banking

VeriSign Inc., whose technology is key to allowing Internet users to access Web sites with names ending in ".com" and ".net," plans to spend more than $300 million over the next decade to upgrade its systems.

The upgrades will allow VeriSign's machines to handle up to 4 quadrillion requests per day from computers trying to reach those sites. That's a thousand times more lookups than the 4 trillion per day that the company can currently handle.

In the near future, you might not even have to visit a bank or an ATM to deposit a check. You'll simply snap a couple of photos of it with your cell phone.

Applications to do just that are already available for Apple's iPhone and other gadgets from USAA, a company that provides insurance and banking mainly for military veterans. Chase, Bank of America and Citibank are among the banks planning to release similar applications this year.

No, the Internet was not created so you could order cookies online.

It came about as academics, government folks and scientists began to link various computer networks together. It's a patchwork creation that is both magnificent and highly flawed when it comes to security.

It's magnificent because it lets you do so much from your home computer -- banking, shopping and even playing games -- for free.

While most people know about the dangers of suspicious Web sites and unknown email attachments, what about physical security? Leaving your computer unsecured or unattended could be the biggest mistake you ever make, according to Christina Hansen, a product specialist for CableOrganizer.com.

It's that time again. Summer vacation is over, the sunscreen and swimsuits have been stashed, and a new school year at business school is under way. But what sort of welcome can the eager new entrants to top MBA programs expect in such interesting economic times?

At an investor conference hosted by Goldman Sachs on Sept. 17, top executives of big telecom outfits expressed mixed sentiments about the economic recovery but were upbeat about the outlook for the industry. One of them was Verizon Communications Chairman and CEO Ivan G. Seidenberg, who noted that the company weathered the recession better than its peers as it aggressively acquired wireless assets and shed some underperforming wireline operations.

A powerful new type of Internet attack works like a telephone tap, except operates between computers and Web sites they trust.

Hackers at the Black Hat and DefCon security conferences have revealed a serious flaw in the way Web browsers weed out untrustworthy sites and block anybody from seeing them. If a criminal infiltrates a network, he can set up a secret eavesdropping post and capture credit card numbers, passwords and other sensitive data flowing between computers on that network and sites their browsers have deemed safe.

Airfare wars and room-rate promotions are usually aimed at vacationers, but airlines and hotels are resorting to similar tactics to regain their traditional cash cow -- the business traveler.

Corporate travelers, who pay higher airfares when they sit in the front cabins of planes or book close to the date of travel, are flying coach more often -- or not traveling at all during the recession. And their employers are booking fewer banquet halls and blocks of rooms, leaving many hotels pining for the sizable and reliable revenue that business meetings used to generate.