Fighting malware and spam
AV protection free for aliens
Klingon language scanner given away.
After last summer saw malware making its way into space, it seemed like only a matter of time before alien races would need protection from the digital contagions infesting our planet, and security firm Sophos has stepped up to fill the gap. A version of the company's 'Threat Detection Test', a standalone scanner, has been translated into Klingon.
The artificial language, created for the cult TV leviathan Star Trek and enjoying lasting popularity with sci-fi and language geeks alike, has a full range of vocabulary and grammar, allowing Sophos's crew to translate their interface. The full character set does not come as standard with Windows (although a fully Klingon edition of Ubuntu Linux is available), so simple transliteration is used instead.
The stunt has attracted wide attention, partly thanks to an apparently unintentional early release on an unfinished web page complete with Trek-fan comments in the page source, with news reports, blogs and comments springing up across the web, linking to various aliases of the download site. More details from Sophos's Graham Cluley are here.
20 May 2009
Tags:
free av, language, sophos.
del.icio.us 
digg this
4 comments
I think the words "LOL" says it all.
Whats next? Vulcan?
by Aaron, 21 May 2009, 15:01
Yes, this is a stunt.
The only artificial language which has succeeded in becoming widely used is Esperantoo.
by Bill Chapman, 21 May 2009, 15:01
check this new version - they've added cool stuff on this webpage http:www.sophos.com/Qapla
by pooHu, 21 May 2009, 15:09
I would have rather preferred an elfic version using the complex and very accurate syntax/grammar developped/created by Tolkien ...
Beauty vs Beast. Evil won this time...
by Jean Pierre R. COMPAIN, 12 June 2009, 08:23
Leave a comment
September issue of VB published
The September issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
08 September 2010
ARF published as IETF standard
Abuse report format helps auto-handling of email complaints
02 September 2010
Microsoft releases new fix for DLL vulnerability
Earlier workaround believed to be too complex for most users.
01 September 2010
Malicious tweets link to fake TweetDeck update
Twitter resets passwords for accounts that appear to have been hacked.
01 September 2010
94% of Internet users befriend unknown 'good-looking woman'
Sensitiva data shared after two-hour chat. (1 comment)
31 August 2010
Quick Links
 |
 |
 |
Poll
When do you install software updates?Leave a comment
View 12 comments
5 hours ago
10 hours ago
VB100 certification
With another epic haul of 54 products to test this month, the VB test team could
have done without the bad behaviour of a number of products: terrible product
design, lack of accountability for activities, blatant false alarms in major
software, numerous problems detecting the WildList set, and some horrendous
instability under pressure. Happily, there were also some good performances to
balance things out. John Hawes has the details.
See full results.
Virus Bulletin currently has 208,638 registered users.