Science News Archive

Another Major Breach in Internet Security

A security hole has been discovered in one of the world's most popular file-swapping programs which allows anyone to gain private information about its millions of users. Using the Morpheus file-sharing program, people can swap music, videos or movies with other users of the software. But, security experts have found a way to gain access to the computer hard drives of users of Morpheus, which has taken over from Napster as the leading internet song-swapping service. It means that the personal details, such as bank account numbers, of up to two million people are exposed to prying eyes. The security of the internet has always been a huge issue, and with so many people using the internet now for banking and shopping, it may be that we have invested a lot of faith in something incorrectly.

17th Feb 2002