Michael Myser

A public official in Westchester County, some 30 miles north of New York, has proposed legislation that would require businesses that collect customer information to apply basic security like firewalls when also offering wireless access to consumers. The proposed law, which the county said is the first of its kind in the United States, aims […]

Security researchers have identified a rootkit being spread through AOLs popular instant messaging client and AOL chat rooms. Bundled within the previously identified W32/Sdbot-ADD worm, the lockx.exe rootkit file is installed when users click on the file link within the IM window. Though neither the worm nor the rootkit file are new, it appears to […]

In a security survey of some 1.3 million DNS servers, an Internet measurement firm found that as many as 84 percent of those servers could be susceptible to pharming attacks. The vulnerabilities come about mainly because the DNS (Domain Name System) servers tested were enabled to provide unrestricted recursive name services, which relay information about […]

The Federal Communications Commission earlier this month voted to no longer require telephone companies to sell DSL services to independent competitors at regulated rates, changing the landscape of the broadband market. While the decision is final, the public debate is heating up. “If you deregulate a marketplace that is controlled by two technologies, its disingenuous […]

Cisco on Monday released a security advisory and software fix for a vulnerability that affects two of the companys network security products. Attackers could use the vulnerability to gain access to personal and security login information, or send false data through the CiscoWorks IDSMC (Management Center for IDS Sensors), which manages configuration for Ciscos intrusion […]

Oracle on Tuesday released a free plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio .Net that allows developers to create and deploy the companys database applications on Microsoft Windows. Oracle Developer Tools for Visual Studio .Net 2003 integrates Oracle Database 10g and Microsofts Visual Studio development tool kit to give developers and enterprises another database option for the […]

Published reports that Microsoft is in discussions to purchase high-profile adware vendor Claria for as much as $500 million have set tongues wagging in the security sector, with analysts and vendors questioning the software giants motives and whether the deal will actually occur. “Given Microsofts emphasis on trustworthy computing and their public stance against adware, […]

Celebrity trials and current events are again the vector for virus and malware writers hoping to infect distant computer systems. This week, e-mails claiming Pope John Paul II was murdered, Michael Jackson has died, and Osama bin Laden has been captured all tempt recipients to open the attached file or link for details, which launches […]

Despite drastic budget cuts, Michael Barrera, national ombudsman for the United States Small Business Administration, said the SBA continues to deliver on its promise to support and fund small business growth. “IT is at the core of our mission at the SBA, and as government resources shrink, IT helps make us more efficient in delivering […]

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week it would not hear an appeal from Lexmark International Inc. on its suit against a printer chip maker it says violates the companys intellectual property rights. Lexmark had sought to overturn a ruling made last October by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, that […]