Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest Issue No. 479
20-08-2009
by Deirdre McArdle
ISPs told to block access to Pirate Bay | Master hacker indicted in US
CAO offers highlight new trends
Following last week's Leaving Certificate results students around the country were this week waiting to see whether they had been accepted in their chosen third-level courses as the CAO offers came out. In a trend that will be broadly welcomed by the Government and industry groups, there was a surge in points required for science courses as a result of strong demand from students; first-preference applications for higher degree courses in science rose 28 percent on last year. Elsewhere, the ongoing weakness in the construction sector saw demand drop for courses such as civil engineering. However, John Power, director general of Engineers Ireland, welcomed the growing interest in other emerging sectors of engineering, including biopharmaceutical and environmental engineering. "It's encouraging that students are beginning to realise the career possibilities offered in new emerging sectors of the engineering profession. But we once again call for speedier reform at secondary school level to boost take-up of maths and science subjects that are fundamental to engineering," said Power. On Monday, some 17,000 Leaving Cert students accepted college places in eight hours of activity on the CAO website. A quick check of the site shows that there are places still vacant in a significant number of tech-related courses, such as: Software Development and Computer Networking in Cork Institute of Technology, Information and Communication Engineering in Dublin City University, and Digital Media Engineering, also in DCU.
Eircom ordered to cut line-share costs
The ongoing local loop unbundling (LLU) saga continued this week when communications regulator ComReg issued a direction to Eircom to reduce its line-share monthly pricing from EUR8.41 to EUR0.77. The line-share price refers to the fee Eircom charges competitors to access its phone lines. It enables other operators to offer consumers broadband services over the Eircom network, while Eircom can continue to offer voice services over the same line. This latest decision by the regulator to implement a price cut in the line-share cost goes significantly beyond its initial proposal made in March last year. At that stage, ComReg had proposed a price cut to EUR2.94 a month. However, the implementation of that reduction was postponed after Eircom launched a High Court appeal and ComReg then entered into a wide-ranging analysis of pricing options. ComReg arrived at the new price following this analysis. While Eircom proposed an alternative pricing model, ComReg said this model – Ramsey Pricing – was not a practical option and would not achieve its regulatory objectives, "namely compliance with the cost orientation obligation and protecting consumer welfare". BT Ireland CEO Chris Clark has welcomed the decision. Meanwhile, Mark Kellett, CEO of Magnet, while saying he welcomes any reduction, said the move was "two years too late and will not impact on the prices consumers pay for broadband". Eircom, which has one month to appeal the decision before it becomes binding, is currently reviewing ComReg's proposal.
ISPs told to block access to Pirate Bay
A new twist has emerged in the tale of the Big Four record companies versus the Irish Internet Service Providers (ISPs). On Wednesday, UPC Ireland said it had received a request from solicitors acting on behalf of the Irish divisions of EMI, Warner, Universal and Sony to block access to infamous torrent website The Pirate Bay. The request is separate to proceedings regarding implementation of a 'three strikes' ban on illegal file sharers. UPC has refused the request saying there is "no basis under Irish law requiring an ISP to block access to certain websites". The firm, which is the parent company of Chorus ntl, also said that if the record labels proceed with their threat of legal action if UPC fails to block access to Pirate Bay, it has "every intention of vigorously defending its position in court". BT Ireland has also reportedly refused a similar request from the record companies to block access to The Pirate Bay. This latest request is apparently further to an unopposed court action between the record companies and Eircom whereby Eircom was ordered to block access to The Pirate Bay beginning 1 September 2009. As it happens, The Pirate Bay is currently in the process of transferring to new owners who plan to make the site a legal paid-for service, which begs the question why the record companies have decided to take this action now.
Ryan primed to tackle cyber attacks
As we move towards the goal of becoming a 'smart economy' which relies heavily on technology and the internet, the Government has announced it is to develop a new Cyber Security Strategy for Ireland. (It's not clear if Ireland actually has an existing Cyber Security Strategy.) "We need to be alert to and prepared for attacks on the technology we rely on, which can disrupt our services or destroy our data," said Communications Minister Eamon Ryan, who has commissioned a report into Ireland's current state of readiness in the face of cyber attacks. Minister Ryan has also suggested that an organisation be developed to oversee the Government's response to cyber attacks – much like US President Barack Obama's plan to appoint a so-called "cyber czar" who would manage digital security policy in the States. In January Georgian government and media outlets were hit by a cyber attack, which shut down their websites, just as Russia launched military action against the country. Due to the increasing reliance on technology, cyber attacks have become a real threat to global economies. "Our technology infrastructure is of strategic national importance. This strategy will protect that infrastructure, maintaining our privacy and increasing our protection," said Minister Ryan. The report is the first step in the development of said strategy, which the minister advised will be finalised by the end of this year.
Master hacker indicted in US
Albert Gonzalez, a 28-year old who had once been an informant for the US Secret Service helping to track hackers, was indicted on Monday, along with two Russian accomplices, on charges that they carried out the largest hacking and identity theft caper in US history. Federal prosecutors alleged the three masterminded a global scheme to steal data from more than 130 million credit and debit cards by hacking into the computer systems of five major companies, including Hannaford Bros supermarkets, 7-Eleven and Heartland Payment Systems, a credit-card processing company. It's alleged that the trio aimed to sell the data on. If convicted, Gonzalez faces up to 20 years in jail for wire fraud and five years for conspiracy. The 28-year-old is also currently in custody on separate charges of hacking into the computer systems of a national restaurant chain and eight major retailers, including TJ Maxx, involving the theft of data related to 45.6 million credit cards back in 2007. Gonzalez is scheduled to go on trial for these charges in 2010.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 