contributed by Brent Huston
Brent Huston returns with an article in the Buffer Overflow section on how IT staff members may not be seeing the whole security picture. And describes how IT managers need to realize that there is no 'magic bullet' to information security.

Buffer Overflow

contributed by Silicosis
Instead of billing for time spent Network-1 has started a new plan that will bill customers $5995 for a penetration test of up to three Internet connections and one Class C. This new package is to be offered to the federal government under the GSA schedule. (Interesting quote from Network-1 "We don't use hackers". Ummmm, yeah sure. Just how the hell do you know? Oh, you did a background check. Yeah, OK, sure.)

It will be interesting to see how this sort of commodity pricing will effect the security industry. This gives consumers the false impression that all penetration tests are the same and that they should only be compared by price. We think this will have one of two effects if a full blown price war happens; people will get smart and the cheap guys will go out of business, or, people really won't do due diligence in security research and the cheap guys will get rich while the true security people stay in a niche market amongst those in the know.

Federal Computer Week
Network-1

contributed by Dildog
Want to know if someone is breaking into your PC? Intruder Alert '99 claims to protect your personal computer from unwanted attacks and allows you to "track down your Intruder's ISP" and even gives you a map of the location. While this page is a little light on technical details this application looks like nothing more than a glorified port activity logger. We wonder how they handle spoofed addresses?

Intruder Alert

contributed by Code Kid
Which is worse, the Melissa Virus or Network Associates VirusScan 4.0.2 designed to discover and kill the pesky macro? Network Associates has acknowledged conflicts between VirusScan 4.0.2 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Outlook 98 and Novell's Client32.

MSNBC

In a recent hearing in front of the House Subcommittee on Technology Rep. Anthony Weiner pressured FBI Infowar Chief Michael Vatis on exactly how the FBI was able to track down David L. Smith the alleged creator of the Melissa Virus. Rep. Weiner is asking questions that we think everyone would like the answer to. Unfortunately the FBI isn't all that forthcoming in its answers.

ZD Net

contributed by kingbong
The Rand Corporation has released a paper that claims terrorists will use the internet in the future to purse campaigns of terror and for increased communications amongst themselves. The report prepared for the Air Force recommends that they stop modernizing computers and communications links as this will give terrorists opportunities that did not exists before. (This is like saying you shouldn't build a window because someone might break it.)

Wired
Countering the New Terrorism

contributed by Space Rogue
A $2.8 Billion system is to be used by the FAA to monitor airline passengers. Traveler information will be run through the FAAs secret algorithm and matched against a terrorist profile. If passengers fit the profile, or are chosen at random, increased security will be given to their luggage. While some airlines (NorthWest) have already voluntarily implemented computer-assisted passenger screening programs (CAPS), the FAA may make it mandatory for all airlines. (Hmmm, maybe I won't go to DefCon after all.)

Wired

contributed by obscure_
Interesting article that links high pressure IT jobs such as programmers and engineers with increased drug use. With money to burn from the high salaries many high-tech employees look to drugs as an outlet for their work a day pressures.

The Independent

contributed by Anonymous
Russians on the Prowl
There seems to be a increase in cracks of US military sites originating from Russia. With the recent anti-US stance of President Boris Yelstin in regards to the NATO bombings of Kosovo many Russian crackers are not fearful of prosecution by US authorities. Some recent cracks include the Commander of Naval Forces in Guam (www.guam.navy.mil), the Military District of Washington (mdw-www.army.mil), the Joint Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Project (www.jtuav.redstone.army.mil) and the Department of Navy Acquisition Reform (www.acq-ref.navy.mil). We where able to grab a mirror of yesterdays crack of the Anniston Army Depot (www-anad.army.mil).

Defaced Pages Archive