Networking

Many solutions providers are launching security practices to lock down corporate networks or to teach customers how to combat hackers and crackers.

Some solutions providers are even sending their employees to hacker school, where a typical one to four day course can cost $750 to $3,500.

For a look at a typical course, tag along with Sm@rt Partner technology editor David Raikow. He recently attended a four-day course in computer hacking at Foundstone Inc. in New York. The following is Raikow's daily diary of his high-intensity educational experience.

With the click of a mouse on one computer, the screen of the laptop a few feet away flashes wildly as a flood of data flies silently across a private network cable connecting the two machines. Within a minute the laptop's file sharing password is compromised.

"The computer is having a bad day," says a reporter as he watches the effect of the attack on his machine. "Packets are coming at it so fast, the firewall doesn't know what to do."

Microsoft's first crack at the security market, its Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) firewall, has been dealt a major blow only weeks after its release as security experts warned that the product is vulnerable to denial of service (DoS) attacks.

An advisory released by security firm SecureXpert Labs today revealed that Microsoft's ISA Server 1.0 running on a Windows 2000 platform with Service Pack 1 is vulnerable.

Full Story at SecurityFocus

A division of PGP Security has entered a partnership with the U.S. National Security Agency and other partners to further develop the NSA's Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux) prototype, PGP Security announced last week.

Well look what we have here, an article in a reputable newspaper that talks about hacking in a positive light. Can this be? Is it true? Actually, Yes. It's a good read that talks about the positive role of hacking in many peoples lives, and also the positive effects on individuals, young and old, from attending their local 2600 meetings.

I was slightly annoyed by the author of the article referring to 2600 as the "2600 Club", but hey, nobody's perfect. Go check it out for yourself.

Concerns about denial-of-service attacks are resulting in a growing number of products and
services aimed at helping companies detect, trace and block the threat. But most of the technologies do little to prevent such attacks outright, users said.

Denial-of-service attacks basically make computer systems inaccessible by overloading servers or networks with useless traffic so legitimate users can no longer access those resources.

"Netscape SmartDownload is a browser plugin that allows users to pause and resume downloads from the Internet. It can be installed separately, or when installing Netscape's Communicator. If enabled, SmartDownload can handle downloads spawned by both Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer, possibly others. However, if SmartDownload was installed and subsequently "disabled," the system will still be vulnerable to attack."

Malicious intruders, corporate espionage and uneducated employees all contribute to make "network security" almost an oxymoron in today's wired world, four security experts agreed at the RSA Data Security Conference.

But the lack of security on corporate networks and the Internet is more the fault of the victims--and the security industry--and not the attackers, Michael Vatis, the United States' former top cybercop, said during the Wednesday panel discussion .

Malicious intruders, corporate espionage and uneducated employees all contribute to make "network security" almost an oxymoron in today's wired world, four security experts agreed at the RSA Data Security Conference.

But the lack of security on corporate networks and the Internet is more the fault of the victims--and the security industry--and not the attackers, Michael Vatis, the United States' former top cybercop, said during the Wednesday panel discussion .

Microsoft quietly put a new test site online last Saturday to let hackers attempt to breach Windows XP's security. Microsoft placed a version of Windows XP Home Edition online in a configuration that resembles a typical user's home setup. The Web site will help Microsoft determine configuration settings that it can recommend to potential users of the new OS.

Check out the short article here,or go straight to www.testwindowsxp.net.