Spy Satellite Killed 07/02/2009

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has decided to kill a controversial Bush administration program to use U.S. spy satellites to collect domestic intelligence for counter-terrorism, law enforcement and security, a senior Homeland Security official said Monday evening. The National Applications Office program was established in 2007 to provide up-to-the-minute electronic intelligence to local and state law enforcement. But it has been delayed due to concerns by privacy and civil liberties advocates -- and by some lawmakers -- that it would intrude on Americans lives.

Telecommuting Security Mistakes 07/01/2009

According to figures released recently by the Nemertes Research Group, an Illinois-based research advisory firm, as many as 71 percent of U.S. companies offer full-time or part-time telecommuting to employees. Despite the large number of employees who work out of office, another recent study from The Center for Democracy and Technology found many continue to sideline the issue of telecommuting security in favor of more urgent needs. complete article

Nuke Detector Issues 06/30/2009

Federal investigators say the governments next generation radiation detectors are only marginally better at detecting hidden nuclear material than monitors already at U.S. ports, but would cost more than twice as much. The machines are intended to prevent terrorists or criminals from smuggling into the U.S. a nuclear bomb or its explosive components hidden in a cargo container. The monitors now in use can detect the presence of radiation, but they cannot distinguish between threatening and nonthreatening material. Radioactive material can be found naturally in ceramics and kitty litter, but would be of no use in making a bomb, for instance.

Man Sues Homeland Security 06/28/2009

Steve Bierfeldt was standing in the security line at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis when he was detained by TSA officials for carrying too much money. Bierfeldt was put in a room for a half hour and asked a series of questions about the $4,700 in his possession. He says he had raised the money at a St. Louis event for the Campaign for Liberty—an organization with roots in Ron Paul’s 2008 presidential campaign. Angry and concerned over being detained, Bierfeldt has filed a federal lawsuit  against Homeland Security for what he calls an unreasonable search and violation of his constitutional rights.

China and Cuba Censor Information from Iran 06/29/2009

Out of fear that history might repeat itself, the authoritarian governments of China, Cuba and Burma have been selectively censoring the news this month of Iranian crowds braving government militias on the streets of Tehran to demand democratic reforms... In China, political commentators tinted their blogs and Twitters green to show their support ...

Jackson Death Slows Internet 06/28/2009

The internet suffered a number of slowdowns as people the world over rushed to verify accounts of the death of Michael Jackson. Search giant Google confirmed to the BBC that when the news first broke it feared it was under attack. Millions of people who searched for the stars name on Google News were greeted with an error page. It warned users your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application.

Men Less Security Savvy than Women 06/26/2009

When it comes to online security, men are less savvy than women, according to PC Tools. Research by the security firm revealed that 47 percent of men use the same passwords when signing up to online banking and shopping facilities, compared to just 26 percent of women.

Shutting Out the World 06/25/2009

Iranian opposition groups have been using the Internet and social media tools like Twitter to protest the country's recent presidential election. The government has cracked down, but e-dissent is difficult to quell. Which raises the questions: Can Iran simply shut down Internet access and, if so, why doesn't it?

Internet Defficiencies 06/25/2009

One of the Internets founding fathers and modern evangelists, Vinton Cerf, warned a gathering of government and technology industry leaders that the Internet still lacks many features that it needs, including essential authentication and security tools.

GMail Encryption 06/24/2009

How secure is your Gmail? At the behest of 37 privacy and security experts, Google said Tuesday that it is looking into a process that would encrypt its Web-based e-mail service at all hours, not just during sign-on.

Bing Porn Filter 06/23/2009

Microsoft says it has adjusted its freshly-launched Bing search engine to make it easier to filter out porn. Adults-only images and video will be served from a separate domain, explicit.bing.net, so that content can easily be barred from Bing search results, according to Bing general manager Mike Nichols.

California Company Says China Stole Software 06/22/2009

A California software publisher will seek an injunction preventing U.S. companies from shipping computers with Chinese anti-pornography software it says was stolen, the companys president said. Solid Oak Software said it found pieces of its CyberSitter Internet-filtering software in the Chinese program, including a list of terms to be blocked and instructions for updating the software

Software Industry Conference 06/22/2009

Get ready for the 2009 Software Industry Conference! This year we will be in Boston, Massachusetts at the Boston Marriott Quincy from July 16-18, 2009 for another exciting Software Industry Conference.

Tips for Presenting and Public Speaking 06/21/2009

Presentations can be a great way to attract new business, simply by making yourself more well-known. However, nerves can often get in the way of entrepreneurs who want to use speaking opportunities to develop their business. Follow these steps to overcome nerves and make a powerful presentation during your public speaking engagement... Tips for Public Speaking and Presenting

Chinese Computer Crack Down 06/20/2009

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has ordered that all computers purchased in China after July 1 have a new internet filtering software pre-installed that the regime says targets pornography and other unhealthy information.

Student Hacker 06/19/2009

A high school computer whiz did not get a high grade for a recent feat: designing software to shut teachers out of the grading system. A New York State Police spokeswoman says 16-year-old Matthew Beighey has been charged with unauthorized use of a computer and third-degree identity theft. He was ordered to return to court Wednesday.

Time Management Tips 06/18/2009

Managing your time and using it wisely is a journey, and not something that can be easily mastered overnight. Implementing a plan will help, but it is not going to be a sure cure. Time management requires a significant amount of self-discipline. Here are some tips to assist you with time management...Time Management Tips

5 Security Holes 06/17/2009

If you think the biggest threat to your sensitive information lies in network security, think again. Once a criminal is inside a building, there are limitless possibilities to what that person can access or damage. Take a look at your buildings security. How easy is it to get inside? We spent an afternoon with social engineering expert Chris Nickerson, founder of Lares, a security consultancy based in Colorado, to get an idea of some of the key vulnerabilities a criminal looks for in building security. more

Hacker Part of Homeland Security 06/16/2009

Jeff Moss, founder of the Black Hat and Defcon hacker and security conferences, was among 16 people sworn in on Friday to the Homeland Security Advisory Council. The HSAC members will provide recommendations and advice directly to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. Moss background as a computer hacker aka Dark Tangent and role as a luminary among young hackers who flock to Defcon in Las Vegas every summer might seem to make him an odd choice to swear allegiance to the government.

Web Critique Webinar 06/15/2009

The live website critique covers subjects covered include the initial impression created by a website, structure, navigation, communication, SEO setup and more. Tuesday June 23rd at 12:00 EST. More on Website Critique

Nuclear Info Online 06/14/2009

The governments inadvertent and red-faced Internet posting of a 266-page list of U.S. nuclear sites provided a one-step guide for anyone wanting details about such sensitive information. Obama administration officials said Wednesday the document contained no classified material about nuclear weapons. They contended the locations and other details already were available from public sources.

Scientology Blocked by Wikipedia 06/13/2009

Wikipedia has blocked the Church of Scientology from editing entries at the communally-crafted online encyclopedia due to an unrelenting battle over the groups image.

iPhone Protection 06/13/2009

The document takes users through more than 20 simple recommendations for system settings, Safari settings and iPhone Configuration Utility settings, a spokeswoman said. Using the recommendations is designed to help reduce the the chance of a remote attack, with instructions on securely erasing data and setting up strong passwords.

ABCs of Web 2.0 06/12/2009

Web 2.0 is a perceived transition of the Web to web-based applications. Web 2.0 is the next generation of technology solutions where interactive content is the norm. There is no agreement on exactly what Web 2.0 means. Depending on who you are speaking with, you may receive different explanations. At it's heart, Web 2.0 is about the maturity of the Web. While many refer to Web 2.0 as companies that employ powerful web technologies, the key components of Web 2.0 are said to include: the Web as a platform, collaboration, and syndication. ABCs of Web 2.0

China Cracking Down on Internet Bars 06/11/2009

China will launch a four-month crackdown on unapproved Internet cafes, state media said Thursday, signalling heightened vigilance ahead of two politically sensitive anniversaries.

Student Discount Available for Software Industry Conference 06/10/2009

Student Discount for Software Industry Conference in Boston MA July 16-18th. Only $50.00 with student ID normally $249.00! Educational sessions for software developers and marketers.

Chinese Firewall 06/09/2009

How would you react if one million of your customers were suddenly stopped from coming into your shop? Matt Mullenweg just shrugged. The 25-year-old American is the founder of Wordpress, software that allows computer users worldwide to easily create their own websites, or blogs. The simplicity of Wordpress has made it one of the worlds top blogging platforms six years after it was set up. But in 2006, as the site was growing from strength to strength, Chinese authorities suddenly blocked it. Overnight, one million Chinese visitors to the various blogs disappeared, accounting for about a quarter of all traffic to the site.

Critical Software Applications 06/08/2009

Applications I Can not Live Without! FeedForAll Used daily for updating RSS feeds. The Bat! Used hourly for managing email. FTP Voyager Used for FTPing up new web design layouts and images. Dreamweaver Used for Web Design. MS Office Used for correspondents and administrative tasks. PaintShop Pro Used for graphic editing and image enhancement. RecordForAll Used occasionally for recording audio files for podcasts. RSS Submit Used weekly to submit RSS feeds to RSS directories and search engines. FeedDemon Used to manage reading of RSS feeds on a regular basis. GroupMail Used for sending email newsletters. PDF995 Used regularly for converting documents to PDFs. TNT Screen Capture Used occasionally for capturing screen shots TopStyle Used occasionally for making changes to Cascading Style Sheets -CSS SureThing CD Labler Used occasionally for designing CD inserts and labels. FireFox Used hourly for navigating the web, also use plug-ins for search marketing research.

Small Business Security Tips 06/07/2009

1. Protect your personal information. It is valuable. 2. Know who you are dealing with. 3. Use security software that updates automatically. 4. Keep your operating system and Web browser up-to-date and learn about their security features. 5. Keep your passwords safe, secure and strong. 6. Back up important files. 7. Learn what to do in an emergency. complete article

What is Spyware? 06/06/2009

Spyware refers to computer software, programs, that are installed, usually without the computer users knowledge and gather information about how the computer is being used and the websites the user visits. The simplest and most insidious form of spyware are so-called cookies although not all cookies are bad. These tiny pieces of computer code are loaded into your browser when you visit a site. They are usually required to let you login to an ecommerce site, such as Amazon, or a social networking site like Facebook. They are a necessary evil in such cases, without them login would not necessarily work, but they also allow the owners of various sites to track your browsing on that site. At worst, however, a cookie might be planted by a less than ethical site that traces your activity across different sites. Modern browsers have built in controls that allow you to control which sites can install cookies. They also let you automatically delete cookies when you close your browser and retain the ones you need on an ad hoc basis. Spyware, however, is more than crumbling cookies. When the term was first coined in the 1990s it usually referred to a small program that was installed on your computer when you installed another program, such as a freeware or shareware drawing package, text editor, or other application.

Government Secrecy 06/05/2009

President Obama directed his national security adviser and senior Cabinet officials yesterday to examine whether the government keeps too much information secret. In a memo, Obama acknowledged that too many documents have been kept from the public eye for years and affirmed that he remains committed to operating with an unprecedented level of openness. Obama asked national security adviser James L. Jones to canvass executive branch officials about their procedures for handling classified information and to make recommendations about better information sharing. The president also said that turf battles and problems with technology continue to pose obstacles to disseminating unclassified national security information among federal agencies with their partners in states and the private sector.

Verisign Selling Security Group 06/04/2009

VeriSign Inc. said Tuesday that it is selling its security services unit. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company, which runs some of the key directories that computers need to find Web sites and route e-mail, is selling Managed Security Services to SecureWorks Inc. of Atlanta, Ga. Details of the deal were not disclosed.

Security Changes for Flights 06/03/2009

In an effort to help prevent misidentification of passengers on the Transportation Security Administrations no fly or "watch list, the government agency is making a few security changes. Effective immediately, when making airline reservations, you will be asked to enter your full name as it appears on a license, passport, or government identification card. The name on the identification card must match exactly to the name of the passenger.

Security PowerPoint Templates 06/02/2009

Large collection of security powerpoint templates. Works with any version of Microsoft PowerPoint.

Canada Guessing Piracy Figures 06/01/2009

For decades piracy numbers have been freely quoted by studios, software companies and intellectual property lobbyists, yet few have questioned the accuracy of these numbers, how they were obtained or how they were interpreted. This now looks set to change thanks to Dr. Michael Geist, a Canadian law professor who holds the Canada Research Chair of Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottowa. After asking some tough questions and doing some investigating, Geist discovered that the piracy numbers quoted by the Canadian Business Software Alliance were based on a hunch rather than any actual surveys of the Canadian public.

Russia Willing to Fight for Oil 06/01/2009

Diminishing supplies of oil and natural gas will push countries into violent competition, the Kremlin predicted in a long-awaited national security strategy paper released this week. The document foresees these struggles playing out in the Arctic as well as the Middle East, the Barents Sea, the Caspian Sea and Central Asia — and states that Russia is prepared to fight for its share of the worlds resources.

National Archives Security 05/31/2009

The National Archives has lost a computer hard drive containing sensitive data from the Clinton administration. Congressional officials say the information includes Social Security numbers, addresses and Secret Service and White House operating procedures. The chairman and ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee disclosed the security breach Tuesday after receiving a briefing from the inspector general of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Pakistan Securing Nukes 05/30/2009

Pakistan on Thursday said it would maintain the security of its nuclear deterrence especially in the light of changing regional environment.

Clickjacking 05/29/2009

What if you reached to grab a newspaper out of a news stand and you found a rock in your hand instead? How about opening the front door to a grocery store and ending up on a boat? This sounds like a Matrix movie, but the virtual equivalent of this is real and poses one of the most serious new risks on the Internet, according to Jeremiah Grossman, chief technology officer and co-founder of Whitehat Security. Most exploits like worms and attacks that take advantage of holes in software can be patched, but clickjacking is a design flaw in the way the Web is supposed to work, Grossman said. The bad guy is superimposing an invisible button over something the user wants to click on...It can be any button on any Web page on any Web site. The technique was used in a series of prank attacks launched on Twitter in February.

Money in Jobs with Security Clearance 05/28/2009

Companies are cutting jobs or slashing pay to cope with the sagging economy but there is money to be made of you have a government security clearance. ClearanceJobs.com, an online career management resource company, reports workers holding security clearances are enjoying an average pay increase of nearly 2 percent to $73,961.

Invasion of Privacy or Piracy Prevention? 05/27/2009

Software vendors fed up with software piracy have responded by beefing up their licensing and activation procedures, only to have pirates crack their code again. A company called V.i. Laboratories Inc. is proposing a new approach called CodeArmor Intelligence, which embeds stealth algorithms inside programs that phone home with information about the unauthorized usage of software, including their Internet domain and even a company location on a Google Map.

Iowa Women Goes to Prison for Software Piracy 05/26/2009

A federal judge in Madison has sentenced an Iowa woman to prison for pirating software. U.S. Attorney Erik Peterson said Kelly Garcia, 39, of Dubuque, posted online advertisements selling software at reduced rates in March 2003. The Business Software Alliance bought several titles and discovered they were pirated copies of Macromedia software programs. In November 2003, federal investigators searched a home in Boscobel, Wis., where Garcia lived at the time, and uncovered records showing she made about $85,000 selling pirated programs.

Teen Hackers 05/25/2009

One in five teenagers are able to used advanced internet-distributed hacking tools, says Panda Security. Research by the security firm revealed that casual hacking is as much a part of teen life as downloading music to an iPod. Two thirds of those surveyed revealed they had succeeded in hacking instant messaging or social network accounts of people known to them, with 20 percent admitting to having published embarrassing photographs or videos of acquaintances on the internet.

Security Flaws 05/25/2009

Should you use WEP or WPA encryption with your wireless router? WEP is now considered obsolete, as it contains security flaws and is much more easily hacked. It is still used widely, however, because some older devices still do not support WPA. Most recent routers, however, do offer WPA data encryption, which is far more secure.

Facebook Hacker 05/24/2009

Facebook has been working to clean up its site after its 200 million members were targeted by hackers. Facebook spokesperson Barry Schnitt would not comment on how many accounts had been hit but he did confirm it was blocking any that had been compromised.

Craigslist Targeted by District Attorney 05/23/2009

Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster pointed out Saturday there are plenty of places in South Carolina other than his Web site to find prostitution ads and obscene photos, saying in a blog that he wants to know why the states top prosecutor is targeting his company. South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster has threatened to prosecute Craigslist executives for aiding and abetting prostitution if an ad on the Web site leads to a prostitution case in South Carolina. In the post on his companys blog, Buckmaster linked to a publication in Greenville he said has a larger number of adult ads and more explicit content than his Web site. He later updated the post to point out a publication in Charleston that listed 19 adult ads on Friday.

Elliptical Curves May Improve Security 05/22/2009

An approach based on the mathematical theory of elliptic curves may pave the way much more efficient cryptography — which underpins privacy, confidentiality, and identity to provide the fabric for e-commerce and secure communications — that will be capable of strengthening security against cyber crime and any terrorist attacks via the Internet.

Inspected Air Cargo 05/21/2009

Thousands of boxes of Washington cherries will be loaded onto passenger planes in coming weeks, bound for Pacific Rim countries like Japan and Korea. Or so farmers hope. Growers and shippers of highly perishable crops like cherries worry that a new requirement that all cargo on U.S. passenger flights undergo a security scan could create huge delays, leaving crops to rot in hangars as they await inspection.

Swine Flu May Not Be Done 05/20/2009

The World Health Organisation warned on Friday against a false sense of security from waning and apparently mild outbreaks of H1N1 flu, saying the worst may not be over. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, who raised the United Nations agencys pandemic alert to the second-highest level, said there remained great uncertainty about the strain that could pose particular threats in Southeast Asia.

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