Networking

The first step to exploring a system is not just another point and click. It is the part that
suprisingly, no one really talks about; gathering information on the subject. In order to
successfully get in a system, one must know enough about the entity to gain access to it. This
can be acomplished by choosing a subject (network/computer) and learning all there is to
know about how it ticks. This information can be found a number of ways; the main ones

A new computer virus - dubbed Code Blue - has been discovered by e-security experts in China.

The new worm is reported to be similar to Code Red, the worm that triggered a worldwide scare in July.

Experts analysing it in Beijing would not say how many computers have been affected.

The original Code Red caused host computers to flood US government websites with unwanted data, according to China Daily.
Experts believe it may have originated from a Chinese university.

Users are recommended to take all precautions on receiving any attached file by e-mail

Due to the number of incidents registered in the last few hours, Panda Software, the antivirus company, have issued a warning about the appearance of a dangerous new variant of the Disemboweler virus (alias W32/Magistr@mm). This is a malicious code that spreads via e-mail attachments. Its harmful effects include the possibility to delete and disable executable files, thus preventing a correct system's performance.

The government desperately needs experts to fight hackers. So they've recruited a 63-year-old retired aerospace engineer, a
midwestern mother of three, and a long-haired former teen golfing champ to do the job.

The National Science Foundation is handing out $8.6 million worth of two-year training scholarships in computer security, in return for
two years of government service.

Security companies are warning Linux users over a new and dangerous Trojan that may have originated in the UK.
The Trojan contains self-replicating virus-like capabilities and has similarities to the Windows-based Back Orifice tool, putting Linux boxes at risk of remote control.

The so-called Remote Shell Trojan spreads through email as well as replicating itself across the infected system. It installs a backdoor which listens for incoming connections on UDP port 5503 or higher, and allows remote attackers to connect to, and take control of, an infected system.

L33tdawg: Seems like everybody is carrying the news about the new magistr worm, but incase you missed it, here's the low down.

Magistr.B may evade current antivirus scanners, and can render a computer useless.

A new version of the polymorphic worm Magistr is lurking on the Internet. This new variation, Magistr.B (w32.Magistr.39921), has been reworked to evade most current antivirus software scanners.

A security flaw in the Gauntlet firewall made by PGP Security, a division of Network Associates Inc., could allow an attacker to gain privileges on the device or access to the network protected by the firewall, according to a security advisory released by PGP.

Almost seven weeks after it started spreading, the SirCam worm is still topping the watch lists of
almost every antivirus company.

Market analyst Computer Economics estimates that by the end of August, SirCam had infected 2.3
million computers and caused $1 billion in damages related to cleaning infected systems and to
lost productivity.

Security experts have warned internet surfers to be on the look out for a 'Lara Croft' virus that emerged into the wild today. The worm is the first malicious virus hosted and spread by Windows Desktop Theme files.

The threat is not deemed serious as the LaraCroft.theme host file can only be spread via Internet Relay Chat (IRC).

Specialists at antivirus firm Kaspersky Labs said that, rather than producing a highly infectious worm, the virus writers have relied on social engineering to tempt surfers to open a file named after the popular Tomb Raider star.

Dead dot-coms are still alive in some ex-employees' computers. But these haunted hard drives harbor huge security holes instead of
memories.

Inexperienced home users running corporate-configured computers are a security disaster just waiting to happen, said Christopher Budd,
a manager at Microsoft's Security Response Center.