- Follow this blog:
- RSS
- Email Alert
IT Security
Selena Frye
TechRepublic Staff
Selena Frye
-
Fighting fire with water
A TechRepublic community member, in the discussion of the article "Fighting fire with fire", suggested a "community service" component to sentencing for malicious security crackers who are caught...
Posted by Chad Perrin | April 28, 2008, 4:53 AM PDT | Latest comment by $$$$$$$$$$
-
Security news roundup: FBI wants to police the Internet, vulnerability in Realtek HD driver
Here’s a collection of recent security vulnerabilities, alerts, and news, which covers vulnerabilities found in Foxit PDF Reader 2.2 for Windows, a privilege escalation vulnerability in the...
Posted by Paul Mah | April 27, 2008, 10:42 PM PDT | Latest comment by wratholix
-
Fighting fire with fire
Wired reported that on the eleventh of April, on Friday two weeks ago, security expert Joel Eriksson discussed the tools and techniques he uses to crack security on common security cracking...
Posted by Chad Perrin | April 25, 2008, 12:14 PM PDT | Latest comment by DanLM
-
Close unneeded ports on Unix/Linux systems
Chad Perrin explains some procedures for closing ports and turning off services on Unix and Linux systems for added security.
Posted by Chad Perrin | April 23, 2008, 11:33 AM PDT | Latest comment by Neon Samurai
-
Security news roundup: Updates available for Firefox and Safari
Here’s a collection of recent security vulnerabilities, alerts, and news, which covers news that Microsoft will not prosecute ethical hackers probing its Web site for security holes, an...
Posted by Paul Mah | April 21, 2008, 11:59 PM PDT
-
Prevent identity theft by avoiding these seven common mistakes
Identity theft may be on the rise, but you don't have to make it easy for thieves -- take steps to protect the personally identifiable information (PII) of your employees and clients. You can...
Posted by Mike Mullins | April 21, 2008, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Buff Loon
-
Ad-funded software: A potential security vector?
Last week brought news that Microsoft has quietly released an ad-funded version of Microsoft Works. Called Works "SE" -- which stands for "Sponsored Edition" -- the software is available free to...
Posted by Paul Mah | April 21, 2008, 12:01 AM PDT | Latest comment by JohnMcGrew@...
-
List open ports and listening services
You should turn off any services you don't actually need so that they will not become avenues of attack for security threats. Different systems will have different services running by default,...
Posted by Chad Perrin | April 15, 2008, 8:47 PM PDT | Latest comment by jackhard
-
Security news roundup: Oracle announces bonanza of patches for 41 holes, older WordPress blog succumb en masse
Here’s a collection of recent security vulnerabilities, alerts, and news, which covers the release of patches by Oracle for 41 security vulnerabilities, a new patched version of rsync, a warning...
Posted by Paul Mah | April 14, 2008, 9:55 PM PDT | Latest comment by paulmah@...
-
Lock down the BIOS to defend against rogue users
Mike Mullins tells you how to lock down the BIOS on company machines to prevent rogue users from wreaking havoc on the network.
Posted by Mike Mullins | April 14, 2008, 6:07 AM PDT | Latest comment by dawgit
-
Use sSMTP to send e-mail simply and securely
Computer users like me, who prefer daily e-mail dealings to be quick, simple, and devoid of distractions, tend to use a collection of small, separate tools to fulfill each of the critical...
Posted by Chad Perrin | April 11, 2008, 1:07 PM PDT | Latest comment by richard.munden@...
-
Use getmail to get e-mail simply and securely
I like my e-mail approach to be quick, simple, and above all, secure. I use GnuPG with Mutt for digital signatures and message encryption, TLS encryption to keep my mail server sessions safe from...
Posted by Chad Perrin | April 7, 2008, 11:20 AM PDT | Latest comment by alashhar@...
-
Security news roundup: Bumper Patch Tuesday from Microsoft tomorrow, Intel to release anti-theft tech for laptops
Here’s a collection of recent security vulnerabilities, alerts and news, which covers Microsoft's Patch Tuesday for the month of April, news of Intel work on anti-theft technology for laptops, a...
Posted by Paul Mah | April 6, 2008, 11:59 PM PDT | Latest comment by paulmah@...
-
The science of computer forensics
This week, I am introducing some tools used in computer forensics and investigations. This will probably be so much "ho-hum" to those of you already in the trade, but I thought this would be of...
Posted by Paul Mah | April 4, 2008, 8:44 PM PDT | Latest comment by pinballfrank@...
-
Meet me at Penguicon
Chad Perrin will be attending Penguicon later this month, with laptop in tow. It's a combination Open Source Software and Science Fiction Fandom annual convention near Detroit, MI. If you have...
Posted by Chad Perrin | April 3, 2008, 3:08 PM PDT | Latest comment by apotheon
-
DRM and unintended consequences
Chad Perrin analyzes the inherent problems of DRM, its security, and its negative affect on business.
Posted by Chad Perrin | April 1, 2008, 2:46 PM PDT | Latest comment by apotheon
-
Security news roundup: 911 hacker gets three years, Ubuntu Linux stays untouched
Here’s a collection of recent security vulnerabilities, alerts and news, which covers a 911 hacker being sentenced to 3 years jail, an RTSP vulnerability that affects current versions of MPlayer...
Posted by Paul Mah | March 30, 2008, 11:59 PM PDT | Latest comment by catseverywhere@...
-
Security 101, Remedial Edition: Obscurity is not security
Chad Perrin reinforces his argument that obscurity is not security by defending open source security solutions against claims that it is inherently more vulnerable.
Posted by Chad Perrin | March 28, 2008, 2:40 PM PDT | Latest comment by Neon Samurai
-
The Firewire hole
A while back, I wrote about how the humble USB port could be a possible vector for social engineering attacks. Today, I want to talk about the IEE-1394 Firewire which contains a vulnerability that...
Posted by Paul Mah | March 27, 2008, 11:40 AM PDT | Latest comment by hsinsulation
-
The importance of being encrypted
People often complain that using encryption in email is too much work. Sometimes, it can be fraught with difficulty for the encryption novice. Managing public and private keys can be confusing...
Posted by Chad Perrin | March 26, 2008, 11:33 AM PDT | Latest comment by apotheon
-
DropSmack: Using Dropbox to steal files and deliver malware
Michael P. Kassner interviews a digital forensic scientist who uses Dropbox to compromise targeted networks -- something the bad guys probably figured out as well.
Posted by Michael Kassner | April 15, 2013, 7:46 AM PDT | Latest comment by Michael Kassner
-
List open ports and listening services
You should turn off any services you don't actually need so that they will not become avenues of attack for security threats. Different systems will have different services running by default,...
Posted by Chad Perrin | April 15, 2008, 8:47 PM PDT | Latest comment by jackhard
-
Hackers: From innocent curiosity to illegal activity
Researchers asked why talented youth skilled in "computerese" evolve into criminal hackers. Michael P. Kassner explains their unexpected results.
Posted by Michael Kassner | May 6, 2013, 7:59 AM PDT | Latest comment by mattohare@...
-
Battling the Google Redirect virus
Consultant Bob Eisenhardt recounts his frustrating experience trying to track down and get rid of a client's search-redirect virus. Here's how he finally ditched it.
Posted by Bob Eisenhardt | January 2, 2013, 10:56 AM PST | Latest comment by Jane3344
-
Cloud-service contracts and data protection: Unintended consequences
There are things your cloud-service (Facebook, Amazon, Google, Dropbox, etc.) contracts aren't telling you. Michael P. Kassner interviews an attorney concerned about what's not being said.
Posted by Michael Kassner | May 13, 2013, 11:52 AM PDT | Latest comment by Michael Kassner
-
Understanding what motivates Chinese hackers
Michael P. Kassner, with the help of a noted academic and author, looks at what motivates Chinese hackers. It may not be what you think.
Posted by Michael Kassner | April 22, 2013, 10:16 AM PDT | Latest comment by HAL 9000
-
BoxCryptor vs. DropSmack: The battle to secure Dropbox
Can DropSmack malware be stopped? Michael P. Kassner asks the creators of BoxCryptor if it is up to the task of securing the Dropbox file-synchronization service.
Posted by Michael Kassner | April 29, 2013, 10:30 AM PDT | Latest comment by Michael Kassner
-
How to spoof a MAC address
MAC address filtering for wireless networking isn't real "security". Anyone who pays any attention to current trends in wireless security at all should know that MAC filtering is less effective...
Posted by Chad Perrin | January 22, 2008, 1:28 PM PST | Latest comment by Doug Vitale
-
Running the gauntlet: Tips for achieving your CISSP
One of the most highly regarded security certifications is the CISSP. Dominic Vogel offers these nine tips for becoming certified based on his own experience.
Posted by Dominic Vogel | April 23, 2013, 5:30 AM PDT | Latest comment by JCitizen
-
The basics of using a proxy server for privacy and security
Patrick Lambert goes over the basics of how proxy servers work and why they are used to add security and privacy.
Posted by Patrick Lambert | December 5, 2012, 6:30 AM PST | Latest comment by Tony Hopkinson
-
DDoS attack methods and how to prevent or mitigate them
Patrick Lambert covers the various methods attackers use to launch distributed denial of service attacks, and the precautions you can take to prevent or at least, mitigate these types of events.
Posted by Patrick Lambert | October 15, 2012, 11:24 AM PDT
-
Software-Defined Networking: How it affects network security
SDN technology is set to rewrite the book of networking. Michael P. Kassner looks into how SDN will improve security, and where it's vulnerable.
Posted by Michael Kassner | April 8, 2013, 7:13 AM PDT | Latest comment by Michael Kassner
-
Dropbox: Convenient? Absolutely, but is it secure?
A potential security lapse and possibly misleading statements are plaguing Dropbox, a hugely popular file-syncing app. What are the issues and is concern justified?
Posted by Michael Kassner | June 13, 2011, 8:03 AM PDT | Latest comment by kprivigyi@...
-
Use PuTTY as a secure proxy on Windows
Last month, I wrote about using OpenSSH as a secure Web proxy on UNIX and Linux systems. This time, I'll show you how to do the same thing on Microsoft Windows using PuTTY -- probably the single...
Posted by Chad Perrin | March 10, 2008, 4:30 PM PDT | Latest comment by abaabaa
-
Hacker vs. cracker
The word "hacker" gets used in a pejorative sense by journalists an awful lot. Some people think this is perfectly reasonable; others find it offensive, and recommend an alternative term for that...
Posted by Chad Perrin | April 17, 2009, 1:20 PM PDT | Latest comment by wizard57m-cnet
-
The future of IT security compliance: 201 CMR 17.00
Why should you be concerned about a security rule that is part of the State law of Massachusetts -- especially if you aren't in business there? Donovan Colbert explains how compliance regulations...
Posted by Donovan Colbert | April 30, 2013, 6:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by dcolbert@...
-
10 services to turn off in MS Windows XP
As I pointed out on 19 October, in point number four of the article 10 security tips for all general-purposes OSes, an important step in the process of securing your system is to shut down...
Posted by Chad Perrin | November 7, 2007, 10:02 AM PST | Latest comment by JonB2008
-
New McAfee patent hints at a more walled-off online world
A McAfee patent hints at content filtering at the user level in order to block sites that offer pirated content.
Posted by Patrick Lambert | May 3, 2013, 9:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by public_domain
-
The FBI locked your computer? Watch out for new spins on ransomware
The FBI locks your computer. Can they do that? Or is it fake? How does one know? Michael Kassner asks an expert for help with the latest forms of ransomware.
Posted by Michael Kassner | November 15, 2012, 7:18 AM PST | Latest comment by JCitizen
-
The CIA Triad
The CIA Triad is a venerable, well-known model for security policy development, used to identify problem areas and necessary solutions for information security. Read on for an introduction to the...
Posted by Chad Perrin | June 30, 2008, 3:13 PM PDT | Latest comment by white house
