CWmike writes “Google has released for free one of its internal tools used for testing the security of Web-based applications. Ratproxy, released under an Apache 2.0 software license, looks for a variety of coding problems in Web applications. A 2006 survey by the Web Application Security Consortium found that 85.57 percent of 31,373 sites were vulnerable to cross-site scripting attacks, 26.38 percent were vulnerable to SQL injection and 15.70 percent had other faults that could lead to data loss.”

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kthejoker writes “Apparently companies are even worse about losing our data than we suspected. From the article:’According to a study of 106 major U.S. airports and 800 business travelers published by the Ponemon Institute and Dell Personal, about 12,000 laptops are lost in airports each week. Only 30 percent of travelers ever recover the lost devices. Almost half of the travelers state their laptops contain customer data or confidential business information.’ Kinda scary …”

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A few weeks ago, you asked questions of Lt. Col. John Bircher, head of an organization with a difficult-to-navigate name: the U.S. Army Computer Network Operations (CNO)-Electronic Warfare (EW) Proponent’s Futures Branch. Lt. Col. Bircher has answered from his perspective, at length, not just the usual 10 questions, but several more besides. Read on for his take on cyberwar, jurisdiction, ethics, and more.

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Barence writes “The majority of dial-up Internet users state they don’t want to upgrade their connection to broadband, according to a new study in the US. The Pew World wide web & American Life research found that 62% of dial-up users had no interest in upgrading to a high-speed connection.” (CNN is carrying the AP’s story on the study, too.)

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Yahoo! Finance
At Yahoo! Finance, you get free stock quotes, up to date news, portfolio management resources, international market data, message boards, and mortgage rates that help you manage

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Course information, faculty, and contact information.

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With information about the Budget, the economy, and the debt-reduction program.

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On March 21 , 2006 , Google, Inc. launched the new Google Finance website. The service features business and enterprise headlines for many corporations including their financial

Department of Finance : The Eller College of Management at The
Undergraduate Programs at the Eller College of Management, University of Arizona: information on business and public administration academic programs, admissions, honors and

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Filed under: Forecasts, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, NIKE, Inc’B’ (NKE), Economic data

If you love Adidas’ clothing and footwear then I’ve some good news for you. Adidas is eying to open about 2,300 new stores in China by 2010, lifting its total number to 6,300. The company’s decision came as a result of strong demand from China even in times when we might expect to see some downturns.

Frederic Seiller, a vice president in charge of retail operations for Greater China, said that the the global economic slowdown had no impact on Adidas’s sales in China. In addition, the company is optimistic about its further gains, and forecast a nice demand from the local sportswear market. From this point of view, total sales in China are expected to come to 1 billion euros by 2010.

As well as getting growth in revenue, by opening its biggest store in the world in central Beijing Adidas aims to beat rival Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE). Back in 2007, China became Nike’s second-largest market, and its Chinese sales reached $1 billion in 2008.
For competitor Nike though the current situation is not quite rosy. The sportswear giant has been facing tough concerns related to declining growth in the U.S. which resulted in a drop in shares of 9.8% to $59.50 a share, the lowest level in almost seven years.

The current market conditions made China an important key for both sportswear titans due to declines in markets like the U.S. On the other side of the coin, the Olympics are expected to give a boost to China’s sportswear market in 2009. So the competition regarding sales will become even stronger.

As for me, I’m just curious to see which brand people prefer most.

Eliza Popescu is a financial writer for the on the internet investment advisory service Investor’s Observer.

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Filed under: Forecasts, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Starbucks (SBUX), McDonald’s (MCD), Stocks to Purchase

I’ll admit the headline is a bit deceptive. On one hand McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) has seen a resurgence in its business and frankly, the shares have done very well. In fact since McDonald’s went through its own set of problems five years ago, the stock has since tripled in value.

The parallels between Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) and McDonald’s are very eerie. Starbucks has hit the proverbial wall after a successful ride from 1992 to 2007 as one of the premier GameChanger stocks around. Starbucks, like McDonald’s over-expanded its store base in the United States and began to cannibalize its own revenues. Starbucks, like McDonald’s, lost its principle focus and did not tend to ‘what got them there”.

In late 2002 McDonald’s stock had just completed a 4 year run of losing 70% of its value. The company was becoming a hodgepodge of different menu items, culminating with the disastrous release of the McLean Deluxe, which wasn’t even all beef! Advertising and marketing programs were a mish-mash of geographical themes yielding no consistency whatsoever. McDonald’s even posted, for the first time in its illustrious history, an operating loss in 2002, and experienced negative same store sales for the first time, as well.

Then CEO Jim Cantalupo said enough was enough. McDonald’s closed 700 unproductive stores (sound familiar?) and re-focused its menu and advertising campaign.

This is when the advent of “I’m Lovin It” went global — yes, even in France! Unproductive stores shut and the rest of the survivors received a major face lift, including new kitchen equipment, new seating plans, fresh exteriors and even wide-screen TVs strategically put for customer viewing and comfort. The menu went back to basics, eliminated the Super Size failure and introduced entree-size salads and other healthier alternatives. As I said, the stock has tripled since.

Starbucks has hit the wall. Sloppy execution, too many units, confusing menu, etc. Returning founder and now CEO Howard Schultz has now said “enough is enough.” He is closing 600 unproductive units, re-training partners to the core founding principles and choosing to spend the company’s expansion capital overseas where the true growth lies.

Starbucks has also experienced, painfully, negative same store sales. The stock is at a low point, as was McDonald’s in early 2003. Can Starbucks stock triple over the next five years? Yes. With back-to-basics execution, expense control and controlled unit growth, Starbucks can elevate its value over the next five years. The good news for Starbucks is the competition remains on a regional basis and no one competitor is set to go national or even global. The early advantage still belongs to Starbucks. If Howard Schultz and the management team can re-set the bar, the stock is a screaming buy for patient investors. The full results of the June quarter are not out yet, nor will they be pretty. But, it’s priced into the stock already.

History does have a way of repeating itself …

Georges Yared is the editor of GameOn Investing, a free service devoted to investors spot GameChanging stocks before they break out.

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Filed under: Earnings reports, Good news, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy

The lubricant with thousands of uses, WD-40 is found in just about each toolbox in the nation. WD-40 Company (NASDAQ: WDFC) released 3Q 2008 results that show solid sales figure increases in all divisions around the globe. Net sales for the quarter increased 5.8% to $82 million. Net income was up by the same amount to $8 million. EPS increased 10% to $0.49. The story is much the same for YTD figures. WD-40 posted these numbers despite a tremendous run-up in the prices of raw materials. Senior management is being conservative and has, therefore, reduced FY2008 guidance. The company now expects net sales to increase 4-8% to $320-$332 million. Net income will be in the $30 to $31 million range and EPS in the $1.78-$1.85 range.

The company is rolling out its Smart Straw initiative globally. No more looking for the stupid tiny red straw that always got separated from the spray can. Now all aerosol cans of WD-40 have a built-in applicator. What a relief.

WD-40 also owns 3-in1 oil, Lava soap, X-14 and Carpet Fresh. None of these products are environmentally friendly by any stretch of the imagination. To counteract the perception that its products are not environmentally sensitive, WD-40 has launched a new product line, Spot Shot, comprised of an environmentally safe carpet stain remover and pet odor remover.

The stock is trading at just over $27, near its 52-week low of $26.50, and pays $0.25 in quarterly dividend.

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Filed under: Bad news, Launches, Industry, Competitive strategy, Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Boston Scientific (BSX)

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) got approval for its new drug-coated stent. The products are used to open clogged arteries, often in the place of by-pass surgery. The field has been dominated by deeply troubled medical device company Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX). It looks that the weakened company is in for much more pain.

According to The Wall Street Journal, ABT “received regulatory approval for its Xience V drug-coated stent, which is expected to be the top seller in the roughly $2 billion U.S. market because it appears to be more effective than rival devices.” Boston Scientific will sell the new Abbott product, but with 40% of the revenue going to its rival, it is hard to see how that’s a good deal.

BSX has been beaten by competition at almost every turn. It took on tremendous debt when it purchased medical device company Guidant. It faced trouble when some Guidant products hit quality control issues. Boston Scientific stents came under criticism a year ago, when medical research questioned how effective they were.

BSX traded at nearly $45 in 2004. It is now at about $12. With new competition and a bad balance sheet, that’s not prone to change much.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Filed under: Web services, web 2.0

You’ve got enough to worry about with your new Web 2.0 startup without having to come up with a clever name - never mind a matching domain name that’s actually available.

Well, why not take advantage of Dot-o-mator, a crafty little web app that reaches deep into its dictionary and outputs a list of possible domains that would make Dr. Seuss proud.

Of course, coming up with a combination is only half the battle. You’ve got to somehow find one that hasn’t been snatched up by some underhanded domain prospector. Dot-o-mator makes that easy, too, giving you one-click access to a multi-name availability check.

It’s a great brainstorming tool, and can be a large help in the struggle to brand your new web venture. We like it for the possibility of setting up private Gmail service on a domain like “skablab.com.”

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