Security
Port
A Security Port Blog
Viruses and Spyware Cost Users $7.8
Billion |
08/30/2006 | |
Consumers paid as much $7.8 billion
over two years to repair or replace computers that got
infected with viruses and spyware, a Consumer Reports
survey found.
That figure was down
from a similar survey a year ago. Still, it suggests
that people are paying large sums to cope with the flood
of malicious viruses and other programs that can slow
computers or render them inoperable.
Complete Article
|
UK
Teen Plead Guilty to DoS |
08/28/2006 | |
British prosecutors claimed a victory
after an 18-year-old man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to
crashing his former employer's server with a flood of
five million e-mails.
David
Lennon, of Bedworth, Warwickshire, had been charged with
violating the Computer Misuse Act of 1990, which
prohibits the unauthorized modification of a computer.
Complete Article
|
Privacy Has Boundaries |
08/29/2006 | |
A trans-Atlantic dispute over US
snooping on international financial transactions is
turning into a full-blown test of legal authority, with
US security interests on the one side and European
privacy guardians on the other.
The
Europeans believe this could also be as much a test for
international business as international law, with Swift,
the Belgian firm that has been caught in the middle,
feared to be just the first case of many in which a firm
has had its privacy trounced by zealous US
anti-terrorist investigators.
Complete Article
|
Security Concerns and Blogging |
08/29/2006 | |
There was once a time when you only had to
worry about children I have heard many a blogger say
that blogging fills a need. While blogging provides a
humanizing effect on news and journaling, it also opens
a window into personal lives. The details shared in
blogs were once only available to a select group of
friends, and while blogging has become common place, it
has risks that should not be ignored.
Security Concerns
and Blogging |
Searchable Security Databases |
08/24/2006 | |
Search these online security databases for
specific information:
Intelligence Reform Act - The
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004
is an Act of Congress. he Electronic Frontier Foundation
objected to Act's potential effects on civil liberties.
Search the Intelligence Reform Act.
911 Commission Report - 9-11
Commission created a full and complete account of the
circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the
immediate response to the attacks. The 9-11 Commission
Report was released on July 22, 2004 and is available to
search.
The National Security Strategy of the
United States - The National Security Strategy of
the United States of America is a document prepared
periodically by the executive branch of the government
of the United States for congress which outlines the
major national security concerns of the United States
and how the administration plans to deal with
them.
National Strategic Plan for Iraq - The
National Strategy for Victory in Iraq is a document by
the United States National Security Council which
articulated the strategy of the United States President,
in 2003, and provided an update on progress in various
challenges and conflicts, notably Iraq.
Factbook on Intelligence - This
database contains a full-text searchable version of the
Central Intelligence Agency's "Factbook on
Intelligence".
Patriot Act - Uniting and
Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools
Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act. To
deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and
around the world, to enhance law enforcement
investigatory tools, and for other purposes.
The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina:
Lessons Learned - The criticisms of the government's
response to Hurricane Katrina primarily consisted of
condemnations of mismanagement and lack of leadership in
the relief efforts in response to the storm and its
aftermath. |
IBM
Purchases Internet Security Systems |
08/24/2006 | |
IBM said on Wednesday it agreed to buy
Internet Security Systems Inc. for $1.3 billion, in a
move to beef up its product line in the rapidly growing
business of Internet security. |
The
Thought Police |
08/27/2006 | |
As the man approached the airport
security checkpoint here on Wednesday, he kept picking
up and putting down his backpack, touching his fingers
to his chin, rubbing some object in his hands and
finally reaching for his pack of cigarettes, even though
smoking was not allowed.
Two
Transportation Security Administration officers stood
nearby, nearly motionless and silent, gazing straight at
him. Then, with a nod, they moved in, chatting briefly
with the man, and then swiftly pulled him aside for an
intense search.
Another airline
passenger had just made the acquaintance of the
transportation agency’s “behavior detection
officers.”
The Thought Police
|
RFID
Passports |
08/26/2006 | |
Infineon is the first company to announce
a major contract to supply RFID chips that will be
integrated in US passports. The chips will carry digital
copies of the citizen's picture as well as the printed
documentation in the passport. Infineon promises that
more than "50 individual security mechanisms" are
protecting the data saved on the chip.
Complete Article
|
Homeland Security Corporation to
Begin Distributing Child Tracking Device |
08/25/2006 | |
Homeland Security Corporation has begun
distributing a "Child Tracking" device to its current
customer base.
Homeland Security
Corporation has completed testing on a Tri-Band modem
worldwide real tracking system and "Emergency
Communicator." Through a password protected user
interface, the customer can locate their tracking
device(s). Through proprietary mapping software, a user
can quickly obtain current location, including map and
full street address, set-up geofencing alarm and obtain
historical data.
Complete Article
|
Kevin Mitnick Hacked |
08/23/2006 | |
Kevin Mitnick is a notorious hacker,
turned white hat.
Online vandals, apparently
operating from Pakistan, broke into the computer hosting
Mitnick's Web site on Sunday and replaced his front page
with one of their own. As a result, four Web addresses
belonging to Mitnick, including KevinMitnick.com and
MitnickSecurity.com, displayed an explicit message on
Mitnick and hacking.
Complete Article
|
Search Security Databases |
08/24/2006 | |
Check out these searchable security databases. Search
the Patriot Act, Intelligence Reform Act, CIA Factbook,
Security Strategy plan and other security databases for
relevant information. |
MySpace Secuirity Leak
Possible |
08/23/2006 | |
A UK STUDENT has stumbled on what he
thinks is a flaw in Myspace’s password system. A
source close to an AV outfit said that he stumbled on
the flaw when he mistyped his password.
He
discovered that if you drop the last character from your
password it will still let you login happily also if you
have entered the entire password correctly then you can
have absolutely anything else after that and it will
still log you in. |
Culture Cause of Security
Failures |
08/16/2006 | |
While helping to define the software
industry, software licensing provisions shield vendors
from legal and fiduciary responsibility for problems
arising from their products. They also offer corporate
protection rarely found in other industries. The
technology industry apparently is the only business
engaged in regular commerce that's immunized against
gross negligence in the design or manufacture of its
products.
Complete Article
|
Security Issues |
08/16/2006 | |
This past weekend, security companies
detected two variants and said once installed, the bots
were able to control AOL Instant Messenger if it was
present on the compromised computer.
As
expected, an attack against Windows PCs developed over
the weekend, although it came in the form of
one-at-a-time bot pinpricks rather than a massive hammer
of a worm, security experts and Microsoft said Sunday.
Complete Article
|
Dangers of the Anonymous
Internet |
08/15/2006 | |
Child exploitation and the rise of
Internet related crimes is increasing. Child
exploitation has no boundaries; pedophiles exist in
every socioeconomic, ethnic and religious community.
Consider these statistics, 20% of children online are
approached sexually online. 89% of those advances take
place over instant messaging. Online predators prowl,
rebellious teenagers are opportune targets, and shared
personal details often make them become victims.
The Dangers of the Anonymous Internet
|
33%
Said to Be Victims |
08/15/2006 | |
The odds of becoming a victim of viruses,
spyware, or phishing are about one in three, Consumer
Reports said Tuesday in its annual report on the
Internet.
In addition, U.S. consumers spent at
least $7.8 billion over the last two years for computer
repairs, parts and replacements, because of malware
attacks, the non-profit magazine found in its 2006 State
of the Net report.
|
Homeland Security Unhappy with
Microsoft |
08/15/2006 | |
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security
warned last week that a recently patched Microsoft
Windows vulnerability could put the nation's critical
infrastructure at risk.
Complete Article
|
Mining Software Identifies
Piracy |
08/14/2006 | |
Identity Systems will soon roll out
software that lets media companies from music to movies
search through unstructured text on the Internet to
identify piracy.
The software
called "Unstructured Data Module" applies analytics and
algorithms to scan for hidden relationships in streams
of digital data. Beyond information found in traditional
databases and spreadsheets, the software digs into
e-mails, file directory listings, search results for
peer-to-peer (P2P) sites, and lists of top downloaded
songs on Web sites. |
AOL
Mishap Energizes Privacy Advocates |
08/14/2006 | |
With privacy advocates preparing FTC
claims against AOL in response to its publishing of
customers' Internet search data, at least one Washington
lawmaker is using the opportunity to push forward
existing privacy
legislation.
|
T
Stops in Boston to Have Security Cameras |
08/14/2006 | |
Every subway station will have security
cameras by April after the MBTA Board of Directors voted
yesterday to install almost 200 new cameras funded by a
$3 million grant from Homeland
Security.
``It's a proven way for
us to improve safety and security," said MBTA General
Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas. The cameras will
be placed at stations on the Red, Orange, Blue, Green,
and Silver lines.
Some 300 cameras
already in place at Boston stations have also monitored
safety and crime, Grabauskas said.
|
Al
Qaeda Present in Kashmir |
08/13/2006 | |
Security agencies in India-controlled
Kashmir said they have found the existence of Al Qaeda
militants, suspected to be mainly from Afghanistan or
other countries, in the forests of Bandipore in the
region.
"We are convinced that the
global terror network has firmly established itself in
Kashmir," Indo-Asian News Service on Saturday quoted an
Indian intelligence agency official on condition of
anonymity as saying. |
Air
Traffic Slowed By Security |
08/12/2006 | |
Passengers on transatlantic flights
from Britain are facing cancellations and severe delays
after the American authorities imposed new security
requirements in the wake of last week’s foiled
airliner bomb plot.
Ministers have
been warned by airlines in Britain that the US checks,
which require 34 separate pieces of information on each
passenger to be sent to America before a plane takes
off, are “unsustainable” and “impractical”.
|
Colleges Fail Security |
08/10/2006 | |
A high volume of security breaches on
college campuses, including about a dozen reports this
summer, underscores a growing concern among privacy
advocates: Colleges and universities aren't up to speed
when it comes to safeguarding information on their
networks.
"We're leaking data like
a sieve," says Indiana University law professor Fred
Cate, who directs a cybersecurity research center that
was created after two incidents last year.
|
Security Spending on the Rise |
08/09/2006 | |
According to a new report released
today by Heavy Reading Enterprise, organizations of all
sizes will increase spending for security products and
services over the next two years: 66 percent of
respondents from both large- and medium-sized companies
and 55 percent of small companies. These findings are in
sharp contrast to vendor and analyst warnings of late
that security spending is slowing.
Security Spending on the Rise
|
Online Child Safety Card
Released |
08/08/2006 | |
The NetIDMe card can be swapped by
children online when using chatrooms, instant messaging
and social networks. Parents and children can apply
for the card using credit card details and a form
countersigned by a professional who knows the child
concerned.
It is hoped that the card will make
it harder for adults to pose as children when online.
|
Microsoft Security Complaints |
08/08/2006 | |
18 months after announcing the Windows
Genuine Advantage piracy check, Microsoft faces
controversy and backlash, including two lawsuits. Some
say the company clumsily handled several elements of the
program, including a key privacy issue.
complete article
|
|
http://research.aol.com/ released a
list of 20 million + searches by 500,000 AOL users.
Contained in this list are social security numbers,
credit cards and other personal information. There are
some truly scary things in this database.
There
are hundreds of searches from people looking to kill
themselves and even more scary are searches from users
that seem to be looking to commit murder.
Check
out the search history for user 17556639, most recent
search is at the bottom of the list..
continued |
Cell
Phone Bans |
08/06/2006 | |
Cell phones have been banned inside the
five branches of the First National Bank in the Chicago
area, to enhance security.
Even using a cell
phone in the bank's lobby may result in the person being
asked to leave the premises.
"We ban cell phone
use in the lobby because you don't know what people are
doing," Ralph Oster, a senior vice president, told the
Chicago Tribune. Cell phone cameras are also a worry.
|
|
Apple released patches for multiple
exploits within OS X, tales of Mac hacking were heard at
the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. They ultimately
decided to run the demo against a Mac due to what Maynor
called the "Mac user base aura of smugness on security".
Hack
a Mac |
Security Software |
08/04/2006 | |
Find the latest leading Security Software and information in
this new portal! |
Microsoft Invites Hackers to Break
Vista |
08/04/2006 | |
After suffering embarrassing security
exploits over the past several years, Microsoft Corp is
trying a new tactic: inviting some of the world's best-
known computer experts to try to poke holes in Vista,
the next generation of its Windows operating system.
Microsoft made a test version of
Vista available to about 3,000 security professionals
yesterday as it detailed the steps it has taken to
fortify the product against attacks that can compromise
bank account numbers and other sensitive information.
"You need to touch it, feel it,"
Andrew Cushman, Microsoft's director of security
outreach, said during a talk at the Black Hat
computer-security conference. "We're here to show our
work."
MS Encourages Hackers
|
FBI
Looking for Help From Hackers |
08/04/2006 | |
"We need your expertise and input as we
develop strategies to battle cybercrime in the 21st
century," Daniel Larkin, a unit chief in the FBI's
cybercrime division, said in his opening address at the
annual Black Hat security
conference"
Complete Article
|
Cryptography Captures Hitmen |
08/03/2006 | |
Bosses of an American racist prison gang
have been convicted of murders and racketeering offenses
after investigators broke the encoded messages they used
to order attacks.
Complete Article
|
Social Network Ban |
08/02/2006 | |
Children in the US could be banned from
using social networking sites in schools and libraries
by a new law. The Deleting Online Predators Act tries
to limit the access pedophiles have to the networking
sites which have become hugely popular with
minors.
The act has already been approved by a
large majority in the House of
Representatives.
Complete Article
|
Tips
to Keeping Children Safe Online |
08/01/2006 | |
There was once a time when you only had to
worry about children when they were outside or not at
home. Those times have changed. Strangers can now enter
your home, without a key or coming through a door. How
you may ask? These strangers enter your home using a
keyboard. These strangers can befriend your children
online.
Tips to Keeping Children Safe Online
|
Security Contracts Abused |
08/01/2006 | |
The multibillion-dollar surge in
federal contracting to bolster the nation's domestic
defenses in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has
been marred by extensive waste and misspent funds,
according to a new bipartisan congressional
report.
Lawmakers say that since
the Homeland Security Department's formation in 2003, an
explosion of no-bid deals and a critical shortage of
trained government contract managers have created a
system prone to abuse. Based on a comprehensive survey
of hundreds of government audits, 32 Homeland Security
Department contracts worth a total of $34 billion have
"experienced significant overcharges, wasteful spending,
or mismanagement," according to the report, which is
slated for release today and was obtained in advance by
The Washington Post.
Complete Article
|
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