Worm sleeps to avoid detection - News - ZDNet:
"The latest mass-mailing worm, Atak, hides by going to sleep when it suspects that antivirus software is trying to detect it.
Atak was first discovered Monday. Although antivirus companies do not expect it to cause much damage, they say it will be a nuisance because it can generate a large amount of spam.…"
"Atak tries to tell when someone is stepping through the code to analyze whether it is a virus or not. Often, a virus will contain lots of code that is designed to make it more complicated for (antivirus) companies to write the detections,"Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for antivirus company Sophos said.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-5267258.html
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Lovgate.ad prevention and cure - ZDNet: Reviews
Lovgate.ad prevention and cure - ZDNet: Reviews:
"Lovgate.ad is the latest variation of a known mass-mailing worm family that includes a backdoor Trojan horse and, this time, overwrites several key Windows files, including executables files ending with .exe. While Lovgate.ad (w32.Lovgate.ad@mm, also known by some antivirus software vendors as Lovgate.ab, Lovgate.ae, Lovgate.ah, Lovgate.ao) doesn't destroy personal data, it will destroy access to the applications that run the data. Restoration from a backup utility after removal of the worm is required. Mac, Linux, and Unix users are not affected. At this time, Lovgate.ad is spreading slowly via e-mail, network-shared files, and network connections still vulnerable to the flaw that allowed the MSBlast worm to spread last summer. Because Lovgate.ad contains a variety of ways in which to spread and could damage system files, this worm rates a 6 on the CNET/ZDNet Virus Meter.…"
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/4520-6600_16-5143031.html
"Lovgate.ad is the latest variation of a known mass-mailing worm family that includes a backdoor Trojan horse and, this time, overwrites several key Windows files, including executables files ending with .exe. While Lovgate.ad (w32.Lovgate.ad@mm, also known by some antivirus software vendors as Lovgate.ab, Lovgate.ae, Lovgate.ah, Lovgate.ao) doesn't destroy personal data, it will destroy access to the applications that run the data. Restoration from a backup utility after removal of the worm is required. Mac, Linux, and Unix users are not affected. At this time, Lovgate.ad is spreading slowly via e-mail, network-shared files, and network connections still vulnerable to the flaw that allowed the MSBlast worm to spread last summer. Because Lovgate.ad contains a variety of ways in which to spread and could damage system files, this worm rates a 6 on the CNET/ZDNet Virus Meter.…"
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/4520-6600_16-5143031.html
FCC chief blogs to tech industry - News - ZDNet
FCC chief blogs to tech industry - News - ZDNet:
"WASHINGTON--U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell has started his own Web log, or blog, to reach out to the high-tech community and bypass the scores of Washington lobbyists who typically skulk around his office.
Powell, who wants to avoid regulating new technologies like Web-based telephone service for fear of stifling innovation, said he started the blog to encourage the high-tech industry to get involved because its past practice of flying under the radar to avoid regulations would no longer work.
'Regulated interests have about an 80-year head start on the entrepreneurial tech community when it comes to informing regulators what they want and need, but if anyone can make up for that, Silicon Valley can,' he said in his first blog comments posted Thursday morning.…"
http://www.alwayson-network.com/comments.php?id=4860_0_3_0_C
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5264405.html
"WASHINGTON--U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell has started his own Web log, or blog, to reach out to the high-tech community and bypass the scores of Washington lobbyists who typically skulk around his office.
Powell, who wants to avoid regulating new technologies like Web-based telephone service for fear of stifling innovation, said he started the blog to encourage the high-tech industry to get involved because its past practice of flying under the radar to avoid regulations would no longer work.
'Regulated interests have about an 80-year head start on the entrepreneurial tech community when it comes to informing regulators what they want and need, but if anyone can make up for that, Silicon Valley can,' he said in his first blog comments posted Thursday morning.…"
http://www.alwayson-network.com/comments.php?id=4860_0_3_0_C
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5264405.html
Saturday, July 10, 2004
Mozilla Flaw Lets Links Run Arbitrary Programs
Mozilla Flaw Lets Links Run Arbitrary Programs:
"The Mozilla Foundation has confirmed findings that its Mozilla and Firefox browsers are vulnerable to attacks using the 'shell:' scheme, which execute arbitrary code under Windows without the user having to click a link."
Security researchers are reporting another security issue in Web browsing under Windows, but this time Internet Explorer is not the culprit. The Mozilla Foundation's Mozilla and Firefox are reported as vulnerable.
The Mozilla Foundation has confirmed the problem and issued a fix, which is available here.
http://update.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=154
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1621451,00.asp?kc=ewnws070904dtx1k0300599
"The Mozilla Foundation has confirmed findings that its Mozilla and Firefox browsers are vulnerable to attacks using the 'shell:' scheme, which execute arbitrary code under Windows without the user having to click a link."
Security researchers are reporting another security issue in Web browsing under Windows, but this time Internet Explorer is not the culprit. The Mozilla Foundation's Mozilla and Firefox are reported as vulnerable.
The Mozilla Foundation has confirmed the problem and issued a fix, which is available here.
http://update.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=154
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1621451,00.asp?kc=ewnws070904dtx1k0300599
Article compilation: You've been hacked - TechRepublic
Article compilation: You've been hacked - TechRepublic:
"You'll want to download this collection of articles and keep them handy. They detail what to do in the first five minutes and first few hours of an attack on your network and provide help for preventing future attacks."
requires free registration
http://techrepublic.com.com/5138-6288-729430.html?tag=e601
"You'll want to download this collection of articles and keep them handy. They detail what to do in the first five minutes and first few hours of an attack on your network and provide help for preventing future attacks."
requires free registration
http://techrepublic.com.com/5138-6288-729430.html?tag=e601
IE Exploit Attacks Another Piece of ActiveX
IE Exploit Attacks Another Piece of ActiveX:
"Using Internet Explorer hasn't gotten any safer in the past few days as a Dutch security hacker, Jelmer Kuperus, pointed out yet another unblocked security problem in the popular Web browser.
The latest exploit, an attack on a Windows ActiveX component called Shell.Application, is similar to the Download.Ject attack, also called JS.Scob.Trojan. In that exploit, crackers broke into IIS servers on several popular but still unnamed sites and used them to spread keyboard loggers, proxy servers and other malware through IE's ActiveX scripting technology."
Indeed, attackers used the spyware technique of installing a pop-up ad program, except this one silently installed a Trojan and a BHO (Browser Help Object) designed to swipe login information from several dozen financial sites.
The sites that spread the malware have since been fixed, but there has been no master shipping solution for the underlying IE vulnerabilities. Disabling Active scripting and ActiveX controls in the Internet Zone and Local Machine Zone will prevent exploitation of these holes, but at the cost of seriously affecting IE's functionality.
Microsoft shipped a "patch" Friday that addressed part of this security problem by disabling the Windows component called ADODB.Stream.…
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1620855,00.asp?kc=ewnws070804dtx1k0000599
"Using Internet Explorer hasn't gotten any safer in the past few days as a Dutch security hacker, Jelmer Kuperus, pointed out yet another unblocked security problem in the popular Web browser.
The latest exploit, an attack on a Windows ActiveX component called Shell.Application, is similar to the Download.Ject attack, also called JS.Scob.Trojan. In that exploit, crackers broke into IIS servers on several popular but still unnamed sites and used them to spread keyboard loggers, proxy servers and other malware through IE's ActiveX scripting technology."
Indeed, attackers used the spyware technique of installing a pop-up ad program, except this one silently installed a Trojan and a BHO (Browser Help Object) designed to swipe login information from several dozen financial sites.
The sites that spread the malware have since been fixed, but there has been no master shipping solution for the underlying IE vulnerabilities. Disabling Active scripting and ActiveX controls in the Internet Zone and Local Machine Zone will prevent exploitation of these holes, but at the cost of seriously affecting IE's functionality.
Microsoft shipped a "patch" Friday that addressed part of this security problem by disabling the Windows component called ADODB.Stream.…
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1620855,00.asp?kc=ewnws070804dtx1k0000599
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
The Builder.com guide to SpamAssassin
The Builder.com guide to SpamAssassin:
"Spam is one of the most serious problems plaguing Internet users today. There's nothing quite as frustrating as arriving at work each morning to a mailbox full of unwanted ads. Sorry, there is one thing more frustrating...wasting the next hour deleting those ads for drugs and refinancing and other junk you don't want or need.
Fortunately there is a cure for the spam blues. It's called SpamAssassin, and it's possibly the best tool out there to combat spam. In this guide we'll show you how it works, and then how to install and configure it for your server.…"
http://builder.com.com/5100-6372_14-5247932.html?tag=e601
"Spam is one of the most serious problems plaguing Internet users today. There's nothing quite as frustrating as arriving at work each morning to a mailbox full of unwanted ads. Sorry, there is one thing more frustrating...wasting the next hour deleting those ads for drugs and refinancing and other junk you don't want or need.
Fortunately there is a cure for the spam blues. It's called SpamAssassin, and it's possibly the best tool out there to combat spam. In this guide we'll show you how it works, and then how to install and configure it for your server.…"
http://builder.com.com/5100-6372_14-5247932.html?tag=e601
The New York Times > Technology > You've Got Mail (and Court Says Others Can Read It)
The New York Times > Technology > You've Got Mail (and Court Says Others Can Read It):
"When everything is working right, an e-mail message appears to zip instantaneously from the sender to the recipient's inbox. But in reality, most messages make several momentary stops as they are processed by various computers en route to their destination.
Those short stops may make no difference to the users, but they make an enormous difference to the privacy that e-mail is accorded under federal law.…"
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/06/technology/06net.html?pagewanted=all&position=
"When everything is working right, an e-mail message appears to zip instantaneously from the sender to the recipient's inbox. But in reality, most messages make several momentary stops as they are processed by various computers en route to their destination.
Those short stops may make no difference to the users, but they make an enormous difference to the privacy that e-mail is accorded under federal law.…"
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/06/technology/06net.html?pagewanted=all&position=
Another summer of misery for Windows users? | CNET News.com
Reheated Bagle comes with side of source code | CNET News.com:
"The author of mass-mailing worm Bagle began distributing its source code and two new variants on Sunday, which could trigger another summer of misery for Windows users. "
http://news.com.com/Reheated Bagle comes with side of source code/2100-7349_3-5258179.html?tag=adnews
"The author of mass-mailing worm Bagle began distributing its source code and two new variants on Sunday, which could trigger another summer of misery for Windows users. "
http://news.com.com/Reheated Bagle comes with side of source code/2100-7349_3-5258179.html?tag=adnews
Saturday, July 03, 2004
Microsoft posts work-around for IE flaw - News - ZDNet
Microsoft posts work-around for IE flaw - News - ZDNet:
"Microsoft released on Friday a work-around for an Internet Explorer vulnerability that has left Windows users open to attacks for almost nine months.
The flaw, in an ActiveX scripting component, gained notoriety last month when it became the mechanism used by a network of compromised Web sites to install a malicious program on victims' computers. Microsoft has decided to plug the hole by turning off the ability for the ActiveX component to write to the operating system. The software giant published the work-around on its Web site and directed customers to use its Windows update service to download the patch. "
Though Microsoft intends the change to become a standard configuration for Windows, the software giant is working on a more comprehensive solution, said Stephen Toulouse, security program manager for Microsoft's security response center.
The change fixes a problem that allowed several compromised Web sites to infect visitors' PCs with a Trojan horse program, known as Download.Ject or JS.Scob.Trojan. The program would record the keystrokes and send them to an overseas e-mail address. That Internet Explorer security issue and several others lead some security experts to suggest that users should consider alternative browsers.
Microsoft's configuration change blocks the ability of the ADODB.screen ActiveX component to write to the PC's hard drive. ActiveX, which adds interactivity to Web sites viewed with Internet Explorer, has long been thought to have security issues.
This particular vulnerability has been known about for more than 9 months…
http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/download_ject.mspx
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5256297.html
"Microsoft released on Friday a work-around for an Internet Explorer vulnerability that has left Windows users open to attacks for almost nine months.
The flaw, in an ActiveX scripting component, gained notoriety last month when it became the mechanism used by a network of compromised Web sites to install a malicious program on victims' computers. Microsoft has decided to plug the hole by turning off the ability for the ActiveX component to write to the operating system. The software giant published the work-around on its Web site and directed customers to use its Windows update service to download the patch. "
Though Microsoft intends the change to become a standard configuration for Windows, the software giant is working on a more comprehensive solution, said Stephen Toulouse, security program manager for Microsoft's security response center.
The change fixes a problem that allowed several compromised Web sites to infect visitors' PCs with a Trojan horse program, known as Download.Ject or JS.Scob.Trojan. The program would record the keystrokes and send them to an overseas e-mail address. That Internet Explorer security issue and several others lead some security experts to suggest that users should consider alternative browsers.
Microsoft's configuration change blocks the ability of the ADODB.screen ActiveX component to write to the PC's hard drive. ActiveX, which adds interactivity to Web sites viewed with Internet Explorer, has long been thought to have security issues.
This particular vulnerability has been known about for more than 9 months…
http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/download_ject.mspx
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5256297.html
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Web Searching Tips
Web Searching Tips:
"This section of Search Engine Watch provides tips on using search engines better, along with some fun facts such as what people search for on search engines. "
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/facts/index.php
"This section of Search Engine Watch provides tips on using search engines better, along with some fun facts such as what people search for on search engines. "
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/facts/index.php
Pop-up program reads keystrokes, steals passwords - News - ZDNet
Pop-up program reads keystrokes, steals passwords - News - ZDNet:
"A malicious program that installs itself through a pop-up can read keystrokes and steal passwords when victims visit any of nearly 50 targeted banking sites, security researchers warned on Tuesday.
The targeted sites include major financial institutions, such as Citibank, Barclays Bank and Deutsche Bank, researcher Marcus Sachs said Tuesday.
'If (the program) recognizes that you are on one of those sites, it does keystroke logging,' said Sachs, director of the Internet Storm Center, a site that monitors network threats. Even though all financial sites use encryption built into the browser to protect log-in data, the Trojan horse program can capture the information before it gets encrypted by the browser software. 'The browser does not encrypt data between your keyboard and computer. It's encrypting it (when it goes) out onto the Web.' "
Sachs said the Trojan horse was first discovered on the computer of "an employee at a major dot-com." The victim apparently picked up the program from a malicious pop-up ad that used a flaw in Internet Explorer's helper server to install itself on the user's PC. In this case, because of the computer's security settings, the installation failed. Microsoft said IE users should raise the security settings to high until the company issues a patch.
Two other IE flaws, which Microsoft has yet to fix, were used recently in two other hacking schemes, one last week that turned some Web sites into points of digital infection, and another, earlier in the month, that installed a toolbar on victims' computers that triggered pop-ups. This most recent Trojan horse differs from the attack software used in last week's Web site compromises but could be paired with that technique to spread spyware.
Researchers at the Internet Storm Center studied the Trojan horse file, called "img1big.gif," which was provided by the dot-com. Working through the weekend, the security experts reverse-engineered the program and discovered that it targeted a long list of banks and attempted to steal the account information of those institutions' customers.
The program points to a recent trend in computer viruses and remote-access Trojan horse, or RAT, programs: Attackers are increasingly after money.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5251981.html
"A malicious program that installs itself through a pop-up can read keystrokes and steal passwords when victims visit any of nearly 50 targeted banking sites, security researchers warned on Tuesday.
The targeted sites include major financial institutions, such as Citibank, Barclays Bank and Deutsche Bank, researcher Marcus Sachs said Tuesday.
'If (the program) recognizes that you are on one of those sites, it does keystroke logging,' said Sachs, director of the Internet Storm Center, a site that monitors network threats. Even though all financial sites use encryption built into the browser to protect log-in data, the Trojan horse program can capture the information before it gets encrypted by the browser software. 'The browser does not encrypt data between your keyboard and computer. It's encrypting it (when it goes) out onto the Web.' "
Sachs said the Trojan horse was first discovered on the computer of "an employee at a major dot-com." The victim apparently picked up the program from a malicious pop-up ad that used a flaw in Internet Explorer's helper server to install itself on the user's PC. In this case, because of the computer's security settings, the installation failed. Microsoft said IE users should raise the security settings to high until the company issues a patch.
Two other IE flaws, which Microsoft has yet to fix, were used recently in two other hacking schemes, one last week that turned some Web sites into points of digital infection, and another, earlier in the month, that installed a toolbar on victims' computers that triggered pop-ups. This most recent Trojan horse differs from the attack software used in last week's Web site compromises but could be paired with that technique to spread spyware.
Researchers at the Internet Storm Center studied the Trojan horse file, called "img1big.gif," which was provided by the dot-com. Working through the weekend, the security experts reverse-engineered the program and discovered that it targeted a long list of banks and attempted to steal the account information of those institutions' customers.
The program points to a recent trend in computer viruses and remote-access Trojan horse, or RAT, programs: Attackers are increasingly after money.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5251981.html
Java Technology Fundamentals Newsletter
Java Technology Fundamentals Newsletter:
"Java Developer Connection Java Technology Fundamentals Newsletter.
This monthly newsletter provides a way for you to learn the basics of the Java programming language, discover new resources, and keep up-to-date on the latest additions to Sun Developer Network's New to Java Programming Center.…"
http://java.sun.com/developer/onlineTraining/new2java/supplements/2004/june04.html
"Java Developer Connection Java Technology Fundamentals Newsletter.
This monthly newsletter provides a way for you to learn the basics of the Java programming language, discover new resources, and keep up-to-date on the latest additions to Sun Developer Network's New to Java Programming Center.…"
http://java.sun.com/developer/onlineTraining/new2java/supplements/2004/june04.html
The Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition version 1.5: new language features
J2SE 1.5 (Tiger):
"The Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition version 1.5 (J2SE 1.5) has introduced several enhancements as well as new language features that ease the development of Java applications. This major release is focused along certain key themes, such as quality, monitoring and manageability, performance and scalability, and ease of development. The codename for the J2SE 1.5 release is 'Tiger', and all the new features have been developed under the Java Community Process (JCP)."
http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/releases/j2se15langfeat/
"The Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition version 1.5 (J2SE 1.5) has introduced several enhancements as well as new language features that ease the development of Java applications. This major release is focused along certain key themes, such as quality, monitoring and manageability, performance and scalability, and ease of development. The codename for the J2SE 1.5 release is 'Tiger', and all the new features have been developed under the Java Community Process (JCP)."
http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/releases/j2se15langfeat/
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Download details: Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit 3.0
Download details: Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit 3.0:
"The Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) version 3.0 for Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 or later, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 contains the tools and documentation you need to design, deploy, and support applications on these platforms. Tools include the latest versions of the Microsoft Windows Application Compatibility Analyzer that simplifies application inventory and compatibility testing, the Windows Application Verifier that assists developers and testers in locating common compatibility issues during the development cycle, and the Compatibility Administrator that provides access to the necessary compatibility fixes to support legacy applications in Windows."
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7fc46855-b8a4-46cd-a236-3159970fde94&displaylang=en
"The Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) version 3.0 for Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 or later, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 contains the tools and documentation you need to design, deploy, and support applications on these platforms. Tools include the latest versions of the Microsoft Windows Application Compatibility Analyzer that simplifies application inventory and compatibility testing, the Windows Application Verifier that assists developers and testers in locating common compatibility issues during the development cycle, and the Compatibility Administrator that provides access to the necessary compatibility fixes to support legacy applications in Windows."
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7fc46855-b8a4-46cd-a236-3159970fde94&displaylang=en
Microsoft Christens Cut-Rate Windows as 'XP Starter Edition'
Microsoft Christens Cut-Rate Windows as 'XP Starter Edition':
"Last summer, in response to the success that Linux was having in the Thai marketplace, Microsoft began offering Thai citizens a Thai-localized bundle of Microsoft Windows XP Home and Office XP Standard. As part of the deal, Microsoft also stripped out some unspecified features from both products and slashed the price for the pair to 1,500 Thai Baht, or about $38 U.S. Microsoft Windows XP Home sells at retail for $225; Office XP Standard retails for $499.
This past spring, Microsoft officials said they would decide whether to continue offering the combination based on customer feedback.
It's not clear if Microsoft also will use the "Windows XP Starter Edition" name in other countries. In March, Microsoft began offering a similar cut-rate Windows XP and Microsoft Works bundle customized for the Malaysian market as part of the Malaysian government's PC Gemilang Project.…"
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1616618,00.asp
"Last summer, in response to the success that Linux was having in the Thai marketplace, Microsoft began offering Thai citizens a Thai-localized bundle of Microsoft Windows XP Home and Office XP Standard. As part of the deal, Microsoft also stripped out some unspecified features from both products and slashed the price for the pair to 1,500 Thai Baht, or about $38 U.S. Microsoft Windows XP Home sells at retail for $225; Office XP Standard retails for $499.
This past spring, Microsoft officials said they would decide whether to continue offering the combination based on customer feedback.
It's not clear if Microsoft also will use the "Windows XP Starter Edition" name in other countries. In March, Microsoft began offering a similar cut-rate Windows XP and Microsoft Works bundle customized for the Malaysian market as part of the Malaysian government's PC Gemilang Project.…"
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1616618,00.asp
Monday, June 28, 2004
Wi-Fi security standard sealed and delivered - News - ZDNet
Wi-Fi security standard sealed and delivered - News - ZDNet:
"The 802.11i standard should give wireless networking a boost in the eyes of businesses. Previous security measures, such as Wired Equivalent Privacy, were easily broken by hackers, leaving many security-conscious IT managers wary about wireless networking. The 802.11i standard encrypts data sent along wireless networks to protect it from anyone who may intercept it.
The most significant feature of the 802.11i standard is Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), a strong encryption standard supporting 128-bit, 192-bit and 256-bit keys, said Robin Ritch, Intel's director of security industry marketing.
Ritch added that Intel's Centrino bundle of chips will begin to incorporate the 802.11i standard following interoperability certification by the Wi-Fi Alliance, expected in September. All Centrino products will be 802.11i-compliant by the end of the year, and the upgrades will be in software. "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5248275.html
"The 802.11i standard should give wireless networking a boost in the eyes of businesses. Previous security measures, such as Wired Equivalent Privacy, were easily broken by hackers, leaving many security-conscious IT managers wary about wireless networking. The 802.11i standard encrypts data sent along wireless networks to protect it from anyone who may intercept it.
The most significant feature of the 802.11i standard is Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), a strong encryption standard supporting 128-bit, 192-bit and 256-bit keys, said Robin Ritch, Intel's director of security industry marketing.
Ritch added that Intel's Centrino bundle of chips will begin to incorporate the 802.11i standard following interoperability certification by the Wi-Fi Alliance, expected in September. All Centrino products will be 802.11i-compliant by the end of the year, and the upgrades will be in software. "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5248275.html
ZDNet AnchorDesk: Why AOL users are saying, "I've got spam!"
ZDNet AnchorDesk: Why AOL users are saying, "I've got spam!":
"The good news is that AOL apparently segregates its data across different servers. The data that Smathers allegedly stole did not include individual passwords or credit card numbers, for instance. According to the Wall Street Journal (registration required), Smathers may have obtained the lists by searching letter by letter across nearly 30 different servers.
However, as of this writing, AOL has not offered a site where AOL members can see if their e-mail address, telephone number, and zip code was sold, nor has the ISP offered any further assistance to those affected beyond a simple apology. That's unfortunate, since the stolen lists contain enough information for direct marketers to add customers to e-mail and telemarketing lists. Affected AOL members can expect to hear their phones ringing more and see their in-boxes a little fuller in the near future. "
In addition to rogue employees, companies are also under attack from virus-infected laptops connecting inside their networks and Trojan horses installed on individual workstations that give outsiders inside access. Using that yardstick, last summer's MSBlast worm also qualifies as an inside attack. By installing personal firewalls and antivirus software on each workstation and laptop (even home computers that connect to the corporate network via VPN), companies can eliminate these dangers. Still, even these measures won't stop a determined cracker who gains employment in a company as a janitor or a temp to snoop around for vulnerable points of access.…
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7297_16-5141384.html?tag=adss
"The good news is that AOL apparently segregates its data across different servers. The data that Smathers allegedly stole did not include individual passwords or credit card numbers, for instance. According to the Wall Street Journal (registration required), Smathers may have obtained the lists by searching letter by letter across nearly 30 different servers.
However, as of this writing, AOL has not offered a site where AOL members can see if their e-mail address, telephone number, and zip code was sold, nor has the ISP offered any further assistance to those affected beyond a simple apology. That's unfortunate, since the stolen lists contain enough information for direct marketers to add customers to e-mail and telemarketing lists. Affected AOL members can expect to hear their phones ringing more and see their in-boxes a little fuller in the near future. "
In addition to rogue employees, companies are also under attack from virus-infected laptops connecting inside their networks and Trojan horses installed on individual workstations that give outsiders inside access. Using that yardstick, last summer's MSBlast worm also qualifies as an inside attack. By installing personal firewalls and antivirus software on each workstation and laptop (even home computers that connect to the corporate network via VPN), companies can eliminate these dangers. Still, even these measures won't stop a determined cracker who gains employment in a company as a janitor or a temp to snoop around for vulnerable points of access.…
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7297_16-5141384.html?tag=adss
Saturday, June 26, 2004
Web site virus attack blunted - News - ZDNet
Web site virus attack blunted - News - ZDNet:
"Web surfers are no longer playing Russian roulette each time they visit a Web site, security researchers say, now that a far-reaching Internet attack has been disarmed.
The attack, which had turned some Web sites into points of digital infection, was nipped in the bud Friday, when Internet engineers managed to shut down a Russian server that had been the source of malicious code. Compromised Web sites are still attempting to infect Web surfers' PCs by referring them to the server in Russia, but that computer can no longer be reached."
Still, Web surfers should take precautions, as the Internet underground is increasingly using this type of attack as a way to get by network defenses and infect officer workers' and home users' computers.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5248279.html
"Web surfers are no longer playing Russian roulette each time they visit a Web site, security researchers say, now that a far-reaching Internet attack has been disarmed.
The attack, which had turned some Web sites into points of digital infection, was nipped in the bud Friday, when Internet engineers managed to shut down a Russian server that had been the source of malicious code. Compromised Web sites are still attempting to infect Web surfers' PCs by referring them to the server in Russia, but that computer can no longer be reached."
Still, Web surfers should take precautions, as the Internet underground is increasingly using this type of attack as a way to get by network defenses and infect officer workers' and home users' computers.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5248279.html
Infected Web site attack prevention
Infected Web site attack prevention:
"Criminal hackers (a.k.a. crackers) have launched a different kind of attack on the Internet this week. By simply visiting certain, infected popular Web sites, home and business Internet surfers using Internet Explorer on a PC may indirectly download a remote-access Trojan horse (RAT) onto their desktop computers, which in turn, may record keystrokes necessary to log into secure sites and relay that information to remote sources. This attack does not, however, slow or otherwise interfere with Internet traffic, and it affects only Internet Explorer browsers. Other browsers, including Opera and Mozilla, are not affected. Systems running Linux, Mac OS, Unix, and other operating systems are also unaffected. Microsoft is urging Web sites running on Windows 2000 servers with IIS Version 5.0 to update with the MS04-011 security patch. However, home and business Internet surfers using Internet Explorer are left with few options. Given the widespread but not yet epidemic nature of this attack, we're assigning this threat a Medium designation. "
How it works
There are two parts to this attack. Part one has already happened and affected Web site hosts. Earlier this week, crackers identified Windows 2000 servers with IIS Version 5.0 that have not applied the latest security patch from Microsoft, MS04-011. Some of these Web sites include popular search engines, shopping, and auction sites. The configurations of these servers were altered to include a small file that is in turn added to each file called upon by users.
The second part of the attack affects home and business users of the Internet and occurs whenever an Internet surfer stumbles upon a Web page served by an infected server. Unfortunately, you cannot immediately discern whether a page is infected, and some known pages include those hosted on major Web sites. The second part of the attack uses two vulnerabilities: one that can be patched with Microsoft security patch MS04-013, and another that can't be patched at this time. The flaws affected Internet Explorer only and allow malicious JavaScript from the infected Web server to execute on the desktop system. The JavaScript, in turn, downloads a remote-access Trojan horse from a remote site. This Trojan can record keystrokes used when logging into bank accounts and auction sites and using a credit card to make a purchase online.
For updates from Microsoft see http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/download_ject.mspx
End users should install MS04-013, if they have not already done so, plus they should increase their security settings within Internet Explorer and update their antivirus settings to protect against known Trojan horses that may be installed because of this attack.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-013.mspx
http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-6265_11-5247988.html
"Criminal hackers (a.k.a. crackers) have launched a different kind of attack on the Internet this week. By simply visiting certain, infected popular Web sites, home and business Internet surfers using Internet Explorer on a PC may indirectly download a remote-access Trojan horse (RAT) onto their desktop computers, which in turn, may record keystrokes necessary to log into secure sites and relay that information to remote sources. This attack does not, however, slow or otherwise interfere with Internet traffic, and it affects only Internet Explorer browsers. Other browsers, including Opera and Mozilla, are not affected. Systems running Linux, Mac OS, Unix, and other operating systems are also unaffected. Microsoft is urging Web sites running on Windows 2000 servers with IIS Version 5.0 to update with the MS04-011 security patch. However, home and business Internet surfers using Internet Explorer are left with few options. Given the widespread but not yet epidemic nature of this attack, we're assigning this threat a Medium designation. "
How it works
There are two parts to this attack. Part one has already happened and affected Web site hosts. Earlier this week, crackers identified Windows 2000 servers with IIS Version 5.0 that have not applied the latest security patch from Microsoft, MS04-011. Some of these Web sites include popular search engines, shopping, and auction sites. The configurations of these servers were altered to include a small file that is in turn added to each file called upon by users.
The second part of the attack affects home and business users of the Internet and occurs whenever an Internet surfer stumbles upon a Web page served by an infected server. Unfortunately, you cannot immediately discern whether a page is infected, and some known pages include those hosted on major Web sites. The second part of the attack uses two vulnerabilities: one that can be patched with Microsoft security patch MS04-013, and another that can't be patched at this time. The flaws affected Internet Explorer only and allow malicious JavaScript from the infected Web server to execute on the desktop system. The JavaScript, in turn, downloads a remote-access Trojan horse from a remote site. This Trojan can record keystrokes used when logging into bank accounts and auction sites and using a credit card to make a purchase online.
For updates from Microsoft see http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/download_ject.mspx
End users should install MS04-013, if they have not already done so, plus they should increase their security settings within Internet Explorer and update their antivirus settings to protect against known Trojan horses that may be installed because of this attack.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-013.mspx
http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-6265_11-5247988.html
MSN Hotmail Joins Storage Race
MSN Hotmail Joins Storage Race:
"Free MSN Hotmail users will be gaining 250 megabytes of storage, up from 2MB today, while premium users, for $19.95 a year, will be receiving 2 gigabytes of storage, MSN will announce."
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5245523.html?tag=adnews
Over the past few years, Yahoo and Hotmail have both taken steps to decrease memory in hopes of convincing free users to become paying subscribers.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1616649,00.asp
"Free MSN Hotmail users will be gaining 250 megabytes of storage, up from 2MB today, while premium users, for $19.95 a year, will be receiving 2 gigabytes of storage, MSN will announce."
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5245523.html?tag=adnews
Over the past few years, Yahoo and Hotmail have both taken steps to decrease memory in hopes of convincing free users to become paying subscribers.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1616649,00.asp
Researchers warn of infectious Web sites - News - ZDNet
Researchers warn of infectious Web sites - News - ZDNet:
"The researchers believe that online organized crime groups are breaking into Web servers and surreptitiously inserting code that takes advantage of two flaws in Internet Explorer that Microsoft has not yet fixed. Those flaws allow the Web server to install a program that takes control of the user's computer.
Late Thursday, Microsoft advised customers to increase their browser security to the highest settings, although that could cause some Web site functions to stop working.
The extent of the attacks is unknown, but the security community has seen numerous cases of personal computers infected when the user merely visits a Web site.
'It is not epidemic, but it is being seen,' said Alfred Huger, senior director of engineering for security company Symantec. 'Do we think it is serious? Yeah. It's a concern and it's insidious.…' "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5247187.html
"The researchers believe that online organized crime groups are breaking into Web servers and surreptitiously inserting code that takes advantage of two flaws in Internet Explorer that Microsoft has not yet fixed. Those flaws allow the Web server to install a program that takes control of the user's computer.
Late Thursday, Microsoft advised customers to increase their browser security to the highest settings, although that could cause some Web site functions to stop working.
The extent of the attacks is unknown, but the security community has seen numerous cases of personal computers infected when the user merely visits a Web site.
'It is not epidemic, but it is being seen,' said Alfred Huger, senior director of engineering for security company Symantec. 'Do we think it is serious? Yeah. It's a concern and it's insidious.…' "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5247187.html
Using Accesskeys is Easy
Using Accesskeys is Easy:
"Quite a few Web developers still get a glint of terror in their eyes when someone suggests they add accesskeys to their sites. Well, don't be scared. This article is very short for a very good reason. If you want to use them, accesskeys are so easy to add, you'll wonder why you never did before."
So, what are accesskeys? For the uninitiated, they are a means for people to jump immediately to a specific part of an HTML page by pressing ALT (PC) or CTRL (Mac), followed by the appropriate key on the keyboard, as defined by you via an accesskey parameter.
They're particularly useful for people with mobility issues who don't use a mouse and have a keyboard for their every movement on a computer. Accesskeys allow them quickly and easily to hop around the content of your Web pages. Able-bodied users can find them equally useful as shortcuts, too.…
http://www.sitepoint.com/print/accesskeys
"Quite a few Web developers still get a glint of terror in their eyes when someone suggests they add accesskeys to their sites. Well, don't be scared. This article is very short for a very good reason. If you want to use them, accesskeys are so easy to add, you'll wonder why you never did before."
So, what are accesskeys? For the uninitiated, they are a means for people to jump immediately to a specific part of an HTML page by pressing ALT (PC) or CTRL (Mac), followed by the appropriate key on the keyboard, as defined by you via an accesskey parameter.
They're particularly useful for people with mobility issues who don't use a mouse and have a keyboard for their every movement on a computer. Accesskeys allow them quickly and easily to hop around the content of your Web pages. Able-bodied users can find them equally useful as shortcuts, too.…
http://www.sitepoint.com/print/accesskeys
Exhibitor Shortage Puts Brakes on Comdex
Exhibitor Shortage Puts Brakes on Comdex:
"Last year's Comdex, the first run by MediaLive, attracted more than 40,000 qualified technology buyers and 550 exhibiting companies, according to MediaLive officials.
But the show's total attendance was just 51,000, compared to nearly 125,000 in 2002, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That lowered Comdex's nongaming economic impact on Vegas to just $69 million from $170 million the year before, according to the LVCA.
The LVCA projected numbers virtually identical to those of 2003 for this year's Comdex.… "
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1616762,00.asp
"Last year's Comdex, the first run by MediaLive, attracted more than 40,000 qualified technology buyers and 550 exhibiting companies, according to MediaLive officials.
But the show's total attendance was just 51,000, compared to nearly 125,000 in 2002, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That lowered Comdex's nongaming economic impact on Vegas to just $69 million from $170 million the year before, according to the LVCA.
The LVCA projected numbers virtually identical to those of 2003 for this year's Comdex.… "
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1616762,00.asp
Experts Study Developing Internet Attack, Infection Tries to Implant Software
Chicago Tribune | Experts Study Developing Internet Attack:
"Government and industry experts warned late Thursday of a mysterious, large-scale Internet attack against thousands of popular Web sites. The virus-like infection tries to implant hacker software onto the computers of all Web site visitors.
Industry experts and the Homeland Security Department were studying the infection to determine how it spreads across Web sites and find adequate defenses against it.
'Users should be aware that any Web site, even those that may be trusted by the user, may be affected by this activity and thus contain potentially malicious code,' the government warned in one Internet alert.… "
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/sns-ap-internet-attack,1,905229.story
"Government and industry experts warned late Thursday of a mysterious, large-scale Internet attack against thousands of popular Web sites. The virus-like infection tries to implant hacker software onto the computers of all Web site visitors.
Industry experts and the Homeland Security Department were studying the infection to determine how it spreads across Web sites and find adequate defenses against it.
'Users should be aware that any Web site, even those that may be trusted by the user, may be affected by this activity and thus contain potentially malicious code,' the government warned in one Internet alert.… "
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/sns-ap-internet-attack,1,905229.story
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Online Journalism Review article: States' Shield Laws Might Not Cover Online Journalists
States' Shield Laws Might Not Cover Online Journalists:
"The Internet has lowered the barriers to entry for publishers. This complicates the question of who qualifies as a journalist when it comes to laws designed to protect the confidentiality of sources. How inclusive should shield laws be? A test case for this murky issue has yet to emerge. First in a two-part series."
http://ojr.org/ojr/law/1086825172.php
"The Internet has lowered the barriers to entry for publishers. This complicates the question of who qualifies as a journalist when it comes to laws designed to protect the confidentiality of sources. How inclusive should shield laws be? A test case for this murky issue has yet to emerge. First in a two-part series."
http://ojr.org/ojr/law/1086825172.php
Online Journalism Review article: The Best (and Worst) Video Feeds Online
The Best (and Worst) Video Feeds Online:
"Video quality has improved, but it's still a struggle to find feeds on many news sites."
http://ojr.org/ojr/technology/1087947933.php
"Video quality has improved, but it's still a struggle to find feeds on many news sites."
http://ojr.org/ojr/technology/1087947933.php
Web Page Analyzer - free test speed, optimization, performance analysis, load test tool
Web Page Analyzer - free website speed test website optimization performance analysis faster web page download time load test webpage speed tool:
"Test your web site speed and improve website performance with our free web-based analyzer. Enter a URL below to calculate page size, composition, and page download time. The script calculates the size of individual elements and finds the total for each type of web page component. Based on these page characteristics the script then offers advice on how to improve page display time and website speed. The script incorporates best practices from HCI research into its recommendations."
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
"Test your web site speed and improve website performance with our free web-based analyzer. Enter a URL below to calculate page size, composition, and page download time. The script calculates the size of individual elements and finds the total for each type of web page component. Based on these page characteristics the script then offers advice on how to improve page display time and website speed. The script incorporates best practices from HCI research into its recommendations."
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
The real reason you should care about web standards
Design by Fire: The real reason you should care about web standards:
"The real reason you should care about web standards.
A well-written entry for a new, original reason why Web sites should be designed to follow Web standards. More and more corporate sites are making the move to standards "
http://www.designbyfire.com/000099.html
"The real reason you should care about web standards.
A well-written entry for a new, original reason why Web sites should be designed to follow Web standards. More and more corporate sites are making the move to standards "
http://www.designbyfire.com/000099.html
Monday, June 21, 2004
Dynamic Text Replacement: A List Apart
Dynamic Text Replacement: A List Apart:
"Text styling is the dull headache of web design. There are only a handful of fonts that are universally available, and sophisticated graphical effects are next to impossible using only standard CSS and HTML. Sticking with the traditional typefaces is smart for body text, but when it comes to our headings — short, attention-grabbing blocks of text — it would be nice to have some choice in the matter. We’ve become accustomed to this problem and we cope with it either by making the most of the few fonts we have, or by entirely replacing our heading-text with images.
Most sites that replace text with images do so using hand-made images, which isn’t so terrible when there are a set number of headings, but it quickly becomes unmanageable on a site that is updated several times per day. However the replacement is performed, each image needs to be bound to the text it is replacing. That binding usually manifests itself as an <img> tag, an embedded style sheet, or a custom id attribute. And over time, through layout changes and redesigns, that binding needs to be managed by someone.
We can forget all that nonsense. No more <img> or <span> tags, no more id attributes or wasted time in Photoshop, and no more messy CSS hacks. Using JavaScript and PHP, we can generate accessible image-headings using any font we like. And we don’t have to change the structure of our HTML or CSS at all.…"
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/dynatext/
"Text styling is the dull headache of web design. There are only a handful of fonts that are universally available, and sophisticated graphical effects are next to impossible using only standard CSS and HTML. Sticking with the traditional typefaces is smart for body text, but when it comes to our headings — short, attention-grabbing blocks of text — it would be nice to have some choice in the matter. We’ve become accustomed to this problem and we cope with it either by making the most of the few fonts we have, or by entirely replacing our heading-text with images.
Most sites that replace text with images do so using hand-made images, which isn’t so terrible when there are a set number of headings, but it quickly becomes unmanageable on a site that is updated several times per day. However the replacement is performed, each image needs to be bound to the text it is replacing. That binding usually manifests itself as an <img> tag, an embedded style sheet, or a custom id attribute. And over time, through layout changes and redesigns, that binding needs to be managed by someone.
We can forget all that nonsense. No more <img> or <span> tags, no more id attributes or wasted time in Photoshop, and no more messy CSS hacks. Using JavaScript and PHP, we can generate accessible image-headings using any font we like. And we don’t have to change the structure of our HTML or CSS at all.…"
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/dynatext/
Friday, June 18, 2004
Crypto-Gram: June 15, 2004
Crypto-Gram: June 15, 2004:
"A Must Read! Newsletter
Breaking Iranian Codes
Biometric IDs for Airport Employees
Crypto-Gram Reprints
Microsoft and SP2
News
Cell Phone Jamming and Terrorist Attacks
Photographing Subways and Terrorist Attacks
Counterpane News
The Witty Worm
Comments from Readers "
http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0406.html
"A Must Read! Newsletter
Breaking Iranian Codes
Biometric IDs for Airport Employees
Crypto-Gram Reprints
Microsoft and SP2
News
Cell Phone Jamming and Terrorist Attacks
Photographing Subways and Terrorist Attacks
Counterpane News
The Witty Worm
Comments from Readers "
http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0406.html
Antipiracy bill targets tech. ReplayTV, peer-to-peer, even the VCR could be outlawed.
Antipiracy bill targets technology - News - ZDNet:
"A forthcoming bill in the U.S. Senate would, if passed, dramatically reshape copyright law by prohibiting file-trading networks and some consumer electronics devices on the grounds that they could be used for unlawful purposes.
The proposal, called the Induce Act, says 'whoever intentionally induces any violation' of copyright law would be legally liable for those violations, a prohibition that would effectively ban file-swapping networks like Kazaa and Morpheus. In the draft bill seen by CNET News.com, inducement is defined as 'aids, abets, induces, counsels, or procures' and can be punished with civil fines and, in some circumstances, lengthy prison terms.
The bill represents the latest legislative attempt by influential copyright holders to address what they view as the growing threat of peer-to-peer networks rife with pirated music, movies and software. As file-swapping networks grow in popularity, copyright lobbyists are becoming increasingly creative in their legal responses, which include proposals for Justice Department lawsuits against infringers and action at the state level. "
Originally, the Induce Act was scheduled to be introduced Thursday by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, but the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed at the end of the day that the bill had been delayed. A representative of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a probable co-sponsor of the legislation, said the Induce Act would be introduced "sometime next week," a delay that one technology lobbyist attributed to opposition to the measure.
Though the Induce Act is not yet public, critics are already attacking it as an unjustified expansion of copyright law that seeks to regulate new technologies out of existence.
"They're trying to make it legally risky to introduce technologies that could be used for copyright infringement," said Jessica Litman, a professor at Wayne State University who specializes in copyright law. "That's why it's worded so broadly."
Litman said that under the Induce Act, products like ReplayTV, peer-to-peer networks and even the humble VCR could be outlawed because they can potentially be used to infringe copyrights. Web sites such as Tucows that host peer-to-peer clients like the Morpheus software are also at risk for "inducing" infringement, Litman warned.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5238140.html
"A forthcoming bill in the U.S. Senate would, if passed, dramatically reshape copyright law by prohibiting file-trading networks and some consumer electronics devices on the grounds that they could be used for unlawful purposes.
The proposal, called the Induce Act, says 'whoever intentionally induces any violation' of copyright law would be legally liable for those violations, a prohibition that would effectively ban file-swapping networks like Kazaa and Morpheus. In the draft bill seen by CNET News.com, inducement is defined as 'aids, abets, induces, counsels, or procures' and can be punished with civil fines and, in some circumstances, lengthy prison terms.
The bill represents the latest legislative attempt by influential copyright holders to address what they view as the growing threat of peer-to-peer networks rife with pirated music, movies and software. As file-swapping networks grow in popularity, copyright lobbyists are becoming increasingly creative in their legal responses, which include proposals for Justice Department lawsuits against infringers and action at the state level. "
Originally, the Induce Act was scheduled to be introduced Thursday by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, but the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed at the end of the day that the bill had been delayed. A representative of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a probable co-sponsor of the legislation, said the Induce Act would be introduced "sometime next week," a delay that one technology lobbyist attributed to opposition to the measure.
Though the Induce Act is not yet public, critics are already attacking it as an unjustified expansion of copyright law that seeks to regulate new technologies out of existence.
"They're trying to make it legally risky to introduce technologies that could be used for copyright infringement," said Jessica Litman, a professor at Wayne State University who specializes in copyright law. "That's why it's worded so broadly."
Litman said that under the Induce Act, products like ReplayTV, peer-to-peer networks and even the humble VCR could be outlawed because they can potentially be used to infringe copyrights. Web sites such as Tucows that host peer-to-peer clients like the Morpheus software are also at risk for "inducing" infringement, Litman warned.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5238140.html
New worm terminates antivirus apps - News - ZDNet
New worm terminates antivirus apps - News - ZDNet:
"A new worm variant that can terminate antivirus applications was discovered last Friday, prompting Internet security vendor F-Secure to issue a level two warning.
The variant, called Zafi.B, is spread through e-mail attachments in PIF, EXE or Com attachments, and according to F-Secure, the worm 'terminates all applications that have 'firewall' or 'virus' in their file-name'.
The worm is capable of transmitting in several languages, including English, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Swedish, German or Finnish, said F-Secure, and spreads itself by collecting e-mail addresses from the recipient's address book.… "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5236264.html
"A new worm variant that can terminate antivirus applications was discovered last Friday, prompting Internet security vendor F-Secure to issue a level two warning.
The variant, called Zafi.B, is spread through e-mail attachments in PIF, EXE or Com attachments, and according to F-Secure, the worm 'terminates all applications that have 'firewall' or 'virus' in their file-name'.
The worm is capable of transmitting in several languages, including English, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Swedish, German or Finnish, said F-Secure, and spreads itself by collecting e-mail addresses from the recipient's address book.… "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5236264.html
Judge tosses online privacy case - News - ZDNet
Judge tosses online privacy case - News - ZDNet:
"In a decision dated June 6, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson ruled that seven consolidated class action lawsuits against Northwest had no merit--in part because the privacy policy posted on the airline's Web site was unenforceable unless plaintiffs claimed to have read it. The plaintiffs had contended that the airline, in giving passenger information to the government in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, violated laws and its own privacy policy.
'Although Northwest had a privacy policy for information included on the Web site, plaintiffs do not contend that they actually read the privacy policy prior to providing Northwest with their personal information,' Magnuson noted. 'Thus, plaintiffs' expectation of privacy was low.'"
Privacy advocates assailed that part of the decision, saying it rendered Web site privacy policies all but unenforceable.
"I don't think it's relevant whether or not they actually read the privacy policy first," said Lee Tien, senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in San Francisco. "Think of all the 'fine print' we run into every day--warranties and the like. Rather than focus on what the plaintiffs actually read, we should focus on what Northwest said it would do."
"The rationale the court uses calls into question the assurances of any policy posted on any Web site," said David Sobel, general counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in Washington, D.C.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5234971.html
"In a decision dated June 6, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson ruled that seven consolidated class action lawsuits against Northwest had no merit--in part because the privacy policy posted on the airline's Web site was unenforceable unless plaintiffs claimed to have read it. The plaintiffs had contended that the airline, in giving passenger information to the government in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, violated laws and its own privacy policy.
'Although Northwest had a privacy policy for information included on the Web site, plaintiffs do not contend that they actually read the privacy policy prior to providing Northwest with their personal information,' Magnuson noted. 'Thus, plaintiffs' expectation of privacy was low.'"
Privacy advocates assailed that part of the decision, saying it rendered Web site privacy policies all but unenforceable.
"I don't think it's relevant whether or not they actually read the privacy policy first," said Lee Tien, senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in San Francisco. "Think of all the 'fine print' we run into every day--warranties and the like. Rather than focus on what the plaintiffs actually read, we should focus on what Northwest said it would do."
"The rationale the court uses calls into question the assurances of any policy posted on any Web site," said David Sobel, general counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in Washington, D.C.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5234971.html
'Zombie' PCs caused Web outage, Akamai says - News - ZDNet
'Zombie' PCs caused Web outage, Akamai says - News - ZDNet:
"The attack that blacked out Google, Yahoo and other major Web sites earlier this week involved the use of a 'bot net'--a large network of zombified home PCs--Internet infrastructure provider Akamai Technologies said Wednesday.
The attack, which blocked nearly all access to Apple Computer, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo's Web sites for two hours on Tuesday, took aim at the key domain name system (DNS) servers run by Akamai. These servers translate word-based URLs, such as www.microsoft.com, into the numerical addresses used by the Internet. Using compromised home computers, the attackers sent a flood of data to the DNS servers, preventing them from providing that translation and effectively shutting surfers out of the four companies' pages, according to Akamai.
The deluge of data that hit the infrastructure provider was 'so large that it (couldn't have) come from a couple of servers,' said Tom Leighton, chief scientist and co-founder of Akamai. 'Working with our network partners, we were able to identify a bot network that appeared to be operating and managed to shut it down, which resulted in stopping the attack.' "
Bot networks are collections of computers that have been compromised by software specifically designed to create a network of systems for attack. A bot--also known as remote-access Trojan horse program, or RAT--seeks out and places itself on vulnerable PCs. It then runs silently in the background, letting an attacker send commands to the system while its owner works, oblivious. The computers are essentially turned into zombies, controllable from afar.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5236403.html
"The attack that blacked out Google, Yahoo and other major Web sites earlier this week involved the use of a 'bot net'--a large network of zombified home PCs--Internet infrastructure provider Akamai Technologies said Wednesday.
The attack, which blocked nearly all access to Apple Computer, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo's Web sites for two hours on Tuesday, took aim at the key domain name system (DNS) servers run by Akamai. These servers translate word-based URLs, such as www.microsoft.com, into the numerical addresses used by the Internet. Using compromised home computers, the attackers sent a flood of data to the DNS servers, preventing them from providing that translation and effectively shutting surfers out of the four companies' pages, according to Akamai.
The deluge of data that hit the infrastructure provider was 'so large that it (couldn't have) come from a couple of servers,' said Tom Leighton, chief scientist and co-founder of Akamai. 'Working with our network partners, we were able to identify a bot network that appeared to be operating and managed to shut it down, which resulted in stopping the attack.' "
Bot networks are collections of computers that have been compromised by software specifically designed to create a network of systems for attack. A bot--also known as remote-access Trojan horse program, or RAT--seeks out and places itself on vulnerable PCs. It then runs silently in the background, letting an attacker send commands to the system while its owner works, oblivious. The computers are essentially turned into zombies, controllable from afar.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5236403.html
Spying on spyware - News - ZDNet - one of every three computers scanned was infected.
Spying on spyware - News - ZDNet:
"EarthLink and Webroot Software released a report Wednesday, revealing that nearly one of every three computers scanned in April for Trojan horse programs or system monitor spyware was infected.
Internet access provider EarthLink and security software maker Webroot scanned nearly 421,000 computers for their April Spy Audit report. Trojan horses and system monitors accounted for 133,715 pieces of the spyware found on those computers--representing almost one in three machines.
System monitors track users' computer activity, capturing virtually everything they do online. Trojan horses appear to be software programs a user has requested but actually aid hackers in stealing computer data. That information is then used to gain unrestricted access to users' computers while they are online.…"
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5236735.html
"EarthLink and Webroot Software released a report Wednesday, revealing that nearly one of every three computers scanned in April for Trojan horse programs or system monitor spyware was infected.
Internet access provider EarthLink and security software maker Webroot scanned nearly 421,000 computers for their April Spy Audit report. Trojan horses and system monitors accounted for 133,715 pieces of the spyware found on those computers--representing almost one in three machines.
System monitors track users' computer activity, capturing virtually everything they do online. Trojan horses appear to be software programs a user has requested but actually aid hackers in stealing computer data. That information is then used to gain unrestricted access to users' computers while they are online.…"
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5236735.html
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Flaw pops up in the core component of Linux kernel
Flaw pops up in Linux kernel - News - ZDNet:
"Linux users have been urged to fix a flaw in the core component of the open-source operating system, following the public release of code that could be used to crash Linux systems.
The flaw, found by two software programmers, could give a user with access to a Linux system the ability to crash the system using two dozen lines of code written in the C programming language, said an advisory posted over the weekend on linuxreviews."
"Assume your kernel is (vulnerable) unless you have good reason to believe it is safe," Oyvind Saether, one of the discoverers of the flaw, said in the advisory.
The program, dubbed "evil.c," causes problems with the code sent to the floating-point unit, the part of the processor that handles noninteger calculations, according to a note in a source code patch published by Linux founder Linus Torvalds.
The open-source Linux operating system has fallen prey to its share of flaws and attacks this year. Several flaws were found in the Concurrent Versions System, CVS, a commonly used application for managing open-source code under development. In March and April, online attackers targeted Linux and Solaris systems at many academic high-performance computing centers.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5235028.html
"Linux users have been urged to fix a flaw in the core component of the open-source operating system, following the public release of code that could be used to crash Linux systems.
The flaw, found by two software programmers, could give a user with access to a Linux system the ability to crash the system using two dozen lines of code written in the C programming language, said an advisory posted over the weekend on linuxreviews."
"Assume your kernel is (vulnerable) unless you have good reason to believe it is safe," Oyvind Saether, one of the discoverers of the flaw, said in the advisory.
The program, dubbed "evil.c," causes problems with the code sent to the floating-point unit, the part of the processor that handles noninteger calculations, according to a note in a source code patch published by Linux founder Linus Torvalds.
The open-source Linux operating system has fallen prey to its share of flaws and attacks this year. Several flaws were found in the Concurrent Versions System, CVS, a commonly used application for managing open-source code under development. In March and April, online attackers targeted Linux and Solaris systems at many academic high-performance computing centers.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5235028.html
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Yahoo Mail Popped Instead of Pumped.
Yahoo Chokes Upon Offering Additional User Storage:
"Yahoo Inc., which on Tuesday meant to pump up users' free e-mail accounts to 100MB, popped instead.
On the morning of its splashy debut, Yahoo users were greeted with notices of the upgrade, which boosted standard accounts from 4MB of e-mail storage to 100MB.
However, the vastly popular e-mail service was sluggish, if it worked at all. Starting Tuesday morning, users began complaining about the site's groggy response time—if, in fact, they could even get the www.yahoo.com site to load at all.
Predictably enough, postings on Slashdot show that Yahoo users are looking the gift horse in the mouth.…"
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1612683,00.asp?kc=ewnws061504dtx1k0000599
"Yahoo Inc., which on Tuesday meant to pump up users' free e-mail accounts to 100MB, popped instead.
On the morning of its splashy debut, Yahoo users were greeted with notices of the upgrade, which boosted standard accounts from 4MB of e-mail storage to 100MB.
However, the vastly popular e-mail service was sluggish, if it worked at all. Starting Tuesday morning, users began complaining about the site's groggy response time—if, in fact, they could even get the www.yahoo.com site to load at all.
Predictably enough, postings on Slashdot show that Yahoo users are looking the gift horse in the mouth.…"
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1612683,00.asp?kc=ewnws061504dtx1k0000599
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Yahoo Expands E-Mail Storage
Yahoo Expands E-Mail Storage, in Nod to Google:
"Starting today, Yahoo will offer users of its free e-mail service 100 megabytes of storage. That is one-tenth of what Google offers but is still far more than the four megabytes Yahoo previously offered. It will also introduce a premium e-mail service, called Yahoo Mail Plus, with two gigabytes of storage for $19.99 a year.…"
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/15/technology/15mail.html
"Starting today, Yahoo will offer users of its free e-mail service 100 megabytes of storage. That is one-tenth of what Google offers but is still far more than the four megabytes Yahoo previously offered. It will also introduce a premium e-mail service, called Yahoo Mail Plus, with two gigabytes of storage for $19.99 a year.…"
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/15/technology/15mail.html
A bug in fully patched versions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer Invites Phishing Attacks
URL Parsing Bug in IE Invites Phishing Attacks:
"A bug in fully patched versions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser allows violations of the browser's security zones, with the result that an unknown malicious site could assume the privileges of more trusted zones.
Researchers on several security mailing lists have been discussing the bug since yesterday and appear still to be learning about it.… "
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1611102,00.asp?kc=ewnws061404dtx1k0000599
"A bug in fully patched versions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser allows violations of the browser's security zones, with the result that an unknown malicious site could assume the privileges of more trusted zones.
Researchers on several security mailing lists have been discussing the bug since yesterday and appear still to be learning about it.… "
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1611102,00.asp?kc=ewnws061404dtx1k0000599
ZDNet AnchorDesk: Is your antivirus app working? Are you sure?
Is your antivirus app working? Are you sure?:
"You have a desktop antivirus app installed now, and you know the signature file subscription is current with the vendor, but still you're seeing viruslike symptoms or perhaps you actually know that you have a virus. Since the first of this year, many new viruses have been shutting down antivirus and firewall apps, or, in other cases, disabling the software's automatic update feature, leaving your system vulnerable to future attack.
It's actually an old trick. The virus MTX, for example, released in 2000, blocks access to antivirus software Web sites. But these recent antivirus-disabling attacks are more effective because of their sheer volume: with some 30-odd variations of Bagle appearing within a 10-week period, each one better than the last, you might have been hit and not even realized it."
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7297_16-5138927.html?tag=adss
"You have a desktop antivirus app installed now, and you know the signature file subscription is current with the vendor, but still you're seeing viruslike symptoms or perhaps you actually know that you have a virus. Since the first of this year, many new viruses have been shutting down antivirus and firewall apps, or, in other cases, disabling the software's automatic update feature, leaving your system vulnerable to future attack.
It's actually an old trick. The virus MTX, for example, released in 2000, blocks access to antivirus software Web sites. But these recent antivirus-disabling attacks are more effective because of their sheer volume: with some 30-odd variations of Bagle appearing within a 10-week period, each one better than the last, you might have been hit and not even realized it."
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7297_16-5138927.html?tag=adss
Friday, June 11, 2004
How Much Is Spam Costing Your Company?
How Much Is Spam Costing Your Company?:
"Two research firms' recent reports say spam is costing your company mucho bucks. Security Center Editor Larry Seltzer sees whether the numbers add up."
By now, you've probably seen the stories about the outrageous cost of spam to businesses. Most of it came from research firm Nucleus Research.
eWEEK's story also cited research from MessageLabs, a respected mail security service.
The report from Nucleus, here in PDF form, made some electrifying claims, the big one being that spam is costing an average of $1,934 per employee a year of lost productivity. The cost in July 2003 was $874 per employee a year.
My goodness, that's a lot of money. "What will we do?" some might ask. But I ask, "Where did they get that number?"
Fortunately, the report answers the question. It assumes that an employee makes $30 per hour and works 2,080 hours per year, stating that employees in May got 29 spam messages per day. The increase from July 2003 comes from the average number of spam messages increasing from 13 to 29.
I don't know where they get those last two numbers on the increase in messages; maybe they're accurate, maybe not. Seems like more of a jump than I've seen, but it could be right.
They also assume 30 seconds per spam message. This is where I have a real problem. It seems like an awful lot of time to me. The average spam message that gets through my filtering takes me a second at most to delete.
I'm probably also on the phone while I do this, further complicating the productivity calculation. Let's assume it takes three seconds to dispose of a spam message, quite a long time if you ask me; that cuts the cost per employee from $1,934 to $193.40, nothing to sneeze at but a whole lot less.…
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1609427,00.asp
"Two research firms' recent reports say spam is costing your company mucho bucks. Security Center Editor Larry Seltzer sees whether the numbers add up."
By now, you've probably seen the stories about the outrageous cost of spam to businesses. Most of it came from research firm Nucleus Research.
eWEEK's story also cited research from MessageLabs, a respected mail security service.
The report from Nucleus, here in PDF form, made some electrifying claims, the big one being that spam is costing an average of $1,934 per employee a year of lost productivity. The cost in July 2003 was $874 per employee a year.
My goodness, that's a lot of money. "What will we do?" some might ask. But I ask, "Where did they get that number?"
Fortunately, the report answers the question. It assumes that an employee makes $30 per hour and works 2,080 hours per year, stating that employees in May got 29 spam messages per day. The increase from July 2003 comes from the average number of spam messages increasing from 13 to 29.
I don't know where they get those last two numbers on the increase in messages; maybe they're accurate, maybe not. Seems like more of a jump than I've seen, but it could be right.
They also assume 30 seconds per spam message. This is where I have a real problem. It seems like an awful lot of time to me. The average spam message that gets through my filtering takes me a second at most to delete.
I'm probably also on the phone while I do this, further complicating the productivity calculation. Let's assume it takes three seconds to dispose of a spam message, quite a long time if you ask me; that cuts the cost per employee from $1,934 to $193.40, nothing to sneeze at but a whole lot less.…
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1609427,00.asp
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Adware purveyor used security flaws to install a toolbar on Internet Explorer
Pop-up toolbar spreads via IE flaws - News - ZDNet:
"An adware purveyor has apparently used two previously unknown security flaws in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser to install a toolbar on victims' computers that triggers pop-up ads, researchers said this week.
One flaw lets an attacker run a program on a victim's machine, while the other enables malicious code to 'cross zones,' or run with privileges higher than normal. Together, the two issues allow for the creation of a Web site that, when visited by victims, can upload and install programs to the victim's computer, according to two analyses of the security holes.… "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5229707.html
"An adware purveyor has apparently used two previously unknown security flaws in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser to install a toolbar on victims' computers that triggers pop-up ads, researchers said this week.
One flaw lets an attacker run a program on a victim's machine, while the other enables malicious code to 'cross zones,' or run with privileges higher than normal. Together, the two issues allow for the creation of a Web site that, when visited by victims, can upload and install programs to the victim's computer, according to two analyses of the security holes.… "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5229707.html
833786 - Identify and to protect yourself from deceptive (spoofed) Web sites and malicious hyperlinks
833786 - Steps that you can take to help identify and to help protect yourself from deceptive (spoofed) Web sites and malicious hyperlinks:
"When you point to a hyperlink in Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook Express, or Microsoft Outlook, the address of the Web site typically appears in the Status bar at the bottom of the window. After you click a link that opens in Internet Explorer, the address of the Web site typically appears in the Internet Explorer Address bar, and the title of the Web page typically appears in the Title bar of the window.
However, a malicious user could create a link to a deceptive (spoofed) Web site that displays the address, or URL, to a legitimate Web site in the Status bar, Address bar, and Title bar. This article describes steps that you can take to help mitigate this issue and to help you to identify a deceptive (spoofed) Web site or URL.… "
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[ln];833786
"When you point to a hyperlink in Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook Express, or Microsoft Outlook, the address of the Web site typically appears in the Status bar at the bottom of the window. After you click a link that opens in Internet Explorer, the address of the Web site typically appears in the Internet Explorer Address bar, and the title of the Web page typically appears in the Title bar of the window.
However, a malicious user could create a link to a deceptive (spoofed) Web site that displays the address, or URL, to a legitimate Web site in the Status bar, Address bar, and Title bar. This article describes steps that you can take to help mitigate this issue and to help you to identify a deceptive (spoofed) Web site or URL.… "
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[ln];833786
Friday, June 04, 2004
Yahoo Anti-Spy Doesn't Default to Detect Adware
Yahoo Plays Favorites with Some Adware:
"When it comes to blocking intrusive Internet software, Yahoo Inc.'s new Anti-Spy gives adware the benefit of the doubt.
The beta version of the spyware-fighting toolbar add-on, which Yahoo released last week, doesn't default to detect adware—a category of software in which Yahoo's paid search division has a financial stake.
Instead, users who want to identify adware in their systems via Anti-Spy must check a box each time they conduct a scan.…"
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1606054,00.asp
"When it comes to blocking intrusive Internet software, Yahoo Inc.'s new Anti-Spy gives adware the benefit of the doubt.
The beta version of the spyware-fighting toolbar add-on, which Yahoo released last week, doesn't default to detect adware—a category of software in which Yahoo's paid search division has a financial stake.
Instead, users who want to identify adware in their systems via Anti-Spy must check a box each time they conduct a scan.…"
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1606054,00.asp
Thursday, June 03, 2004
New Windows Media DRM Announced!
Microsoft Windows Media - Digital Rights Management (DRM):
"Windows Media digital rights management (DRM) is a proven platform to protect and securely deliver content for playback on a computer, portable device, or network device. It's flexible to support a range of business models from single downloads or physical format delivery. The latest version of Windows Media DRM enables new scenarios and provides consumers even greater access to protected audio and video content."
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/drm/default.aspx
"Windows Media digital rights management (DRM) is a proven platform to protect and securely deliver content for playback on a computer, portable device, or network device. It's flexible to support a range of business models from single downloads or physical format delivery. The latest version of Windows Media DRM enables new scenarios and provides consumers even greater access to protected audio and video content."
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/drm/default.aspx
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
The Search Engine Report - Number 91 - May 27, 2004
A worm that uses seven mechanisms to spread itself.
Kibuv Worm, Bobax Trojan Try Many Methods:
"Security experts are tracking two new threats that have emerged in the past few days, including a worm that uses seven mechanisms to spread itself.
The worm is known as Kibuv, and researchers first noticed its presence Friday. Kibuv affects all versions of Windows from 98 through Windows Server 2003 and attempts to spread through a variety of methods, including exploiting five Windows vulnerabilities and connecting to the FTP server installed by the Sasser worms. "
Once it's installed on a PC, Kibuv starts its own FTP server that can be used to distribute copies of the worm. It also connects to a remote IRC chat server and listens for commands, according to an analysis done by Symantec Corp. Kibuv also listens on TCP port 420 for commands.
The worm has not spread too widely as of yet, but with its variety of infection methods, experts say the potential exists for it to infect a large number of machines.
The second piece of malware that has surfaced is a Trojan that is capable of spreading semi-automatically. Known as Bobax, the Trojan can only infect machines running Windows XP and seems to exist solely for the purpose of sending out large amounts of spam, according to an analysis by LURHQ Corp., a managed security services provider.
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.kibuv.b.html
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1594848,00.asp?kc=ewnws051904dtx1k0000599
"Security experts are tracking two new threats that have emerged in the past few days, including a worm that uses seven mechanisms to spread itself.
The worm is known as Kibuv, and researchers first noticed its presence Friday. Kibuv affects all versions of Windows from 98 through Windows Server 2003 and attempts to spread through a variety of methods, including exploiting five Windows vulnerabilities and connecting to the FTP server installed by the Sasser worms. "
Once it's installed on a PC, Kibuv starts its own FTP server that can be used to distribute copies of the worm. It also connects to a remote IRC chat server and listens for commands, according to an analysis done by Symantec Corp. Kibuv also listens on TCP port 420 for commands.
The worm has not spread too widely as of yet, but with its variety of infection methods, experts say the potential exists for it to infect a large number of machines.
The second piece of malware that has surfaced is a Trojan that is capable of spreading semi-automatically. Known as Bobax, the Trojan can only infect machines running Windows XP and seems to exist solely for the purpose of sending out large amounts of spam, according to an analysis by LURHQ Corp., a managed security services provider.
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.kibuv.b.html
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1594848,00.asp?kc=ewnws051904dtx1k0000599
unless they're shut down by the company that installed them, RFID tags can be read
Zombie RFID tags may never die - News - ZDNet:
"Item-level tagging is some way off yet, mainly due to cost rather than retailers' lack of enthusiasm but, when it does kick off in earnest, it's worth putting money on consumers being at loggerheads with retailers over when exactly to switch off and kill the chips.
RFID tags can be read--either by a store or by an unrelated third party--unless they're shut down by the company that installed them in the product. "
While a consumer might quite fancy the idea of walking up to the checkout and having his new $9,000 plasma-screen TV scanned instantaneously, he might not be so pleased that any passer-by with a reader can find out what he's got in the back of his car. He may also just not like the idea of a supermarket being able to scan his goods after he's left the store.
But when should the tag's tracking powers be turned off? Kill commands, as they're known, do exist. The idea is that when a shopper passes a certain point, any active RFID chip essentially shuts itself down (German supermarket Metro tried similar technology with its RFID rollout and was rather red-faced to find its kill commanders were more like a nasty-kick-in-the-shins commands).
The question remains: why would we want to keep the tags active once we've left our local Tesco and should retailers be allowed to?…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5214648.html?tag=zdaresources
"Item-level tagging is some way off yet, mainly due to cost rather than retailers' lack of enthusiasm but, when it does kick off in earnest, it's worth putting money on consumers being at loggerheads with retailers over when exactly to switch off and kill the chips.
RFID tags can be read--either by a store or by an unrelated third party--unless they're shut down by the company that installed them in the product. "
While a consumer might quite fancy the idea of walking up to the checkout and having his new $9,000 plasma-screen TV scanned instantaneously, he might not be so pleased that any passer-by with a reader can find out what he's got in the back of his car. He may also just not like the idea of a supermarket being able to scan his goods after he's left the store.
But when should the tag's tracking powers be turned off? Kill commands, as they're known, do exist. The idea is that when a shopper passes a certain point, any active RFID chip essentially shuts itself down (German supermarket Metro tried similar technology with its RFID rollout and was rather red-faced to find its kill commanders were more like a nasty-kick-in-the-shins commands).
The question remains: why would we want to keep the tags active once we've left our local Tesco and should retailers be allowed to?…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5214648.html?tag=zdaresources
Friday, May 28, 2004
Security Watch Letter: Dangerous Bobax Worm Hits System Files
Security Watch Letter: Dangerous Bobax Worm Hits System Files:
"Since Sasser opened the door, we've seen over a half a dozen new names, and several versions of each-- Cycle, Gaobot, Bobax, Korgo, Kibuv, and Sdbot. Gaobot and Wallon worms also attempt to exploit Windows vulnerabilities from earlier security bulletins. However, the most prolific threats are still the e-mail viruses Netsky.P, Bagel.X, and Dumaru. Sasser.B is also still at the top of the active infector lists, even though Microsoft reports that the number downloads of the MS04-011 update (which could block a Sasser infection) is four times the amount of previous ones. If you haven't updated and haven't gotten Sasser, you're lucky. Update now."
Our top threat of the week is the Bobax.D worm. The fourth in the family, Bobaxuses the same LSASS vulnerability that the Sasser family did. It hasn't had a Sasser-sized impact, but it has the potential (if Sasser doesn't infect the un-patched systems first). Bobax is a little more dangerous than Sasser, as it deletes and changes system files, and sets up an open e-mail relay to send spam from a victim's machine. It even checks the speed of the victim's connection, presumably to cherry-pick the best spam-sending systems.…
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1600125,00.asp
"Since Sasser opened the door, we've seen over a half a dozen new names, and several versions of each-- Cycle, Gaobot, Bobax, Korgo, Kibuv, and Sdbot. Gaobot and Wallon worms also attempt to exploit Windows vulnerabilities from earlier security bulletins. However, the most prolific threats are still the e-mail viruses Netsky.P, Bagel.X, and Dumaru. Sasser.B is also still at the top of the active infector lists, even though Microsoft reports that the number downloads of the MS04-011 update (which could block a Sasser infection) is four times the amount of previous ones. If you haven't updated and haven't gotten Sasser, you're lucky. Update now."
Our top threat of the week is the Bobax.D worm. The fourth in the family, Bobaxuses the same LSASS vulnerability that the Sasser family did. It hasn't had a Sasser-sized impact, but it has the potential (if Sasser doesn't infect the un-patched systems first). Bobax is a little more dangerous than Sasser, as it deletes and changes system files, and sets up an open e-mail relay to send spam from a victim's machine. It even checks the speed of the victim's connection, presumably to cherry-pick the best spam-sending systems.…
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1600125,00.asp
Borland to make software development kits available for .Net services, designed by eBay and PayPal, to Delphi developers
Borland to distribute tool kits for eBay, PayPal - News - ZDNet:
"Borland Software will provide developers access to development tools for creating Web services applications for eBay and PayPal.
Through a joint distribution agreement announced Wednesday, Borland will make software development kits designed by eBay and PayPal available to Delphi developers for creating .Net services. These applications will allow developers to access the eBay marketplace and PayPal's online payment services, the companies said.
eBay and PayPal had enhanced their Web services offerings to attract enterprise customers and Web services developers earlier this year. Thousands of developers have already created customized applications using these tools. Web services technology allows developers to more easily link computers, software and networks through standard interfaces."
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5220867.html
"Borland Software will provide developers access to development tools for creating Web services applications for eBay and PayPal.
Through a joint distribution agreement announced Wednesday, Borland will make software development kits designed by eBay and PayPal available to Delphi developers for creating .Net services. These applications will allow developers to access the eBay marketplace and PayPal's online payment services, the companies said.
eBay and PayPal had enhanced their Web services offerings to attract enterprise customers and Web services developers earlier this year. Thousands of developers have already created customized applications using these tools. Web services technology allows developers to more easily link computers, software and networks through standard interfaces."
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5220867.html
Thursday, May 27, 2004
A patch issued by Apple Computer last week failed to fix the underlying problem
Mac OS fix fails to plug security hole - News - ZDNet:
"A security hole still threatens Mac OS X users after a patch issued by Apple Computer last week failed to fix the underlying problem, security experts said on Tuesday.
The security issue could allow an attacker to transfer and then run a malicious program on a Mac, if the Mac's user can be enticed to go to a fake Web page on which the program has been placed.… "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5220285.html
"A security hole still threatens Mac OS X users after a patch issued by Apple Computer last week failed to fix the underlying problem, security experts said on Tuesday.
The security issue could allow an attacker to transfer and then run a malicious program on a Mac, if the Mac's user can be enticed to go to a fake Web page on which the program has been placed.… "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5220285.html
Microsoft will now guarantee a minimum of 10 years of support
Microsoft pledges longer support for products - News - ZDNet:
"Speaking at TechEd, the software giant's annual conference for information technology administrators, Andy Lees, vice president of the company's server and tools business, said Microsoft will now guarantee a minimum of 10 years of support for all business and developer products.
Microsoft currently cuts off its most basic level of support after eight years. The company has been widely criticized for dropping support for older products that are still widely used, including versions of the Windows operating system. "
Lees said the new policy would provide more reliability for corporate customers. "From the time of shipment, you can guarantee a much more predictable level of support," he said.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5220041.html
"Speaking at TechEd, the software giant's annual conference for information technology administrators, Andy Lees, vice president of the company's server and tools business, said Microsoft will now guarantee a minimum of 10 years of support for all business and developer products.
Microsoft currently cuts off its most basic level of support after eight years. The company has been widely criticized for dropping support for older products that are still widely used, including versions of the Windows operating system. "
Lees said the new policy would provide more reliability for corporate customers. "From the time of shipment, you can guarantee a much more predictable level of support," he said.…
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5220041.html
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Ulead Launches Partnership with Neptune.com with VideoStudio 8 Summertime Video Editing Contest
Summertime Video Editing Contest:
"With Ulead's recent launch of VideoStudio 8, its flagship consumer video editing software, Ulead partnered with Neptune to incorporate an upload feature that lets users immediately post edited movies to a personal Neptune.com Mediashare site for instant playback. To complement the launch of VideoStudio 8, Ulead and Neptune has announced the VideoStudio 8 'Summertime Video Editing Contest' where VideoStudio 8 users and trial users are invited to upload their best movies to their Mediashare account (http://ulead.neptune.com). Ulead and Neptune will continue to collaborate in developing integrated products, hosting digital media contests, and joint marketing activities.
Winners of the VideoStudio 8 'Summertime Video Contest' can receive thousands of dollars in prizes. First place will receive a Special Edition NVIDIA Editing System; second place a Pioneer DVR-A07XL 8X speed DVD recordner with Ulead DVD Workshop 2, Ulead's EMedia Editor's Choice-winning DVD authoring software; and third place an Audio-Technica Pro Microphone Set (3 and 1) designed for camcorders. In addition to these prizes, each winner along with nine honorable mentions will receive three subscriptions to Neptune.com MediaShare with 1GB each of storage."
http://www.emedialive.com/Newsletters/EMediaXtra.aspx?NewsletterID=162#1
"With Ulead's recent launch of VideoStudio 8, its flagship consumer video editing software, Ulead partnered with Neptune to incorporate an upload feature that lets users immediately post edited movies to a personal Neptune.com Mediashare site for instant playback. To complement the launch of VideoStudio 8, Ulead and Neptune has announced the VideoStudio 8 'Summertime Video Editing Contest' where VideoStudio 8 users and trial users are invited to upload their best movies to their Mediashare account (http://ulead.neptune.com). Ulead and Neptune will continue to collaborate in developing integrated products, hosting digital media contests, and joint marketing activities.
Winners of the VideoStudio 8 'Summertime Video Contest' can receive thousands of dollars in prizes. First place will receive a Special Edition NVIDIA Editing System; second place a Pioneer DVR-A07XL 8X speed DVD recordner with Ulead DVD Workshop 2, Ulead's EMedia Editor's Choice-winning DVD authoring software; and third place an Audio-Technica Pro Microphone Set (3 and 1) designed for camcorders. In addition to these prizes, each winner along with nine honorable mentions will receive three subscriptions to Neptune.com MediaShare with 1GB each of storage."
http://www.emedialive.com/Newsletters/EMediaXtra.aspx?NewsletterID=162#1
Dual-Layer DVD Burner Reviewed
Sony DRU-700A Dual-Layer DVD Burner:
"DVD burners have dropped rapidly in price over the past twelve months, while performance has steadily increased. Such is the march of technology, and having the capability to burn DVDs has been a boon for amateur videographers. But one fly has remained in the ointment: dual layer DVDs. Until recently, all DVD recordable drives on the market could only burn to a single layer disc, which limits capacity to 4.7GB.
Last fall, the DVD RW Alliance finalized its spec for DVD R DL. The 'DL' stands for 'dual layer.' Currently, only DVD R DL support is available, but dual layer DVD-R drives will likely appear later in the year."
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1594142,00.asp
"DVD burners have dropped rapidly in price over the past twelve months, while performance has steadily increased. Such is the march of technology, and having the capability to burn DVDs has been a boon for amateur videographers. But one fly has remained in the ointment: dual layer DVDs. Until recently, all DVD recordable drives on the market could only burn to a single layer disc, which limits capacity to 4.7GB.
Last fall, the DVD RW Alliance finalized its spec for DVD R DL. The 'DL' stands for 'dual layer.' Currently, only DVD R DL support is available, but dual layer DVD-R drives will likely appear later in the year."
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1594142,00.asp
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Server Side Coding with PHP & MySQL
PHP & MySQL Tutorials:
"Server Side Coding : PHP & MySQL Tutorials"
http://www.sitepoint.com/subcat/php-tutorials
"Server Side Coding : PHP & MySQL Tutorials"
http://www.sitepoint.com/subcat/php-tutorials
PHP and PEAR, Instant XML with PHP and PEAR::XML_Serializer
Instant XML with PHP and PEAR::XML_Serializer:
"These days, XML has become part of landscape in most all areas of software development -- none more so than on the Web. Those using common XML applications, such as RSS and XML-RPC, will probably find public domain libraries geared specifically to help them work with the formats, eliminating the need for wheel re-invention."
But for "ad-hoc" XML documents, you may be on your own, and you may well wind up spending valuable time building code to parse it. You may also find yourself needing to expose data as XML, in order to make it available to some other system or application, and while XML, in the end, is just text, generating a document that obeys XML's rules for well-formedness can be trickier than it seems. Enter: PEAR::XML_Serializer, the "Swiss Army Knife" for XML…
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/1336
"These days, XML has become part of landscape in most all areas of software development -- none more so than on the Web. Those using common XML applications, such as RSS and XML-RPC, will probably find public domain libraries geared specifically to help them work with the formats, eliminating the need for wheel re-invention."
But for "ad-hoc" XML documents, you may be on your own, and you may well wind up spending valuable time building code to parse it. You may also find yourself needing to expose data as XML, in order to make it available to some other system or application, and while XML, in the end, is just text, generating a document that obeys XML's rules for well-formedness can be trickier than it seems. Enter: PEAR::XML_Serializer, the "Swiss Army Knife" for XML…
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/1336
Caller ID for E-Mail: The Next Step to Deterring Spam
Caller ID for E-Mail Technical Specification:
"'Caller ID for E-Mail: The Next Step to Deterring Spam' is the Microsoft draft specification to address the widespread problem of domain spoofing. Domain spoofing refers specifically to the use of someone else's domain name when sending a message, and is part of the larger spoofing problem, the practice of forging the sender's address on e-mail messages.
Caller ID for e-mail would verify that each e-mail message originates from the Internet domain it claims to come from. Eliminating domain spoofing will help legitimate senders protect their domain names and reputations, and help recipients more effectively identify and filter junk e-mail.…"
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/twc/privacy/spam_callerid.mspx
"'Caller ID for E-Mail: The Next Step to Deterring Spam' is the Microsoft draft specification to address the widespread problem of domain spoofing. Domain spoofing refers specifically to the use of someone else's domain name when sending a message, and is part of the larger spoofing problem, the practice of forging the sender's address on e-mail messages.
Caller ID for e-mail would verify that each e-mail message originates from the Internet domain it claims to come from. Eliminating domain spoofing will help legitimate senders protect their domain names and reputations, and help recipients more effectively identify and filter junk e-mail.…"
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/twc/privacy/spam_callerid.mspx
Spam now 83 percent of messages in the United States
Spam now two thirds of all e-mail - News - ZDNet:
"There is no sign of relief for companies already overwhelmed by the sheer volume of unsolicited and unwanted e-mail messages clogging their mail systems. E-mail security firm MessageLabs' filtering statistics for April, which were published on Monday, show that 67.6 percent of all global e-mail traffic is spam.
MessageLabs said it scanned 840 million e-mail messages in April and found that 97 percent of spam is aimed at five countries: the United States, the U.K., Germany, Australia and Hong Kong. The United States has the worst problem, with 83 percent of messages being classified as spam, while in the U.K. that figure stands at 53 percent.… "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-5219078.html
"There is no sign of relief for companies already overwhelmed by the sheer volume of unsolicited and unwanted e-mail messages clogging their mail systems. E-mail security firm MessageLabs' filtering statistics for April, which were published on Monday, show that 67.6 percent of all global e-mail traffic is spam.
MessageLabs said it scanned 840 million e-mail messages in April and found that 97 percent of spam is aimed at five countries: the United States, the U.K., Germany, Australia and Hong Kong. The United States has the worst problem, with 83 percent of messages being classified as spam, while in the U.K. that figure stands at 53 percent.… "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-5219078.html
Monday, May 24, 2004
Has your PC made you a spammer?
Is your PC spewing spam?:
"Putting a price on a viral network
But wait, it gets worse. Once upon a time, the only way spam operators spread their junk mail was by opening an e-mail account, queuing up a few thousand e-mail messages, then moving on. But Internet service providers got savvy to this practice, and now they look for abnormal spikes in outbound mail traffic, then immediately block or shut down spam-sending accounts.
So the spammers had to get even savvier. With last summer's Sobig virus, it became clear that someone was building viral networks to relay spam messages.
By using open proxies on virus-compromised Windows computers, a spam operator, who may be on some ISP's block list, sends direct marketing e-mail via someone else's compromised PC. Doesn't matter if the infected PC's ISP shuts them down; there are thousands of other PCs relaying the same spam. Viruses are moving targets, so as one system is disinfected or blocked, another system becomes infected."
To illustrate that point, the Sobig virus self-terminated every two weeks or so, allowing the virus writer to sell his or her list of currently infected PCs, then, after the virus expired, author another version, infecting different PCs, and sell that list at a later date. As individual PCs on a given virus network keep changing, the effort to identify and stop spam operators gets much harder.
Yet this open proxy method isn't perfect. To work, the spam operator still contacts each and every infected PC in the virus network. This requires bandwidth, almost as much as if the operator were using a single account to send the spam.
The self-contained spam factory method
Enter the Bobax worm. Security company Lurhq describes Bobax as a self-propagating Trojan horse and a self-contained spam factory. The worm carries with it a template and a list of e-mail addresses, so it's able to create spam on the fly.
This evolution suggests that the virus writers and the spam operators are working closely. No longer is a rogue virus writer selling his or her networks of infected computers created by off-the-shelf viruses and worms to spammers. Now, the spammers are ordering up custom-designed viruses and worms. Perhaps the virus writers are employees, working solely for the spam operators.…
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7297_16-5136207.html?tag=adss
"Putting a price on a viral network
But wait, it gets worse. Once upon a time, the only way spam operators spread their junk mail was by opening an e-mail account, queuing up a few thousand e-mail messages, then moving on. But Internet service providers got savvy to this practice, and now they look for abnormal spikes in outbound mail traffic, then immediately block or shut down spam-sending accounts.
So the spammers had to get even savvier. With last summer's Sobig virus, it became clear that someone was building viral networks to relay spam messages.
By using open proxies on virus-compromised Windows computers, a spam operator, who may be on some ISP's block list, sends direct marketing e-mail via someone else's compromised PC. Doesn't matter if the infected PC's ISP shuts them down; there are thousands of other PCs relaying the same spam. Viruses are moving targets, so as one system is disinfected or blocked, another system becomes infected."
To illustrate that point, the Sobig virus self-terminated every two weeks or so, allowing the virus writer to sell his or her list of currently infected PCs, then, after the virus expired, author another version, infecting different PCs, and sell that list at a later date. As individual PCs on a given virus network keep changing, the effort to identify and stop spam operators gets much harder.
Yet this open proxy method isn't perfect. To work, the spam operator still contacts each and every infected PC in the virus network. This requires bandwidth, almost as much as if the operator were using a single account to send the spam.
The self-contained spam factory method
Enter the Bobax worm. Security company Lurhq describes Bobax as a self-propagating Trojan horse and a self-contained spam factory. The worm carries with it a template and a list of e-mail addresses, so it's able to create spam on the fly.
This evolution suggests that the virus writers and the spam operators are working closely. No longer is a rogue virus writer selling his or her networks of infected computers created by off-the-shelf viruses and worms to spammers. Now, the spammers are ordering up custom-designed viruses and worms. Perhaps the virus writers are employees, working solely for the spam operators.…
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/AnchorDesk/4520-7297_16-5136207.html?tag=adss
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Paper Trails for Electronic Votes
Demand Grows to Require Paper Trails for Electronic Votes:
"A coalition of computer scientists, voter groups and state officials, led by California's secretary of state, Kevin Shelley, is trying to force the makers of electronic voting machines to equip those machines with voter-verifiable paper trails.
Following the problems of the 2000 election in Florida, a number of states and hundreds of counties rushed to dump their punch card ballot systems and to buy the electronic touch screens. Election Data Services, a consulting firm that specializes in election administration, estimates that this November 50 million Americans - about 29 percent of the electorate - may be voting on touch screens, up from 12 percent in 2000.
But in the last year election analysts have documented so many malfunctions, including the disappearance of names from the ballot, and computer experts have shown that the machines are so vulnerable to hackers, that critics have organized to counter the rush toward touch screens with a move to require paper trails."
Paper trails - ballot receipts - would let voters verify that they had cast their votes as they intended and let election officials conduct recounts in close races.
Not everyone agrees that paper trails are necessary, or even advisable. Numerous local election officials - the ones who actually conduct elections - argue that paper trails could create worse problems than the perceived ones that they are intended to cure. They warn of paper jams, voter confusion and delays in the voting booth while voters read their receipts.
There are no national standards to help resolve the disputes. The federal commission that Congress created after 2000 to guide states is behind schedule, and the research body that was supposed to set standards for November 2004 has not even been appointed. So states, prompted by voter organizations, are taking matters into their own hands.
Nevada, which is using touch screens in all its voting precincts this November, has become the first state to require the manufacturer to attach printers in time for Election Day.…
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/23/politics/campaign/23vote.html?pagewanted=all&position=
"A coalition of computer scientists, voter groups and state officials, led by California's secretary of state, Kevin Shelley, is trying to force the makers of electronic voting machines to equip those machines with voter-verifiable paper trails.
Following the problems of the 2000 election in Florida, a number of states and hundreds of counties rushed to dump their punch card ballot systems and to buy the electronic touch screens. Election Data Services, a consulting firm that specializes in election administration, estimates that this November 50 million Americans - about 29 percent of the electorate - may be voting on touch screens, up from 12 percent in 2000.
But in the last year election analysts have documented so many malfunctions, including the disappearance of names from the ballot, and computer experts have shown that the machines are so vulnerable to hackers, that critics have organized to counter the rush toward touch screens with a move to require paper trails."
Paper trails - ballot receipts - would let voters verify that they had cast their votes as they intended and let election officials conduct recounts in close races.
Not everyone agrees that paper trails are necessary, or even advisable. Numerous local election officials - the ones who actually conduct elections - argue that paper trails could create worse problems than the perceived ones that they are intended to cure. They warn of paper jams, voter confusion and delays in the voting booth while voters read their receipts.
There are no national standards to help resolve the disputes. The federal commission that Congress created after 2000 to guide states is behind schedule, and the research body that was supposed to set standards for November 2004 has not even been appointed. So states, prompted by voter organizations, are taking matters into their own hands.
Nevada, which is using touch screens in all its voting precincts this November, has become the first state to require the manufacturer to attach printers in time for Election Day.…
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/23/politics/campaign/23vote.html?pagewanted=all&position=
Saturday, May 22, 2004
200 Articles and Columns on PC Troubleshooting
PC Troubleshooting:
"200 Articles & Columns for 'pc troubleshooting' "
Free registration required. Top quality information.
http://techrepublic.com.com/5048-22-0.html?SearchThis=pc troubleshooting&nodeIds=all&tag=e099.0521&queryType=2&tag=search
"200 Articles & Columns for 'pc troubleshooting' "
Free registration required. Top quality information.
http://techrepublic.com.com/5048-22-0.html?SearchThis=pc troubleshooting&nodeIds=all&tag=e099.0521&queryType=2&tag=search
Friday, May 21, 2004
Skype Creator Promises Official VOIP Program Release:
"The peer-to-peer phone program Skype, which allows computer users to talk to each other globally for free, will soon be expanded to include a paid service that will connect Skype calls to regular phones, the program's co-creator said Wednesday.
Skype Technologies SA founder Niklas Zennstrom, who also co-developed the Internet file-sharing program Kazaa, made the announcement at an Internet-phone conference Wednesday in Markham, north of Toronto.
He said final bugs were being worked out of the Skype software's 'beta' or trial version, which already has at least 5.5 million users worldwide. An official release is scheduled for the summer.…"
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1595770,00.asp
"The peer-to-peer phone program Skype, which allows computer users to talk to each other globally for free, will soon be expanded to include a paid service that will connect Skype calls to regular phones, the program's co-creator said Wednesday.
Skype Technologies SA founder Niklas Zennstrom, who also co-developed the Internet file-sharing program Kazaa, made the announcement at an Internet-phone conference Wednesday in Markham, north of Toronto.
He said final bugs were being worked out of the Skype software's 'beta' or trial version, which already has at least 5.5 million users worldwide. An official release is scheduled for the summer.…"
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1595770,00.asp
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Phishing Attacks on the Rise:
"…'The red flag should be any request for personal information, especially from someone who says they need it right now or there will be dire consequences,' said Patricia Poss, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission's bureau of consumer protection.
Consumers who think they've received a phishing e-mail should not click on any Web links contained in the e-mail and, instead, forward it to the FTC's collection site at uce@ftc.gov.
If they've responded to such e-mails, they should contact their banks or credit card companies immediately to try to prevent account information from being misused, Poss said.
'Then, if you're worried about identity theft, get a copy of your credit report and make sure nothing is going on,' she added.… "
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1595710,00.asp?kc=ewnws052004dtx1k0000599
"…'The red flag should be any request for personal information, especially from someone who says they need it right now or there will be dire consequences,' said Patricia Poss, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission's bureau of consumer protection.
Consumers who think they've received a phishing e-mail should not click on any Web links contained in the e-mail and, instead, forward it to the FTC's collection site at uce@ftc.gov.
If they've responded to such e-mails, they should contact their banks or credit card companies immediately to try to prevent account information from being misused, Poss said.
'Then, if you're worried about identity theft, get a copy of your credit report and make sure nothing is going on,' she added.… "
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1595710,00.asp?kc=ewnws052004dtx1k0000599
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Essential Utilities from PC Magazine
2004 Utility Guide: "You won't find firewall, antispam, antispyware, or traditional antivirus tools in here—they're essential utilities, but we've covered them recently; see our current favorites in the Editors' Choices section. But with new viruses coming at us faster than AV companies can write signatures to stop them, we take a hard look at alternative detection methods that attempt to root out new threats based on their behavior, not just their signatures.
Some utilities are less fun than important—yes, you do have to back up your data regularly, and your Registry probably could use a good cleaning. The following pages present a mix of tools that taste good and are good for you.…"
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1594001,00.asp
Some utilities are less fun than important—yes, you do have to back up your data regularly, and your Registry probably could use a good cleaning. The following pages present a mix of tools that taste good and are good for you.…"
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1594001,00.asp
Cisco Source Code Reportedly Stolen:
"According to a Russian security Web site, criminal hackers broke into Cisco Systems' corporate network last week and stole 800MB of source code for IOS 12.3 and 12.3t (an early deployment version of the operating system containing features not found in the vanilla 12.3 version). In addition, a 2.5MB sample of what is supposedly IOS code was released on an Internet Relay Chat channel as proof of the alleged theft.
'Cisco is aware that a potential compromise of its proprietary information occurred and was reported on a public website just prior to the weekend,' said Cisco spokesman Robert Barlow. 'Cisco is fully investigating what happened. As a matter of policy, we take security very seriously and we continue to take every measure to protect our intellectual property, employee and customer information.' "
IOS 12.3 is the newest main version of San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco's popular operating system. It's used across the company's networking line, including in home office routers (the 800 Series); those for branch offices (the 3700 Series); and those that comprise the Internet backbone (the 7000 Series). Other routers that use the operating system include the 1700, 2500, 2600 and 3600 Series.
This could represent a major security threat not just for Cisco users, but for the entire Internet. According to the Dell'Oro Group, a market research firm that specializes in the networking and telecommunications industries, Cisco owns 62 percent of the core router market.…
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1594322,00.asp
"According to a Russian security Web site, criminal hackers broke into Cisco Systems' corporate network last week and stole 800MB of source code for IOS 12.3 and 12.3t (an early deployment version of the operating system containing features not found in the vanilla 12.3 version). In addition, a 2.5MB sample of what is supposedly IOS code was released on an Internet Relay Chat channel as proof of the alleged theft.
'Cisco is aware that a potential compromise of its proprietary information occurred and was reported on a public website just prior to the weekend,' said Cisco spokesman Robert Barlow. 'Cisco is fully investigating what happened. As a matter of policy, we take security very seriously and we continue to take every measure to protect our intellectual property, employee and customer information.' "
IOS 12.3 is the newest main version of San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco's popular operating system. It's used across the company's networking line, including in home office routers (the 800 Series); those for branch offices (the 3700 Series); and those that comprise the Internet backbone (the 7000 Series). Other routers that use the operating system include the 1700, 2500, 2600 and 3600 Series.
This could represent a major security threat not just for Cisco users, but for the entire Internet. According to the Dell'Oro Group, a market research firm that specializes in the networking and telecommunications industries, Cisco owns 62 percent of the core router market.…
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1594322,00.asp
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Crypto-Gram: May 15, 2004:
"In this issue:
Warrants as a Security Countermeasure
Counterterrorism in Airports
Crypto-Gram Reprints
News
Counterpane News
Security Notes from All Over: Bypassing the USPS
The Doghouse: Markland Technologies
The Doghouse: IQ Networks
National Security Consumers "
http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0405.html
"In this issue:
Warrants as a Security Countermeasure
Counterterrorism in Airports
Crypto-Gram Reprints
News
Counterpane News
Security Notes from All Over: Bypassing the USPS
The Doghouse: Markland Technologies
The Doghouse: IQ Networks
National Security Consumers "
http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0405.html
Saturday, May 15, 2004
How to Create A JavaScript Windows Interface - WebReference.com-:
"When windows first appeared on computer screens around the world it revolutionized the way programs interfaced with the user. Multiple programs could be run at the same time without much confusion. Even within a single program, multiple windows could be used to separate unrelated bits of information or data entry forms and much more."
http://www.webreference.com/programming/javascript/gr/column6/index.html
"When windows first appeared on computer screens around the world it revolutionized the way programs interfaced with the user. Multiple programs could be run at the same time without much confusion. Even within a single program, multiple windows could be used to separate unrelated bits of information or data entry forms and much more."
http://www.webreference.com/programming/javascript/gr/column6/index.html
ZDNet: Printer Friendly - Search engines take the stand:
"Fifteen years after his trial, a convicted drug dealer in New York state belatedly got a chance to clear his name--thanks in part to an Internet search.
A federal judge last November threw out Manuel Rodriguez's conviction and granted him a new trial after discovering evidence of potential jury tampering in a review of court records and queries on Web search engine Google. U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank Maas said that his review of the 1988 court transcript, coupled with looking up jurors' names in Google, had revealed that the assistant district attorney had 'improperly' removed Hispanics.… "
Some judges call Web search a crucial research tool, but critics of the trend are warning that searches on Google and its rivals are no substitute for the painstaking process of evidence and testimony.
"A Google search that I conducted" suggested that a removed juror had "a Hispanic name," Maas wrote in the court decision overturning the conviction.
Rodriguez finished his sentence before his new trial could take place. But his case nevertheless offers a striking illustration of the growing clout of Internet search engines among the judiciary--a controversial trend that's so far garnered little attention outside legal circles.
In the United States and abroad, judges are turning to search engines such as Google to check facts, to look up information about companies embroiled in litigation, and to challenge statistics presented by attorneys in court. Dozens of judges have penned opinions describing Google as a valuable--and sometimes crucial--source of knowledge.
To be sure, Google has no monopoly in the legal system. Yahoo's search engine popped up in the landmark Napster copyright case four years ago, and Oregon police tried to track a criminal defendant accused of firearm violations through Yahoo searches. When AltaVista was in its heyday, it also was mentioned in a handful of cases.
But in the last few years, Google appears to have become the courts' favorite search engine. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company--which announced its plans for an initial public offering last month--accounts for 41 percent of U.S. search referrals, according to statistics compiled by research company WebSideStory.
In one case in Ohio, a judge who ordered a mother not to smoke near her 8-year-old daughter cited medical journals and a Google search that lists 60,000-plus links for "secondhand smoke" and 30,000-plus links for "secondhand smoke children." In addition, the California Supreme Court has Googled for evidence showing that stun belts, which jolt prisoners with 50,000-volt electric shocks, can be harmful and should not have been used in a criminal trial. And an enterprising federal judge in New York did his own Google search to demonstrate that a watch, jeans and handbag retailer named Alfredo Versace was infringing the trademarks of the famous Gianni Versace design house.
Some legal experts warn that Google searches are no substitute for the painstaking process of evidence and testimony. "If a judge is taking as proof facts that are reported in any public medium that pertain to individual actions by persons involved in a case, that is troubling," said George Fisher, a Stanford University law professor. "Those are the sorts of facts that are supposed to be proved in the courtroom under the rules of evidence.…"
http://zdnet.com.com/2102-1104_2-5211658.html?tag=printthis
"Fifteen years after his trial, a convicted drug dealer in New York state belatedly got a chance to clear his name--thanks in part to an Internet search.
A federal judge last November threw out Manuel Rodriguez's conviction and granted him a new trial after discovering evidence of potential jury tampering in a review of court records and queries on Web search engine Google. U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank Maas said that his review of the 1988 court transcript, coupled with looking up jurors' names in Google, had revealed that the assistant district attorney had 'improperly' removed Hispanics.… "
Some judges call Web search a crucial research tool, but critics of the trend are warning that searches on Google and its rivals are no substitute for the painstaking process of evidence and testimony.
"A Google search that I conducted" suggested that a removed juror had "a Hispanic name," Maas wrote in the court decision overturning the conviction.
Rodriguez finished his sentence before his new trial could take place. But his case nevertheless offers a striking illustration of the growing clout of Internet search engines among the judiciary--a controversial trend that's so far garnered little attention outside legal circles.
In the United States and abroad, judges are turning to search engines such as Google to check facts, to look up information about companies embroiled in litigation, and to challenge statistics presented by attorneys in court. Dozens of judges have penned opinions describing Google as a valuable--and sometimes crucial--source of knowledge.
To be sure, Google has no monopoly in the legal system. Yahoo's search engine popped up in the landmark Napster copyright case four years ago, and Oregon police tried to track a criminal defendant accused of firearm violations through Yahoo searches. When AltaVista was in its heyday, it also was mentioned in a handful of cases.
But in the last few years, Google appears to have become the courts' favorite search engine. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company--which announced its plans for an initial public offering last month--accounts for 41 percent of U.S. search referrals, according to statistics compiled by research company WebSideStory.
In one case in Ohio, a judge who ordered a mother not to smoke near her 8-year-old daughter cited medical journals and a Google search that lists 60,000-plus links for "secondhand smoke" and 30,000-plus links for "secondhand smoke children." In addition, the California Supreme Court has Googled for evidence showing that stun belts, which jolt prisoners with 50,000-volt electric shocks, can be harmful and should not have been used in a criminal trial. And an enterprising federal judge in New York did his own Google search to demonstrate that a watch, jeans and handbag retailer named Alfredo Versace was infringing the trademarks of the famous Gianni Versace design house.
Some legal experts warn that Google searches are no substitute for the painstaking process of evidence and testimony. "If a judge is taking as proof facts that are reported in any public medium that pertain to individual actions by persons involved in a case, that is troubling," said George Fisher, a Stanford University law professor. "Those are the sorts of facts that are supposed to be proved in the courtroom under the rules of evidence.…"
http://zdnet.com.com/2102-1104_2-5211658.html?tag=printthis
DVD Rot, or Not?:
"The recent Associated Press story about insidious, disc-devouring 'rot' wasn't the first to hit the mainstream press. Major news outlets Worldwide have for years been publishing sensational reports that up to 20 percent of all mass-produced CDs and DVD-Video discs were slowly destroying themselves. But when an alarmed DVD industry investigated whether the problem was indeed as catastrophic as it appeared, it turned out that most reported incidents had actually been caused by improper disc handling and storage. Despite the latest round of headlines, true 'DVD Rot' today appears to be exceedingly rare. Users themselves are the greatest threat to the longevity of their DVD collections.
Most people think of DVDs as little more than high-capacity CDs, but though the two are very similar, DVDs have vulnerabilities that require particular care in their handling, storage, and cleaning. But with a bit of knowledge and effort, nearly all damage to DVDs can be prevented.…"
http://www.pcmag.com/print_article/0,1761,a=126783,00.asp
"The recent Associated Press story about insidious, disc-devouring 'rot' wasn't the first to hit the mainstream press. Major news outlets Worldwide have for years been publishing sensational reports that up to 20 percent of all mass-produced CDs and DVD-Video discs were slowly destroying themselves. But when an alarmed DVD industry investigated whether the problem was indeed as catastrophic as it appeared, it turned out that most reported incidents had actually been caused by improper disc handling and storage. Despite the latest round of headlines, true 'DVD Rot' today appears to be exceedingly rare. Users themselves are the greatest threat to the longevity of their DVD collections.
Most people think of DVDs as little more than high-capacity CDs, but though the two are very similar, DVDs have vulnerabilities that require particular care in their handling, storage, and cleaning. But with a bit of knowledge and effort, nearly all damage to DVDs can be prevented.…"
http://www.pcmag.com/print_article/0,1761,a=126783,00.asp
Wallon Worm Skirts Around Windows Patch Release:
"Wallon's infection process is complicated. Unlike the ordinary e-mail worm that arrives in an attachment to a message, Wallon appears as a link in a message to a Yahoo page. But with redirection, the Yahoo connection leads to another page that delivers an encrypted link to yet another page that delivers a special downloader application.
Microsoft provided a security patch for this vulnerability in April and suggested its application for all currently supported Windows versions. The company describes the update as 'critical' and recommends it for all Windows variants, starting with Windows 98, even for systems where Outlook Express is not the default e-mail reader.… "
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1591569,00.asp
"Wallon's infection process is complicated. Unlike the ordinary e-mail worm that arrives in an attachment to a message, Wallon appears as a link in a message to a Yahoo page. But with redirection, the Yahoo connection leads to another page that delivers an encrypted link to yet another page that delivers a special downloader application.
Microsoft provided a security patch for this vulnerability in April and suggested its application for all currently supported Windows versions. The company describes the update as 'critical' and recommends it for all Windows variants, starting with Windows 98, even for systems where Outlook Express is not the default e-mail reader.… "
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1591569,00.asp
Friday, May 14, 2004
Mac Trojan Set Loose—More to Come?:
"The first malicious Trojan for Mac OS X has been found in the wild, leading some to claim the platform may be on the verge of increased attention from virus writers."
The Trojan—dubbed AS.MW2004.Trojan by anti-virus company Intego—was first discovered by a reader of British Mac magazine MacWorld. It takes the form of a file purporting to be a version of the newly released Office 2004 for Mac and is available on download services such as LimeWire.
However, despite appearing with a legitimate-looking icon, the Trojan is in fact a simple AppleScript application that, when run, erases the contents of the user's Home folder. And, unlike the real release of Office 2004, the application is only 108KB in size.…
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1591850,00.asp?kc=ewnws051304dtx1k0000599
"The first malicious Trojan for Mac OS X has been found in the wild, leading some to claim the platform may be on the verge of increased attention from virus writers."
The Trojan—dubbed AS.MW2004.Trojan by anti-virus company Intego—was first discovered by a reader of British Mac magazine MacWorld. It takes the form of a file purporting to be a version of the newly released Office 2004 for Mac and is available on download services such as LimeWire.
However, despite appearing with a legitimate-looking icon, the Trojan is in fact a simple AppleScript application that, when run, erases the contents of the user's Home folder. And, unlike the real release of Office 2004, the application is only 108KB in size.…
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1591850,00.asp?kc=ewnws051304dtx1k0000599
New Sasser variant indicates copycat - News - ZDNet:
"A teenager suspected of writing the Sasser code has been arrested by police in Germany. Since his arrest, two variants of the worm have been detected in the wild. The suspected author had confessed to German police that he had released the fifth version of the worm, Sasser.E, four days before he was taken into custody. Antivirus firms didn't detect the variant until the day after the arrest. The most recent, Sasser.F, was first detected Tuesday.
Luis Corrons, head of antivirus company Panda's research labs, said the Sasser.F worm's source code looks like it was written by an inexperienced programmer who has slightly modified the original code but had not added any new functions or behaviors.
'Studying the evolution of Sasser, the fact that variant F does not include any new features confirms that it is the work of a different person,' Corrons said. "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5211114.html?tag=header.newsfeed
"A teenager suspected of writing the Sasser code has been arrested by police in Germany. Since his arrest, two variants of the worm have been detected in the wild. The suspected author had confessed to German police that he had released the fifth version of the worm, Sasser.E, four days before he was taken into custody. Antivirus firms didn't detect the variant until the day after the arrest. The most recent, Sasser.F, was first detected Tuesday.
Luis Corrons, head of antivirus company Panda's research labs, said the Sasser.F worm's source code looks like it was written by an inexperienced programmer who has slightly modified the original code but had not added any new functions or behaviors.
'Studying the evolution of Sasser, the fact that variant F does not include any new features confirms that it is the work of a different person,' Corrons said. "
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5211114.html?tag=header.newsfeed
Microsoft Issues Single New Security Alert for May:
"Microsoft's security alerts for May were posted this afternoon. And the list was refreshingly short. The single new vulnerability revealed does allow for remote code execution by an attacker, but with many limitations on the attack, leading Microsoft to classify the problem as 'important.'
The problem is in the Windows Help and Support Center in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Windows 2000 and other earlier versions are not affected. The Help and Support Center is based on Internet Explorer components and uses a special protocol called HCP, also used by the Control Panel."
Such pages use an "hcp://" prefix, while normal Web pages use an "http://" prefix. The vulnerability is in the process that the Help and Support Center uses to validate the data from an HCP Web site.
The attacker would have to construct a malicious Web page and entice the user to visit it and click on a specific link. According to Microsoft's advisory on the issue, "After they click the link, they would be prompted to perform several actions. An attack could only occur after they performed these actions."
Certain very old versions of Outlook, lacking certain past security patches, also might allow the attack to be sent through an HTML e-mail. All versions of Outlook and Outlook Express for the past several years run HTML e-mails in the "restricted zone," which would make it much harder to exploit this vulnerability.
Microsoft released a patch for the vulnerability, which can be downloaded from the same page that contains the advisory describing the vulnerability. There are also workarounds available, including unregistering the HCP protocol. These are described in the advisory.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-015.mspx
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1590651,00.asp?kc=ewnws051104dtx1k0000599
"Microsoft's security alerts for May were posted this afternoon. And the list was refreshingly short. The single new vulnerability revealed does allow for remote code execution by an attacker, but with many limitations on the attack, leading Microsoft to classify the problem as 'important.'
The problem is in the Windows Help and Support Center in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Windows 2000 and other earlier versions are not affected. The Help and Support Center is based on Internet Explorer components and uses a special protocol called HCP, also used by the Control Panel."
Such pages use an "hcp://" prefix, while normal Web pages use an "http://" prefix. The vulnerability is in the process that the Help and Support Center uses to validate the data from an HCP Web site.
The attacker would have to construct a malicious Web page and entice the user to visit it and click on a specific link. According to Microsoft's advisory on the issue, "After they click the link, they would be prompted to perform several actions. An attack could only occur after they performed these actions."
Certain very old versions of Outlook, lacking certain past security patches, also might allow the attack to be sent through an HTML e-mail. All versions of Outlook and Outlook Express for the past several years run HTML e-mails in the "restricted zone," which would make it much harder to exploit this vulnerability.
Microsoft released a patch for the vulnerability, which can be downloaded from the same page that contains the advisory describing the vulnerability. There are also workarounds available, including unregistering the HCP protocol. These are described in the advisory.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-015.mspx
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1590651,00.asp?kc=ewnws051104dtx1k0000599
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-015: Vulnerability in Help and Support Center Could Allow Remote Code Execution (840374):
"This update resolves a newly-discovered vulnerability. A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the Help and Support Center because of the way that it handles HCP URL validation. The vulnerability is documented in the Vulnerability Details section of this bulletin.
If a user is logged on with administrative privileges, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system, including installing programs; viewing, changing, or deleting data; or creating new accounts with full privileges. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer privileges on the system would be at less risk than users who operate with administrative privileges.
Microsoft recommends that customers install the update at the earliest opportunity."
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms04-015.mspx
"This update resolves a newly-discovered vulnerability. A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the Help and Support Center because of the way that it handles HCP URL validation. The vulnerability is documented in the Vulnerability Details section of this bulletin.
If a user is logged on with administrative privileges, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system, including installing programs; viewing, changing, or deleting data; or creating new accounts with full privileges. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer privileges on the system would be at less risk than users who operate with administrative privileges.
Microsoft recommends that customers install the update at the earliest opportunity."
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms04-015.mspx
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Motherboards.org - The Elusive Zen of Motherboard Identification:
"It certainly may appear to the inexperienced that there is some 'black magic' involved in the art of motherboard identification but really it only involves patience, determination and a little common sense in most cases. There is no doubt that those of us that have some experience do have an advantage in the ability to recognise some common model numbers or bios strings and in knowing the location of certain resources but all this really does is make the search quicker.
80% of the requests for motherboard identification in this forum can be answered in a few seconds by doing a search using the information supplied by the poster and a good search engine such as www.google.com
This can be done by anyone, 'guru' or not."
http://www.motherboards.org/articlesd/how-to-guides/910_1.html
"It certainly may appear to the inexperienced that there is some 'black magic' involved in the art of motherboard identification but really it only involves patience, determination and a little common sense in most cases. There is no doubt that those of us that have some experience do have an advantage in the ability to recognise some common model numbers or bios strings and in knowing the location of certain resources but all this really does is make the search quicker.
80% of the requests for motherboard identification in this forum can be answered in a few seconds by doing a search using the information supplied by the poster and a good search engine such as www.google.com
This can be done by anyone, 'guru' or not."
http://www.motherboards.org/articlesd/how-to-guides/910_1.html
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