Internet Security News and Analysis

MSNBC - Cyber attacks on corporations are rising
by Editor
22 Mar 2005 at 5:03am
MSNBC - Cyber attacks on corporations are rising: "When it comes to defending their computer networks against unwanted attacks, corporate America is getting smarter and more aggressive. But so are the criminals mounting those cyber attacks."
Big Security Guns Should Aim Carefully at Adware, Spyware
by Editor
22 Mar 2005 at 5:00am
Big Security Guns Should Aim Carefully at Adware, Spyware: "It's been widely recognized for some time that defining software in the 'spyware' and 'adware' categories is tricky business, and that these types of programs are not the unambiguous threats that viruses are. For years the big security vendors dealt with the problem by ignoring it, or perhaps by making half-hearted attempts to combat it. None of them had an anti-spyware product considered even second class. But now the big guys are stepping into the spyware business. In many ways fighting spyware and adware is exactly like the anti-virus business?the pattern and heuristic scanners these companies have created should be useful against spyware and adware?but they need to know what to scan for. That's the tricky part."
Ten Not-So-Simple Rules for Using the Internet
by Editor
14 Mar 2005 at 10:43am
Ten Not-So-Simple Rules for Using the Internet: "Opinion: Security products aren't magic; securing your PC is always your responsibility as well. Even technically sophisticated users lose perspective on security at times. We all want breaches of security to be someone else's fault and we don't want to have to deal with the inconveniences of running a secure system. But there are certain security rules that apply to all computing platforms. These rules are expressed well in an article on Microsoft's TechNet site called Microsoft's Ten Immutable Laws of Security. These laws are worth keeping in the back, and often the front, of your mind."
Networks and Netwars: The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy
by Editor
12 Mar 2005 at 6:49pm
Networks and Netwars: The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy: "The fight for the future is not between the armies of leading states, nor are its weapons those of traditional armed forces. Rather, the combatants come from bomb-making terrorist groups like Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda, or drug smuggling cartels like those in Colombia and Mexico. On the positive side are civil-society activists fighting for the environment, democracy and human rights. What all have in common is that they operate in small, dispersed units that can deploy anywhere, anytime to penetrate and disrupt. They all feature network forms of organization, doctrine, strategy, and technology attuned to the information age. And, from the Intifadah to the drug war, they are proving very hard to beat. "
Hackers poison DNS
by Editor
7 Mar 2005 at 5:52am
Hackers poison DNS: "HACKERS HAVE found a way of diverting interweb punters from famous websites to dodgy URL?s where they plied with spy and adware. Security outfit, The Internet Storm Centre, posted a warning about 'DNS cache poisoning' on its website on Friday."
Boston.com / Business / Payroll website still not secured
by Editor
1 Mar 2005 at 4:59am
Boston.com / Business / Payroll website still not secured: "Boston software entrepreneur Aaron Greenspan, who revealed serious security flaws in the website of Tennessee payroll company PayMaxx Inc. last week, said yesterday that the site remains insecure. Greenspan said that a computer hacker still could use the site to obtain the Social Security numbers of hundreds of Americans."
Hackers invaded state Web sites 72 times in five years
by Editor
28 Feb 2005 at 6:12pm
Hackers invaded state Web sites 72 times in five years: "Raising new concerns about identity theft, a report released this month by a legislative committee found that information on Web sites of state agencies and authorities has been hacked at least 72 times in six years. The report ? 'Tip of the Iceberg: New York State Government's Losing Battle Against Hackers' ? is from the Assembly's Committee on Oversight, Analysis and Investigations. It looks at break-ins and Web site defacements that occurred between 1999 to early December 2004 in the computer systems of entities such as the state's Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Education, the Department of Correctional Services and the New York Power Authority. Web site defacement occurs when information on a particular site is replaced by a message or image posted by a hacker."
Cyber warriors anticipate center
by Editor
28 Feb 2005 at 6:04am
Cyber warriors anticipate center: "Personnel in the military's new cyberdefense organization hope to operate a new command center by late spring. The facility will include new hardware and software to help workers of the Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations (JTF-GNO) operate, manage and defend the military's computer networks. 'It will be a state-of-the-art facility,' said Army Brig. Gen. Dennis Via, deputy commander of the JTF-GNO. He spoke Feb. 23 at the Defense Department Global Information Grid Enterprise Services conference held by the Association for Enterprise Integration, an industry trade group."
Adware maker joins federal privacy board
by Editor
24 Feb 2005 at 4:17am
Adware maker joins federal privacy board | CNET News.com: "The Department of Homeland Security has named Claria, an adware maker that online publishers once dubbed a 'parasite,' to a federal privacy advisory board. An executive from Claria, formerly called Gator, will be one of 20 members of the committee, the department said Wednesday. 'This committee will provide the department with important recommendations on how to further the department's mission while protecting the privacy of personally identifiable information of citizens and visitors of the United States,' Nuala O'Connor Kelly, the department's chief privacy officer, said in a statement. Claria bundles its pop-up advertising software with ad-supported networks such as Kazaa. Recently, the privately held company has been trying to seek credibility by following stricter privacy guidelines and offering behavioral profiling services to its partners. In an e-mail message to CNET News.com, Kelly defended the inclusion of a Claria representative on the committee. 'I am proud of, supportive of and grateful for those individuals in the public and private sector who are willing to take on the hard tasks, fight the good fight, and who surprise us with creative, fresh and unconventional thinking, and who make change where change is needed through their hard work and personal dedication,' Kelly said. "
FBI Issues Warning About Computer Virus (washingtonpost.com)
by Editor
23 Feb 2005 at 4:27am
FBI Issues Warning About Computer Virus (washingtonpost.com): "WASHINGTON - The FBI warned Tuesday that a computer virus is being spread through unsolicited e-mails that purport to come from the FBI. The e-mails appear to come from an fbi.gov address. They tell recipients that they have accessed illegal Web sites and that their Internet use has been monitored by the FBI's 'Internet Fraud Complaint Center,' the FBI said. "
DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005?
by Editor
22 Feb 2005 at 4:43am
DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005?: "PARIS HILTON PHONE HACKED; PRIVATE NUMBERS OF STARS FLOOD INTERNET; FBI INVESTIGATES **Exclusive** Sun Feb 20 2005 09:39:20 ET Private telephone numbers of celebrities have been unleashed on the Internet after an apparent hacking into Paris Hilton's T-MOBILE SIDEKICK Address Book, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned."
MT Law Blog: Update - another blogspot blog that transmitts viruses and spyware
by Editor
22 Feb 2005 at 4:39am
MT Law Blog: Update - another blogspot blog that transmitts viruses and spyware: "Update - another blogspot blog that transmitts viruses and spyware Update to my Spyware on Blogspot? post. Gilbert Wesley Purdy over at Obider Dicta experienced the same issue I warned of January 24, 2005: using the 'next blog' button on blogspot hosted blogs may bring you to a blog that can infect your computer with a virus or spyware. Gilbert's excellent account of his time consuming experience can be found here."
Is Bluetooth Safe?
by Editor
19 Feb 2005 at 5:50am
Tom's Hardware Guide: Tom's Hard News: "San Francisco (CA) - From the second floor of the Moscone Convention Center, a trio of hackers points their Bluetooth Sniper Rifle at the show attendees below. Bluetooth devices have become commonplace, especially with the technical crowd at the RSA Convention. Maybe thousands of Bluetooth devices were worn by attendees. The guys at Flexilis may have scanned them all. "
Clarke rips Microsoft over security
by Editor
18 Feb 2005 at 4:32am
Clarke rips Microsoft over security: " Don't expect Richard Clarke to rely on Microsoft Corp.'s anti-virus or anti-spyware programs to protect his own computer. 'Given their record in the security area, I don't know why anybody would buy from them,' the former White House cybersecurity and counterterrorism adviser said yesterday, when asked for his thoughts on Microsoft's forthcoming line of security software. The observation came during an impromptu interview on the sidelines of the RSA computer security conference in San Francisco, where Clarke took part in panel discussions with other experts in technological and national security."
Windows Security > You Call This Trustworthy Computing?
by Editor
15 Feb 2005 at 4:35am
InformationWeek > Windows Security > You Call This Trustworthy Computing? > February 14, 2005: "When Bill Gates takes the stage at the RSA conference in San Francisco this week, you can be sure he'll give an upbeat assessment of Windows security. The pending acquisition of security vendor Sybari Software Inc., disclosed last week, adds to a growing portfolio of products that promise to batten down Windows networks. And, as he's done in the past, Microsoft's chairman likely will detail other accomplishments and forward-looking plans that portray a company delivering on his 3-year-old promise to make Windows environments 'trustworthy.'"

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