FRAMINGHAM (07/21/2000) - Utility in Web GaffeU.K. utilities provider Powergen PLC this week said it had suffered a breach in security that caused sensitive information about its customers to be displayed on its Web site. A technical error resulted in customers' names and credit-card numbers being published on Powergen's Web site, the company said in a written statement. The company immediately took down the Web site when it was informed of the problem by a customer. The online transaction site remained closedafter the incident, which the provider blamed on an error thatleft the file holding customer information "temporarily outside of the security gate of the system."
Jobs Unveils G4 Cubes
It's a tradition for Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs to spring some of the company's biggest product announcements during Macworld, and this week was no exception. Not only did Jobs announce dual-processor Power Mac G4s and a new series of iMacs, but he also unveiled an Apple first: a desktop machine in the form of an 8-in. cube, dubbed the Power Mac G4 Cube, which will be available next month.
NYSE to Offer Live Stock Data
The New York Stock Exchange later this summer will launch an investor center on its NYSE.com Web site that will offer free real-time stock quotes. Currently, it offers only 20-minute delayed data for free; customers and brokers have to payto receive real-time quotes. The Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. is also expected to announce free real-time quotes in the next few weeks.
Samsung Sings E-Procurement Song
Samsung America Inc., a chemical, metals and textiles company in Ridgefield Park, N.J., is implementing e-procurement software from Burlington, Mass.-based Emptoris Inc. The Web-based software will be used by Samsung's commodity traders who are buying and selling at Internet marketplaces.