Cable Modem Security Hole 10/28/2009

A blogger helping to tune a friends wi-fi network uncovered a gaping security hole in Wi-Fi cable modem routers installed in 64,000 Time Warner subscribers homes, leaving them open to attack.

China Preparing for CyberWar 10/27/2009

Looking to gain the upper hand in any future cyber conflicts, China is probably spying on U.S. companies and government, according to a report commissioned by a Congressional advisory panel monitoring the security implications of trade with China. The report outlines the state of Chinas hacking and cyber warfare capabilities, concluding that China is likely using its maturing computer network exploitation capability to support intelligence collection against the U.S. government and industry by conducting a long term, sophisticated computer network exploitation campaign.

Security PowerPoint Templates for Presentations 10/26/2009

Use a security PowerPoint Template for presentations about security!

Scam Security Software Spreading 10/25/2009

According to a new cybercrime Symantec report, tens of millions of US PCs are infected with scam security software. Moreover, software, users may have pay for, can only make computers more vulnerable. Symantec found 250 varieties of security malware with legitimate sounding names like Antivirus 2010 and SpywareGuard 2008. The company also found about 43 million attempted downloads in one year, however it was not made sure how many of the attempted downloads succeeded. Cyberthieves are increasingly planting fake security alerts that pop up when computer users access a legitimate website, warning them of a virus and thus offering security software, for free or for a fee. It was also impossible to tell how much cyberthieves made off with but "affiliates" acting as middlemen to convince people to download the software were believed to earn between 1 cent per download and 55 cents. Top affiliates of TrafficConverter.biz, which has been shut down, earned as much as $332,000 a month for selling scam security software.

Security Cameras on Green Line 10/24/2009

First they were on the buses. Now cameras will help keep an eye out for crime on the Green Line as part of an MBTA safety initiative that one civil liberties group says raises concerns. The MBTA will begin testing cameras on the trolleys underground as part of a pilot program that is funded with $500,000 in grant money from the Department of Homeland Security, Chief Paul MacMillan of the MBTA Transit Police said yesterday.

Simple Server Monitor Improves Security 10/23/2009

Simple Server Monitor is an affordable, powerful, and user-friendly server monitoring utility that will continually monitor the status of your servers and web applications. When network uptime losses are detected, our monitoring utility notifies you via any combination of these alert methods: * Pop-up Messages * E-mail / Cell Phone Alerts * Desktop Audible Alerts * External Application Launch Customize Simple Server Monitor to suit your monitoring needs. When utilizing our easy-to-set-up alert methods, you remain in touch with networks and servers from anywhere in the world - maintain server uptime awareness without sacrificing mobility. complete article

Immigration Changes 10/22/2009

The Obama administration has signed up 55 state and local law enforcement agencies to help enforce immigration laws, including an Arizona county sheriff under investigation for racial profiling, the Homeland Security Department announced Friday. Another 12 agreements have been approved and are awaiting local or state approval. The administration had previously suspended the program, which critics say was mismanaged and allowed racial profiling and discrimination. Before it was suspended, there had been 66 local and state agencies participating.

Mace Maybe Delisted 10/21/2009

Nasdaq has told Mace Security International Inc. of Horsham, the pepper-spray manufacturer, that the companys shares could be delisted because they are trading below $1 a share.

Why Security Matters Now 10/20/2009

Todays most compelling technologies are giving you the biggest security headaches. Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn enhance collaboration and help your company connect with customers, but they also make it easier than ever for your employees to share customer data and company secrets with outsiders. Virtualization and cloud computing let you simplify your physical IT infrastructure and cut overhead costs, but you have only just begun to see the security risks involved. Putting more of your infrastructure in the cloud has left you vulnerable to hackers who have redoubled efforts to launch denial-of-service attacks against the likes of Google, Yahoo and other Internet-based service providers. A massive Google outage earlier this year illustrates the kind of disruptions cloud-dependent businesses can suffer.

People Are the Weak Link 10/17/2009

Two decades ago, studies showed that computer users were violating best practices for setting up hack-proof passwords, and not much has changed since then. What is clear, say researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and IT University in Copenhagen, is that until human factors and ergonomics methods are applied to the problem, it is not likely to go away.

Internet Stability 10/16/2009

How secure and dependable is the Internet? The Great Twitter Outage of 2009, which shocked the microblogging community and amused many other observers, called into question the reliability of Web-based communications and transaction capabilities that are easy to take for granted. According to Nielsen NetRatings, the Twitter user base grew at almost 1,400 percent from February 2008 to February 2009. Microblogging, online auctions and email may be a convenience for some users, but others view these features as critical to their connected lifestyles. Is the Internet falling apart, or can we depend on the Web to be there when we need it?

Versign and RSA Alliance 10/15/2009

Internet infrastructure services provider VeriSign and RSA, the security division of EMC, have announced a partnership to provide organizations with more choice in one-time password OTP authentication.

T-Mobile Data Losses 10/14/2009

T-Mobile Sidekick customers should today learn more about the server crash that caused their phones to lose their personal data, the company said. Meanwhile, the carrier warns customers not to remove the handset's battery or newly entered data will be lost. Bad enough for T-Mobile, the incident is particularly embarrassing for Microsoft, which operates the Sidekick data service, and other companies who are promoting Internet-based cloud computing as the next generation of data storage. The actual extent of the loss, from a Microsoft server, has not been released, though it appears thousands of customers lost contact lists, calendar items, photographs, and other personal items from their phones. complete article

Cellular Clothes Shopping 10/13/2009

Choosing and buying clothes via a cell phone is getting easier in Japan with the launch of a new service that allows shoppers to simulate an outfit before they buy. complete article

BotNets 10/15/2009

Comcast Corp. wants to enlist its customers in a fight against a huge problem for Internet providers — the armies of infected personal computers, known as botnets, that suck up bandwidth by sending spam and facilitating cybercrime. The countrys largest provider of high-speed Internet to homes started testing a service this week in Denver in which Comcast sends customers a pop-up message in their Web browsers if their computers seem to have been co-opted by a botnet. One botnet can have tens of thousands or even millions of PCs.

Security Experts are Hard to Find 10/15/2009

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's effort to hire some 1,000 new cybersecurity experts could hit a wall because people with such skills are increasingly hard to find, according to security experts.

CyberSitter 10/14/2009

Solid Oak Software filed its first lawsuit in a case of Chinese software code theft against TV giant CBS's Internet division, CBS Interactive. The Santa Barbara, California, company filed the suit against CBS Interactive for distributing software that contained programming code stolen from its CyberSitter software, which filters pornography, violence and other Internet content deemed bad for kids.

Software Tracking Swine Flu 10/13/2009

The federal government is teaming up with a medical software maker to help keep tabs on the spread of swine flu. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the government is getting together with Cerner Corporation to keep track on how the strain of flu is spreading. Sebelius says the information provided by the company is more current than the data federal officials have. And she says that will let authorities better target efforts to respond to the H1N1 virus. Meanwhile, the HHS chief is strongly encouraged people to get the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines as they become available.

Monitoring Childrens Activities 10/12/2009

Parents who install a leading brand of software to monitor their kids online activities may be unwittingly allowing the company to read their childrens chat messages — and sell the marketing data gathered. Software sold under the Sentry and FamilySafe brands can read private chats conducted through Yahoo, MSN, AOL and other services, and send back data on what kids are saying about such things as movies, music or video games. The information is then offered to businesses seeking ways to tailor their marketing messages to kids.

Size of Security Market 10/14/2009

The worldwide security software market will total $14.5 billion in 2009, an 8 per cent increase from 2008, according to Gartner. In 2008, it grew at 19 percent and Gartner anticipates the market to grow 13 percent in 2010 as revenue will total $16.3 billion.

Health Monitoring for Security 10/13/2009

Microsoft also published a dedicated swine flu information center at health.msn.com. The site will notify users when vaccines are available in their neighborhood, among other services. Microsoft launched HealthVault in 2007, and the site is designed to be an online repository of health-related records that can be accessed by the user and designated physicians, as well as a portal for health-related news and information.

Credit Checks 10/12/2009

Suffolk Community College has agreed to pay a company for the next year to monitor the credit of 300 students whose last names and Social Security numbers were mistakenly listed in an attachment to an e-mail sent to those students last month.

Cyber Security Month 10/12/2009

The Internet has made it easier than ever to conduct business, keep in touch with friends and manage our finances with greater speed, efficiency and convenience. Unfortunately, criminals also use the Internet to try to gain access to personal and financial information. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month and, to raise awareness among Canadians, banks have teamed up to provide information, consumer tips and an interactive quiz to educate consumers about online threats so they can protect themselves and their computers.

Internet for Sale 10/11/2009

The US has agreed to relinquish some oversight of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ICANN, the global group that oversees elements of the Internets architecture. The move should give other countries a more prominent internet role and ease concerns that the US has undue influence over its evolution.

Microsoft Security Essentials 10/10/2009

Microsoft has finally unveiled a new security product, Microsoft Security Essentials, designed to replace its former offering OneCare. Security Essentials, previously known as Morro, is available as a free download from Microsoft and features security tools including antivirus and anti-spyware.

Granny Auction 10/09/2009

Internet auction site eBay stopped a 10-year-old girl's attempt to auction off her moaning granny online. Zoe Pemberton from southern England put her 61-year-old grandmother up for sale on the auction website with no reserve price, describing her as rare and annoying and moaning a lot. But she also said pensioner Marian Goodall was very cuddly, loved word searches and enjoyed drinking tea. More than 20 bids were received for Goodall, but she has since been withdrawn from the site, eBay said.

Internet Bullying 10/08/2009

House members struggled Wednesday for a way to stop Internet bullying of children without violating free speech. Bullying has always been mean-spirited, but a House Judiciary subcommittee was told that federal law does not make it a crime to engage in cyberbullying that becomes destructive to its young victims. The worst examples resulted in child suicides.

Government Control on the Internet 10/07/2009

There is no kill switch for the Internet, no secret on-off button in an Oval Office drawer. Yet when a Senate committee was exploring ways to secure computer networks, a provision to give the president the power to shut down Internet traffic to compromised Web sites in an emergency set off alarms. Corporate leaders and privacy advocates quickly objected, saying the government must not seize control of the Internet. Lawmakers dropped it, but the debate rages on. How much control should federal authorities have over the Web in a crisis? How much should be left to the private sector? It does own and operate at least 80 percent of the Internet and argues it can do a better job.

Cybersecurity Professionals 10/06/2009

The Department of Homeland Security is looking to hire 1,000 cybersecurity professionals in the next three years according to the agencys secretary Janet Napolitano.

Security Consulting 10/05/2009

AT&T Inc. said Thursday it has completed a deal to buy VeriSign Inc.s security consulting business.

Airport Security 10/04/2009

Verified Identity Pass, a company founded by the entrepreneur Steven Brill, offered travelers a tempting proposition: pay up to $199 a year, submit to a fingerprint and iris scan, and skip to the front of interminable airport security lines. An investment banker is trying to revive a company that provided a service called Clear, which allowed its members to bypass airport security lines. But last June, the company left its roughly 200,000 paying customers stranded, saying that it was ceasing operations and did not have cash to offer refunds. Now it appears those customers will get a break.

Russian Cybergangs 10/05/2009

Russian cybergangs have established a robust system for promoting Web sites that sell fake antivirus software, pharmaceuticals and counterfeit luxury products, according to a new report from security vendor Sophos.

Standard for Displaying Security Alerts 10/04/2009

A veteran security researcher today challenged the anti-malware industry to work on a standard way of assigning computer/Internet threat levels to present transparent helpful information to consumers and businesses. During a presentation at the Virus Bulletin 2009 conference here, Fortinet project manager Bryan Lu discussed the current scenario where anti-malware vendor use different systems to display threat levels — either color-coded or using numbers and arrows — and suggested that vendors use existing data to make threat level indicators more useful and meaningful.

Internet Criminals 10/03/2009

Internet criminals are increasingly targeting small and medium-sized businesses that do not have the resources to keep updating their computer security, according to federal authorities. Many of the attacks are being waged by organized cyber groups that are based abroad, and they are able to steal not only credit card numbers, but personal information -- including Social Security numbers -- of the card holders, said Michael Merritt, assistant director of the U.S. Secret Services office of investigations.

Nuclear Disarmament 10/02/2009

The U.N. Security Council held a rare summit today to work toward eliminating nuclear weapons. There were also new calls to confront Iran and North Korea over their nuclear programs.

Bomb Plot 10/01/2009

A suspected bomb plot under investigation in New York and Denver has the ingredients of a worst case scenario for U.S. security, experts say: an al Qaeda link, overseas training and free movement within U.S. borders. Colorado airport shuttle driver Najibullah Zazi, who U.S. authorities say admitted to taking a bomb-making course at an al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan, is at the center of what they say could be a plot to blow up subways or other targets. Zazi has maintained his innocence, as has his father and a New York City imam who have also been arrested. So far authorities have only charged the three Afghan-born men with lying to investigators, which carries an eight-year maximum sentence, and not a more serious terrorism-related charge.

Stadium Alerts 09/30/2009

Sports officials are confident that adequate security measures are in place to thwart any potential terrorist attacks on stadiums around the country. Responding in a low-key manner to security warnings that terrorists would like to attack stadiums, several sports officials said Tuesday that they have already boosted precautions so much the latest alerts will not make much difference.

Hotel Security 09/29/2009

U.S. security authorities have told local law enforcement agencies to be on alert for possible attacks on luxury hotels, but said they had no information on the timing, location or target of any planned attacks. The note, sent by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to local law enforcement agencies, was unrelated to a probe into a bomb plot in New York and Denver made public in the last week, officials said on Tuesday.

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