This is an exciting and important development for the future of all virtual worlds being built using the Entropia Platform," commented MindArk CEO, Jan Welter Timkrans."Together with our partner planet owner companies we will be in a position to offer real bank services to the inhabitants of our virtual universe."
Entropia Universe acts as a platform from which partners can launch virtual worlds within, with the focus being on microtransactions and virtual currency monetisation.
Tracking GhostNet: investigating a cyber Espionage Network
Researchers at the Information Warfare Monitor uncovered a suspected cyber espionage network of over 1,295 infected hosts in 103 countries. This finding comes at the close of a 10-month investigation of alleged Chinese cyber spying against Tibetan institutions that consisted of fieldwork, technical scouting, and laboratory analysis.Close to 30% of the infected hosts are considered high-value and include computers located at ministries of foreign affairs, embassies, international organizations, news media, and NGOs. The investigation was able to conclude that Tibetan computer systems were compromised by multiple infections that gave attackers unprecedented access to potentially sensitive information, including documents from the private office of the Dalai Lama.
Chinese government denies everything
China, via the China Daily, quotes military and security analysts in denying the reports, claiming that they are an attempt to paint China as a threat and are in any case "exaggerated".
BT 21CN Network vulnerable to Chinese attack
Spy chiefs have reportedly briefed ministers that Huawei hardware bought by BT could be hijacked by China to cripple the UK's communications infrastructure.At a meeting in January, Alex Allan, chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, told the Home Secretary that while BT had taken steps to secure its network, "we believe that the mitigating measures are not effective against deliberate attack by China", the Sunday Times reports.
Huawei, led by former People's Liberation Army (PLA) research chief Ren Zhengfei, is a major supplier to BT's ongoing multi-billion-pound 21CN network upgrade. It will see all voice and data traffic carried by the same packet-switched equipment. In 2005 the Chinese firm won contracts to provide access nodes and optical equipment for the core of the new network.
I hereby declare HALTING STATE obsolete, eight years ahead of schedule!
My work here is done.