Broadband subscriber growth started to slow in 2005, according to a new study from Kagan Research. The Monterey, Calif.-based research firm forecasts 9.3 million net new broadband subscribers in 2005–down from the 9.5 million in 2004. That figure is seen dropping off to 8.1 million net new users in 2006 with continued decreases thereafter. For 2009, Kagan forecasts 5.6 million net new broadband subscribers for a total of 72.4 million.

Symantec has quietly raised renewal prices for its Norton antivirus and other products, a move some see as a parting shot before Microsoft enters the consumer security fray next year. On Monday, the security software giant raised the prices Norton users pay for another year of updates to their installed products by as much as 33 percent. The updates include traditional virus signatures and product enhancements, which are a new feature and part of Symantec’s move to a subscription model.

IBM said on Wednesday that it has donated code and documentation on how to organize software development projects to the Eclipse open-source foundation. The material will form the basis for a proposed open-source project, called Project Beacon, which will be voted on within coming months, according to IBM. About 15 organizations, including commercial software companies and consulting firms, said they intend to use the software.

The police should talk more to security companies that gather vast amounts of data on the activities and whereabouts of hackers and virus writers, a security expert urged. Peter Tippett, chief technology officer at Cybertrust, said that information provided by the security company led to the successful arrests of the writers of the Melissa and Kournikova viruses, yet he says the police still rarely ask him for intelligence.

Software developers should be held personally accountable for the security of the code they write, said Howard Schmidt, a former White House cybersecurity adviser. Speaking Tuesday at the SecureLondon 2005 conference, Schmidt, who is now CEO of R&H Security Consulting, also called for better training for software developers. He said he believes that many developers don’t have the skills needed to write secure code.

T-Mobile USA and Research In Motion announced the availability of the new BlackBerry 7105t together with a new BlackBerry Internet Email service for Yahoo! Mail users. Whether in a meeting or out on the road, this new BlackBerry device and service offers an unmatched email experience, providing busy professionals with the freedom to easily manage both corporate and personal messages, while on the go.

Microsoft is set to enter the security arena next year, but Symantec won’t compete by complaining to antitrust regulators or suing the software giant. "We’re not looking to go whining to the EU or the DOJ for anything," Symantec Chief Executive Officer John Thompson said Tuesday, referring to the European Union and the U.S. Department of Justice. Thompson was responding to questions from reporters after an event at the Commonwealth Club.

To many, the name Kevin Mitnick is synonymous with hacking, the cinematic sort where a snot-nosed kid thumbs his nose at authority. But, Mitnick says, the characterization is a bit overdone and the legend untrue, if not libelous. It is true, he says, that he broke into corporate computer systems and stole source code to satisfy his curiosity, but he denies the stories that he hacked into NORAD–North American Aerospace Defense Command–or that he wiretapped the FBI.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fending off charges of responding sluggishly to a disaster. Is the cybersecurity division next? Like FEMA, the U.S. government’s cybersecurity functions were centralized under the Department of Homeland Security during the vast reshuffling that cobbled together 22 federal agencies three years ago. Government auditors have been saying that Homeland Security has failed to live up to its cybersecurity responsibilities and may be "unprepared" for emergencies.

Citrix Systems, at its iForum Global 2005 user conference, polished up a pair of recent acquisitions in the application acceleration and security space. Citrix announced a new version of the NetScaler application delivery product, acquired in June, that is geared specifically for small- and midsize enterprises. The company also launched a new release of its Citrix Access Gateway SSL VPN offering acquired late last year with Net6.