Security


Posted by Mike Kremer on Dec 09, 2003 at 13:58
(62.188.48.74)

TORONTO (Reuters) - Camera cell phones, one of the hottest items on this year's Christmas must-have list, is also a growing privacy issue for both consumers and organizations.
The phones, with their discreet lens, tiny size and ability to immediately transmit images onto the Internet or other cell phones, are a voyeur's dream, with nude photographs of unsuspecting victims turning up on the internet. Prompting fitness centers across North America, from Los Angeles to Toronto, to begin banning or limiting cell phone use on their premises.
Privacy is a high priority for fitness centers, whose high profile clientele include celebrities and other prominent figures, a company spokesman explained.

Concerns over camera phones is also worrying businesses, as technical Companies fear corporate espionage.
However a banning strategy on Photo-phones may be an uphill fight, particularly with cameras and videos expected to be standard in half the cell phones available by 2008.

MORE on SECURITY

SAN FRANCISCO (Dec: 8th) - Automatic teller machines at two banks were infected by a computer virus in August, the maker of the machines admitted yesterday.
The ATM infections, first reported by SecurityFocus.com, are believed to be the first of a computer virus wiggling directly into cash machines.
An unknown number of ATMs were shut down during the spread of the so-called "Nachi" worm, said officials at Diebold Inc., which made the ATMs and refused to name the customers affected.
"It's a harbinger of things to come," said Bruce Schneier, chief technical officer of network monitoring firm, Counterpane Internet Security.

"Specific purpose machines, like microwave ovens and until now ATM machines, never got viruses," said Schneier, author of "Beyond Fear." "Now that they are using a general purpose operating system, Diebold should expect a lot more of this in the future."

***Microwave ovens???


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