Boot Camp for Cyber Defense 04/30/2010

If you are the kind of person who worries about the security of computer networks, you should know that the National Security Agency is worrying about it too. Since Tuesday, the NSA has been conducting its 10th annual Cyber Defense Exercise, a competition that pits students from a series of military academies against each other--and against the competition's leaders at NSA--in a bid to see who has the best cyberdefense skills. The idea? To build and defend computer networks against simulated intrusions by the National Security Agency Central Security Services Red Team.

State Lax on Security 04/29/2010

A report from Minnesotas legislative auditor says state officials did not do enough to safeguard data in a system used to verify the citizenship of new employees. The state stopped using Texas-based Lookout Services Inc. last December after private data like employee birth dates and Social Security numbers were too easily accessed on the companys website.

One Hundred Dollar Security 04/28/2010

The new 100 dollar bill, to be issued on February 10, 2011, has quite a few new important security features, allowing it to avoid counterfeiting by using the latest available technology. These were necessary, since the $ 100 bill is the most counterfeited around the world. Here are the most important security features of the new $ 100 Note. They are meant to be easy to recognize by anyone. 1. First of all, the new 100 dollar bill includes a technology called the 3-D Security Ribbon. This makes the new note show images if bells and 100s as you move the bill. 2. The front of the new $ 100 bill includes another feature. The Bell in the Inkwell will shift its color when the note is moved. Its color will change form copper to green and it will seem to appear and disappear in the inkwell. 3. The new 100 bill also shows phrases from the Declaration of Independence and the quill the Founding Fathers of the Nation used to sign the Declaration.

Visa buys CyberSource for E-commerce Security 04/27/2010

Visa said Wednesday that it will acquire CyberSource, which provides electronic payment and e-commerce security software, for $2 billion. The CyberSource price tag works out to $26 a share. CyberSource closed at $19.44 on Tuesday. The e-commerce security player has more than 295,000 merchants in its network

Web Apps Security Risks 04/26/2010

eWEEK presents the Top 10 vulnerabilities impacting Web applications, and some advice from OWASP as to what Web developers and IT managers can do to stop these security threats. complete article

Evading Internet Censorship 04/24/2010

Opposition activists in Iran are beginning to deploy a new weapon in the cyber war against the regime that they hope will defeat extensive government efforts to block popular mobilization on the Internet inside Iran. Called Haystack – and carrying the motto Good luck finding that needle – an encryption software custom-made for Iran in San Francisco is the first anti-censorship technology to be licensed by the US government for export to Iran.

NSA Executive Accused of Leaks 04/23/2010

The Justice Department has charged a former senior official at the National Security Agency with lying, obstruction of justice and retention of classified information. The indictment alleges that Thomas Drake was the unnamed source for a series of newspaper articles about the NSAs cyber security operations and that he provided copies of classified documents to a reporter.

Militarizing Cyberspace 04/22/2010

Cyberspace will not be militarized by the United States to protect the country from attacks on civilian computer networks, according to the Obama administrations nominee to head the new U.S. Cyber Command. During Senate confirmation hearings, Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander tried to alleviate concerns by senators who were nervous the new position could violate laws which prevent the military from operating in domestic issues. Senators worried the new position of overseeing the militarys cyber defense efforts for the Pentagon could blur the lines between Alexander's current civilian role of leading the National Security Agency (NSA), which also plays a role in protecting the nations computer networks by monitoring domestic electronic communications.

China and Security 04/21/2010

Despite the diplomatically cordial meeting between the US and Chinese leaders and China’s likely decision to modify its currency, political pressure in Congress, and other quarters, for a more aggressive China policy is mounting. Beyond currency manipulation, various other issues continue to generate fierce debate on the increasingly complex and troubled U.S.-China relationship. Emerging strengthened from the global recession with greater international leverage, China’s rhetoric grew increasingly hostile and unnecessarily provocative. It has seriously risked overplaying its hand. It threatens to destabilize much of Asia, already wary of rapid Chinese growth, and undermine volatile bilateral relations with the U.S. Furthermore, such rhetoric can only fuel greater uncertainty in a fragile world struggling to recover from economic turbulence.

Security Logos for Businesses 04/20/2010

Need a logo design for your security business? Wide variety of logos that can be customized for security companies.

Addressing the Drug Problem 04/19/2010

Leaders of countries in the eastern Caribbean told Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates Friday that the international anti-drug crackdown in Mexico has forced traffickers into the waters around their islands, adding to the regions crime and security woes. To stem the increase, Caribbean nations are seeking expanded U.S. security help, particularly for combating drug trafficking, and said they would like to see an increased American focus on the region.

Anti-Nuclear Weakness 04/18/2010

Well, for all Obamas rhetoric, the reality remains that his country is the biggest holder of nuclear warheads on the planet. While Obama alongside Russian President Medvedev recently signed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty START which aims to further reduce nuclear stockpiles, his administration is still engaging in the time honoured American tactic of the pot calling the kettle black. Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968 (which is up for another five yearly review at a conference later this year), all of the declared nuclear powers (the US, Russia, China, France and Great Britain) are under obligation to eventually renounce their nuclear arsenals through negotiation and not share nuclear weapons materials or technologies with non-nuclear nations.

Net Neutrality 04/16/2010

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is in legal limbo after a U.S. appellate court ruling Tuesday tossed out the agency's enforcement of network neutrality principles on broadband provider Comcast. Even as the agency moves forward with a rulemaking proceeding to formalize a set of net neutrality rules, the courts decision raises serious questions about the FCCs ability to create regulations in areas where its authority is not spelled out in law. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the FCC did not have the legal authority under a set of net neutrality principles adopted in 2005 to stop Comcast from throttling BitTorrent peer-to-peer traffic.

Internet Hijacking 04/14/2010

For the second time in two weeks, bad networking information spreading from China has disrupted the Internet. On Thursday morning, bad routing data from a small Chinese ISP called IDC China Telecommunication was re-transmitted by Chinas state-owned China Telecommunications, and then spread around the Internet, affecting Internet service providers such as AT&T, Level3, Deutsche Telekom, Qwest Communications and Telefonica.

Hi Tech Bullying 04/13/2010

The case of a teenager in Massachusetts who killed herself after a relentless, months-long bullying campaign shows how the common schoolyard behavior is evolving in dangerous new ways online. Six students face felony charges in the death of Phoebe Prince, 15, who hanged herself in January after being subjected to verbal assault and threats of physical harm. Some harassment occurred online on Facebook, in text messages and in other high-tech forms, a contemporary development in the age-old practice, experts said.

Google vs Apple 04/12/2010

Google is the undisputed king when it comes to raking in advertising dollars on the Internet, but Apple wants the crown when it comes to ads on mobile devices. The mobile advertising space is shaping up as the latest battleground in an increasingly testy rivalry that led Google chief executive Eric Schmidt to step down from Apples board of directors last year. Schmidt may have been photographed recently chatting amiably with Apples chief executive Steve Jobs at a Palo Alto, California, cafe but the technology giants are slugging it out on a growing number of fronts.

Online Reputation Management 04/08/2010

The web is not always a friendly place, so what do you do if you are not using an alias and someone is posting derogatory information about you, your company, your products, or your brand? Online Reputation Management

Site Evaluates App Security 04/07/2010

Internet security experts at Stanford University launched a site Friday that reviews how well certain Web and mobile applications protect users privacy. Dozens of the more that 200 apps listed on WhatApp.org have already been reviewed by a team of lawyers, computer scientists and privacy and security experts from Stanford and other institutions. Shoppers and developers can add their opinions and request reviews.

Cloud Security 04/06/2010

Everyone is talking about cloud computing, but security issues are stalling widespread adoption. While vendors work to address enterprise concerns the good, experts warn there is no easy fix the bad. Meanwhile, cloud service outages and criminals operating in the cloud the ugly threaten enterprise acceptance of the utility computing model. Here’s a roundup of our most recent cloud security coverage, starting with some positive advances.

Coalition Wants Us Privacy Revamped 04/05/2010

Internet giants including Microsoft and Google have joined US privacy groups and academics in a campaign to get outdated US privacy laws revamped for the Internet Age.

Teachers Use the Internet for Opposition 04/05/2010

From street corners to cyberspace, a battle of words and images is raging over legislation that would link Florida teacher pay to student test scores and erode job security for new hires. Teachers and their unions have been circulating petitions against the measure, making picket signs and holding rallies and demonstrations. They have flooded the Florida House with e-mails and so many calls that extra lines were put in and additional staffers assigned to answer the phones.

Australian Internet Filter 04/04/2010

The United States has raised concerns with Australia about the impact of a proposed Internet filter that would place restrictions on Web content, an official said Monday. The concerns of Australias most important security ally further undermine plans that would make Australia one of the strictest Internet regulators among the worlds democracies. Internet giants Google and Yahoo have condemned the proposal as a heavy-handed measure that could restrict access to legal information.

Facebook Security 04/03/2010

Facebook users are expressing strong disapproval of proposed privacy changes that will let the site share some user information with third-party Web sites and applications. Under Facebooks current rules you are asked first if you want to share information your name, photos and friends list with third-party sites. The proposed policy, which Facebook has not implemented yet, would bypass asking you for approval when visiting some sites and applications Facebook has busines relationships with, sharing limited personal information automatically.

Technology Innovation 04/02/2010

Of the 900 technology professionals interviewed by Pew and the Imaging the Internet Center at Elon University, about 72 percent believed that innovative online cooperation will make bureaucracies more productive in the next decade. About 26 percent, however, are pessimistic that institutions will be able to make progress and expressed concern that new technologies will just give companies and agencies the ability to secretly control and track people.

Hacking Frenzy 04/01/2010

At the annual Pwn2Own contest, where experts in software security compete to become the first to hack the latest and most secure tech products, pretty much everything was hacked in no time.

Collegiate Cyber Defense Competitions 03/31/2010

CCDC competitions are becoming more and more common! Teaching students to defend against cyber attacks.

Poisoned Dumplings 03/30/2010

A man has been arrested in China accused of poisoning dumplings in a case which led to a diplomatic rift with Japan, state media reports. Temporary factory worker Lu Yueting, 36, allegedly put insecticide in some frozen dumplings because he was unhappy with his pay and colleagues.

Student Loan Data Stolen 03/29/2010

A Minnesota company that guarantees federal student loans... is working with police to figure out who stole personal information on three-point-three million borrowers.The Educational Credit Management Corporation is based in suburban Saint Paul and is a contractor for the U-S Department of Education.Company C-E-O Richard Boyle says the theft was discovered last week when security found something odd in a hallway.

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