The massive cyberattack first noted by Google and apparently carried out on more than 30 major companies’ computer networks dominated tech news this week, while the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti’s capital and its surroundings dominated world news overall, leading to the largest-ever outpouring of financial donations via mobile text messages and the Internet.
1. Google attack part of widespread spying effort, Microsoft confirms IE zero-day behind Google attack, Juniper, Symantec investigating after Google attack and Alleged cyberattacks could test U.S. cybersecurity policy: The fallout continues, and undoubtedly will for months to come, from cyber-espionage that appears to have originated in China and may involve the government there. Computer networks of dozens of major companies have been infiltrated, with Google first going public about the cyberattacks, saying it will no longer bow to demands of the Chinese government and censor search results there and may pull out of operations in the country. Huge though the news of the spying may be, it did not seem to come as much of a surprise.
2. Why the IE-Google incident should worry you: While security experts have been warning about cyber-espionage on the part of China for a long time now, the fact that the hackers appear to have exploited a known, unpatched vulnerability in Internet Explorer needs to be a wake-up call — once and for all — says CSO senior editor Bill Brenner.
3. Haiti relief: How to use tech to make a speedy donation, Text-to-donate collects millions for Haiti relief, Google Earth reveals the devastation in Haiti and FBI warns of bogus Haiti online donation scams: Haiti was hit by a 7.0 earthquake that leveled most of Port-au-Prince and its surroundings, devastating the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, which lacked building codes sufficient to withstand even a much smaller temblor. Photographs and reports of the damage and consequent suffering led to an enormous global response, with millions of dollars in donations coming in via text messages to relief organizations and over their Web sites. As usual, the jerks also came out of the woodwork to set up fake donation sites.
4. Update: SAP reverses decision, shakes up support structure and SAP’s tough choice: maintenance revenues or happy customers?: In a surprise move, SAP reversed course and said that it will offer customers a choice of application support tiers. As CIO’s Thomas Wailgum points out, SAP had to weigh its desire for maintenance revenue against the unhappiness of customers who didn’t care for its plan to move them to a more expensive support pricing structure.
5. Lotus prepping a deep, broad cloud strategy: Lotus is going to unveil its plans for a long-ranging cloud strategy that covers its entire software portfolio at its annual Lotusphere conference next week. The company will also show off Notes 9.
6. Nexus One complaints mount, honeymoon is over and Google T-Mobile respond to Nexus One complaints: Nexus One is turning into a bit of a bust for Google.
7. Conficker worm hasn’t gone away, Akamai says: The Conficker worm is still with us and as nasty as ever.
8. Apple tablet ‘indirectly confirmed’ by lawyer letter and Apple’s mythical tablet: the text’s the thing: This week’s edition of Apple tablet news comes to us courtesy of Valleywag, the Silicon Valley gossip site whose attempts to draw out information on the new Apple device led a company lawyer to write a testy letter to the site, which contends that the missive is the best evidence yet that the tablet really does exist. Meanwhile, Macworld’s Dan Moren has his own ideas about the tablet.
9. Half of employers check Facebook and Six personal branding mistakes that can threaten your job search: Just over half of U.K. employers check out prospective employees at social-networking sites such as Facebook. We’re surprised that the figure is not a lot higher than 53 percent, actually. Even so, given how easy it is to find information at such sites and the role that they can play in helping us to create our own “brands,” CIO’s Meredith Levinson offers tips on how to avoid making branding mistakes that could derail a successful job search.
10. IT firms promote interactive digital signs at retail show: Major IT vendors showed off attention-grabbing digital-sign prototypes and announced related initiatives at the National Retail Federation conference in New York. As if we need anything else to lure us into stores …