Ananova reports that record company bosses had to step up security on their websites after fans were able to hack into unreleased Freddie Mercury tracks and place them on the internet for free.

Two of America Online’s instant-messaging rivals asked federal
regulators on Tuesday to set several specific conditions before
approving the online giant’s takeover of Time Warner. From ZDCOUK.com.

Last week’s media reports of “the first wireless virus” are not as revolutionary as they might first appear, according to Russian anti-virus firm Kaspersky Lab and ComputerUser.com.

Insurance firms, says VNUnet, are hoping for a boom in business as companies scramble to protect themselves against the rise in computer crime.

Linux.com reports that the recent “CueCat” debacle (as publicized on Slashdot recently) has brought Intellectual Property (IP) issues back into the spotlight.

A new virus from the Czech Republic has anti-virus software makers rushing to analyze the ability of so-called “files streams” to infect PCs, reports ZDNet.

The ML-4500 is simple to install and is compatible with Windows 95/98/2000/NT4.0 and Linux support. It is also the smallest laser printer in its class and
requires very little desktop space. The toner and OPC imager are conveniently combined into a one-piece unit. From BusinessWire.com.

In this report by Bloomberg.com, Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s No. 4
chipmaker, said shortages in the $30-billion-a-year memory chip market are likely
to last for another two years.

PCWorld.com tells us: Hard drives are not only getting bigger, they’re getting
faster. This week, Seagate is rolling out the fourth
generation of its 7200-rotations-per-minute Barracuda
ATA (IDE) drives, claiming several improvements make
it the fastest-available ATA drive for desktop PCs.

The country’s tax system took its internet web site out of service for several hours on Tuesday after an attack by a hacker who claimed to be defending the country’s honor. From Salon.com.