LONDON (Reuters) - Researchers from Cambridge University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) warned on Thursday that Internet calling applications like Skype may provide the ideal disguise for hacker attacks.

The Communications Research Network (CRN) of both renowned universities said no attacks had yet been recognized, but “it is only a matter of time before the technique becomes mainstream.”

It had discussed the matter with Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) firms like Skype, it said in a statement.

Luxembourg-headquartered Skype, which has been downloaded on 242 million computers around the world and was acquired by eBay last year, was not immediately available to comment. Cambridge University is based in Britain and MIT in the United States.

The CRN’s working group on Internet Security said it had discovered that VOIP applications could provide excellent cover for launching denial of service attacks.

In such attacks computers are being hijacked by hackers and turned into so-called “zombies” in order to bombard a Web site or e-mail server with page requests or e-mails. The aim of the attack is that the site or entire network collapses under the pressure.

VOIP programs are popular among consumers because they allow free or ultra-cheap phone calls across the globe.

VOIP cuts a voice conversation into digital bits and hackers can use those data streams for cover, making it almost impossible to trace the source of an attack.

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Worldwide Broadband Survey - US Broadband Penetration Breaks 65% Among Active Internet Users - January 2006 Bandwidth Report

At its current growth rate of over 90% per year, China will pass the US in total broadband subscribers by late 2006 to become the largest broadband country in the world. The US has fallen to 19th overall in household broadband penetration, and is in danger of being passed by Slovenia in early 2007. Israel leads all Middle Eastern and African countries, and is the third country overall in broadband penetration. Hong Kong leads the Pacific Rim, with a broadband penetration rate of over 73%. Meanwhile, in December 2005 the US passed 65% in broadband penetration among active Internet users.

China will pass US in Broadband Subscribers by late 2006

The US leads all countries with 42,172,000 total broadband subscribers (29.08% yearly growth), followed by China (28,182,000 subscribers), and Japan (21,056,000 subscribers). However, at its current growth rate of over 90% a year, China should overtake the US in total broadband subcribers by the end of 2006 (see Figure 1). China has a long way to go to match its neighbors in broadband penetration, however. China has a household penetration rate of 8.62% while the overall broadband penetration rate in Hong Kong is over 73%, South Korea is over 67%, and the US is 33.09%, as of Q3 2005.

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A few weeks after Mayor of Paris decided that the city needed a fiber network for universal Internet access, the city of Vienna (Austria) has announced similar plans, according to Heise.de, a German tech news publication. The city will try and get fiber connections to about 960,000 households, and hopes that the work for first 50,000 home pilot will start in February, with likely connections by this summer. The city is said to be in talks with real estate owners, the report says. The network which will be IPv6 ready will be looking to provide one gigabit per second connections. This is a trend started by folks in Amsterdam, and is clearly gaining momentum across Europe. (Hat Tip, Dirk!)

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BROOMFIELD, Colo., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: LVLT) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire all of the membership interests of Progress Telecom LLC, a regional wholesale network services company based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Progress Telecom, LLC is jointly owned by Progress Energy, Inc. (NYSE: PGN) and Odyssey Telecorp, Inc.

Under the terms of the agreement, Level 3 expects to pay total consideration of $137 million, consisting of $68.5 million in unregistered shares of Level 3 Common Stock and $68.5 million in cash. The number of shares to be delivered will be determined immediately prior to closing. Progress Telecom’s network spans 9,000 miles, includes 29 metro networks and connects to international cable landings in South Florida and 31 mobile switching centers in the southeast. Progress Telecom serves approximately 200 customers with a significant concentration of international and wireless carrier customers.

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HOLMDEL, N.J., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ — Vonage Marketing, a subsidiary of Vonage Holdings Corp., a leading provider of broadband phone service, today announced the availability of Virtual Numbers with area codes from Austria, France, Ireland, Italy and Spain. European friends, family and business associates residing and working within these nations can now call U.S.-based Vonage customers for the price of a local call.
Vonage Virtual Phone Numbers are inexpensive secondary numbers that ring to your primary Vonage line. These numbers are available to Vonage subscribers in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. for $9.99 USD, $11.99 CAD and pounds Sterling 5.99 GBP per month respectively. These numbers receive incoming calls only. U.S.-based customers can select Western European numbers, allowing their friends, family and business associates the ability to dial them locally.

“Whether you live in Vienna, Dublin, Paris, Madrid or Rome, Vonage now allows you to call the U.S. for the price of a local call,” said Michael Tribolet, president of Vonage America. “More importantly, this is a tremendous gain for the broadband telephony industry, as Vonage is making the world smaller. We are now able to bring friends, families and business associates from around the globe closer together.”

Vonage now offers Virtual Numbers from nations on the below list.

COUNTRY CITY COUNTRY CODE
Austria Vienna 43
Austria Salzburg 43
France Paris 33
France Marseille 33
France Lyon 33
France Toulouse 33
France Lille 33
France Aix en Provence 33
France Grenoble 33
France Nice 33
France Cannes 33
France Nantes 33
France Rouen 33
Ireland Dublin 353
Italy Milan 39
Italy Rome 39
Italy Turin 39
Italy Naples 39
Italy Florence 39
Italy Bologna 39
Spain Barcelona 34
Spain Madrid 34
Spain Valencia 34
Spain Malaga 34
Spain Cadiz 34
Spain Bilbao 34
Spain Santander 34

About Vonage®

Vonage is a pioneer in the broadband phone industry, setting the standard for pricing, features, call quality and reliability for the entire VoIP category. Vonage’s award winning service is sold on the web and through national retailers like SAM’s Club, RadioShack, Best Buy, Circuit City, Staples, Fry’s Electronics, Office Depot and CompUSA. Vonage Holdings Corporation is headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey. For more information about Vonage’s products and services, please visit http://www.vonage.com or call 1-VONAGE-HELP. Vonage® is a trademark of Vonage Marketing, a subsidiary of Vonage Holdings Corp.

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