Technology Briefs - July 29 - Aug. 5
The Latest Headlines:
- TMI Launches New Job Application Service
- Germany Delays Satellite-Based Toll System
- Government Warns of Internet Hacker Attacks
- Experts: Handheld Computers Easy to Hack
- Germany Delays Satellite-Based Toll System
TMI Launches New Job Application Service
TMI, a service provider to the trucking industry, said Monday it had launched its TripPak EZ-App job application service.The new service allows individuals to get their qualifications to trucking fleet representatives faster than ever before.
The company said in a release that drivers will be able to find TripPak EZ-App forms in industry publications and fleet recruiting packages. Completed application forms could be dropped into a TripPak Express box or submitted through TripPak Scanning stations located at many truck stops.
Germany Delays Satellite-Based Toll System
Germany has delayed implementing a satellite-based highway toll system by as much as two months from the Aug. 31 startup date because of technical hitches, Bloomberg reported citing a German television report.Known as "Toll Collect," the joint venture of DaimlerChrysler AG and Deutsche Telekom AG had planned to equip 150,000 trucks with toll-recording equipment by the end of August and another 350,000 by the end of the year.
When in service, the toll will force truckers to pay an average of 22 cents per mile when traveling on freeways.
The delay will cost the government more than $400 million in toll fees, Bloomberg said. Transport Topics
Government Warns of Internet Hacker Attacks
Government and industry experts consider recent hacker activity a precursor to a broad Internet attack that would target enormous numbers of computers vulnerable from a flaw in Windows software from Microsoft Corp., the Associated Press reported.An alert distributed Thursday among U.S. government agencies warned of "widespread scanning and exploitation" of victim computers by hackers who were developing "improved and automated exploit tools."
pplying Microsoft's repairing patch takes a few moments for home users but is a more daunting challenge for large corporations with tens of thousands of Windows computers.
Depending on the hackers' designs, attack tools could be engineered to disrupt Internet traffic by clogging data pipelines, deleting important files or stealing sensitive documents. Transport Topics
Experts: Handheld Computers Easy to Hack
Handheld computers used to store phone numbers and credit card information can easily be hacked, leading to identity-theft and other crimes, Reuters reported.Experts said at a computer security conference in Las Vegas that software is now widely available to allow people to steal passwords and other information from popular Palm-based computers, especially when they connect to other computers to share data, Reuters said.
Although millions of people now rely on handy electronic scheduling and address books, few carry sufficient security protections to prevent identity theft if it is lost or stolen, Reuters said. Transport Topics
