The Weekly Round-Up: 22.06.07

Good news for all would-be cyber criminals: nearly half the people in the UK don't know what a phishing email is.

"Happy days, comrades."

In fact, as good news goes, from the criminals' point of view at least, this would be right up there with research revealing 50 per cent of supermodels don't know they could do better than a pretty average-looking IT journalist.

Because this shocking statistic of course means there is a still a huge untapped market for scammers to target with their cleverly crafted (and sometimes not so cleverly crafted) emails.

Or to look at it from a more socially responsible perspective this means we all have a lot more educating to do.

So in case this worrying demographic includes you, listen up. Phishing involves the sending of fraudulent emails which ape the branding of well known companies - most commonly eBay, PayPal and a number of leading banks - with the intention of tricking recipients into divulging sensitive personal data such as bank account details.

Michael Barrett, chief information security officer of PayPal (among the brands worst hit by phishing attacks and the company behind the research), said: "Phishing emails are designed to target vulnerable people who perhaps do not know very much about using the internet." (Such as magazine publishers and the Round-Up's gran, perhaps?)

Barrett added: "The good news is that just two per cent of people in the UK have fallen for these scams."

That's 'good news' in the loosest sense if you happen to be among the two per cent of people who have fallen victim to a phishing scam.

Speaking of security... a hacker going by the name 'Gabriel' (though he's no angel) is claiming to have hacked into computers owned by publishing giant Bloomsbury.

Worse still for the publishing house, he is claiming to have obtained a manuscript of the final instalment of the Harry Potter saga, called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which is due to hit the shops in a matter of weeks.

And even worse still, Gabriel has posted online details which he said would spoil the ending for the millions of Harry Potter fans, the cad.

Of course, Gabriel could just be 'full of it'. Only him and Bloomsbury - who didn't comment when questioned by silicon.com - really know whether he has the genuine article or whether he's just making it up.

"And with that Harry and Ron eloped and married in a civil ceremony while Hogwarts was sold to property developers to be turned into luxury flats..."

See it's easy to make this stuff up (though apologies if those story lines really do happen).

That said the Round-Up thinks it is pretty easy to guess how the whole thing is going to end anyway - author JK Rowling will get even richer despite the quality of the books going downhill faster than a skier with the runs ever since the fourth book was published.

You can take that prediction to Gringotts bank, you muggles, because it's solid gold.

And you can have your say in this week's Harry Potter-themed Caption Competition.

This week the silicon.com team have mainly been signing up to Facebook and frankly it's genius. Tune in to this week's podcast to find out why.

And speaking of social networking websites, something truly alarming was brought to the Round-Up's attention this week. It's called Friends Remembered... and frankly the Round-Up is scratching its head over this one trying to fathom whether it's an elaborate joke or not.

The premise is simple: it's social networking from beyond the grave.

The team behind the launch are so 'with it' in this time of web 2.0 that they posted a printed press release to the silicon.com office. Fortunately unlike most snail mail it wasn't redirected straight to the recycling bin.

Users of the site will be able, for a modest £15-per-year fee, to post memories of loved ones no longer with us.

Others will then be able to read and reminisce too.

It's not so much Facebook, more OpenCasketBook.

The 'news hook' this ill-considered website is exploiting for its launch is the tenth anniversary of the death of Princess Diana (the 'Queen of all our hearts'). Visitors are being urged to log on and leave their tributes to the great lady.

Also moving on, though not exactly shuffling off this mortal coil, is Richard Granger, the NHS IT chief, who this week announced his plans to shed the poisoned chalice of modernising the health sector's IT.

As the Round-Up's taxi driver said on Wednesday evening: "That whole NHS thing's one big bloody joke... it's costing an absolute fortune."

When Granger eventually steps down later this year he will leave behind a legacy of outspoken leadership and some memorable quotes.

For example: "One of the things I find repugnant is this continuous charge of secrecy. I don't know any public sector programme that has been as open as us."

For the record, it took silicon.com far more than the usual 20 working days to get an answer out of the Department for Health regarding Richard Granger's salary, using the Freedom of Information Act.

The Department of Health wrote at the time: "We believe full disclosure of Mr Granger's salary, bonus and expenses could put the Department in breach of its obligation to respect Mr Granger's rights under the Data Protection Act 1998."

Which is funny, because the Information Commissioner, the UK's data protection watchdog, had previously stated that expenses incurred in the course of official business and salary details of senior public officials could be released under the FoI Act without breaching an individual's rights under the DPA.

We got there in the end though and for the record, Granger was on a tidy £280,000 per year.

Other memorable quotes included this worrying little gem: "Tens of thousands of people every year have adverse clinical effects as a consequence of keystroke error. This is killing thousands of people every year in this country. We have this target about electronic prescriptions. Maybe we should have a target about how many people didn't get killed."

Would seem like a good plan.

The first seeds of Granger's departure were perhaps sown during an interview with silicon.com in 2006 when the effusive Granger told us: "I have worked 60 to 80 hours most weeks for fast approaching four years. I haven't seen my wife and I have three children whom I hardly ever see," he said, adding, "There will come a time where the job is better done by somebody else."

And, if you think about it, given those hours and all the attendant pressures of the position, the Round-Up wonders how he had the stamina to keep plugging away for so long.

Also possibly contemplating a change of career this week is Carphone Warehouse salesman Paul Potts (not to be confused with Pol Pot, the former head of the Khmer Rouge).

Potts, in case you've been living in a cave, won a TV talent competition this week and claimed the dubious honour of singing for HRH the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance. So well done to him.

However, when the world of professional opera turns Potts' head, the poor old, slightly anachronistic* Carphone Warehouse may have to find a new salesman for its Bridgend store in Wales.

(*Seriously, when was the last time you ever saw a car phone, let alone bought one?)

And finally, if there's one thing which brings enlightened views to the fore in the IT business, it's talk such as that seen in last week's Round-Up of sexism.

Last week the Round-Up reported on recent research which found women are struggling to get taken seriously at the interview stage for IT jobs.

In response to which, one silicon.com reader wrote in to add his two-penneth.

"I can understand not being taken seriously but hired is another matter," wrote the reader. Let's call him Doug.

We'll spare you some of the details but Doug then went on to detail industry meetings where "every IT firm would trot out at least one person we generally referred to as the 'eye-candy'".

He then went on to explain how only one company ever eschewed sending in the 'eye candy' in favour of "someone that looked like she ran for the Birmingham City Council on the Lib-Dem ticket".

All that was missing from Doug's email at this stage was a 'nudge nudge, wink wink... if you know what I mean squire' (though we're really not sure we do).

Although we pretty much wish he hadn't, Doug continued: "When we were looking for smaller players, the 'pickings' weren't as good, but they generally tried. I suspect they tarted-up the receptionist and had her come along."

He concluded: "Therefore, I find it hard to believe that women would find it difficult to get jobs in the IT sector in the UK."

As long as they are 'eye-candy', of course.

So come on girls, what are you waiting for? Raise those hemlines, lower those neck lines, doll yourself up (right-pretty-like) and you might just land a job based solely on your looks.

Shoot for the stars ladies, shoot for the stars.

Before the Round-Up signs off, don't forget to take part in this week's Caption Competition featuring Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

Congratulations are in order for Kate Etherton who won last week's competition.

And get even more Round-Up in this week's podcast.