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Former competition tsar Graeme Samuel has backed the prospect of weakening Australia's media ownership laws, arguing existing rules are becoming ''quickly irrelevant'' as more content moves online.

The previous chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Mr Samuel said three parties traditionally led the push for more media regulation: politicians looking for favourable coverage, media companies seeking to protect their turf, and those who have not kept up with technology.

Mr Samuel said there was still too much focus on the method of distribution - free-to-air television, pay television, radio and print - and not enough emphasis on telecommunications networks and the control of content.

And he said Australians had plenty of media choice, from new local sites The Guardian Australia, the Daily Mail Australia and The New Daily, to international publications Bloomberg, the Financial Times and The Economist, as well as blogs.

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''What this all says to me is the whole process has changed, and it takes the emphasis away from the importance of whether a person controls radio, television or print,'' Mr Samuel said.

The federal government is reviewing whether to scrap reach rules, thereby allowing metropolitan television broadcasters to buy regional broadcasters, and whether to allow one company to own more than two of a newspaper, TV and radio licence in the same market.

Labor and prominent MP Clive Palmer say they are awaiting more detail before giving their policies, whereas the Greens have said that changes could entrench existing traditional media companies at the expense of new voices.

After his regional colleagues expressed concern that local news content might be diminished by any changes, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Monday that ''local content is a separate issue to the question of ownership''.

Mr Samuel agreed. ''If there's demand for local news in a local region, people will deliver it. We need to think in terms of empowering consumers to demand what they want, and not putting it in the hands of the government.''

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Former consumer watchdog Graeme Samuel favours relaxed media rules

The head of the powerful US gun lobby railed against American media Thursday, saying it was biased and lying about the heated debate on regulating weapons.

"One of America's greatest threats is the national news media that fails to provide a level playing field for the truth," NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre told an annual conference of conservatives just outside Washington.

Congress failed to pass a hotly contested gun control law last year, despite a series of recent mass shootings that shocked the nation.

The failure came after stiff opposition by the National Rifle Association and other gun groups, which mounted a successful counter-campaign and warned members that the US government was bent on taking guns away.

"The political and media elite are lying to us," LaPierre told the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

LaPierre, whose group counts about five million members, said the media "hate us, just for saying out loud and sticking up for what we believe, as if we had no right."

"But their moral indignation, it should be directed right into their own makeup mirrors," he added.

His comments echoed criticisms often made by conservatives about the mainstream media, which former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin once memorably dubbed the "lamestream media."

LaPierre vowed that "NRA members will never, and I mean never, submit or surrender to the national media."

Recalling that the right to bear arms is enshrined in the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, LaPierre declared that "standing with the NRA is a massive declaration of individual rights."

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US gun lobby sees media as enemy

Evaluating the cost of a DDoS attack

A Wi-Fi security flaw leaves Virgin Media subscribers' wireless connections vulnerable to takeover by hackers.

The vulnerability, identified by IT consultant Paul Moore, means Virgin Media Superhub router/modem combo devices leak users' passwords every time they reboot. The issue arises because the Netgear-manufactured device initially brings up the wireless network without any form of encryption, allowing it to accidentally leak its Wi-Fi password in the clear to anyone nearby.

"After the seven-second window, the router takes the Wi-Fi card offline, enables encryption and brings the card back up," Moore explains. "Thatd be great, if we hadnt already broadcast the encryption key to everyone nearby.

Moore added:

Moore warns that hackers can take advantage of the vulnerability by forcing a device within range to reboot before snaffling the password. He wrote a proof-of-concept script that could automate this task while acting as a worm going from one router to another.

Successful exploitation of the trick, which is far from reliable, would allow miscreants to get up to all sorts of mischief, such as redirecting surfers from genuine websites to fraudulent versions in order to browse the hard drives of victims on the compromised networks. Hackers could even use a compromised connection to access illegal material in someone else's name.

The vulnerability is limited to the Netgear VMDG485 hub, supplied to Virgin Media customers as SuperHub2. The flaw means that, during the short time the device is booting up, it might be possible for someone physically nearby to gain access to its administrative settings web page and Wi-Fi passphrase, which is sent in the clear during the unencrypted window.

Fortunately the attack would be difficult to pull off in practice - and is easily prevented by changing the default password, which Virgin encourages all its customers to do when they are first installed. Virgin is working with Netgear to develop and test a software update to automate the process of making the changes.

It's unclear even approximately when a firmware update is likely to become available. Netgear has yet to respond to El Reg's query on this point.

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Got a Netgear router from Virgin Media? Change your admin password NOW

Pierre-Karl Pladeau, controlling shareholder of the Quebecor media empire, on Sunday announced he will run for the Parti Qubcois, saying his top motivation is to make Quebec independent.

My joining the Parti Qubcois is tied to my most intimate and profound values and that is to say I want Quebec to become a country, he told supporters in the riding of St-Jrme, just north of Montreal, where he will be running in the April 7 provincial election.

Mr. Pladeau signed his party membership card on Sunday after resigning as chairman of the board of Hydro-Qubec, a position he has held since April, and his seats on the boards of Quebecor, Quebecor Media and TVA Group. The media group owns dailies such as the Journal de Montral and Journal de Qubec, the largest private French language television network TVA, the Videotron cable TV and telecommunications company as well as the chain of Archambault stores, a major distributor of music, books and DVDs.

He says his decision has already attracted the interest of the business community. There are several entrepreneurs who are proud of my candidacy, Mr. Pladeau said.

The PQ says he gives credibility to the partys economic platform as it seeks to attract conservative nationalist voters, who supported the more right-wing Coalition Avenir Quebec in the last election.

Pierre-Karl Pladeau sends a strong signal of commitment towards Quebec, PQ Leader Pauline Marois said on Sunday. He joins a team of men and women who share the conviction that the future of Quebec lies in becoming a sovereign country, a country that is prosperous, that is rich.

The Quebec Federation of Labour was stunned by Mr. Pladeau's decision, according to a statement Sunday afternoon, adding he is probably one of the worst employers Quebec has ever known. In terms of labour relations, Pladeau has been a catastrophe for workers.

Quebec Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard at first avoided directly addressing Mr. Pladeaus potential candidacy during his lengthy daily press conference. He refused to even say Mr. Pladeaus name. All candidates are welcome, he said. But its not one candidacy that will change the debate.

Later, in a slight variation on his standard stump speech, he added the Pladeau candidacy nomination only clarifies the choice between the Liberal economic agenda and the PQs desire for independence. He described Mr. Pladeaus arrival as a golden opportunity to present Quebeckers with a stark choice, and for him to deliver the same message of economy over independence.

It makes the ballot question even more clear, Mr. Couillard said. The final masks have fallen.

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Media mogul Pladeau to run for Parti Qubcois in election

MONTREALHe built an empire. Now he wants to break a country.

Pierre Karl Pladeau, a Canadian media industry titan whose Quebecor Inc. conglomerate draws audiences and readers from the Pacific through the Prairies to la belle province where it dominates most, has come out in full-throated support of Quebec sovereignty. The 52-year-old announced Sunday that he will run for office as a member of the Parti Qubcois.

Today, we have the tools to take control of our own destiny, said Pladeau before a cheering partisan crowd in St. Jerome, northwest of Montreal, where he will vie for votes in the provincial election April 7.

My devotion to the Parti Qubcois is a devotion that rises from my most intimate values that is to say: To make Quebec a country, he proclaimed, raising his fist as roars rang out.

A divisive character of great renown in Quebec, Pladeaus entry into politics was rumoured for weeks, despite firm denials from the media baron that he intended to do so. Now that he has, the provinces political scene has been shaken up, with competing choruses of approval and denunciation following his candidacy announcement.

The FTQ, one of the provinces biggest unions, released a statement of astonishment at Pladeaus candidacy for the PQ, calling him one of the worst employers Quebec has ever known.

Franoise David, co-leader of the left-leaning separatist Qubec Solidaire, also took a shot at the PQ for welcoming Pladeau into its fold. Never will a member of Qubec Solidaire sit next to Pierre Karl Pladeau, in the rows of the National Assembly, she told reporters Sunday.

The PQ has been openly courting QS supporters with their secularism charter, and there has even been talk of a possible coalition. No chance of that anymore, said David.

Meanwhile, former Bloc Qubcois leader Gilles Duceppe was among those applauding Pladeau. Sovereignty isnt left, nor is it right. Its ahead. Congratulations to Mr. Pladeau for his decision, he wrote on Twitter.

Often referred to simply by his initials, PKP, the former philosophy major is a veritable celebrity in Quebec. His recent split from Julie Snyder, a famous TV producer behind Quebecs American Idol-style shows Star Acadmie and La Voix, has been tabloid fodder for weeks. Pladeau referenced the separation Sunday, telling reporters he didnt decide to run until he had Snyders full support.

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Former Quebecor Media president running for PQ