Security
Port
A Security Port Blog
US
Navy Notebooks Stolen |
07/30/2006 | |
A pair of laptops containing the
personal data of around 31,000 US Navy personnel
officers and potential recruits were separately stolen
from two New Jersey recruitment offices over the last
two months.
The Navy said that
sensitive data on the machines was password protected in
both cases. Around 4,000 of the records held on the PCs
contained social security numbers. The Navy is seeking
to play down identity theft fears arising from the
thefts.
|
Windows Kernel Security a Problem for
Developers |
07/30/2006 | |
Recently introduced security measures
by Microsoft will make it more difficult to integrate
third-party security tools with Windows, according to a
rival personal firewall
firm.
Agnitum reckons that the
introduction of Kernel Patch Protection by Microsoft
will force independent security software vendors to
adopt the same tactics as hackers in order to get their
code to work.
Complete Article
|
Automation Speeds Airport
Security |
07/29/2006 | |
To help handle passengers, the Airport
Authority took space sitting idle in the former commuter
terminal and installed four security lines, along with
one of the airport's two "puffer" machines designed to
find trace amounts of explosives on clothing.
Automation for Security
|
Monitoring Staff Emails |
07/28/2006 | |
Has Monitoring staff emails gone too
far?
Survey says:
62% Yes 38%
No
Details |
Democrats Slam Homeland
Security |
07/28/2006 | |
The Bush administration is failing to
implement the technology-related recommendations of the
9/11 Commission and falling short on other homeland
security priorities, Democrats of the House Homeland
Security Committee said in a new report.
Complete Article
|
FBI
Arrests Hacker at Conference |
07/29/2006 | |
The FBI executed an arrest warrant at a
New York City hotel, where the Hackers on Planet Earth
conference was taking place, and led off one man before
his scheduled presentation began.
Four FBI agents made the arrest at
HOPE 6 without incident, according to attendees cited in
the post. They removed Rambam and his computer equipment
from the hotel, and rumors quickly spread that his
presentation contained sensitive information retrieved
while researching his report.
Complete Article
|
US
Source of Illegal Content |
07/28/2006 | |
More than 50% of online images of child
abuse reported to an internet watchdog can be traced to
the US, a report says. Investigations by the
Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) found nearly 2,500 US
sites containing illegal images.
The IWF study also said that some
sites that contain the illegal content remain accessible
for up to five years despite being reported to relevant
authorities.
US Source of Child
Abuse
|
Fighting Cyber Crime |
07/27/2006 | |
Fighting cyber-crime requires an
Enron-like scandal to force the hand of legislators, the
FBI argued today.
Only after such
an event could the necessary reforms be made to allow
authorities to effectively battle online criminals,
according to FBI special agent Shéna
Boswell-Crowe.
Fighting Cyber
Crime
|
Feds
Use Data Mining |
07/27/2006 | |
U.S. intelligence agencies have
invested millions of dollars since 9/11 on computer
programs that search through financial, communications,
travel and other personal records of people in the USA
and around the world for connections to terrorism,
according to public records and security
experts.
The software is designed
to find links between terrorism suspects and previously
unknown people; track the international flow of money,
operatives and materials; and search for clues in the
worldwide communications over phone lines, wireless
connections and Internet links.
Complete
Article
|
Customization is the Weak Link in
Application Security |
07/26/2006 | |
The customization of off-the-shelf
software is the weakest link in application security.
This is particularly true for widely used enterprise
products such as SAP and Oracle, according to Gartner
Research Director Rich Mogull.
He
said the massive amounts of customization required to
get products from both SAP and Oracle to perform ideally
means that IT managers have no fail-safe point if some
of the code creates vulnerabilities. As a result,
managers have to cherrypick through code to find their
own mistakes as opposed to downloading a patch from a
vendor.
Complete
Article
|
Online Safety and Security |
07/25/2006 | |
Tips for protecting yourself
online:
The proliferation of computer
technology and emergence of the Internet has enhanced
the lives of children and adults. Increasing
productivity and efficiency, the Internet is a powerful
educational tool, and it provide youths a vast amount of
information. That said, it is important to remember that
the Internet can also be very dangerous. Criminals are
using modern technology to prey on innocent victims.
Online Safety and
Security
|
Nine
Ways to Elevate Your Security |
07/24/2006 | |
Your small-business network may be
protected by firewalls, intrusion detection and other
state-of-the-art security technologies. And yet, all it
takes is one person's carelessness, and suddenly it's as
if you have no network security at all.
Improve
Security
|
Cisco Patches Security
Software |
07/22/2006 | |
Networking giant Cisco Systems has fixed
several flaws in a security monitoring product meant to
protect networks against attacks.
The company
outlined the vulnerabilities in its Cisco Security
Monitoring Analysis and Response System in an advisory
Wednesday. The three vulnerabilities could allow
intruders to gain remote access to systems and to glean
sensitive information, Cisco said. They relate to the
CS-MARS system itself and to the way it interacts with
software from Oracle and JBoss.
|
Philippines on High Security
Alert |
07/23/2006 | |
The Philippine military said on Sunday
that they declared the highest state of alert in the
National Capital Region, citing a supposed plan by a
rightist group to overthrow the government in time for
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's State of the Nation
Address on Monday.
|
Congress Not So Social |
07/19/2006 | |
It seems that the only thing expanding
faster than the offerings in cyberspace are concerns
about how to keep young people from being exposed to the
dangerous side of the Internet.
Now being targeted in Congress is
myspace.com and other social networking sites such as
Friendster, Facebook and Xanga that are so popular with
young people. There is growing, and justifiable, concern
that the sites are also becoming correspondingly popular
with sexual predators who see them as readily accessible
sources of potential victims.
A
bill by Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., would require
schools and libraries that get federal funds to limit or
ban access to social networking sites that could
unintentionally expose minors to sexual advances from
pedophiles.
|
Internet Vehicle for Crime
Syndicates |
07/19/2006 | |
As cyber crime becomes a lucrative
business, organised crime bosses are looking
increasingly at the Internet to expand their criminal
empires, an IT expert has
said.
|
Security Lessons for US |
07/19/2006 | |
Four U.S. lawmakers arrive in Toronto
tomorrow to learn how Canadian authorities thwarted an
alleged terrorist plot last
month.
But the visit is so shrouded
in secrecy that the politicians will not discuss details
of it until they are safely back stateside on
Tuesday.
The members of the House
Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence,
Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment will
be on a fact-finding
tour.
|
Vista Security |
07/19/2006 | |
Although Microsoft is touting its super
soar away Vista as the most secure ever, a security
outfit is claiming that it is just creating newer and
more spectacular flaws.
Symantec,
which has been playing with the beta software, says it
is less stable and secure, at least for
now.
|
Airport Security In Haiti |
07/18/2006 | |
Security problems at Haiti's
Port-au-Prince airport have been resolved, the U.S.
government said Tuesday.
On Dec.
22, 2004, the Transportation Security Administration
announced that the airport's security measures didn't
meet international standards.
Airlines and airports were asked
to tell passengers traveling between the United States
and Haiti that there were security lapses at the
airport.
|
Homeland Security Department Is
Accused of Credit Card Misuse |
07/17/2006 | |
Flat-bottomed rescue boats at double
the retail price, $68,500 worth of unused dog booties,
hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of computers
that somehow disappeared and a $227 beer brewing
kit.
These are just a few of the
questionable purchases that Congressional auditors have
found by digging through half a year of credit card
records from the Homeland Security Department, including
records for the months immediately after Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita last
year.
|
Wireless Struggling With Security
Issues |
07/15/2006 | |
Enterprise wireless LAN deployment
continues to grow steadily, but 95 percent of companies
have concerns about the security of their wireless
networks, according to a new survey by
Gartner
|
Computer Consultant Hacked FBI
Passwords |
07/15/2006 | |
An FBI computer consultant gained access
to the secret passwords of Director Robert Mueller and
others using free software found on the Internet, the
latest embarrassment in the bureau's long struggle to
modernize its computers.
The consultant, Joseph
Thomas Colon of Springfield, Ill., has pleaded guilty to
four misdemeanor counts of intentionally exceeding his
authorized computer access, and prosecutors are
recommending roughly a year in prison.
Complete
Article
|
Social Security of Service On
Internet |
07/14/2006 | |
For the second time in two weeks, social
security numbers and other personal information of Navy
personnel have been discovered on the
Internet.
|
Audit Security Low Priority at Ohio
University |
07/13/2006 | |
Ohio University's Computer Services
department was running seven-figure surpluses and
spending on generous benefits for employees while it was
failing to make adequate investments in firewalls and
other computer security measures, according to an
outside consultant's report.
Security Low
Priority
|
|
End point security which is a key
component in the information security defense of
organizations is being totally overlooked by a
significant number of organizations, according to a
survey released today by the Secure Computing
Corporation. A fifth of organizations do not have any
form of end point security which means that their
corporate networks and data are potentially exposed to
hackers and criminals who can access sensitive
information from unprotected access points.
Secure
Report
|
Newspapers Walk the Line |
07/12/2006 | |
Telling the Truth versus Keeping
Secrets
Since Sept. 11, 2001, newspaper editors
have faced excruciating choices in covering the
government's efforts to protect the country from
terrorist agents. Each of us has, on a number of
occasions, withheld information because we were
convinced that publishing it could put lives at risk. On
other occasions, each of us has decided to publish
classified information over strong objections from our
government.
Complete
Article
|
Terror Levels in Britain |
07/11/2006 | |
The threat of an imminent terrorist attack
is to be made public for the first time under reforms by
Britain's spy chiefs.
Until now the levels of
threat posed by terror groups in the UK have remained
secret with the information kept within government and
security circles.
But under the new proposal,
American-style warnings will be posted on the Home
Office and MI5 websites along with advice on what action
to take.
|
Security for Golden Gate |
07/11/2006 | |
Security is getting beefed up at the north
approach to the Golden Gate bridge.
Officials
say hydraulic gates and fencing are being installed
under the bridge's north approach.
The $3 million
dollar project is aimed at thwarting potential terrorist
attacks.
|
Security Funding Increase |
07/11/2006 | |
Two U.S. senators said Sunday they would
jointly offer legislative proposals to significantly
increase funding for mass transit security in the wake
of the latest revelations of terrorist threats against
commuter rail facilities in the New York area.
|
Tips
to Keeping Children Safe Online |
07/10/2006 | |
Parents are constantly struggling with
ways to keep their children safe online. The Internet
has a global reach and at this point no bounds, or
limitations. Outside of installing filtering software
children should be educated in order to protect
themselves to this virtual monster. We've put together a
collection of ten tips that should be observed while
surfing online. At the very least these tips will prompt
family discussions regarding safety.
Tips to Keeping Children Safe
Online
|
Microsoft Monthly Security
Patches |
07/09/2006 | |
Microsoft plans to release seven security
patches as part of its monthly security update on 11
July.
Each patch covers single or multiple
vulnerabilities in one of the firm's software products.
Microsoft issued 12 patches last month that covered a
total of 21 vulnerabilities.
|
Lawmaker Prosecution for Security
Leaks |
07/10/2006 | |
The chairman of the House Homeland
Security Committee urged the Bush administration
yesterday to seek criminal charges against the New York
Times for reporting on a secret financial monitoring
program used to trace terrorists.
Rep. Peter
King, a Republican of New York, blasted the newspaper's
decision last week to report that the Treasury
Department was working with the CIA to examine messages
within a massive international database of money
transfer records.
Complete
Article
|
Chemical Security Laws |
07/09/2006 | |
A bill sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins
and being debated in the Senate now would close a gaping
and dangerous hole in this nation's security. It's the
Chemical Anti-Terrorism Act and it aims to mandate
federally approved protection plans for our nation's
highly vulnerable chemical
facilities.
Here's the problem:
Without adequate security, this country's chemical
facilities -- including paper mills and oil depots in
Maine -- can become, in terrorists' hands, weapons of
mass destruction. A chlorine release from just one large
tank, according to the Department of Homeland Security,
could result in 17,500 deaths, 10,000 serious injuries
and 100,000 hospitalizations.
Complete
Article
|
EU
Digs In On Security |
07/08/2006 | |
The European Commission has unveiled
details of an ambitious initiative that aims to boost
personal security and privacy in the online
world.
Solving security and dependability issues
are "absolutely vital" if companies and consumers are to
make the most of new technologies, according to the
Commission, which is supporting the SecurIST project to
ensure continued developments in the area.
Complete
Article
|
Pink
Floyd On Security |
07/07/2006 | |
Everyone has an opinion:
British
rock musician and Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters
spray-paints the words "No Thought Control" on a section
of Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank
Wednesday. Waters wrote slogans on the wall in protest
against the construction of the barrier, which
Palestinians say is a land grab and Israel says is
necessary for its
security.
|
Homeland Security Review |
07/07/2006 | |
A review of the new department of Homeland Security.
The US President's Executive Order
issued October 8, 2001 established the US Office of
Homeland Security. The Office is directed to develop and
coordinate a comprehensive national strategy to
strengthen protections against terrorist threats or
attacks in the US. The new Office will coordinate
federal, state, and local counter-terrorism efforts. The
Secretary of Homeland Security will provide assistance
to state and local governments to develop all-hazards
plans and capabilities, including those of greatest
importance to the security of the United States
homeland, such as the prevention of terrorist attacks
and preparedness for the potential use of weapons of
mass destruction, and ensure that state, local, and
federal plans are compatible.
|
NSA
Wins Court Battle |
07/06/2006 | |
A federal appeals court on Friday declined
to force the government to turn over information on the
National Security Agency's wiretapping program to a man
charged in a terrorism case.
|
Symantec Shoots for Fall
Release |
07/06/2006 | |
Symantec hopes Norton 360, which will
include anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, and
anti-keylogger protection, will be available in the
fall, but if problems crop up in the summer beta, the
rollout could be as late as next year. The service will
compete with Microsoft Windows Live
OneCare.
|
Security Market Worth 4
Billion |
07/06/2006 | |
According to this report the AntiVirus
market is now worth $4 billion. |
|
Security firms have said that a worm is
circulating around the world through a mail message
connected to the ongoing Fifa Soccer World
Cup.
As per incoming reports Sixem-A worm is being sent to
people with subject lines such as “Naked World Cup
game set and Crazy soccer fans.
|
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