Cyber Security Institute
Friday, October 01, 2004
Viral movies possible with RealPlayer flaw
A software slipup in RealNetworks’ music player means that Windows, Mac and Linux computers could be compromised by a fake movie file, a security company said Friday.
A Seven-Step Plan For Protecting Corporate Data
A pharmaceutical researcher develops a new product formula, recording his work in an electronic notebook. The company e-mails the new formula to its contract manufacturers and must assure that they don’t mistakenly revert to older, out-of-date formulas.
Concurrently, the business development group is in confidential talks with other firms for licensing and marketing the new product, sharing proprietary information with potential competitors. The company’s attorneys, meanwhile, are busy culling servers for documents responsive to a pending product lawsuit and aren’t having much luck when a particularly embarrassing memo magically appears on the Internet.
The common issue in all four scenarios is the underlying trust—- or risk—- that companies assume in dealing with creators, senders and recipients of content.
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Botnet-related crime is beginning to indicate to the experts what they might expect next
Security experts are beginning to see a pattern in cybercrimes. According to communications firm Energis, online crime appears to be occurring in cyclical patterns related to the creation of botnets—zombie armies of PCs that have been taken control of without the owners’ knowledge.
Feds fund secure ID project
The federal government has signed a deal with security company Digimarc for a pilot program to study hacker-resistant digital authentication for state driver’s licenses.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Why security is an information problem
Speaking at the ZDNet UK IT Priorities Conference held in the Park Lane Hotel, London, Simon Perry, VP security at Computer Associates, warned that employees currently understand the material value of the hardware they are entrusted with but haven’t been taught to value company information in the same way.
Upgrades, HR costs squeeze British tech budgets
Windows upgrades and IT staffing costs remain the biggest drains on British corporate IT budgets, with operational expenses reducing the amount of money left for new investment, according to a new report.
Monday, September 27, 2004
Passwords Fail To Defend Enterprises
Passwords, the dominant form of securing enterprise assets, are a failure, a research firm said Thursday.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Phishers Fake FDIC Web Site
Phishers spoofed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) again and using bogus e-mails, tried to entice consumers to sign up for non-existent service that tracks suspicious activity on credit, debit, and bank ATM cards.
Linux firms join forces on security
A consortium including Mandrakesoft, the Paris-based Linux seller that recently exited bankruptcy protection, has won a three-year contract worth 7m euros to improve Linux security.
Ex-NetScreen CEO takes on new start-up
Can the former chief executive officer of NetScreen Technologies make history repeat itself? A small start-up called Infoblox is banking on it.
Only XP SP2 Secure Internet Explorer
If you’re one of about 200 million people using older versions of Windows and you want the latest security enhancements to Internet Explorer, get your credit card ready.
Thursday, September 23, 2004
CEOs Stagnant on Security
CEOs aren’t doing enough to address the myriad IT security threats that loom large. At least that’s what Ernst & Young concluded from survey results it released.
Nokia Phone Adds Virus Protection
Microsoft Changes Its Tune on Porting SP2 Fixes
Microsoft has been reticent to commit publicly to how, when and if it would make the browser-specific security fixes that it delivered as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2 available to users of older versions of Windows.
New technology increases threats
New technologies will make existing information security measures obsolete over the next five years, according to analyst Gartner. And an increase in IT outsourcing will be one of the biggest challenges for chief security officers, who will have to find new ways to safeguard networks, develop data privacy guidelines and protect intellectual property.
Toyota: Some security firms promise too much
The head of information security at Toyota spoke candidly to an audience of press, analysts and IT bosses about his concerns over claims made by some security vendors and resellers.
Microsoft releases VPN patch for SP2
Microsoft has announced it is to patch a patch—it’s fixed a hole in XP Service Pack 2 that prevented VPNs from working properly.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
4 must-have security solutions
The corporate network has no boundaries anymore. Employees, contractors and business partners might connect to an organization?s network via laptop computers, PCs or servers from almost any point, including branch offices, homes, hotel kiosks or airport terminals. How do you make sure that these machines comply with corporate policies and are updated with the correct security patches and configured properly?
P-cube goes hunting for zombie PCs
P-Cube, the traffic management firm Cisco agreed to buy for $200m last month, is aiming to tackle the problem of spam at source by detecting and quarantining spam zombie machines.
VeriSign bundles authentication tools
VeriSign introduced its latest package of authentication tools and said it will deliver a version of the product designed specifically for Microsoft’s Windows later this year.
The Best Practices of Highly Secure Organizations
The “2004 Global Information Security Survey,” the largest ever conducted, shows that information security is improving and best practices are emerging. [Editor’s note: Great charts in this web article, well worht a visit]
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Ford in Major Shift to VoIP
Ford Motor Co. (Quote, Chart) will move 50,000 employees at 110 facilities to Voice over IP (define) calling, a ringing endorsement for the emerging technology’s performance and reliability.
Viruses keep on growing
The volume of worms and viruses is increasing, but the rate of successful attacks has dropped, according to a new report from Symantec.
Gartner: Information security is still key
Despite claims from some quarters that security will cease to be a key issue over the next few years, Gartner stressed today that information security will remain a major executive concern for the foreseeable future.
Gartner Debunks Six Information Security Myths and Counsels Enterprises Where to Invest for Maximum
Presenting Gartner’s IT Security Scenario in front of 650 attendees at the Gartner IT Security Summit in London today, Victor Wheatman, managing VP Security, debunked six myths that proliferate in the information security industry.
He also advised enterprises which security technologies they should prioritise and which they could avoid in the years to come.
Monday, September 20, 2004
Microsoft Targets Continuity with Data Protection Server
Microsoft Corp. officials said the company will expand its storage portfolio and vision deep into the lucrative disk-based backup and recovery arena next year.
Hackers costing enterprises billions
Hackers continued adding billions to the cost of doing business on the Internet in the first half of 2004, despite security executives’ efforts to prevent malicious attacks.
Gartner analysts point out the security you don’t need
The plethora of security technologies on the market are enough to overwhelm even the most knowledgeable IT managers, but in sorting through all of the options, it may be helpful to look at what is not needed, according to Gartner research detailed recently in London at its IT Security Summit conference.
Friday, September 17, 2004
Cisco, Microsoft in network security showdown
Cisco Systems and Microsoft are headed for a collision over network security, with customers caught in the middle.
Friday, September 17, 2004
Spam most destructive in China’s Internet security
The Ministry of Public Security released on September 14 the result of the nation’s inaugural survey on the Internet information security and computer virus: the infection rate of the computers of users in China is 87.9 percent and 36 percent of the security incidents are caused by massive spam transmission.