Paul F. Roberts

U.S. banks that havent already done so should put plans for shoring up e-banking security into high gear, according to new guidance from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, an interagency body that oversees the financial services industry. The FFIEC issued a report on Oct. 12 that declared single-factor authentication such as a password inadequate […]

Security experts from Internet Security Systems Inc. and the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team are warning companies that use the popular Snort Intrusion Detection System that the technology contains a critical and easily exploitable hole that could be used to compromise vulnerable systems. ISS and U.S. CERT both issued advisories Tuesday concerning vulnerability in a […]

3Com is adding new anti-phishing technology to its TippingPoint line of IPS, or intrusion prevention system, products, the company said. The new anti-phishing features are part of an update to the TippingPoint Digital Vaccine service. They combine system vulnerability data with pattern-matching to spot phishing scams. For example, TippingPoint can determine if an e-mail message […]

Rootkits are becoming increasingly common on enterprise computer networks and are even being used to create undetectable download servers for pirated movies and MP3s, according to anti-virus experts. Anti-virus software company F-Secure Corp., of Helsinki, Finland, has detected rootkits on the networks of numerous customers, and malicious-code authors are integrating rootkit stealth features into Internet […]

Computer Associates International Inc. is reaching out to small and midsize businesses with a new line of software suites that integrate security, storage and data migration tools. This week, the Islandia, N.Y., company plans to unveil its Protection Suites r2.0, six suites for desktops, servers, and mixed desktop and server environments, including versions that can […]

Its Monday: time to pay your monthly credit card bill. A tech-savvy consumer, you log on, open your Web browser and surf to MBNA. com, a site run by the bank that issued your card. Once there, you enter your user name and password, access your account, check your last statement, transfer funds, and pay […]

For the second year in a row, Microsoft Corp. invited a small number of hackers onto its Redmond, Wash., campus to crack the companys products for all to see. Blue Hat V2 was held on Thursday and Friday and teamed noted “white hat” hackers with Microsoft employees to break into and expose security weaknesses in […]

Scam artists who target online banking customers are adapting their techniques to try to defeat a range of sophisticated new security features designed to thwart phishing attacks, according to experts. In recent months, companies that monitor phishing attacks have noticed an increase in malicious programs that record computer screen activity. The rise in so-called screen […]

Citing increased threats from spyware and rootkits, Microsoft Corp. last week unveiled a new enterprise security product called Microsoft Client Protection and a security industry partnership to develop products for the companys operating systems. The product combines anti-spyware and anti-virus protection with management features that will allow it to integrate with Active Directory and software […]

Symantec Corp. continued its recent run of acquisitions last week, announcing plans to buy BindView Development Corp., of Houston, for $209 million, or $4 per share. The acquisition adds BindViews IT security compliance software to Symantecs enterprise software product line. However, at least one expert expressed concern over Symantecs ability to absorb yet another computer […]

A discussion of a new system for tracking malicious code introduced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security turned into a contentious argument Wednesday, with some anti-virus and enterprise IT analysts questioning the programs value and its dependence on major anti-virus software vendors. Attendees at a presentation on the CME (Common Malware Enumeration) program at […]

The recently announced reorganization at Microsoft Corp. will also bring changes to the companys Security Business & Technology Unit that could raise the profile of the companys security products, according to a company executive. Microsoft will move development and marketing of several security products out of the SBTU and into the Windows Server Division, including […]