Government Warns of Mass Hacker Attacks

A coordinated hacking contest set for Sunday, July 6th, have some government agencies and security experts issuing warnings. The hacking contest organizers award points based on skill and speed and apparently feel hacking the Windows operating system is too trivial to be worth much. Microsoft Windows OS hackers will receive only a single point, whereas the presumably more secure HP-UX and Macintosh OS will garner up to 5 points. Average users have little to fear from such contests, but the publicity surrounding it could cause copycats to unleash malicious code. Computer Safety Tips outlines a few simple steps that can provide a good measure of security to home users.