Security

Getting caught crying wolf on issues of national security could have serious ramifications, says Jim Albertine, president of the American League of Lobbyists.

In February, President Bush released his much anticipated National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace. The report contains dire warnings about the threat posed by cyberterrorism, but Bush's National Strategy has a hands-off approach, essentially asking the private sector to police and solve its own security problems.

The recent Slammer worm tore a path through MS-SQL servers across the globe. Did intrusion detection systems do anything to slow the carnage? Security pros share their experiences in this archived mailing list discussion.

The Sapphire worm, also known as the Slammer, was one of the fastest spreading pieces of malware ever spotted in the wild. This report by a consortium of academic computer scientists details how Sapphire spread so quickly. Hopefully such close analysis will help prevent future attacks. Find out how it happened.

A recent audit at the California State University system resulted in a scathing report on the security measures in the school's multimillion dollar new computer system. Find out the dirt and see if there are any lessons for you in your own security efforts.

Network security software company Network Associates Inc. continued its Intrusion Prevention buying spree, saying on Friday that it would acquire privately held Entercept Security Technologies Inc. for US$120 million in cash.

Network Associates Inc. on Tuesday bolstered its arsenal of offerings to protect against network intrusions and cyberattacks by announcing an agreement to acquire IntruVert Networks Inc., a maker of hardware-based firewalls and intrusion detection systems.

Instant messaging (IM) is an increasingly popular method for communicating over the Internet. IM is a real-time supplement to and, in some regards, a replacement for e-mailing. Unlike e-mail, IM allows users to see whether a chosen friend or co-worker is connected to the Internet. This paper describes instant messaging and offers a brief overview of some of the security threats associated with the service.

Many companies, nervous about potential legal liabilities for security problems, outsource security assessment to specialized consultants. But if you decide to take this route, don't feel too secure: if you suffer a breach, the final legal responsibility is still yours, no matter what your consultant told you. Find out how to best prepare to meet your responsibilities in full.

The open source Apache Web server runs the majority of servers on the Internet today, and comes standard on most Unix operating systems. But just because it came with your server doesn't mean you can't improve its security. Follow the tips in this document to keep attackers away from your vital files.

Are you running Sun's latest OS offering? If so, you must know how to make it as secure as possible. This in-depth data sheet explains the security features of this powerful operating system.