Dennis Fisher

The last few months have seen the revelation of a rash of critical vulnerabilities in a wide variety of software, from Oracle Corp.s database packages to Windows to Cisco Systems Inc.s IOS code. And if 2003 is to be remembered for being one of the worst years on record for such problems, this weeks Black […]

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday warned customers of a serious hole in all versions of Windows that could completely compromise a vulnerable machine. The vulnerability lies in the DirectX technology that is included with Windows and is used to run multimedia presentations. One of the technologys components, DirectShow, contains two buffer overruns in the function that […]

VeriSign Inc. on Thursday reported a net loss of $0.60 per share on revenue of $265.2 million for the second quarter. In the same period last year the company had a net loss of $20.51 per share on revenue of $317.4 million. Most of the reason for the loss during the quarter is a $177 […]

Symantec Corp. on Wednesday reported first-quarter earnings of $0.41 per share on revenue of $391 million, a strong increase compared to the same year-ago period. In the first quarter of 2003, Symantec posted earnings of $0.36 per share on revenue of $316 million. Symantecs current fiscal year began March 29. A good portion of the […]

Despite fears that a flaw in the software that controls most of the routers and switches in the Internet would lead to widespread attacks and outages, security monitoring companies say they have seen little indication of that happening. The vulnerability, which affects nearly all of the routers and devices running Cisco Systems Inc.s Internetwork Operating […]

As Wi-Fi standards get sorted out and customers clamor for better security, two vendors this week are set to introduce WLAN security products that give IT staffs greater power and flexibility in locking down their networks. Offerings from AirDefense Inc. and Funk Software Inc., while differing in approaches, address the main problems plaguing wireless LANs: […]

Former white house cyber-security czar Richard Clarke ripped his former employer last week, saying the government is doing an unacceptable job of helping the private sector lock down the nations critical infrastructure. Speaking at a press conference to announce a new private alliance of technology companies concerned with security, Clarke took the Department of Homeland […]

The federal government last week awarded a $90 million contract to Microsoft Corp. to provide the Department of Homeland Security with desktop and server software. The move could send a signal to enterprises and other software vendors that the government is happy with Microsofts progress in improving the security of its software. As part of […]

Check Point Software Technologies Inc. on Monday posted earnings of $0.24 on revenue of $106.1 million, down slightly from the $0.27 per share and $108.5 million the company produced in the same period last year. Results for the first half of 2003 were also down slightly compared to 2002. The company earned $0.49 per share […]

Less than a day after Cisco Systems Inc. disclosed the existence of a serious vulnerability in its routers and switches, someone posted a working exploit for the issue to a security mailing list. Using the pseudonym “Marion Barry,” the poster published his exploit to the Full Disclosure list early Friday morning. Sources have confirmed to […]

Internet Security Systems Inc. on Wednesday reported earnings of $0.10 per share on revenue of $59.1 million in the second quarter. That represents a 25 percent jump in earnings from the same period last year, when the company had revenue of $60 million but earned just $0.08 per share. However, the numbers fell short of […]

RSA Security Inc. on Thursday reported earnings of $0.05 per share on revenue of $63.4 million, a 12 percent jump in revenue compared to the same period last year. These numbers represent a major turnaround from 2002 for RSA. Twelve months ago the company posted a net loss of $25 million, or $0.44 per share, […]