SSL

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.

With more and more people using the Web for business transactions and routinely typing in their credit-card digits on various sites, rising concerns about identity theft and other cybercrimes have put companies that provide Internet security products in the catbird seat.

While Symantec and McAfee have hitched their wagons to Microsoft, on hopes that the new Windows 7.0 operating system will drive sales of their security software, other companies' business models aren't tied to the fortunes of Redmond & Co.

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.

Canadian-based Research In Motion will acquire Certicom, an Ontario-based security management company, for approximately C$131 million (US$105.7 million) or C$3.00 (US$2.42) per share.

Last week, BlackBerry maker RIM upped the ante on a C$2.10 per share buyout offer from VeriSign that Certicom announced on Jan. 23. However, the terms of the deal with VeriSign gave Certicom the option of paying C$4 million (US$3.2 million) should it decide to accept any "unsolicited superior proposal." VeriSign notified Certicom earlier this week that it would not top RIM's bid.

Q: How do I protect myself while shopping online?

A: One of the biggest risks in shopping online is clicking on a link to what appears to be a legitimate site but is, in fact, a forgery run by criminals interested in your credit card number and other personal information.

An estimated $3.2 billion was lost to such "phishing" sites in the United States last year, according to a survey by Gartner Inc.

Osram, in partnership with BASF, has reached two major milestones in their development of OLED lighting.

Hackers are always refining their methods of sniffing out other people's passwords. That's why experts advise that you always select tough-to-crack passwords. That means using different passwords for different web sites. Luckily, special programs are available to help you remember them all.

"There are two prime ways to steal users' passwords," explains Ruben Wolf from the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology (SIT) in Darmstadt, Germany.

When DePaul University in Chicago first made wireless connectivity available to students and staff, the wireless network used basic wired equivalent privacy (WEP) authentication as an extension of traditional hard-wired networking ports already available in offices, classrooms, labs, libraries and other areas. This Wi-Fi connectivity allowed faculty, students and staff with laptops to move around campus with ease while staying connected to the network. Security and information services (IS) management, however, became a nightmare.

Q: With so much talk about Internet security problems and credit card fraud, how do I protect myself while shopping online?

A: One of the biggest risks in shopping online is clicking on a link to what appears to be a legitimate site but is, in fact, a forgery run by criminals interested in your credit card number and other personal information. An estimated $3.2 billion was lost to such "phishing" sites in the United States last year, according to a survey by Gartner Inc.

It's official. Mozilla has made the Firefox 3 Web browser available to the masses. After more than 34 months of active development and the contributions of thousands of people, Mozilla is promising this is the best browser -- period.