Anatomy of a hack attack

Sunday, March 16th, 2008

Monday, 9am Blackjack, a hacker working from an internet cafe in London, is about to launch an attack on a major government agency. His aim is to cause maximum disruption and embarrassment. And, according to security experts, his job is going to be worryingly easy. "Most organisations have dozens of vulnerabilities they ...

The Ten Net Commandments

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

1. Thou shalt not buy merchandise found in pop-up ads or spam. 2. Thou shalt not post thy email address, phone number, address or social security number to the internet, nor shalt thou post anyone else's. 3. Thou shalt not forget to update thy Windows every second Tuesday. 4. Thou shalt not connect ...

Five steps to make your computer more secure

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

These days, a firewall, anti-virus software and anti-spyware programs are essential, but they might not be enough to protect you. Here are five things you can do for a little added security: Leave your computer on. This is a change from an earlier recommendation that you turn it off to save ...

Hackers target browsers to dodge firewalls

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

Hackers are increasingly using attacks that exploit browsers rather than trying to batter through firewalls and other network protection devices, according to security firm Symantec. Nearly half of the vulnerabilities reported by Symantec in its six-monthly Internet Security Threat Report covering July to December 2004 centre on web applications, and the ...

What You Should Know About Firewalls

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

Scott Rolf knows trouble when he sees it. An IT director for a law firm near Cleveland, Ohio, Rolf was asked by a friend to check out the new Web site the friend had put up on a DSL-connected Web server. Rolf did more than just visit his friend's site; ...

Is Microsoft’s Firewall Secure?

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

Some say Win XP SP2 enhancements cause conflicts, don't protect as claimed. Security experts and vendors this week welcomed the introduction of Windows Firewall, part of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), as a valuable way of protecting PCs. But while the firewall is an improvement, it falls short of the ...

How Good Is the Windows Server 2003 Basic Firewall?

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

I recently spent a few weeks testing Windows Server 2003 by using the Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) 2003 release candidate (RC). One of my goals was to evaluate the efficacy of the RRAS firewall. The basic firewall is a new component in Windows 2003 that uses an enhanced version ...

Beginners Guides: Firewalls and Internet Security

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

When you use the Internet there are dangers around every corner. Viruses, malicious users, Trojan horses, Oh my! If these are just concepts to you, you are either lucky or well protected (or just un-connected). If these names trigger painful flashbacks to when your computer (and possibly your account balance) ...

The New NAT-Friendly Microsoft

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

VPN just got easier. Windows 2000 and XP clients can do IPSec out of the box, but when you attempt to VPN to an external resource from behind a NAT router/firewall, challenges ensue. To date, Microsoft has not gotten along well with NAT, but in a brand new update made ...