Security

by Paul F Roberts

I'm an experienced writer with a decade of work as a reporter and industry analyst covering IT security, cyber security and hacking. Prior to donning the reporter's cap, I spent close to a decade in the technology field, providing technical communications, product training and marketing and communications services to firms including Cisco Systems, Logica and SteelPoint Technologies (now part of Autonomy Corp. PLC). More recently, I served as editor of the computer security blog Threatpost.com. My writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, Salon.com, Fortune Small Business, as well as ZDNet, Computerworld, InfoWorld, eWeek, CIO , CSO , ITworld as well as long format analysis for The 451 Group. I have provided expert commentary on cyber security and emerging threats for leading news outlets including NPR's Marketplace TechReport. Finally 'yes,' I was a guest on The Oprah Show — but it’s a long story.

Android: The IT community's latest problem child

Posted Mar 27, 2013 - 08:44 pm

Microsoft's Windows operating system spent close to two decades as the 'problem child' of the IT world - ubiquitous, buggy and easy to hack. But this week brought more evidence that Google and its Android mobile operating system may be taking that mantle from the folks in Redmond, Washington.
Black Hat 2013: Rise of the (smart) machines

Posted Aug 05, 2013 - 09:35 am

Don’t let all the light and heat over the NSA’s PRISM program fool you. The big story at this year’s annual Black Hat and DEFCON conferences was the myriad of ways that intelligent machines – from televisions to automobiles to medical devices – are creating new privacy and security risks.
Black Hat, Defcon
Cyber's Strangelovian moment?

Posted Feb 25, 2013 - 10:03 pm

A steady drumbeat of news about sophisticated cyber attacks against our government and leading institutions has attendees at this year's RSA conference in a fever. And that may be bad for security.
apt, cybersecurity
IRS's big data play built on shaky foundations

Posted Apr 11, 2013 - 10:04 am

The IRS is scaring taxpayers silly this season with boasts about its Big Data prowess and 'robo audits.' But recent reports suggest the agency is struggling to keep its IT operations afloat.
Legitimate online services enable DDoS-attacks-for-hire sites

Posted May 20, 2013 - 09:17 pm

A recent expose shines a light onto the strange world of "booter" or "stressor" web sites which offer DDoS-attacks-for-hire.
Security stories to watch: Patches for Java, IE, and SCADA-pocalypse!

Posted Jan 15, 2013 - 11:55 am

The patches are out for both Java and Internet Explorer, but this is hardly the end of the story - or the hand wringing. Also: a SCADA-pocalypse!
Internet Explorer, java
The security week ahead: Let the Cyber Cold War begin!

Posted Jan 28, 2013 - 01:43 pm

D.C. wonks warm up to a new Cold War: this one fought with computers. Plus: Death of Aaron Swartz inspires Anonymous back to action.
Android app signing flaw underscores patch paralysis

Posted Jul 10, 2013 - 04:13 pm

Three months after Google patched a widespread flaw in the Android operating system, the vast majority of Android users can’t use it.
Android, android phones
Breaking Bad(ware): Micro-targeting hits the spam world

Posted Sep 23, 2013 - 02:15 pm

A new spam run targeting fans of the cult show Breaking Bad proves that for spammers (and other business folk) we are the sum of the niche groups we align ourselves with.
Crowdfunded lock lets car owners secure their data

Posted Apr 01, 2013 - 07:04 pm

With the federal government proposing airplane style "black boxes" in every automobile, a crowd-funded project wants to design a lock that will allow car owners to secure their data from snooping and tampering.

October is...
Unified Communications Month

BY THE NUMBERS: UC&C

HOW-TO: Look alive and professional in Web meetings

TIP: Use your cell phone as a WiFi VOIP phone

TOOLBOX: Six alternative tools for small business collaboration

CASE STUDY: Enterprise social network moves ad agency into the future

Microsoft's Security Essentials isn't the best antivirus program, according to Microsoft

2 comments
AMD pushes forward with new video cards and a few surprises

2 comments
Keep your old Facebook posts out of search with this one settings change

1 comment
Amazon could be in the streaming set-top box game by holidays

1 comment
BRIC Nations Plan Their own "Independent Internet"

1 comment

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