Security
The Wall Street Journal, 2/24/03: Worm's-Eye View of Virus On Its Path of Destruction
Thousands of computer viruses are out there on the Internet. This is the story of one of them.
The virus -- some experts prefer the term "worm" -- called Slammer made news a few weekends back when it disrupted computer operations all over the world. Understanding how it worked provides insights into the minds of both computers and the people who try to turn those computer against us. Virus writers know all these tricks, so you should, too.
Slammer started, as nearly all viruses do, with badly written software; in this case, with a Microsoft program, SQL Server, used with databases.
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Giga, 2/20/03: Don’t Use Unsupported Software
Byron Miller
What are the issues in using unsupported software?
Clients are always asking about using unsupported software. The reasons for doing so are many, but often revolve around cost or timing issues. In general we would caution that using unsupported software represents decreased flexibility, deceased benefit and increased risk. Software needs to be maintained. When it is not, it usually fails and it fails at the most inopportune time.
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Giga, 2/20/03: Antivirus Update Policies
Jan Sundgren
How often should we update our desktops, and what should be our success rate for desktops covered?
The frequency with which different groups of desktops should be updated with the latest DAT files depends on a variety of factors, including the sensitivity of the desktops (the level of acceptable risk) and the other antivirus policies in place. The other antivirus policies in turn encompass the types of gateway and groupware antivirus measures in place, the configuration of desktops, the frequency of patching for vulnerabilities and the effectiveness of user training. If there is good antivirus at the gateway and groupware server, desktops are configured for maximum safety (for example, the company has implemented the Outlook E-Mail Security Update), patches are made regularly, and users practice good antivirus hygiene, the business may be able to get away with updating the desktops as seldom as once or twice a month.
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Giga, 2/20/03: The Significance of the Slammer Worm
Michael Rasmussen
What is the significance and impact of the Slammer worm on information security?
In January, organizations were once again seriously impacted by a mass propagating hacker worm — Slammer. With more than a year of calm after the devastating impact of Code Red and Nimda, the Slammer worm hit organizations hard. As with Code Red and Nimda, Slammer is a call to arms for organizations to implement and maintain security controls and processes in addition to holding vendors accountable to address vulnerabilities in their products.
The significance and impact of Slammer is as follows.
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Mobile
The Wall Street Journal, 2/24/03: Cisco Will Launch a Program To Spur Corporate Wi-Fi Use
By SCOTT THURM
Will "Cisco compatible" prove as popular as "Intel inside"?
Networking giant Cisco Systems Inc. is set to announce Monday plans to share technology with computer- and semiconductor-makers in order to spur the adoption of wireless networks inside companies.
Cisco said it will license, at no cost, its software that improves the security and range of wireless networks using so-called Wi-Fi technology. Seven chipmakers, including Intel Corp., have agreed to use the technology in their chips. Computer makers such as International Business Machines Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. will use those chips in new laptops expected to be available later this year.
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Hardware
Infoworld, 2/24/03: PC Card makers plan smaller, faster card
Spec due later this year
By Joris Evers
PCMCIA, the group behind PC Cards, is working on a new specification for smaller, faster and cheaper expansion cards, it announced last week.
The specification is slated for release later this year and the first products supporting it should be out in the second half of 2004, PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) said in a statement released at Intel's Spring Developer Forum in San Jose, Calif.
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