Sean Michael Kerner

Linux vendor SUSE today announced its SUSE Cloud 3 solution, providing users with the latest components from the OpenStack Havana release. OpenStack is a multi-stakeholder open-source cloud platform effort that counts many of the world’s leading IT vendors—including IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Cisco—among its participants. The most recent OpenStack release, code-named “Havana,” debuted in October […]

Security vendor AlienVault released a milestone update on Feb. 19 for both its open-source and commercial Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions, aiming to provide an improved user experience and enhanced security visibility. SIEM technology plays a pivotal role in the modern security landscape, enabling organizations to log and monitor security events. The Open […]

Belkin International issued a statement late on Feb. 18 that it has fixed vulnerabilities in its WeMo line of home-electronics control devices that were reported by security research firm IOActive. Earlier on Feb. 18, IOActive issued a public advisory warning of vulnerabilities in Belkin’s WeMo connected home devices. The WeMo product line includes Internet connected […]

Bluebox emerged from stealth mode today with a new offering that aims to address mobile app security demands. Instead of trying to solve the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) challenge, Bluebox is positioning itself to offer bring-your-own-apps (BYOA) technology for both Android and IOS devices. Bluebox is backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim, and […]

The Ubuntu Phone is set to make its debut in 2014. In a phone press conference this morning, Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical, the lead commercial sponsor of Ubuntu Linux, formally announced the company’s plans to launch phone hardware this year. Shuttleworth first announced his intention to bring the Ubuntu Linux operating system to phones […]

As the number of Internet-connected devices, including those within the home, escalates, there are growing concerns about security risks. Security firm IOActive revealed Feb. 18 that it discovered multiple vulnerabilities in Belkin’s WeMo connected home devices. The WeMo devices—which include Internet-connected power and light switches that enable users to control their plugged-in devices over the […]

The way that IT certifications have long worked is that they have largely been vendor-specific. That’s something that is about to change with the open-source OpenStack cloud platform. Rather than relying on vendor-specific certifications, a new effort being led by OpenStack vendor Mirantis is aiming to open-source certification for the cloud. The new effort is […]

Every year, one of the biggest events on the information security calendar is the annual RSA Conference, and 2014 is no exception. On Feb. 11, analysts gathered for the annual pre-RSA conference call to discuss what’s likely to emerge as the big trends from the upcoming conference. Among the most contentious issues at the 2014 […]

These days, Chuck Archer—who once fought crime for the Federal Bureau of Investigation—is focusing on a new battleground: cyber-space. Archer, who worked for the FBI from 1970 to 1998 and served as assistant director at the agency, is now executive chairman of security firm Covata and offers perspective the security field and his company. Covata […]

A week ago, the advance notification for Microsoft’s February Patch Tuesday promised no Microsoft Internet Explorer patches. At the time, I wrote that it was surprising, especially given that there were no IE patches in January either. I was optimistic that this was the beginning of a new trend, a new era for IE security. […]

The need for stronger forms of authentication that are more robust than simply having a username and password is critical in the modern world. That’s where two-factor authentication comes in—adding a second item that is unique and randomly generated in order to secure authentication. There are multiple vendors and technologies at play in the two-factor […]

During the 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama announced Executive Order 13636 titled, “Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.” After a year of preparation, the result of the executive order is coming to fruition with the release of the new “Cybersecurity Framework” from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In a statement […]