Hackers and cybercrime prevention

Zero-day auction site highlights ethical debate

A new auction site plans to cash in on flaw research. Executive Editor Dennis Fisher explores if it's a viable business model and if research should be sold to the highest bidder. Continue Reading

Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions Security Learning Guide

A panel of experts breaks down M&A security priorities and explains the best ways to manage disparate security staffs, technologies and policies. Continue Reading

PCI Council hears complaints, suggestions for changes

Companies with the most stringent security technologies endure hurdles to comply with PCI DSS. Some firms are turning to the upcoming Burton Group Catalyst Conference for answers. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Westervelt, TechTarget

DHS suffered more than 800 cyber attacks in two years

Senior officials at the US Department of Homeland Security have acknowledged hundreds of security lapses but say improvements have been made. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Westervelt, TechTarget

HP to acquire SPI Dynamics for Web security

HP says it will would bolster Web site assessments and Web application vulnerabilities with its acquisition of Atlanta-based SPI Dynamics Inc. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.com Staff

Will HP do the right thing with SPI Dynamics?

Analysts say HP can dramatically boost its security with the purchase of SPI Dynamics, but some users worry about SPI's technology wilting under the new ownership. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Burton Group Catalyst Conference San Francisco 2007

SearchSecurity.com brings you the latest news, interviews, podcasts and more from the Burton Group Catalyst Conference 2007 in San Francisco. Continue Reading

Why hacking contests, 'month-of' projects don't help

Ivan Arce, chief technology officer of Core Security Technologies explains why he thinks hacking contests and public vulnerability disclosure projects do little to improve IT security. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Microsoft patches Windows Vista, IE 7

Microsoft fixed 15 flaws in a variety of products Tuesday, including Windows XP, Vista and Internet Explorer 7. Attackers could exploit the most serious flaws for remote code execution. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Watchfire will help IBM build application security

Analysts have been pushing the Security 3.0 concept this week at Gartner's IT Security Summit, and one analyst says IBM's acquisition of Watchfire illustrates the trend. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Top spammer indicted on email fraud, identity theft

The arrest may reduce the volume of spam in the short-term, say experts and analysts, but the real spam threat comes from criminal gangs based in Asia and Russia. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Westervelt, TechTarget

Google dives into security market

Search engine giant Google has acquired security startup GreenBorder Technologies, making it a bigger player in the wider information security market. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

The man behind the Month of Search Engine Bugs speaks

Ukrainian security researcher Eugene Dokukin, more widely known by his online name MustLive, is about to launch a new "Month-of" flaw disclosure project focusing on search engine bugs, at a time when many security professionals are dismissing such projects as shameless publicity. In an interview conducted by email, he describes his background and motive for the Month of Search Engine Bugs, and why he thinks the naysayers are mistaken. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Admins run into trouble with Microsoft updates

A DNS service failure and an ongoing WSUS glitch are among this month's frustrations as IT administrators try to deploy the latest security patches from Microsoft. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

IETF approves new weapon to fight spam, phish

DomainKeys Identified Mail specification (DKIM) gained approval as an official IETF standard. The approval is seen as a major step in the fight against spam and phishing attacks. Continue Reading

By

• Dennis Fisher

Cisco warns of new IOS flaws

The new flaws are classified as "low," but if exploited they could result in a sustained DoS condition, Cisco said. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Westervelt and Bill Brenner, SearchSecurity.com Staff

VoIP security fundamentals

VoIP security is a challenge for IT staff because IP telephony brings with it not only the security problems of data networks but also new threats specific to VoIP. In this fundamentals guide, learn about network security threats and emerging IP telephony threats, and how to secure your VoIP systems and endpoints from them. Continue Reading

Screencast: How to configure a UTM device

In this exclusive screencast, expert David Strom demonstrates the configuration options available in SonicWall's unified threat management product. Continue Reading

PayPal security measures help stamp out fraud

PayPal's 133 million online customers are the biggest ocean phishers have to plunder. CISO Michael Barrett wants to make it safe to be in the water; and he's not going at it alone. Continue Reading

By

• Michael Mimoso, TechTarget

Microsoft to release DNS patch Tuesday

In addition to a fix for the DNS Server Service flaw, Microsoft plans to patch critical flaws in Windows, Office, Exchange, CAPICOM and BizTalk. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

DNS worm strikes at Microsoft flaw

A new worm called Rinbot.BC exploits the Microsoft DNS flaw by installing an IRC bot on infected machines and scanning for other vulnerable servers. Continue Reading

By

• Dennis Fisher

Malware outbreak 'largest in almost a year'

Security firm Postini and the SANS Internet Storm Center said they are tracking a significant malware outbreak. Postini calls it the biggest email attack in almost a year. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Microsoft investigates DNS server flaw

Attackers could exploit a DNS flaw in Microsoft Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 and run malicious code on the system. A workaround is suggested until a patch is issued. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.com Staff

Instant messaging threats become more sophisticated

Instant messaging faces greater threats as more enterprises begin to utilize it, making it a more appealing target to hackers. Continue Reading

By

• Kate Dostart, Associate Editor

The changing threat of email attacks

In this Messaging Security School lesson, expert Mike Rothman details the state of next-generation email threats, explores reputation systems and uncovers threats AV can't catch. Continue Reading

Spam campaign uses Storm-like attack technique

Spammers used an attack technique much like last January's "Storm" assault to dupe people into downloading malware over the weekend. This time, they used fake WWIII headlines. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Symantec fixes 'high-risk' flaw in Enterprise Security Manager

Attackers could hijack machines from remote locations by exploiting a flaw in Symantec Enterprise Security Manager (ESM). Kaspersky Lab users also have a flaw to deal with. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Data security breach at UCSF may have exposed thousands

The University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) acknowledged Wednesday that a security hole in a computer server may have exposed 46,000 people to potential identity fraud. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Flaws haunt protocol tied to national infrastructure

Also: A weakness is found in Windows settings, Microsoft investigates a new Vista flaw, and flaws are addressed in OpenOffice.org and Firefox. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.com Staff

Symantec threat report under the microscope

This week in Security Blog Log: Infosec professionals dissect Symantec's latest threat report and express a range of views in the blogosphere. Continue Reading

Hackers broaden reach of cross-site scripting attacks

An explosion of AJAX-based applications has increased the damage that cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks can inflict on machines. A new tool uses XSS flaws to create a botnet. Continue Reading

By

• Dennis Fisher

Review: eGuardPost a B+ overall

eGuardPost is a well-designed and highly capable product that meets an important need. It has strong security and great forensics capabilities. Continue Reading

By

• Steven Weil, Point B

Microsoft cancels Patch Tuesday as DST looms

IT administrators who are struggling to apply all their daylight-saving time (DST) patches will get a break from Microsoft next week, as no new security fixes will be released. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Symantec acquires automated risk assessment firm

Symantec has acquired Reston, Va.-based 4FrontSecurity, a maker of automated risk analysis and security management tools. An expert says it's the latest sign that the security risk assessment market is heating up. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Westervelt, TechTarget

PING with Mark Odiorne

Mark Odiorne, CISO at Scottish Re, provides insights on pen testing procedures, prioritising security for senior management and keeping compliant. Continue Reading

Flaws haunt Symantec, IBM, Cisco and IE

Bug Briefs: Security holes plague Symantec Norton products, IBM DB2; Mozilla Firefox; Trend Micro ServerProtect; Cisco IP phones; Google Desktop; IE and Snort. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.com Staff

Cisco warns of IP phone flaws

Attackers could circumvent security restrictions by exploiting flaws in certain Cisco IP phones, the networking giant warned Wednesday. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

New attack technique threatens broadband users

Millions of broadband users across the globe are threatened by a new attack technique called drive-by pharming Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Rootkit dangers at an 'all-time high'

Industry experts at RSA Conference 2007 say not only have rootkits become the weapon of choice for malicious hackers, but they've also emerged as useful tools for legitimate businesses trying to exert control over users. Continue Reading

By

• Dennis Fisher

Coviello: In 3 years, no more stand-alone security

RSA President Art Coviello says today's patchwork of monolithic security devices will disappear in the next three years as security is integrated into the larger IT infrastructure. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

CISOs mastering 'softer' skills

Why CISOs can no longer rely on technology skills alone and what businesses are looking for when recruiting their next information security leader. Continue Reading

By

• Amber Plante, Assistant Managing Editor, Information Security magazine

Balancing the cost and benefits of countermeasures

The final tip in our series, "How to assess and mitigate information security threats." Continue Reading

Attacks targeted to specific applications

The fourth tip in our series, "How to assess and mitigate information security threats." Continue Reading

How to assess and mitigate information security threats

Learn how to assess and mitigate information security threats, like rootkits, worms and Trojans in the tip series created in collaboration with Realtimepublishers and Dan Sullivan, author of The Shortcut Guide to Protecting Business Internet Usage. Continue Reading

Malware: The ever-evolving threat

The first tip in our series, "How to assess and mitigate information security threats" Continue Reading

Threats to physical security

Tip No. 6 in our series, "How to assess and mitigate information security threats." Continue Reading

Information theft and cryptographic attacks

The third tip in our series, "How to assess and mitigate information security threats." Continue Reading

Storm Trojan was worse than it should have been

The "Storm" attack made a big splash because people keep falling for social engineering and there was simply little else in the news, experts say. Continue Reading

Companies take IM threats seriously

Wesabe is a brand new money management community. It takes threats to IM as seriously as those targeting email and web applications Continue Reading

By

• Mark Baard

Critical fixes for Excel, Outlook and Windows

Microsoft starts the year with security updates for Excel, Outlook and Windows. Three of the fixes are rated critical. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Attackers hide malicious code using new method

Attackers have designed a new way to thwart virus signatures from antivirus vendors, says a new report. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Westervelt, TechTarget

Bug Briefs: OpenOffice vulnerable to attack

Other flaws were reported in Apple QuickTime, Mac OS X, Adobe Flash Player, VideoLAN VLC, the Opera Web browser, and Cisco Access Control Server. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.com Staff

Adobe Reader users urged to upgrade

Adobe Reader 8 fixes serious flaws attackers could exploit for cross-site scripting and other attacks. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Cisco bolsters security with IronPort buy

Cisco Systems agreed Thursday to buy Internet gateway security vendor IronPort Systems Inc. for $830 million. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Westervelt, TechTarget

Security pros grumble over spam increase

Spim and spam from unexpected sources is challenging enterprises in 2007. Some enterprises are taking action. Continue Reading

By

• Edmund X. DeJesus, Contributor

Security pros glean insight from '06

Corporate acquisitions, an abundance of spam, and the White House's take on cybersecurity mark 2006. Continue Reading

Looking back at information security in 2006

In this special edition of Security Wire Weekly, senior news writer Bill Brenner reviews his top interviews of 2006. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.com Staff

Review: Deep Security is a solid IPS

Third Brigade's Deep Security is a well-designed, effective product with strong configuration and policy control capabilities. Continue Reading

By

• Steven Weil, Point B

Employers to seek more security talent in '07

Learn what certifications are growing in demand and how employers are looking at the job market in 2007. Continue Reading

By

• Krissi Danielsson, Contributor

Review: Sky's the limit with Skybox View 3.0

Hot Pick: Skybox View 3.0 offers a unique and flexible approach for assessing and managing specific threats and overall risk to your digital assets. Continue Reading

By

• Brent Huston, Contributing Writer

Expert offers tips to bolster messaging security

In this edition of Security Wire Weekly, Burton Group analyst Diana Kelley explains how to lock down messaging programs as part of our three-day special report on the subject. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.com Staff

IT pros look for ways to lock down IM

Special Report: To control growing IM threats, administrators are trying to limit which programs can be used or ban the technology altogether. But that's not always possible. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Zero-day tracker a hit, but IT shops need better strategy

This week in Security Blog Log: Reaction to eEye's new zero-day tracker is positive, but some experts say it won't help unless IT shops have a layered defense to start with. Continue Reading

Security Bytes: Phishing worm spreads through MySpace

Round up of security news Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.com Staff

Oracle responds to security critics

Security Blog Log: Oracle takes on researchers who have criticised its security procedures in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Symantec warns of new zombie malware. Continue Reading

Multiple flaws in Adobe Reader, Acrobat

Multiple flaws in Adobe Reader and Acrobat could allow attackers to execute malicious commands on victims' computers. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Active Directory security school: Management

Lesson two of the Active Directory security school. Continue Reading

Active Directory Security School

An improperly configured Active Directory can render the rest of your security measures useless. So how can you protect yourself from a hacker with their eyes on your AD? How can you recover from such an attack? Find the answers to all of your AD questions Continue Reading

Zango defying FTC agreement, researchers say

This week in Security Blog Log: Two researchers accuse Zango of unsavory adware tactics, despite the company's pledge to clean up its act. Continue Reading

Security Blog Log: Sailing a sea of spam

This week, bloggers struggle to purge their bloated inboxes. Their experiences lend weight to recent studies showing a breathtaking spike in spam. Continue Reading

Microsoft eyes second zero-day threat in a week

This time, attackers are going after a zero-day flaw in Windows, and Microsoft has released some workarounds until a patch is available. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Messaging Security School

SearchSecurity.com's Messaging Security School has brought together some of the most knowledgeable experts in the messaging security field to offer you personal instruction on how to secure the information handled by your organization's knowledge workers. Continue Reading

Countermeasures for malicious email code

Today's malware continues to raise the security stakes. Enterprises are now facing numerous evolving threats like targeted and blended attacks, zero-day exploits, botnets and phishing schemes. The attacks aren't the only things evolving; so are today's product sets. In this lesson, attendees will get an overview of the email threat landscape, tips for malware protection success and guidance on the future of email attacks. Continue Reading

By

• Tom Bowers

Information Security Decisions Session Downloads

Session Downloads from Information Security Decisions 2006 Conference. Continue Reading

Nmap Technical Manual

By now, most infosec pros have heard of Nmap, and most would agree that even though the popular freeware tool is invaluable, installing, configuring and running it in the enterprise is no easy task. With that in mind, SearchSecurity.com, in collaboration with security expert Michael Cobb, has produced an Nmap Tutorial, detailing how this free tool can help make your organization more secure. Continue Reading

Security Blog Log: Taking Google Code Search for a spin

This week, the blogosphere is buzzing about Google Code Search. Despite concerns that the tool will aid attackers, some see it as a boost for security. Continue Reading

Inside MSRC: Public vulnerability disclosures on the rise

Even though irresponsible publicly disclosed vulnerabilities seem to be on the rise, Microsoft's Christopher Budd discusses how the software giant was able to quickly release a fix for the recent VML flaw, plus offers best practices on how to make sure all of this month's software updates are installed correctly. Continue Reading

ZERT rekindles third-party patching debate

This week in Security Blog Log: IT security pros express more reservations about third-party patching, including the CEO of a company that released one a few months ago. Continue Reading

More from SearchSecurity September 2006

This month's round up weighs the pros and cons of security information management systems (SIMs) plus four case studies illustrating the different roadblocks security managers can encounter Continue Reading

Stration worm targets Windows machines

The worm uses several fake email messages, including one claiming to be a security update. Users are advised to avoid unsolicited email attachments. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Symantec Dark Vision app monitors underground IRC servers

New research project keeps tabs on the hacker underground, providing new insight on activities like credit card theft and spamming. Continue Reading

By

• Dennis Fisher

Hijacked consumer machines target the enterprise

Attackers continue to strike gold by targeting consumers who lack the security savvy to address desktop application flaws, according to Symantec Corp. Enterprises ultimately pay the price. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Big security fixes for QuickTime, Flash Player

Apple and Adobe warned that attackers could exploit multiple flaws in QuickTime and Flash Player to run malicious code on targeted machines. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Security Blog Log: Word doc scam evades spam filters

Also this week: A researcher gets a harsh reward after flagging a University of Southern California Web site flaw, and more blogs are keeping an eye on the latest security breaches. Continue Reading

Third-party patching: Prudent or perilous?

Security patches issued by third parties have become more prevalent in recent months, and while some security pros endorse them, others say they're more trouble than they're worth. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Security blog log: Fear and loathing in MS06-040's wake

This week, security bloggers wonder if some of the MS06-040 warnings have gone too far. Meanwhile, Symantec uses its blog to warn about the timed release of exploits. Continue Reading

Mocbot update targets MS06-040 flaw

Security experts raised the red flag Sunday as new malware targets the Windows flaw addressed in the MS06-040 patch. Attackers are using the flaw to expand IRC-controlled botnets. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Security Blog Log: Israeli-Hezbollah war spills into cyberspace

This week blogosphere warily watches online attacks inspired by the Mideast conflict and rants over the latest security incidents at AOL and the VA. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Symantec fixes Backup Exec flaw

Attackers could exploit flaws in Symantec Backup Exec 9.1 and 9.2 for NetWare Servers to cause a denial of service, launch malicious code and gain access to vulnerable machines. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Inside MSRC: Time to rethink security workarounds

Christopher Budd of the Microsoft Security Response Center recommends implementing one of several security workarounds to ensure a secure infrastructure until this month's most important Windows update can be installed. Continue Reading

Countering attackers with NAC, IPS

Product review: Information Security magazine's Wayne Rash says ForeScout Technologies' flexible CounterACT appliance combines NAC with IPS and is worth the investment. Continue Reading

By

• Wayne Rash

Security event management, no strings attached

Product review: Information Security magazine's Joel Snyder says Check Point's vendor-agnostic Eventia Analyzer 2.0/Eventia Reporter is worth consideration despite limited BI options. Continue Reading

By

• Joel Snyder, Opus One

Endpoint security quiz answers

The answers to the Endpoint quiz Continue Reading

Mozilla issues critical security updates

New patches to fix 13 software security flaws, eight of which have been deemed critical. Continue Reading

By

• Eric Parizo, Senior Analyst

DHS puts Zitz in charge of cybersecurity division

American career intelligence officer Robert S. Zitz has taken over day-to-day operations of the US National Cyber Security Division, but his department still has numerous digital defence problems to remedy. Continue Reading

By

• Dennis Fisher

Security Bytes: New Microsoft exploits in the wild

The exploits target issues Microsoft patched earlier this month. Meanwhile, flaws are reported in Oracle for OpenView and a Mozilla Firefox keystroke logger is on the loose. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.com Staff

Endpoint security quiz

Take this five-question quiz to see how much you've learned about endpoint security. Continue Reading

Security Bytes: Investigators slam VA over data breach

Meanwhile: Cisco patches a router application flaw, a Washington law firm sues IBM over a server attack; and spammers sucker Web surfers with fake Vladimir Putin death reports. Continue Reading

By

• SearchSecurity.com Staff

Trojan targets Microsoft PowerPoint flaw

Update: The exploit might be tied to an older flaw in Excel. Attackers who exploit the serious flaw could launch arbitrary code. Microsoft says it is investigating. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Microsoft patches seven July security holes, five critical

The software giant's monthly batch of fixes includes critical repairs for Internet Explorer and Windows' networking features, plus "important" bulletins for Internet Information Server. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner