According to PcWorld, these are the 3 most wanted criminals for Internet haywire (http://www.pcworld.ca/news/column/e0ab1c3d0a010408001a024c9dab7bab/pg0.htm)
1. Internet Explorer
2. Phishing
3. Malware
Comment on item 1:
Well, yea, that would be quite true, this is because, IE is the most used browser and therefore people looking for fame from exploiting it from all angles. I think, its a good thing, eventually, would make it more secured than any other browser. Oh, and to those who say Firefox is secured, erm, i don't think so, there's one zero day attack for Firefox unpatched until the date of this article.
Nonetheless, running IE 7 with protected mode enabled in Vista seem to be more secured according to the huge writeup from MS Website. To me, it offers lower priviledged object access and code execution but breaks some links and features of the world wide fun.
Bottom line, i like IE7, its feature rich and is fast. Firefox takes too darn long to load sometimes.
Comment on item 2:
Phishing is really fun to do especially if there are people who just don't know how to differentiate between the good, the bad and the evil. Hopefully, IE7's antiphishing feature and your add on products can help. Best is to be conscious of your actions.
Comment on item 3:
Oh well, that can never be off the top 3. . agree!!!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
All of Google's services in 2 pages
If you think google is just your regular search engine and email, boy are you in for a surprise, i got this link from Astalavista, i copied the "cheatsheet" detailing the services google offers. Hope you find more use of Google (and besides blogging and Youtube-ing too). Click on the image to enlarge or click http://www2.adelaider.com/google-cheat-sheet/?cheatsheet to access it via PDF.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
IT Security - Documentation and Guides
If you are looking for a single place to get most of Information Technology Security related whitepapers, documentation and opinions, try looking at www.securitydocs.com. It has reliable postings and a wide variety of topics that you can use to learn and if you are up for it, create documentation and post it for other's benefit.
Some of the topics include;
Security Basics
Application Security
Certifications
Enterprise Security
Exploits
Architecture
Firewall
Security Tools
Security Policies
One of the topics, which i am personally interested in is Vulnerability Assessment. There's a decent article on that site that one can benefit..here's a summary of the article.
The intention of this paper is to provide basic information to those who have recently entered the security field, provide some insight as to why a vulnerability assessment is necessary provide an overview of the vulnerability assessment process from discovery to baseline standardization, provide some assistance to those who want to perform a vulnerability assessment but do not know where to start.
Some of the topics include;
Security Basics
Application Security
Certifications
Enterprise Security
Exploits
Architecture
Firewall
Security Tools
Security Policies
One of the topics, which i am personally interested in is Vulnerability Assessment. There's a decent article on that site that one can benefit..here's a summary of the article.
The intention of this paper is to provide basic information to those who have recently entered the security field, provide some insight as to why a vulnerability assessment is necessary provide an overview of the vulnerability assessment process from discovery to baseline standardization, provide some assistance to those who want to perform a vulnerability assessment but do not know where to start.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
XP Tools (Hidden Utility XP)
Hidden Utilities XP allows access to nearly 100 hidden utilities that are not normally accessible to the average user. System information, diagnostics, repair tools and more in both Windows and Command Line utilities are now easily opened. Hidden Utilities XP includes easy access to 53 Windows tools and 43 Command Line utilities.
This http://camtech2000.net/Pages/Downloads.html page has a huge list of cool tools and toy for your average computer use :).
Vulnerability Watchdog
Ever wonder if there's a single place to view what's going on the blackhat market? E.g. What's the top attacks, what sort of vulnerabilities are there in the world and more? Well, i bumped into this site, looks pretty good. Check out http://atlas.arbor.net/
Some of the reports consist:
- Top attacks
- Vulnerability risk index
- Top scanned service (what type of ports/protocols are being probed)
- Top threat sources by country
- Botnets (a collection of tools to automate computer attacks)
- Phishing (tricking/obfuscating information to make you reveal/expose sensitive info or just spin you off in a fake site)
- Global Activity Maps (this is the image above)
Hope you benefit from this.
PS> You don't have to register, its a sales pitch :(
Microsoft's own antivirus fails to secure Vista
This is an interesting article i bumped infront of my PC while reading my daily tech updates. In short, you and i, in no condition whatsoever, should compromise security, even if the security comes from a giant software company.
Microsoft is a baby in the security field, they may have some products (Like MS ISA) that are already a little more matured but i would definately suggest doing some research and choose what's best for you.
I do think however, in the near future, Microsoft's AV will pose a real challenge to the rest as it bucks up and learn from "mistakes" and shortcomings. Till then, make the best choice, not anything less.
I personally use Kaspersky and Trend Micro and i've been very happy with them. I also have a Windows 2000 machine that has no antivirus and has only 3 infections (from Adwares) from the past 6 months :). All i had installed was constant patches and use a little caution when doing my thang.
SRC: http://news.com.com/Microsofts+own+antivirus+fails+to+secure+Vista/2100-7355_3-6156733.html?tag=newsmap
Microsoft's own antivirus software, Live OneCare, is unable to fully protect Vista users against viruses, and one of security firm McAfee's antivirus software packages also fails to protect users, according to independent research released Friday.
Security news site Virus Bulletin, backed by a team of security researchers based in Oxfordshire, U.K., tested 15 antivirus software packages used by businesses and designed specifically for Vista, Microsoft's newest operating system. The packages were released to businesses two months ago.
The researchers tested whether each of the antivirus products would stop a set of viruses known to be currently circulating. In order to be awarded a pass, the software had to detect all the viruses with no false positives.
But out of the 15, four failed: Microsoft Live OneCare 1.5; McAfee VirusScan Enterprise version 8.1i; G DATA AntiVirusKit 2007 v17.0.6353; and Norman VirusControl v5.90. The other 11, including software from CA, Fortinet, F-Secure, Kaspersky, Sophos and Symantec, detected all the viruses.
"With the number of delays that we've seen in Vista's release, there's no excuse for security vendors not to have got their products right by now," said John Hawes, technical consultant at Virus Bulletin. "In these days of hourly updates, it's always a surprise and a disappointment to see major products missing them (viruses). Vista cannot fend off today's malware without help from security products. It certainly looks like people upgrading to the new platform are going to need additional security solutions."
Joe Telafici, vice president of operations for McAfee's Avert Labs, told ZDNet UK that, in his opinion, Virus Bulletin had not used its latest antivirus updates, causing the failure. He said McAfee would issue further results with the updated software.
Microsoft pledged to improve Live OneCare. "We are looking closely at the methodology and results of the test to ensure that Windows Live OneCare performs better in future tests and, most importantly, as part of our ongoing work to continually enhance Windows Live OneCare," a company representative told ZDNet UK.
On the subject of Vista, the Microsoft representative added: "It's important to remember that no software is 100 percent secure. Microsoft is working to keep the number of security vulnerabilities that ship in our products to a minimum, through our Security Development Lifecycle process, and that work is paying off. The release of Windows Vista is the first Microsoft operating system to use the Security Development Lifecycle from start to finish and was tested more, prior to shipping, than any previous version of Windows."
Richard Thurston of ZDNet UK reported from London.
Microsoft is a baby in the security field, they may have some products (Like MS ISA) that are already a little more matured but i would definately suggest doing some research and choose what's best for you.
I do think however, in the near future, Microsoft's AV will pose a real challenge to the rest as it bucks up and learn from "mistakes" and shortcomings. Till then, make the best choice, not anything less.
I personally use Kaspersky and Trend Micro and i've been very happy with them. I also have a Windows 2000 machine that has no antivirus and has only 3 infections (from Adwares) from the past 6 months :). All i had installed was constant patches and use a little caution when doing my thang.
SRC: http://news.com.com/Microsofts+own+antivirus+fails+to+secure+Vista/2100-7355_3-6156733.html?tag=newsmap
Microsoft's own antivirus software, Live OneCare, is unable to fully protect Vista users against viruses, and one of security firm McAfee's antivirus software packages also fails to protect users, according to independent research released Friday.
Security news site Virus Bulletin, backed by a team of security researchers based in Oxfordshire, U.K., tested 15 antivirus software packages used by businesses and designed specifically for Vista, Microsoft's newest operating system. The packages were released to businesses two months ago.
The researchers tested whether each of the antivirus products would stop a set of viruses known to be currently circulating. In order to be awarded a pass, the software had to detect all the viruses with no false positives.
But out of the 15, four failed: Microsoft Live OneCare 1.5; McAfee VirusScan Enterprise version 8.1i; G DATA AntiVirusKit 2007 v17.0.6353; and Norman VirusControl v5.90. The other 11, including software from CA, Fortinet, F-Secure, Kaspersky, Sophos and Symantec, detected all the viruses.
"With the number of delays that we've seen in Vista's release, there's no excuse for security vendors not to have got their products right by now," said John Hawes, technical consultant at Virus Bulletin. "In these days of hourly updates, it's always a surprise and a disappointment to see major products missing them (viruses). Vista cannot fend off today's malware without help from security products. It certainly looks like people upgrading to the new platform are going to need additional security solutions."
Joe Telafici, vice president of operations for McAfee's Avert Labs, told ZDNet UK that, in his opinion, Virus Bulletin had not used its latest antivirus updates, causing the failure. He said McAfee would issue further results with the updated software.
Microsoft pledged to improve Live OneCare. "We are looking closely at the methodology and results of the test to ensure that Windows Live OneCare performs better in future tests and, most importantly, as part of our ongoing work to continually enhance Windows Live OneCare," a company representative told ZDNet UK.
On the subject of Vista, the Microsoft representative added: "It's important to remember that no software is 100 percent secure. Microsoft is working to keep the number of security vulnerabilities that ship in our products to a minimum, through our Security Development Lifecycle process, and that work is paying off. The release of Windows Vista is the first Microsoft operating system to use the Security Development Lifecycle from start to finish and was tested more, prior to shipping, than any previous version of Windows."
Richard Thurston of ZDNet UK reported from London.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Could Allow Remote Code Execution
Issue summary
There's a security bug with Microsoft Office. Those using Microsoft Office products like Office 2000, XP, 2003 (2004-MAC) are advised to see the workaround below. The vulnerability cannot be exploited on Office 2007 or on Works 2004, 2005, or 2006. Please read and be secure. There's no fix (zeroday vulnerability) for this problem yet. So the rule of thumb is that do not open files from untrusted/peculiar sources/websites/email with attached MS Office files (including Excel, Word, Powerpoint, etc..)
Since Internet Explorer is integrated with Office suite of product, this type of attack is possible via websites too (which includes in line emails etc).
Workaround:
Do not open or save Office files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources. This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a specially crafted Office file.
Antivirus products can detect this vulnerability depending on your provider's responses. Microsoft Live OneCare does identify this issue and prevents such an attack.
More information at: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/932553.mspx
Secunia: http://secunia.com/advisories/24008/
Here's an excerpt from MS Website:
Microsoft Security Advisory (932553)
Microsoft is investigating new public reports of very limited Microsoft Excel “zero-day” attacks using a vulnerability in Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Office 2003, and Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
In order for this attack to be carried out, a user must first open a malicious Office file attached to an e-mail or otherwise provided to them by an attacker.
While we are currently only aware that Excel is the current attack vector, other Office applications are potentially vulnerable.
As a best practice, users should always exercise extreme caution when opening unsolicited attachments from both known and unknown sources. Microsoft has added detection to the Windows Live OneCare safety scanner for up-to-date removal of malicious software that attempts to exploit this vulnerability.
Microsoft intends to actively share information with Microsoft Security Response Alliance partners so that their detection can be up to date to detect and remove attacks.
Customers in the U.S. and Canada who believe they are affected can receive technical support from Microsoft Product Support Services at 1-866-PCSAFETY. There is no charge for support calls that are associated with security updates.
International customers can receive support from their local Microsoft subsidiaries. There is no charge for support that is associated with security updates. For more information about how to contact Microsoft for support issues, visit the International Support Web site.
Upon completion of this investigation, Microsoft will take the appropriate action to help protect our customers. This may include providing a security update through our monthly release process or providing an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs.
There's a security bug with Microsoft Office. Those using Microsoft Office products like Office 2000, XP, 2003 (2004-MAC) are advised to see the workaround below. The vulnerability cannot be exploited on Office 2007 or on Works 2004, 2005, or 2006. Please read and be secure. There's no fix (zeroday vulnerability) for this problem yet. So the rule of thumb is that do not open files from untrusted/peculiar sources/websites/email with attached MS Office files (including Excel, Word, Powerpoint, etc..)
Since Internet Explorer is integrated with Office suite of product, this type of attack is possible via websites too (which includes in line emails etc).
Workaround:
Do not open or save Office files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources. This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a specially crafted Office file.
Antivirus products can detect this vulnerability depending on your provider's responses. Microsoft Live OneCare does identify this issue and prevents such an attack.
More information at: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/932553.mspx
Secunia: http://secunia.com/advisories/24008/
Here's an excerpt from MS Website:
Microsoft Security Advisory (932553)
Microsoft is investigating new public reports of very limited Microsoft Excel “zero-day” attacks using a vulnerability in Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Office 2003, and Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
In order for this attack to be carried out, a user must first open a malicious Office file attached to an e-mail or otherwise provided to them by an attacker.
While we are currently only aware that Excel is the current attack vector, other Office applications are potentially vulnerable.
As a best practice, users should always exercise extreme caution when opening unsolicited attachments from both known and unknown sources. Microsoft has added detection to the Windows Live OneCare safety scanner for up-to-date removal of malicious software that attempts to exploit this vulnerability.
Microsoft intends to actively share information with Microsoft Security Response Alliance partners so that their detection can be up to date to detect and remove attacks.
Customers in the U.S. and Canada who believe they are affected can receive technical support from Microsoft Product Support Services at 1-866-PCSAFETY. There is no charge for support calls that are associated with security updates.
International customers can receive support from their local Microsoft subsidiaries. There is no charge for support that is associated with security updates. For more information about how to contact Microsoft for support issues, visit the International Support Web site.
Upon completion of this investigation, Microsoft will take the appropriate action to help protect our customers. This may include providing a security update through our monthly release process or providing an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs.
GoogleMaps Minus GoogleApps
So, you love GoogleMap dont ya? Great! Me too, but i am not much fan of using the fat application that comes with it, so if you are as "lean", then check out www.wikimapia.com. It's an awsome combination of Wiki+GoogleEarth, just by using your browser, no applications or shmoo needed.
You could do searches of places, cities and countries. Its updated by people like you and me so most likely that little "kampung' (Malay for rural area) that you go back during school breaks might just turn up in WikiMapia. Give it a shot :)
Enjoy.
PS That movie, CRANK, good one, they use googlemaps too.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Vista's ReadyBoost
READYBOOST ACTIVATION
In human as possible, it makes it possible to put read-info-caches into drives outside the Operating System's (OS) drive so that your OS can read/write other things. The way its done, is secured (using AES--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AES) and only stores read only data there. Its safe against possible drive-knockout (accidental removal) thus your data is safe too.
There's a pretty good standard requirements that you have to meet to enable/use Readyboost. So, make sure that USB drive (must be flash based) is fast enough for read/write operations.
And last note, if you already have a fast machine, forget this, enjoy your Vista!
From MS site:
Windows ReadyBoost introduces a new concept in add-on system memory. You can use nonvolatile flash memory devices, such as universal serial bus (USB) flash drives, to improve performance without having to add memory "under the hood." The flash memory device serves as an additional memory cache—that is, memory that the computer can access much more quickly than it can access data on the hard disk drive.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
IE 7 Turns Green
Is Internet Explorer gonna' throw up? Looks all green...
So you were browsing, ump, say https://www.verisign.com and suddenly your browser address bar turned green, should i
1. Panic, close browser and format my computer
2. Read the certificate information on that address bar.
If you choose 1, good, you're paranoid but that's not the correct answer, the answer is, Internet Explorer now has turned out its new feature where certain websites with certain certificates (new ones) will display a green address bar on top like above (click image to view
These days, SSL certificates are easy to create and no one can guarantee the content of the people who purchase these certificates. Hopefully, with this new induction of new certificate IDENTIFICATION by IE, people will start trusting more on the sites that has been "verified". But alas, there's phishing attacks and script injections to knock even those out of proportion.
Anyway, surf safe.
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