Security vendors warn image spammers are increasingly using PDF files to bypass spam filters. Researchers at BorderWare Technologies, based in Toronto, reported that on any given day more than 30 image spam campaigns are being run, with more than half of those being PDF-based.

The findings come as a number of vendors have reported that the amount of image spam has declined in favor of PDF spam. A Commtouch report for the second quarter of the year found that image spam had dropped to less than 15 percent of all spam, compared with 30 percent in the first quarter of 2007.

Deep Freeze system consistency software, popular in Windows and Mac settings, is now available for Linux desktops. "Deep Freeze Linux" is said to reset a Linux workstation’s boot process to a pristine state, enabling successive users to avoid misconfiguration by previous users of the computer.

The software is currently aimed at Novell’s SLED (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop). However, Dmitry Shesterin, marketing manager for Faronics, told DesktopLinux.com that the company is "looking at other distributions and will make future announcements."

Paul Horn, who led IBM’s research division for more than decade, is stepping down to pursue a career in academics at New York University, the Armonk, N.Y. company announced July 17.

Horn, 60, took the helm of IBM Research in 1996, and helped develop and oversee several major projects for IBM, including its Deep Blue and Blue Gene supercomputers. John Kelly has been tapped to lead the research division and will continue to head IBM’s intellectual property division.

In a memo sent to IBM employees July 17, Executive Vice President Nick Donofrio wrote that Horn’s 28-year career at IBM saw the company greatly expand its research and development capabilities, while bringing new products, from supercomputers to copper chips, to the market.

Two-thirds of respondents to a recent survey mentioned missing email as a fear. Other nightmares for traveling executives include traffic problems, drained mobile phone batteries, IT breakdowns and even finding a stain on their tie when meeting clients.

More than half of the 511 workers surveyed by the U.K.’s BT Openzone said the amount of time they need to spend out of the office has increased over the past two years. And when asked what their greatest concern would be when out of contact with the office, 42 percent said it would be that they wouldn’t be able to carry on working while on the move.

At the beginning of July, the new Seven Wonders of the World were announced. The new wonders were selected in a worldwide poll conducted by the Swiss-based nonprofit NewOpenWorld Foundation, which claims that more than 100 million votes were received.

So what are the Seven Wonders of the Modern Computing World? The UNIVAC? Unix? The x86 processor? The Apple II? Google? The iPhone?

What are your picks for the Seven Wonders of the Modern Computing World? Comment here. Extra credit if you explain why your pick deserves to be on the list.

Dell plans to acquire SilverBack Technologies, one of a handful of leading managed service platform companies offering IT monitoring and management services through resellers, the company announced today.

The move comes two months after the PC maker, which built its business on direct sales of PCs to customers, announced that it would create a formal channel program. The channel program announcement followed declining market share for the company as well as rampant reports of poor customer service and support.

Mozilla’s Web browser, Firefox, has gained on average an extra 3.1% of the market in 32 European countries in the past four months, according to French Web-monitoring company XiTi Monitor.

Since its launch, Firefox has been steadily gaining market share from the dominant browser, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. In the first week of July 2006, Firefox had 21.1% of the market. In the first week of July 2007, Firefox held 27.8% of the European market, according to XiTi Monitor’s report.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center is warning of fraudulent emails that appear to come from the FBI and U.S. military. "The IC3 has increasingly received intelligence of fraudulent schemes misrepresenting the FBI and/or Director Robert S. Mueller III," the center said in an alert published Tuesday. "The fraudulent emails give the appearance of legitimacy due to the usage of pictures of the FBI Director, seal, letterhead, and/or banners."

The spam is actually pumping lotteries or are phony inheritance notifications, the IC3 said. Other scams use the FBI’s name to "intimidate and convince the recipient the email is legitimate," the IC3 said. Criminals have used the agency’s name in extortion emails and online auction scams as well.

The IC3 is a clearinghouse for complaints of criminal activity on the Internet. Run jointly by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, it works with other law enforcement agencies and industries to help crack down on illegal online activity.

Building IBM Lotus Sametime on top of IBM Lotus Expeditor lets you use Eclipse as a Plug-in Development Environment to extend Lotus Sametime’s functionality. In this final article of the series, you learn how to bundle your plug-in into a feature project and an Eclipse update site.

Hackers stole information from the Department of Transportation and several U.S. corporations by seducing employees with fake job-listings on ads and email, a computer security firm said on Monday.

The list of victims included several companies known for providing security services to government agencies.

They include consulting firm Booz Allen, computer services company Unisys Corp., defense contractor L-3 communications, computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. and satellite network provider Hughes Network Systems, a unit of Hughes Communications Inc., said Mel Morris, chief executive of British Internet security provider Prevx Ltd.

Hewlett-Packard declined comment, while officials with other companies couldn’t be reached for comment. A Department of Transportation spokeswoman said the agency couldn’t find any indication of a security breach.