How to survive a zombie attack…

In the early part of 2000 a lone 15 year old canadian hacker named Mafiaboy launched a series of DDoS attacks against some of the largest eCommerce sites; eBay, Yahoo, Aol, and others, causing significant denial of service conditions. At the time I was working at Network Associates in their PGP security division and during [...]

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Technicity

Just like Stephen Colbert and adoption of the term “Truthiness” we need to adopt a term that properly represents the absurd marketing hype that permeates the industry – I propose Technicity.
Mogull recently blogged:
If someone ever tells you something like the following:
“We defend against all zero day attacks using a holistic solution that integrates the end-to-end [...]

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Great Moments in Windows Security…

There is a lot of discussion about Microsoft entering the security market, some even ask why didn’t they think of that before. Well I am not sure if everyone remembers Central Point AV but it was integrated into DOS and win3.1. and called MSAV, it didn’t work very well, wasn’t kept updated and logged the [...]

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The Industry Needs More Cowbell…

Every-time you turn around there is a new security problem that needs solving, a new threat that needs managing, and a new regulation that needs complying with. Navigating the mine field of marketing “noise” continues to challenge even the most seasoned BS detectors.
Steinnon blogs about trojans representing 60% of all malware, Symantec disclosed in their [...]

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Vulnerabilities, not just for breakfast anymore…

The folks over at Matasano ( btw – great site, great information, actually provides technical details instead of the rambling nonsense most of us blog about) looked into the report of an ATM hack that was done in VA. They identified the model of the ATM, and were then able to obtain a manual, which [...]

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Tame the compliance beast and challenge those auditors…

I am in London for a security conference and travel frequently. Quite often the stale, dry cabin air bothers my sinuses so I usually travel with a bottle of saline nasal spray which helps a lot. Anyway since the attempted plot to blow-up planes using small amounts of liquid explosives and some electronic device as [...]

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Forrester Wave Like the Special Olympics – Everyone Wins!

NOTE: No offense to the special olympics – I support the organization and think they are an indispensible part of what makes humanity good, and increases my faith that we are not doomed to roam a post-apocalyptic wasteland with shotguns and broom handles fighting radioative zombies, and scavenging for scraps of food.
Anyway I was glancing [...]

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Marketing spins world into the apocalypse…

I receive a lot of ‘noise’ in my inbox, most of it I ignore but this little beauty from the folks at IDGconnect is a classic example of marketing run riot – “According to recent studies, spyware is now the fourth biggest threat to corporate IT security. Or, as we prefer to say, it’s the [...]

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Haxoring the Guvernator

 
Apparently “hackers” have infiltrated the California Governors audio files and downloaded comments indicating the Guv was playing a game of “Hot or Not” with a Republican Legislator who happens to be of Puerto Rican descent. Turns out someone from Phil Angelides office – a democratic nominee for Governor – was responsible for the breach, and [...]

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You bought what for a nickel?

I was complaining to my grandfather how much everything costs these days. He told me that when he was a kid he could walk into a store, and for a nickel walk out with a chicken, some candy, a gallon of milk, the newspaper, and “whatever the hell else I wanted” Of course they didn’t [...]

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Dunn and Done…

HP Chairwoman Patricia Dunn steps down after admitting she authorized an investigation that relied on “inappropriate techniques” to uncover who was leaking boardroom secrets to the media…never fear folks her golden parachute will break the fall.
Bill Lockyer inteviewed on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer stated that “We currently have sufficient evidence to indict people both [...]

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Is there strategic software?

I was flipping through my free copy of Information Security magazine (September 2006) and stopped to read through “face-off” between Ranum and Schneir, altough I am not sure they were actually disagreeing on anything they did bring up some good points – mostly that we are far less secure than we think we are, that [...]

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