Dennis Fisher

Va. Universities Head Security Project

Two Virginia universities on Tuesday announced a new collaborative project designed to provide education, information and research on information security. The Critical Infrastructure Protection Project will be a joint effort of George Mason University School of Laws Center for Technology and Law and James Madison University. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is providing […]

Hackers Attack Public, Private Sectors

A crew of hackers who claim an interest in protecting national security remained at large last week after a round of high-profile defacements that included government and bank Web sites as well as a site belonging to Gartner Inc. The Deceptive Duo early this month hit the Stamford, Conn., IT research companys site, mocking the […]

ISP Protects Its IP Backbone From DDoS Attacks

Despite all of the attention distributed-denial-of-service attacks have received in the past couple of years and all of the time and money IT managers have spent trying to prevent them, most of the major ISPs have yet to take any real proactive steps to halt such attacks. Telus Corp. on Monday will announce that it […]

Security Still an Afterthought

LAS VEGAS–Despite the current emphasis on security in the IT industry, CIOs and IT managers are still not paying enough attention to the problems facing their organizations, a panel of security experts said Wednesday. “Security is still very much an afterthought,” said Robert Thomas, CEO of Netscreen Technologies Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif. “Its reactive and […]

Microsoft, AOL IM Flaws Uncovered

Microsoft Corp.s two instant messaging clients are vulnerable to a buffer overrun attack that enables an attacker to execute arbitrary code on affected machines. Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., has released a patch for the problem, located at www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms02-022.asp. MSN Messenger 4.5 and 4.6 and Exchange Instant Messenger 4.5 and 4.6 are all vulnerable to the […]

IBM Backs Renewed Grid Efforts

LAS VEGAS — IBM Corp. and other vendors and research organizations are working on a system that will make computing more efficient and more accessible for users. The concept, known as grid computing, is hardly new. Its better known as distributed computing and has been around in one form or another for decades. But if […]

Sprint to Roll Out Security Service

LAS VEGAS — Sprint Corp. on Wednesday will announce a new set of security consulting services designed to help enterprise customers assess the state of their networks security. The new offering comprises an external scan, a penetration test and a wireless LAN survey. Sprint, of Overland Park, Kan., will offer each of the services individually […]

NAI Revises Virus Assessment Program

LAS VEGAS–In an effort to help systems administrators prioritize their virus-fighting efforts, Network Associates Inc. on Tuesday announced a revision to its virus threat assessment program and created separate categories for enterprise and home users. NAIs AVERT (Anti-Virus Emergency Response Team) has also created a new threat category—”low-profiled”—for viruses that are a low risk but […]

Microsoft, Foundstone Form Security Alliance

LAS VEGAS–Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced a partnership with Foundstone Inc. to provide security services to large financial services companies. The alliance is an extension of Microsofts Trustworthy Computing effort and may eventually extend outside the financial industry. Foundstones Financial Services Group will work with the Microsoft Consulting Services unit to deliver both services and […]

Watchdogs on Way Out?

While much of the high-tech industry has spent the last several months focusing on security—for their information as well as their physical assets—a small but growing number of influential executives has been working toward the long-term goal of making the security industry obsolete. “The security industry as we know it today goes away in 10 […]