Security blanket (U.S. News & World Report)
120498
U.S. News & World Report - The planning has gone on for a year. Thousands of volunteers are working nonstop while scores of revelers are readying their finery to celebrate George W. Bush's inauguration for a second term on January 20. But this year's fete--the nation's 55th--is the first to take place in the long shadow of the 9/11 attacks. And that means the ceremonies will be the most tightly protected in history.
607068
As per suggestions contained in the FAQ: Herein lies a report of two identified and as-of-yet uncorrected security flaws in Scoop. &nbsp;Enough detail will be provided to assist admins in investigating and correcting the flaws, but it is the author's hope that the details of the flaws will be sufficiently obscured to prevent abuse by the undesirables. Executive summary: Through the exploitation of various unchecked privileged operations, attackers may be able to perform admin-level actions leading to data loss. &nbsp;Additionally, well-intentioned security measures combined with XSS vulnerabilities can be exercised to simulate admin-level action, resulting in data loss.
289303
(InfoWorld) - The Department of Homeland Securityâs Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) raised a few eyebrows in late November when it sent a warning out to U.S. banks and financial institutions about a possible cyber attack by Islamic militants. The alert, dated Nov. 30, was triggered by a posting on what the DHS considered an Islamic jihadi Web site calling for hackers to attack U.S. financial and banking Web sites, apparently to protest the detention of Muslims at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. However, the warning was heavily qualified, with DHS calling the threat âmore aspirational than operational.â Financial firms downplayed the danger, too. One security executive at a major brokerage told InfoWorld that the warning was a ânon-event.â But could repeated warnings about such non-events eventually make critical infrastructure owners deaf to DHSâs warnings? InfoWorld Senior Editor Paul F. Roberts recently chatted with John Carlson, senior director of security and risk Assessment at BITS, a financial-services industry consortium focused on security, fraud, and risk management, about the DHS warning and state of the public-private partnership on cybersecurity. InfoWorld: Iâm guessing that your members received the US-CERT warning about the cyber terrorist attack? John Carlson: There were two messages sent: the first was [Nov. 30]; then a second revision came out [Dec. 1]. The gist of it was that these reports were not corroborated. IW: What was the reaction of BITS members to the warning? JC: Our members have an âall hazardsâ approach to business-continuity planning. Theyâve got well-developed approaches that have been bolstered since 9/11. In response to new regulatory requirements, firms have done a lot to improve backup, theyâve done tests with the various exchanges. Theyâre also working in closer harmony with the federal government to share information on threats and vulnerabilities. I think thereâs a spirit of appreciation that the government is willing to share information with the financial services industry. The firms take that information into account in responding and activating their business continuity plans. IW: How do your members apply information like this that comes from DHS? JC: Iâm not sure I can give a blanket answer. Each firm has its own mechanisms for gathering information. Risk-management professionals at these firms read the paper and understand the military conflicts and theyâre mindful of that. They take it into account when they have employees traveling. Theyâll monitor where they are. With the [bird flu] pandemic issue, firms were monitoring that closely and trying to figure out what impact it would have on their organizations. IW: Is there a danger from these warnings of creating a âBoy Who Cried Wolfâ situation, where firms begin to disregard the warnings? JC: Thereâs always a concern about the crying-wolf syndrome. But our firms appreciate getting the information even if itâs not corroborated. A continuous flow of information helps build trust between the private and public sectors. IW: Was this warning about the jihadist threat something that your members see all the time, or was this an unusual kind of warning from DHS? JC: I think the warning came across the transom at a high level [saying] âpay attention to this.â So it was different from what we normally get. Weâre getting a steady stream of information on threats and vulnerabilities and a range of things. For example, if thereâs a known virus thatâs being perpetrated in [the United States] or against a financial institution. Weâre also getting information on political changes around the world. IW: Do you think DHS has its arms around the cybersecurity problem? JC: My personal opinion is that the government has some capabilities, but not all capabilities. In general, our firms would like more information, but there are many reasons why if (the government) has the information they donât provide it. But itâs a touchy question. People have lots of different views. Â  IW: Do you feel like your members are getting all the information they need? JC: Thereâs some filtering, but I donât have information to compare or validate what the filter is. We talk about issues through coordinating councils that meet quarterly. Itâs a two way conversation.Â
185711
Also: High security built right into $100 laptop's OS. Read these stories and more from around the Web at News.com Extra.
544593
Representatives of the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) project, which launched in December 2005, reported to Black Hat DC attendees that progress continues on the project. The DHS-sponsored effort is currently sifting through "mountains" of vuln data, and they're in touch with the affected companies.
71513
Security company Internet Security Systems Inc. (ISS) is warning its customers about a critical security hole in a commonly used technology from the Mozilla Foundation called the Netscape Network Security Services (NSS) library that could make Web servers vulnerable to remote attack.
378490
The United States has warned its citizens in the Nordic and Baltic states to be extra vigilant after receiving &quot;threat information&quot; on the eve of the US presidential election.
725021
When CNN asked viewers whether the Department of Homeland Security had made America safer, 24 percent said &quot;yes.&quot; But a whopping 76 percent said &quot;no.
326238
Large U.S. businesses will spend $61 billion on security by the end of this year, amounting to 7.3 percent of total IT budgets.
14286
Department of Homeland Security implements data-mining system for passengers traveling to the U.S.
300518
Cutting-edge data mining and other intelligence tools could redefine privacy as we know it. A News.com special report.
39878
Also: Toughest gadgets on the planet. See what people are saying on News.com Extra.
479483
OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government is laying plans for a secret electronic network to ensure confidential information-sharing following a terrorist strike or natural disaster.
91223
The United States will spend more than $500 billion on security this year, a high-water mark that is creating boom times in the armaments industry.
336252
Issue #8 of the (IN)Secure Magazine has been posted today and includes articles like:  Payment Card Industry demystified Computer forensics vs. electronic evidence SSH port forwarding - security from two perspectives, part two Airscanner vulnerability summary: Windows Mobile security software fails the test Introducing the MySQL Sandbox   Check out insecuremag.com for more or just download the issue directly.
146912
A new airport security system relies on human judgment
478110
Company is readying security software or cell phones and handheld devices.