Brian Prince

Microsoft is mixing reputation-based security into the Download Manager feature in Internet Explorer 9 to protect Web surfers. Microsoft released a beta version of the browser today, putting an emphasis on speed and performance. In the latest edition of the browser, Microsoft has integrated its SmartScreen Filter with Download Manager. The SmartScreen Filter was introduced […]

Aster Data has included a column data store in the latest version of its flagship data analytics server. Added to Aster Data nCluster 4.6, the column data store will present more options for organizations dealing with large data sets, according to the vendor. “Database administrators can [elect] to store data in a row store, column […]

Security researchers revealed today the Stuxnet worm has been exploiting four zero-day vulnerabilities in Windows in an attempt to infect industrial control systems. In the months since Stuxnet was first publicized in July, much of the attention focused on a now-patched Microsoft Windows bug tied to the way shortcut files are parsed on vulnerable machines. […]

Microsoft issued nine security bulletins for Patch Tuesday today to cover 11 security holes in Windows and other Microsoft products. Four of the bulletins are rated “critical,” including two Microsoft considers very likely to be exploited. Among these two bulletins is MS10-061, which addresses a publicly disclosed vulnerability in the Print Spooler service that could […]

Zeus Trojan kit – $3,000. SpyEye Trojan kit – $1,000. Bulletproof hosting – priceless, well not really. According to researchers with EMC’s RSA security division, bulletproof hosting goes for between $87 to $179 per month depending on the service level and up to $400 per month for certain infrastructures. That was just one of several […]

Hewlett-Packard has agreed to acquire ArcSight for $1.5 billion, ending weeks of public speculation about the security vendor’s future. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. In late August, it was reported that ArcSight, a leading vendor in the security information and event management (SIEM) space, was shopping itself around […]

For the second time in nearly a week, Adobe Systems is warning users about a zero-day vulnerability under attack. This time, the bug is in Adobe Flash Player. In a security advisory, the company said the flaw impacts versions 10.1.82.76 and earlier on Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Solaris and Android operating systems. The same vulnerability also […]

A person claiming to be the hacker behind the “Here you have” worm posted a YouTube video Sept. 12 defending his or her actions. In the YouTube video, a hacker by the nickname Iraq Resistance, spoke with a computer-altered voice in a video published by “iqziad” and claimed responsibility for the worm. In an e-mail […]

Database security firm Sentrigo has added vulnerability assessment to its arsenal. Dubbed DBscanner, the new tool includes more than 3,000 different checks for Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2 and MySQL databases. According to Sentrigo, those checks run the gamut from password strength issues to possible misconfigurations in database servers. The product also has database […]

A mass-mailer worm caused agita for IT administrators and topped the past week’s security news. Dubbed the “Here you have” worm based on the subject line of a carrier e-mail that flooded inboxes around the world Sept. 9, the worm disrupted e-mail systems at a number of high-profile companies and institutions. Reminiscent of old-school attacks […]

Adobe Reader and Acrobat users on Windows machines now have a potential shield available to protect them from attackers targeting a zero-day vulnerability. Microsoft and Adobe Systems announced Sept. 10 that the latest edition of Microsoft’s Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit can be used to block attacks. The announcement followed reports that an exploit currently in […]

The Online Trust Alliance has formed the Anti-Malvertising Taskforce to combat malicious ads on the Internet. The task force currently comprises more than two dozen business, advertising industry and government representatives, but the OTA is still recruiting members to join and participate. As part of its efforts, the group has created a working draft of […]