Dear Readers,
I read recently that cellphones are not uncommon in Africa, and
companies are developing affordable versions for that continent. Only
20 years ago two thirds of the planet's population had never placed a
phone call. This tremendous change means, I believe, that within
25 years, everyone on the planet will be carrying a computing device
connected to the Internet. From this I conclude that investment in
battery technology is a good idea, but I also wonder if information
Armageddon is only a button tap away. This month's trio of news articles
about malware show how vulnerable we are to malware; other mainstream
news stories show how vulnerable we are to the rapid spread of ideas.
Those researchers looking to make a difference in the security of computing devices will know that this is the time of year to consider submitting a paper to the Security and Privacy Symposium. The deadline is November 14, and the CFP in this issue of Cipher explains the kinds of papers sought by the prestigious program committee.
Richard Austin weighs in with a review of a timely book about securing virtual environments for enterprises. Sadly, we are learning that even clouds are subject to corruption!