Raytheon Buys Security Company 04/29/2008

U.S. company Raytheon announced last week that it bought the software security company SI Government Solutions. SI Government Solutions has been a major supplier software security expertise to U.S. intelligence agencies. The amount Raytheon paid for the company was not revealed.

China Seizes Pirates 04/28/2008

Chinese police have seized $750 million worth of pirated computer software and broken up a piracy ring in southern China, state media said as Beijing vows to crack down on a problem which has soured trade ties.

Google Tackles Child Porn 04/25/2008

Google engineers have adapted a software program to help track child sex predators and search for patterns in images of abuse on the web. Google has created the technology for the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). It was originally developed to block copyrighted videos on the company's YouTube division. The program uses pattern recognition to enable analysts to sort and identify files containing child sex abuse. Google says its aim in teaming up with the centres Technology Coalition Against Child Pornography is to develop solutions that would make it harder for people to use the web to exploit children or traffic in child pornography. complete article

Paypal to Block Unsafe Browsers 04/24/2008

Web payment firm Paypal has said it will block unsafe browsers from using its service as part of wider anti-phishing efforts. Customers will first be warned that a browser is unsafe but could then be blocked if they continue using it. Paypal said it was an alarming fact that there is a significant set of users who use very old and vulnerable browsers such as Internet Explorer 4.

Hackers Using Poor Code to Access Websites 04/23/2008

Web designers making very old mistakes are letting malicious hackers hijack visitors to their sites, say experts. Many of the loopholes left in the code created for websites have been known about for almost a decade say the security researchers. The poor practices are proving very attractive to hi-tech criminals looking for a ready source of victims. According to Symantec the number of sites vulnerable in this way almost doubled during the last half of 2007. complete article

Cybercrooks Winning Web 04/22/2008

Despite all the antivirus software, all the extra security features in your computers operating system and all the government regulations intended to make the Internet a safer place, your personal computer and your personal data are as threatened as ever. Cybercrooks Winning Web

Performing Better Searches 04/21/2008

Performing and perfecting search engine results can save web surfers lots of time and energy. Understanding the nuances of searching allows researchers to immediately drill down and locate the information they are seeking, without having to wade through a myriad of irrelevant search results in the process. The increasing complexity of search engines has made understanding search engines a necessity for those who spend any amount of time online. The following search tips are standards that will work in most of the major search engines. Performing Better Searches

HTML Web Designs for Security Firms 04/20/2008

HTML Web templates for security firms and online security consultants. This website has a number of web templates specifically for security firms.

Avoid Duplicate Content Penalties and Black Hat SEO 04/19/2008

While it may still be debatable whether all the major search engines currently employ a duplicate content penalty, all have made it abundantly clear that they do not have any desire to provide search results that rehash the same content over and over. Actively avoid any potential penalties by taking a proactive approach to building unique content. Avoid Duplicate Content Penalties

Hosted Software Issues Raised 04/18/2008

Shifting to a hosted software model can cut IT costs and ease administration and upgrades, but managers must prepare users for its significant effect on work processes and job roles, said CIOs sitting on a panel at Computerworld USs recent SaaSCon conference. Lane said IT managers should hammer prospective hosted software providers with questions about their security tools, datacentre location, backup and recovery capabilities, and how the hosting facility is set up to deal with unexpected outages. He also suggested that the audience look closely at the vendor's service level guarantees.

Stolen Hospital Records Sold 04/17/2008

The former Manhattan hospital employee accused of stealing the records of nearly 50,000 patients sold the information, prosecutors said Saturday. Dwight McPherson, 38, used his position in the admissions department at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell to obtain lists of patient names, phone numbers and Social Security numbers over a two-year period, according to a complaint filed yesterday. He confessed to his role in the identity theft scheme when he was arrested Friday night, the complaint says.

High Security for Pope 04/16/2008

The last time a pope visited the United States in 1999, an audiotape of an Islamic extremist that accused the pontiff of leading a crusade against Muslims would not likely have created a huge stir. But that was before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, after which people worldwide became aware of the murderous threat of Osama bin Laden. So the release last month of bin Laden's comments about Pope Benedict XVI probably heightened further the awareness of those assigned to protect the pope during his six-day visit to Washington and New York that begins Tuesday, a former Secret Service agent said.

Thugs are Guardians of the Flame 04/15/2008

They wear bright blue tracksuits, and Beijing Olympic organizers call them flame attendants. But a military bearing hints at their true pedigree: paramilitary police sent by Beijing to guard the Olympic flame during its journey around the world. Torchbearers have criticized the security detail for aggressive behavior, and a top London Olympics official simply called them thugs. They were barking orders at me, like Run! Stop! This! That! and I was like, Oh my gosh, who are these people? former television host Konnie Huq told British Broadcasting Corp. radio about her encounter with the men in blue during Londons leg of the relay last week.

More Security Than Athletes 04/14/2008

Beijing will have at least 94,000 security staff – but only 10,500 athletes. After the protests that greeted the torch relay, China is getting ready to put on the greatest show of security the world has ever seen. What used to be called the Olympics are likely this summer to become the Paramilitary Games. China is planning to deploy more than 94,000 security personnel at the Beijing celebration in August, which means that uniformed and plain-clothes operatives will outnumber the 10,500 athletes by nearly nine to one.

$240 Million in Internet Fraud 04/13/2008

Nearly $250 million worth of individual losses from Internet fraud was reported by Americans to the FBI last year, the bureau said. The figures were released by the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the non-profit National White Collar Crime Center, in its seventh annual report on Internet crime this week. The $239 million loss represents a 20 percent growth from fraud losses reported to the center in 2006, and officials say it represents just a fraction of the total costs of cybercrime to the U.S. economy.

Middle School Security Increased 04/12/2008

Security has been increased at a Simpsonville middle school after a student was arrested and suspended for wearing a T-shirt with a noose and a reference to the Ku Klux Klan. Greenville television station WYFF says some students at Bryson Middle School stayed home yesterday. The students say they feared violence after the T-shirt worn by an eighth-grader angered both black and white students the day before. The student lifted another shirt revealing the racist T-shirt in the lunchroom. The student has been charged with disturbing school and recommended for expulsion.

Security is Not Immune to Budget Cuts 04/11/2008

Conventional wisdom is that security spending will be sheltered from economic volatility. But not according to a Goldman Sachs survey of 50 chief security officers.

McCain May Get Secret Service Protection 04/10/2008

Republican presidential candidate John McCain says he plans to meet with the U.S. Secret Service soon about getting body guards. The Arizona senator, who has won enough delegates to win the partys nomination, has gone without Secret Service protection. However, agency Director Mark Sullivan testified publicly before Congress this week that McCain had no security detail, prompting the candidate to say perhaps the time has come, the New York Daily News reported Saturday.

Untrained Users are Security Risks 04/09/2008

Businesses are giving users greater freedom with corporate IT systems, according to a recent report, but many of those users lack the necessary security training. The study, conducted by a consortium, led by PricewaterhouseCoopers, on behalf of the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR), found that firms are placing greater trust in their staff. Seven out of eight firms now have information security policies in place according to newly released findings from the annual Information Security Breaches Survey (ISBS). Those policies are loosening controls over users. complete article

Flash Security Concerns 04/08/2008

Warnings have been issued by a great many online security authorities that Flash has security flaws, yet the warnings have fallen upon deaf ears. The problems are not with the new versions of Flash files, but with the slightly older ones, made with older authoring programs that were, are full of vulnerabilities. These files are vulnerable to XSS (Cross-site Scripting) attacks.

Google Using YOUR Data 04/07/2008

Shareware Promotions has posted a very important and revealing post about Google and how they want to use Google Analytics data and Adwords!  Anyone with half a brain should have seen this coming. In fact I wrote a piece about this awhile back, here is an excerpt: Google Analytics is free, no one can beat the price, but what is the real cost? The cost is your data. While not terribly important when analyzed alone, when aggregated with other information Google has access to, it could be damaging. Data mining has made the collection of data meaningful. It has become easier to find patterns and trends in large volumes of data. While any of that information independent of other data, might be non-threatening or irrelevant to someone doing analysis, when combined with other data Google has access to, it can paint a very clear picture of how, not only individual companies are performing, but the aggregate data could possibly paint a picture of how entire business sectors or industries are performing. If you are using Analytics consider yourself warned yet again! Full Shareware Promotions Blog Post Full Article Google As Big Brother

GSM Security Concerns 04/06/2008

The security of the most widely used standard in the world for transmitting mobile phone calls is dangerously flawed, putting privacy and data at risk, two researchers warned at the Black Hat conference in Europe on Friday.

IRS Warns of Scammers 04/05/2008

This year, identity thieves are not just trying to gain access to your bank account or to open lines of credit in your name. Scammers are on the prowl for ordinary citizens' identities that they can they can use in filing phony tax returns, and fraudulently claiming refunds, as well as swipe rebates, associated with the 2008 federal economic stimulus package.

JuicyCampus Crack Down 04/04/2008

The college gossip Web site JuicyCampus.com has criticized a consumer fraud investigation launched by the New Jersey attorney general. JuicyCampus publishes anonymous, often malicious gossip about college students, with language ranging from catty to hateful and potentially offensive. Last week the New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram subpoenaed the company as part of a fraud investigation.

TorrentSpy Shutdown 04/04/2008

Expensive legal battles have caused TorrentSpy, the search engine for the BitTorrent file-sharing service, to shut down. TorrentSpy was a search engine that helped visitors find torrent files on the Web. Torrent files are often music or movie files stored in an easily shared file format. The search engine came under legal fire from the entertainment industry, which in general does not want licensed content to be distributed royalty-free.

Internet Ticket Scalping 04/03/2008

People who use software to breach security measures on the Internet and purchase tickets for profit would be fined as much as $5,000 under a proposal advancing in the Legislature.

Facebook Security Lapse 04/02/2008

A security lapse made it possible for unwelcome strangers to peruse personal photos posted on Facebooks popular online hangout, circumventing a recent upgrade to the websites privacy controls. The Associated Press verified the loophole Monday after receiving a tip from a Byron Ng, a Vancouver, Canada computer technician. Ng began looking for security weaknesses last week after Facebook unveiled more ways for 67 million members to restrict access to their personal profiles.

Mozilla Battles Apple 04/01/2008

Steve Jobs is using Apple Software Update to slip his Safari browser onto Windows machines. And Mozilla CEO John Lilly is peeved. Presumably, Lilly is peeved because Safari browsers on Windows machines would eat into the market share of Mozilla' very own Firefox browser. But Lilly says he is peeved for different reasons. He says he's peeved because Steve Jobs little Software Update trick undermines the security of the entire internet.

SuperMarket Security Breach 03/31/2008

Unauthorized software that was secretly installed on servers in Hannafords supermarkets across the Northeast and in Florida enabled the massive data breach that compromised up to 4.2 million credit and debit cards, the company said.

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