Hackers have released source code that allows the “backup” of RFID-protected passports, although the tool can potentially be used to create fake or cloned documents.

The Hacker’s Choice, a non-commercial group of computer security experts, has released a video showing a cloned passport being approved by a security scanner at a Dutch airport. When the reader scans the passport it is revealed to belong to one Elvis Aaron Presley, complete with picture.

A blog post on the site explains that the “attack makes it possible to copy, forge and modify the data so that it is still accepted as a genuine valid passport by the terminal.”

However, the scanner is not the same type used at actual border controls, so it is unclear whether this tool could actually be used to fool passport control security checks.

XRumer is a Windows program that posts forum, blog, private message, and guestbook spam with the aim of boosting search engine rankings. It is able to bypass techniques commonly used by many websites to deter automated spam, such as account registration, CAPTCHAs, and e-mail activation before posting, however the older versions still had trouble with ‘fancier’ CAPTCHA. Not anymore.

This time those evil Russian bastards have not only managed to crack Googles captcha, but they’ve also figure out how to beat those horrible ‘click on the cutest cat’ style CAPTCHA tests.

A Canadian researcher has discovered that a Chinese version of eBay Inc.’s Skype communications software snoops on text chats that contain certain keywords, including “democracy.”

The revelation is not only of interest to rights groups that monitor Internet censorship. The discovery also likely intrigues law enforcement and intelligence agencies in other countries, because they have been bothered by the growing use of Skype, which claims 338 million users across the world.

By its very nature, Skype is difficult to wiretap. Skype routes calls and chats between computers over the Internet, avoiding traditional phone networks. And the contents are supposedly encrypted, raising concerns in law enforcement that Skype could let criminals communicate without fear of eavesdropping.

The software is distributed by Skype’s Chinese partner, Tom Online Inc. Skype has acknowledged since 2006 that this version looks for certain sensitive words in text chats, and blocks those messages from reaching their destination. The issue appears only to affect people using the Chinese software.

What Villeneuve found was that the Tom-Skype program also passes the messages caught by the filter to a cluster of servers on Tom’s network. Because of poor security on those servers, he was able to retrieve more than a million stored messages. The filter appears to look for words like “Tibet,” “democracy” and “milk powder” — China is in the throes of a food scandal involving tainted milk.

This directly contradicts a blog posting on Skype’s Web site, which says that the software discards the filtered messages, and neither displays nor transmits them anywhere.

The federal Copyright Royalty Board on Thursday left the royalty that songwriters receive on sales of CDs and digital downloads at 9.1 cents per song for the next five years.

Both songwriters and music sellers applauded the ruling — but for different reasons. Apple Inc., which had threatened to shutter its iTunes store if the rate increased, appeared to have scored a clear win.

“We’re pleased with the CRB’s decision to keep royalty rates stable,” Tom Neumayr, an Apple Inc. spokesman.

The Recording Industry Association of America, representing record labels, was pleased that the rate was frozen for the first time since 1977, meaning that if song prices increase, royalties will make up a falling percentage of the companies’ costs.

“No party got everything it wanted, yet at the end of the day, the certainty provided by this ruling is beneficial,” said Mitch Bainwol, chief executive of the RIAA.

Sony Corp. unveiled a new e-book reader Thursday with a built-in light and a touch-sensitive display, features that set it apart from Amazon.com Inc.’s competing Kindle reader.

The PRS-700 is Sony’s third model of the Reader, and will go on sale at the end of the month for about $400. It represents further experimentation on the part of manufacturers trying to find the right formula to make e-book readers more than a niche product. Neither Sony nor Amazon have revealed sales figures for their readers.

Like the earlier models and the Kindle, the PRS-700 has a six-inch screen of “electronic ink,” which presents dark gray text on a light gray background. Unlike the liquid-crystal displays of laptops and cell-phones, e-ink displays cannot be lit from behind, but the PRS-700 has light-emitting diodes that can be turned on to illuminate the screen from the sides.

The 10-ounce device also comes with a stylus, which can be used to highlight text or make handwritten notes. It can hold 350 books in its internal memory, and more in a memory card.

Google shares appeared to drop to 1 cent per share on Tuesday, an event that prompted Nasdaq officials to begin investigating “potentially erroneous” Google stock transactions, according to Reuters.

Google’s share price closed at $320.50 on Tuesday, down more than 15%. The company’s after-hours share price had risen to $415 at the time this article was filed, reflecting news of Nasdaq’s commitment to address the error with a share price adjustment.

In an e-mailed statement, a Nasdaq spokesman explained, “The canceled trades were triggered by erroneous orders that were routed to Nasdaq from another market center.”