Security
Port
A Security Port Blog
Palin E-Mail Hack Causes Security
Concerns |
09/25/2008 | |
The bevy of personal information on the
internet is making the use of personal security
questions a far less effective protection method,
according to one expert.
Gary Warner,
director of computer forensics research at the
University of Alabama, Birmingham outlined the new risks
which had surfaced in the aftermath of the Sarah Palin
e-mail attack.
Warner said in a blog posting that
the attack shows just how simple it can be to obtain
information to foil the personal information
questions used by many web services.
|
Colleges Need to Tighten
Security |
09/24/2008 | |
State public higher education officials
will consider whether to implement proposed safety and
security measures at each of the 29 public campuses
beginning this fall.
In a report released earlier
this year by the Department of Education, the agency
called for its colleges and the University of
Massachusetts to respond to the potential of serious
violence on public school campuses.
Though
tragedies like the campus shootings at Virginia Tech and
Northern Illinois University are rare - 13 incidents
since 1990 - bolstering campus security is needed for
more prevalent crimes, such as sexual assaults and other
violence, according to the department's report.
|
Technology In Way of Threats |
09/23/2008 | |
An al Qaeda video marking the anniversary
of the September 11 attacks has appeared on the Internet
more than a week late due to technical problems.
The delay of the much-touted 87-minute
video, caused in part by the main Islamist websites
crashing, has thwarted al Qaedas yearly celebration of
its attacks on U.S. cities in 2001.
Parts of the
video -- a compilation of documentary footage and
messages by al Qaeda leaders -- were aired on September
8 by Al Jazeera television, which did not say how it
obtained it.
But the full version hit websites on
Friday, eight days after the anniversary.
|
Fake YouTube Malware |
09/22/2008 | |
Cybercriminals are getting more and more
business-like. The latest examples involve a tool that
automates the creation of fake YouTube Web sites that
can be used to deliver malware and password-cracking
services for sale.
Panda Security said it
has uncovered a tool circulating in underground hacking
forums, dubbed YTFakeCreator, that enables anyone to
easily create a fake YouTube page that surreptitiously
installs a Trojan, virus, or adware on a visitor's
computer, said Ryan Sherstobitoff, chief corporate
evangelist of Panda Security. |
Brokerage Firm Charged |
09/20/2008 | |
A brokerage firm has agreed to pay a
$275,000 fine following a series of alleged online
hacking incidents into customer accounts.
The
Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday that
LPL Financial Services failed to protect its customers
personal information, leaving at least 10,000 clients
vulnerable to identity theft.
The company, which
has headquarters in Boston, Charlotte, N.C., and San
Diego, will pay the fine without admitting or denying
the allegations. An SEC order against the firm claims
hackers accessed customers' accounts between July 2007
and early 2008, and attempted to place more than 200
unauthorized trades worth more than $700,000.
|
Countrywide Financial Data
Sold |
09/20/2008 | |
Countrywide Financial Corp. is notifying
mortgage holders of a possible security breach that
could compromise the privacy of customer
information.
The FBI arrested a former
Countrywide employee in August, accusing him of selling
personal and financial data belonging to the lenders
customers.
The FBI contends Rene Rebollo Jr., 36,
of Pasadena sold consumer data for as much as $70,000.
|
Chrome Vulnerabilities |
09/19/2008 | |
Google was keeping mum about a
three-day-old security fix to its Chrome browser, but
now the company has revealed details of two
critical-risk vulnerabilities and some lesser issues it
says are fixed.
The critical patches relate to
buffer overrun vulnerabilities that could have let a
remote attacker execute arbitrary software on a Chrome
users computer, said Mark Larson, a Google Chrome
program manager, in a mailing list posting Monday
afternoon. The first patch fixed a vulnerability in
handling long file names, called the SaveAs
vulnerability, and the second a vulnerability in dealing
with the Web site addresses displayed in Chromes status
area when the user hovers over a link.
|
Business Mistakes to Avoid |
09/18/2008 | |
Small businesses and entrepreneurs often
repeat the same mistakes. If you are an entrepreneur,
the following is a list of critical mistakes to avoid in
your new venture:
1. Promising The World
Entrepreneurs will commonly make bold
promises that are often impossible to actually deliver.
It is important that you stay grounded in reality, and
only agree to things that you know you can actually
deliver.
2. Lack Of
Discipline Owning a business takes commitment
and self-discipline. Since you are "the boss" you
probably won't be disciplined for things like not
showing up for work on time... but such things will have
a negative impact on your business. It is important that
entrepreneurs treat their business just like a real
business, and not like a personal hobby. Act
professional, charge for your services, and be
accountable for the product or service provided.
Self-discipline is critical to being self-employed.
Business
Mistakes to Avoid |
Security Logos |
09/17/2008 | |
There have been a whole bunch of new security
logos:
 .gif) .gif)
All the security logos come in a
wide variety of formats .gif, .jpg, .tif, .png, .bmp all
for only $ 9.99 |
The
Internet is Influencing the Political Race |
09/16/2008 | |
Can, and will, the next generation of
politicians exploit the communication mediums available
to them? Will the new communication mediums have the
power to influence public opinion? Will politicians be
the victims of technology, or will they use it to their
benefit? Will one party benefit from the use of the
technology more than another? All reasonable questions,
considering the role technology plays in today's
society.
The staggering distribution numbers,
through channels like iTunes, YouTube, or podcasting
websites, indicate that technology could play a critical
role in the upcoming elections. Technology could be the
deciding factor in the 2008 US Presidential race, and
while distribution has never before been as accessible
as it is to todays politicians and political candidates,
politicians have far less control over the news and
media than their counterparts in previous years.
The curious need not look any further than
YouTube to find the latest political constituents being
haunted by their own words and dogged by their past
missteps. Todays politicians have far less control of
the news media and messages associated with their
candidacy.
The Internet and technology is
positioned to play a huge role in elections. Politics and Technology.
|
Security PowerPoint Templates |
09/15/2008 | |
If you are presenting at a security
conference or need material for an educational
presentation on security check out these Security PowerPoint Templates. Each
theme includes 18 slides and the templates work with any
version of PowerPoint. |
Medical Evacuation Lessons in
Storms |
09/13/2008 | |
As Hurricane Gustav approached the
southern Louisiana coastline last weekend, an estimated
10,000 hospital, nursing home and home-based special
needs patients were moved by plane, helicopter, bus,
car, ambulance and train to areas farther north. Local,
state and federal officials coordinated with each other
and with private groups to accomplish the evacuation. It
was the largest pre-storm medical evacuation in American
history.
But when anticipated safe harbors such
as Baton Rouge were hit harder than New Orleans, all
that planning hit a snag. Dozens of hospitals and
nursing homes lost power and are still being partially
or fully evacuated. Some patients found themselves being
transferred twice. |
Never Forget - September 11th |
09/11/2008 | |
 9-11-2001 Never Forget
|
San
Francisco Violence on the Increase |
09/10/2008 | |
Police in San Francisco is strengthening
security in a downtown district, where a surge of
violence has left at least six dead in the past two
weeks. More uniformed and plainclothes officers will
be deployed in downtown San Francisco's Mission
District, especially in areas where drugs are sold and
gang members are known to gather, police chief Heather
Fong said Friday. |
Security Flaws in Google
Chrome |
09/09/2008 | |
Vietnamese security company Bach Khoa
Internet Security (BKIS) has found a flaw in Google
Chrome 0.2.149.27 and posted details on its Web site.
The company says the problem is a critical
buffer-overflow vulnerability that could allow a hacker
to perform a remote attack and take complete control of
the affected system. |
Smuggling Immigrants at LAX |
09/08/2008 | |
Airport officials and federal authorities
said Thursday that they have tightened security at Los
Angeles International Airport because of the recent
arrest of an elevator mechanic suspected of smuggling
illegal immigrants into the United
States.
Officials for LAX and U.S. Customs and
Border Protection said the measures included security
adjustments at the federal inspection area inside the
Tom Bradley International
Terminal.
|
Hurricane Preparation |
09/07/2008 | |
This handbook has been designed to help
you prepare your family and your home for the
potentially devastating effects of a hurricane or
tropical storm.
By planning ahead you can
minimize the dangers of these storms. By planning now
you also reduce the discomforts of recovery and the time
required to return your life to normal.
Prepare for Hurricanes
|
Spy
Software Caught Sex Offender |
09/08/2008 | |
A father has told how he installed spy
software on his 15-year-old daughters computer to find
out her ice hockey coach was having sex with her.
Nicholas Lovell, 38, from Guildford, Surrey, was
convicted of five counts of sexual activity with a child
and jailed for four-and-a-half years.
|
Barclays Offer Free Complete Online
Security Software to all Customers |
09/07/2008 | |
Barclays has become the first UK bank to
offer all its two million online banking customers free
internet security software covering not only anti-virus
software but also spyware, adware, firewalls, parental
controls and spam filters.
The offer is
available to all Barclays customers who sign up for its
online banking . |
Mercedes Benz Recalls Car Due to
Software Bugs |
09/06/2008 | |
Mercedes-Benz China has decided to recall
vehicles that might be given incorrect software
calibration number (SCN) coding in recent visit to
workshops. The error could cause various problems in
different automobile models. It might disable fuel pumps
reaction to car crash, when it was designed to cut off
fuel supply. Other problems include ineffective speed
limit and fuel meter mistakes. |
Teddy Bear Catches Thief |
08/30/2008 | |
A forensic science graduate and her father
caught his terminally ill mothers care assistant
stealing by putting a camera in a teddy bear's eye.
Robert Sampson, 46, and Emma, 21, fixed the tiny
camera in the Liverpool home of his mother Thelma
Sampson, 75. |
Robot Contest To Help Defense |
08/29/2008 | |
The Ministry of Defence today announced
the winners of its Grand Challenge, a contest to
identify promising battlefield robot technologies.
The contest began in 2006, with a shortlist of
seven contestants battling it out 16-18 August.
The final phase included sniffing out a range of
threats placed in a mock battle theatre.
Saturn,
the winner, included integrated ground and aerial robots
with visual, thermal, and radar sensors.
|
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