Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
Technology
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Internet
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Notebooks may offer hackers private data gateway
Mon Mar 2, 2009 8:48pm EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Kelvin Soh
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Netbook web surfers beware. That low-cost netbook you're using could be a high-speed gateway into your life, bank accounts, passwords and other personal data.
Netbooks have made headlines since their 2007 launch, making PCs accessible to millions of non-traditional users. But their cheap cost could also carry a steep price tag due to lax security that makes them easier prey for viruses and hackers.
Since their introduction less than two years ago by Taiwan's Asustek, nearly all major PC makers, including Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer and Lenovo, have jumped on the netbook bandwagon.
But their no frills nature, combined with low computing power and relative lack of sophistication among their users could combine to create the perfect storm for hackers and virus creators looking for easy targets, analysts say.
"The Internet is full of dangers, regardless of what computer you are using," said Sam Yen, greater China marketing manager at anti-virus software maker Symantec.
"But keeping in mind that the netbook is primarily used to surf the Internet, those dangers are possibly multiplied many-fold, especially if there is no anti-virus software installed in the machine."
Price tags as low as $300 mean that netbooks often lack such standard gear as firewalls and other anti-virus software typically found in other computers, leaving them highly vulnerable to attacks.
"Frankly, netbook security is not there yet," said Pranab Sarmah, an analyst at the Daiwa Institute of Research.
"The positioning of the netbook means PC brands are going to do whatever it takes to make the price point attractive to consumers, which means keeping costs low."
Many netbook users are relative Internet newcomers, and may not be aware of precautions they can take to protect themselves. Low computing power also means savvy netbook users may shut down critical security programs to boost speed.
"It's a Catch-22 situation," said Gartner analyst Lillian Tay. "If you're running too many security programs at the same time, it slows the computer down. Don't run any, and you are at risk."
GROWTH CEILING?
Netbooks were a glimmer of light in the tech sector last year, and IDC research firm says they could dramatically outperform the overall PC market in 2009. It forecasts netbook shipments will more than double to nearly 21 million units this year, compared with about 4 percent growth to 305 million units for all PCs.
Netbook pioneer Asustek believes its models already include built-in security features and other options that are sufficient for the typical user, said Samson Hu, who runs the company's netbook operations.
"We've got a tie-up with Symantec where users who want to can pay a little more for that additional security," he said. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
UPDATE 1-Raymond James CEO to step down after four decades
also on reuters
Slideshow
Slideshow: Snow snarls the east coast
Ex-Governor Blagojevich gets a book deal
Video
Video: Boater rescued, NFL players still missing
More Technology News
Microsoft testing new search service internally
Micron seeks role in Taiwan DRAM chip restructuring
Thomson Reuters to debut video news service in June
Intel, TSMC form tech alliance, target new markets
iPhones and PCs take fitness to heart
More Technology News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
U.S. rescue efforts may risk double-dip recession
Obama pushes centers as one focus of health reform
Five Sri Lankan cricketers hurt in Pakistan attack
Cost of locking up Americans too high: Pew study
Rebellion on "Sarah Silverman" set
HSBC in $18 billion rights issue, retreats from U.S. | Video
Obama considers funds to buy bad assets: report | Video
Doctor tells Venezuela's Chavez to stop talking
French farmer is new sun king
Receiver says Stanford finances "dire"
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Obama embarks on health reform
Clinton's hope for Mideast peace
Boater rescued, NFL players missing
Wall St. hammered by AIG fallout
Chinese bidder refuses to pay
Talk of the Town-Boyle goes home
Whales die on beach
Guinea-Bissau president murdered
U.S. pounded by winter storm
Fishermen rescue endangered shark
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
The Great Debate
Facebook's privacy snag
Eric Auchard
Social networking phenomenon Facebook has beaten out arch-rival and former market leader MySpace by most measures, except the one that pays the bills. Commentary
Follow The Great Debate on Twitter @reutersgr8db8
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.