Fahmida Y. Rashid

The number of networks supporting the new IPv6 protocol has exploded this year, thanks to a handful of large domain registrars, according to a recent Internet “census.” A little more than 25 percent of the Internet zones under .com, .net and .org surveyed support IPv6, compared with a mere 1.27 percent a year ago, according […]

Security professionals have been sounding the alarm about protecting critical infrastructure from cyber-attackers for a while, and recent incidents show that attacks are very likely. Shortly after reports emerged of cyber-attackers breaching a city water utility network in Springfield, Ill., and damaging a water pump, another hacker, going by the name “pr0f” targeted a city […]

Organizations are struggling to keep track of changes in their networks and to effectively manage their firewall policies, according to a new study. Nearly 85 percent of network administrators in the 2011 Firewall Management report said half of their firewall rule changes need to be fixed because they were configured incorrectly, Tufin Technologies found in […]

The Web exploded in outrage as the House Judiciary Committee conducted hearings on Nov. 16 to discuss the Stop Online Piracy Act. Consumer advocacy groups, industry organizations and technology giants slammed Congress for stacking the witness panel with five advocates for the bill and only one against the bill. None of the speakers supporting the […]

More details leaked from the investigation into the cyber-attack on Nasdaq OMX Group in the fall of 2010 show that the stock exchange was surprisingly lax in its security, Reuters reported. Federal investigators found that some of the exchange’s computers were running out-of-date software and some of the firewalls were improperly configured, Reuters reported on […]

Hackers breached the network at a water utility in Springfield, Ill. and destroyed a pump, according to a post on the Wired Threat Level blog.Cyber-attackers gained remote access into the control systems used by the city water utility in Springfield, Ill. on Nov. 8, a security expert told Wired. A water district employee noticed the […]

Aruba Networks will buy privately held Avenda Systems to bolster its network security portfolio to help organizations protect personal devices being used in the enterprise. Aruba Networks will offer enterprises a single management console that can secure all devices being used within the enterprise and apply consistent security policies, Hitesh Sheth, chief operating officer at […]

Security experts expressed strong concerns about the provisions in the anti-piracy bill that would prevent Internet users from accessing certain Websites. The Stop Online Piracy Act was introduced last month by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Judiciary committee. The House Judiciary hearing on Nov. 16 invited various industry giants, including the […]

A panel of industry heavyweights testified at the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act on Nov. 16. If passed, SOPA would require search engines, payment processors, Internet service providers and ad networks to sever ties with a “rogue Website” for hosting pirated content. If enacted, the law would empower any intellectual […]

Facebook has identified the perpetrators behind the massive spam attack that bombarded users with large volumes of violent and explicit content earlier this week and is pursuing legal action against them, according to a spokesperson for the social networking giant. The spam attack tricked unsuspecting users into copying malicious Javascript code into the URL bar […]

Salaries for IT security professionals are projected to increase by 4.5 percent in 2012, according to a new salary survey. The increasingly hostile threat landscape and growing demand for cloud computing has made security the hottest IT career in terms of salary growth, staffing firm Robert Half Technology said in its latest 2012 Salary Guide […]

The U.S. Department of Justice asked Congress to expand the federal law it relies on to prosecute computer crimes to cover more offenses and impose stronger penalties. The proposed changes will also make it possible to prosecute people for lying online. Congress needs to revise the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and related legislation […]