Industry news

New defence against internet worms developed

Scientists in the US have developed a new defence to protect computer systems and networks from attacks by internet worms, it has been reported.

A tool created by researchers from Ohio State University is able to detect when a computer network has been infiltrated by a malicious code by monitoring the number of internet addresses scanned by a network, according to United Press International.

Ness Shroff, networking and communications scholar at the academic institution, said: "These worms spread very quickly. They flood the net with junk traffic, and at their most benign, they overload computer networks and shut them down."

It is believed one such virus known as Code Red infected over 350,000 machines in 14 hours, she added.

Meanwhile, it was reported by PC Pro that Hewlett-Packard launched a new TouchSmart PC range this week.

The firm's second-generation touchscreen models have bigger screens and twice the amount of memory.