenzie Technology reporter, BBC News

The marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton was an event for the internet age.

Great traditions of state were celebrated by the modern institutions of the web.

Facebook, Twitter, Google and YouTube were all given over to the royal wedding.

And, like the streets around Westminster Abbey, cyberspace was buzzing with talk of the big day.

Leading the online celebrations was the British monarchy's own royal wedding website.

Visitors were directed to the official Clarence House Twitter feed, the royal Flickr photo account, and the wedding "event" page on Facebook.

Royal tweets

Throughout the ceremony, @ClarenceHouse tweeted updates:

"The Archbishop of Canterbury begins the solemnization of the marriage #rw2011"

"The Fanfare plays! Congratulations to The Duke and The Duchess of Cambridge! You can use our hashtag #rw2011 to send a message #royalwedding"

"The view of the couple arriving at Buckingham Palace from where we are based #rw2011 http://twitpic.com/4qxlhn"

"The Duke and The Duchess of Cambridge appear on the balcony #rw2011"

"Find out about the food being eaten at the lunchtime wedding reception http://bit.ly/jUHKup #rw2011"

Thursday, April 28, 2011

PlayStation credit cards were encrypted

28 April 2011 Last updated at 14:05 ET

Sony has revealed that credit card details held on its PlayStation Network were stored in securely encrypted files.

The news offers some hope to users worried about their personal data after the online system was hacked.

Sony had previously warned that card numbers and expiry dates may have been among the stolen data.

However, other information, including dates of birth and home addresses, did not have the same level of protection.

The full extent of the security breach was revealed on Monday, following a week-long investigation by Sony.

The company said that up to 77 million PlayStation Network members may have had their personal information taken during an "external intrusion".

The FBI confirmed to BBC News that it was now involved and had been in contact with Sony in the United States.

One of the main concerns for users has been the issue of card security.

In a question and answer blog, posted on the PlayStation website, the company said: "The entire credit card table was encrypted and we have no evidence that credit card data was taken.

"The personal data table, which is a separate data set, was not encrypted, but was, of course, behind a very sophisticated security system that was breached in a malicious attack."

The company has not revealed the type or strength of protection given to credit card information, and Graham Cluley from security firm Sophos warned that "encryption" could mean almost anything.

"Some are as weak as tissue paper, and others can take millions of years to crack," he told BBC News.

"For instance, you could have an encryption that made every 'A' a 'D', every 'B' an 'E' etc, but that would be trivial to crack."

Unusual transactions

Sony suggested that users should keep a close eye on their financial statements and alert their card issuer about any unusual transactions.

That advice was echoed by Visa Europe, the company behind the Visa payment system. It explained that if card data was found to have been stolen and used to make unauthorised payments, users would not have to pick up the bill.

"Cardholders who are innocent victims of fraud will get their money back, subject to the terms and conditions of their bank," it said in a statement.

PlayStation Network members were urged not to cancel their cards at this stage.

A spokesman for Barclaycard said that such action was unnecessary until it was known if card numbers had fallen into the wrong hands.

If that proved to be the case, Sony would need to hand over the information to the UK Payments Administration - the umbrella body that oversees financial transactions including bank transfers and card payments.

The card numbers would then be identified and passed to relevant banks who could block them from use or elevate the level of monitoring for unusual activity.

YouTube founders buy up Delicious

28 April 2011 Last updated at 07:24 ET

The founders of video-sharing site YouTube have bought bookmarking service Delicious from Yahoo.

Chad Hurley and Steve Chen will use Delicious as a key part of their next net venture called Avos.

The startup is thought to be based around tools that help people get to grips with the vast amount of information generated by web sites and services.

How much the pair paid to acquire Delicious has not been revealed.

Data deluge

Delicious describes itself as a social bookmarking system in which members flag and tag sites, articles and media they find interesting. These can then be shared with other Delicious users.

Its name derives from its desire to find the "tastiest" bookmarks on the web.

Delicious was acquired in 2005 by Yahoo and in late 2010 the web giant decided to sell it off or close it down if no buyer came forward.

Now Mr Hurley and Mr Chen have acquired Delicious to form part of the technology underpinning their new firm Avos.

Details about Avos and what it will do are scant. A statement from Chad Hurley following the Delicious acquisition said the company will aim to help people manage the information gushing from the web services they use.

"We see a tremendous opportunity to simplify the way users save and share content they discover anywhere on the web," Mr Hurley said.

The pair sold YouTube to Google in 2006 for $1.76bn (�1.06bn). Steve Chen left YouTube in 2008 and Mr Hurley quit working for Google in late 2010.

Delicious will continue in its current form until July 2011. Users are being asked to login to the service and agree to let Yahoo move their account to the new owners.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Apple 'not tracking' iPhone users

27 April 2011 Last updated at 11:45 ET

Apple has denied that its iPhones and 3G iPads have been secretly recording their owners' movements.

In a website posting, the company said it had never tracked user location and had no plans to do so in future.

Security researchers claimed to have found a hidden file on the devices containing a record of everywhere they had been.

Some users managed to extract the data and plot it on maps.

More than a week after the issue came to public attention, Apple released an online question and answer document.

It said: "The iPhone is not logging your location. Rather, it's maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location, some of which may be located more than one hundred miles away from your iPhone, to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested."

Planned fix

The document also addresses the fact - as some users discovered - that data going back months and even years was being stored.

"It shouldn't. This is a bug, which we plan to fix shortly," said Apple.

Ian Fogg, principal analyst at Forrester Research, said that the company was being uncharacteristically open about the functioning of its devices.

"I do not think that that the other [makers of mobile operating systems] have been as black and white about what they are doing with location data," he said.

While Mr Fogg believes that Apple is trying to do the right thing, he said that the company may have inadvertently created a security risk.

The fact that the location data file is stored on users' computers in an unencrypted form made it vulnerable to hackers.

Mr Fogg suggested that owners of Apple devices should go into their iTunes settings and select the option to encrypt their backups.

World News | Latest News

Monday, May 2, 2011

Sony says 25m extra users hacked

Digital book sales soar in the UK

Sony suspends another game system

Bin Laden raid was tweeted live

"Start Quote

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Sony to resume PlayStation gaming

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Cyber-stalking laws review urged

Cyber-stalked by a stranger

Friday, April 29, 2011

The royal World Wide Wedding

Thursday, April 28, 2011

PlayStation credit cards were encrypted

YouTube founders buy up Delicious

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Apple 'not tracking' iPhone users

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