Security Extra

A look at the past, present and future of log management for operations

SecExtra — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:49:36 +0000

Dominique Levin, Senior Vice President at LogLogic helps us take a look at the past, present and future of log management for operations. Log management is not a new concept and indeed has been around for a long time. In the 80s it was the primary mechanism for fault analysis and management of computer systems. [...]

Six stolen laptops highlight need for strict control on data

SecExtra — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:42:26 +0000

IT security and control firm Sophos is reminding organisations of the risks of data loss and identity theft following news that six laptops, containing personal information about 20,000 NHS patients, have been stolen from St George’s Hospital in Tooting, London. Sophos experts note that inadequate security policies left the data vulnerable, with the sensitive [...]

Hackers are coming into your network through your coffee maker

SecExtra — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:36:57 +0000

Tier-3 says that the amusing tale of an Australian IT security specialist who discovered a number of security flaws after he hooked his coffee percolator up to the Web, has a warning message to all Internet users. "This security situation is an all too common one and, as the security specialist found, the flaws in [...]

Can IT Security Be ‘Green’?

SecExtra — Mon, 19 May 2008 02:01:56 +0000

As far as ‘green’ computing is concerned, the IT industry does not have a particularly good record. In the past, it has been poor in a whole range of ‘green’ areas, including power consumption, the use of toxic substances, over-packaging, air conditioning and product life cycle. However, customer demand is now causing ‘green’ issues [...]

The online swamp – surfing through perilous waters

SecExtra — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:40:47 +0000

Of course you wouldn’t be surprised to hear security experts say that the number of computer threats continues to grow. Putting ethics aside for a moment, if we had seen a single measly threat in the last twelve months, we could legitimately say that the number of pieces of malware has grown. But this [...]

Stealing portable data - it’s easier than you think

SecExtra — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:48:21 +0000

Portable media devices – from USB keys, to media cards and storage cards are now ubiquitous and convenient. But how many of us treat them with the same vigilance as our laptops? And if you think regularly deleting files from these devices will afford you some protection, think again. Laptops are the easiest to [...]

Site developers to blame for current SQL server attacks

SecExtra — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:43:44 +0000

Fortify Software, says that this week’s reports of a rash of SQL attacks on Web sites should make software developers sit up and take notice. "Newswire reports suggest that hundreds of thousands of Web site have been hit by a mass SQL attack. This is symptomatic of hackers developing highly sophisticated and semi-automated attack routines," [...]

Data Breaches - why they happen and what you can do

SecExtra — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:47:14 +0000

Unless you’ve been on Mars for the past six months, you won’t have missed the high-profile data breaches suffered by both Government and private sector organisations. But why have these breaches been happening? The proliferation of portable storage devices such as laptops, portable hard drives, USB sticks and ‘lifestyle’ products such as MP3 players, alongside [...]

Police invade Facebook to catch the baddies!

SecExtra — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:03:40 +0000

They really are starting to watch you everywhere. You don’t have to be in front of a CCTV camera to be under the watchful eye of the establishment. The announcement by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) about using Facebook as means of gathering intelligence illustrates the increasing adoption of social networking sites by organisations. As [...]

Just how effective is Token Authentication

SecExtra — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:18:02 +0000

Password security is often seen as something of an oxy moron. We regularly hear of how easy they can be to crack and it’s now common for sites to ‘rank’ how secure your chosen password is. But the password is still a highly effective means of authentication. Even a lower case-only, five character password [...]