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05/25/2013 09:02:00 Daily, January 26Take A Byte Out Of Cybercrime
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In This Issue:
1. Editor's Note: Take A Byte Out Of Cybercrime
2. Today's Top Story: Google On
- Google Continues Enterprise Push
Related Stories
- Google Nixes Blogging, Web Mail In China
- Yahoo Vows It's In Search To Win
- New Search Engine Aims For More Targeted Results
- Microsoft Adds Internet Research Units: Live Labs, Search Labs
3. Breaking News
- Sprint Scraps Major IT Outsourcing Deal With IBM
- RIM Says BlackBerry Work-Around Is Ready If Needed
- Gartner Bashes Oracle Over Security
- Researcher Details New Oracle Zero-Day Bug
- Bots Nearly Triple In 2005
- Microsoft To Open Some Server Source Code
- Microsoft Readies Second Anti-Spyware Beta
- AMD To Demo Quad-Core Processors On Current Server Platform
- Seven Plead Guilty To Pirating 'Star Wars' Film
- Lenovo Profit, Growth Fall Short; Execs Promise Cuts
- CA Intros Central Repository For IT Asset Management
4. Grab Bag: News You Need From Around The Web
- AOL Wins $5M Judgment Against Spammer
- EU: Microsoft May Still Face Fine Threat
- Jobs Has A Knack For Getting His Way
5. In Depth: Personal Tech And Reviews
- Firefox Essentials: 10 Must-Have Extensions
- Netscape Soups Up Security, Adds RSS Support
- Review: Google Pack
- How To Build A 1-Terabyte Desktop PC
- First Dual-Boot On Intel Mac Contest Draws Crowd
- Hot Apps: Third-Party Desktop Search Tools Revisited
6. Voice Of Authority
- Is Unix Dead? I Think I Hear It Laughing...
7. White Papers
- Two-Factor Authentication
8. Get More Out Of InformationWeek
9. Manage Your Newsletter Subscription
Quote of the day:
"The cost of living is going up, and the chance of living is
going down." -- Flip Wilson
The following headline speaks volumes: "Cybercrime Feared Three Times More Than Physical
Crime." Yikes. That's amazing on the one hand--feared more
than physical crime???? How can that be, in this era of
constant talk of terrorist attacks, the war in Iraq, and, not to
forget, the past 12 months of seemingly one natural disaster
after another? Not in recent memory has the physical world seemed
so threatening, and we haven't even looked at national crime
statistics yet!
But then again, after a little more contemplation, I'm thinking,
well, maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. After all, from the
criminal standpoint, it's become oh so easy, and so much safer,
to attack people through the ether, as opposed to mano a mano. No
blood, no pain, and minimal risk to self and liberty--what's not
to like?
Speaking of easy street, my guess is even bad guys like to
telecommute. Cybercrime is the perfect venue--you don't have to
leave your house, never mind your country, to perpetrate a crime.
And unless you're technically inept, there's limited likelihood
of discovery.
Making it even easier are the careless businesses practically
gift-wrapping unencrypted personal data (here's the latest
moronic blunder) and the foot-dragging legislators who can't
even agree that potential victims of data breaches deserve to be
informed.
The bottom line then, for all those consumers who participated in
that study--the ones who fear cybercrime more than physical
crime--is that they need to get a clue and then devise a safety
plan. We're as a big a part of this problem as anyone else, and
the bad guys not only know it (why else would phishing be so popular, reaching record highs in
late 2005?), but according to IBM's annual "Security Threats And Attack Trends Report,"
they're more determined than ever to exploit the gullibility of
people, to the detriment of both companies and individuals.
"Criminals will continue to leverage users, since in some
respects it's so easy to trick them," warns David Mackey, the
director of security intelligence at the computer company.
Ouch. That means we're our best defense. We can't rely on the
people we do business with, but we can do our part on our own
patch of technical turf to help keep the cyberthieves out. That
means deploying both technical and commonsense safeguards (don't
give out your passwords or open dubious attachments, for example)
while also lobbying elected officials to get on the stick and get
cracking with some laws that show the government means business.
So get serious and do your part to take a byte out of cybercrime.
Patricia Keefe
Google Continues Enterprise Push
Related Stories:
Google Nixes Blogging, Web Mail In China
Yahoo Vows It's In Search To Win
Sprint Scraps Major IT Outsourcing Deal With IBM
RIM Says BlackBerry Work-Around Is Ready If Needed
Gartner Bashes Oracle Over Security
Researcher Details New Oracle Zero-Day Bug
Bots Nearly Triple In 2005
Microsoft To Open Some Server Source Code
Microsoft Readies Second Anti-Spyware Beta
AMD To Demo Quad-Core Processors On Current Server Platform
Seven Plead Guilty To Pirating 'Star Wars' Film
Lenovo Profit, Growth Fall Short; Execs Promise Cuts
CA Intros Central Repository For IT Asset Management
In the current episode:
John Soat with "Crime Stories"
Eric Chabrow with "Money Chasing Ideas"
Paul Kapustka with "Technology's Helping Hand"
Protecting The Corporate Network
Your Chance to Weigh In
-----------------------------------------
AOL Wins $5M Judgment Against Spammer (AP)
EU: Microsoft May Still Face Fine Threat (AP)
Jobs Has A Knack For Getting His Way (USA Today)
Firefox Essentials: 10 Must-Have Extensions
Netscape Soups Up Security, Adds RSS Support
Review: Google Pack
How To Build A 1-Terabyte Desktop PC
First Dual-Boot On Intel Mac Contest Draws Crowd
Hot Apps: Third-Party Desktop Search Tools Revisited
Is Unix Dead? I Think I Hear It Laughing...
Two-Factor Authentication: A Total-Cost-Of-Ownership Viewpoint
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InformationWeek Daily Newsletter
1. Editor's Note: Take A Byte Out Of Cybercrime
pkeefe@cmp.com
www.informationweek.com
2. Today's Top Story: Google On
Search-engine behemoth unveils more appliances, forges more
partnerships, in bid to grow enterprise business.
Google launches a version of its search engine in China that
acknowledges censorship policies, but does not include Web mail
and blogging services.
Yahoo blog entry denies CFO's comment that it 's satisfied with
second place in the market, insisting, "We're in it to win."
New Search Engine Aims For More Targeted Results
Dumbfind.com offers a two-box search engine approach, combining
traditional keywords with topics or categories to better match
the searcher's intent.
Microsoft Adds Internet Research Units: Live Labs, Search Labs
The two research units are designed to propel Microsoft in emerging
technologies and help it compete against Yahoo and Google.
Sprint is bringing back work and employees it gave to IBM under a
$400 million outsourcing pact and redoing its multibillion-dollar
call-center deal with the IT services firm.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of the case, it
appears the BlackBerry patent battle will be resolved in the U.S.
District Court system. In the case of an injunction, Research In
Motion says it's found a way to let customers keep using their BlackBerrys.
Oracle security practices are raising red flags, according to
Gartner, which advised administrators to hunker down and protect
their database systems.
A longtime critic of Oracle says the bug can be exploited by an
attacker to grab complete control of an Oracle database server
via a compromised Web server.
Bots increased faster than any other software infection last
year, said researchers.
Microsoft's move is in reaction to a December 2004 filing by the
European Commission charging that the developer had failed to
properly document the inner workings of Windows Server for rivals.
Windows Defender Beta 2 will add support for Outlook, a new
interface, and automated updates to the spyware definitions and
scanning engine. Where Beta 1 has been available only for Windows
XP, Beta 2 will run on other Windows versions.
Advanced Micro Devices is promising that no platform change will
be required to move to its next-generation quad-core processors.
And to prove it, AMD plans to demonstrate the technology in the
middle of this year.
What started with a simple loan of the movie between friends has
ended in the possibility of prison sentences for seven Los
Angeles "Star Wars" fans.
Sluggish sales in Japan, and an effort to grow SMB revenue
worldwide, were among the areas that took a bite out of Lenovo's
profits, executives said.
CA has revealed a product suite designed to manage and unify
financial oversight of technology assets.
----- The latest research, polls, and tools -----
Examine the security practices of more than 2,500 U.S. companies
in InformationWeek Research's 2005 Global Information Security
Survey report. In addition to spotlighting security best
practices and near-term investment plans, the study also
documents recent security incidents.
Are you challenged in your job? Are you satisfied with your
current compensation package? The editors of InformationWeek
magazine invite you to participate in our ninth annual National
IT Salary Survey.
4. Grab Bag: News You Need From Around The Web
A man who sent billions of junk E-mails hawking online college
degrees, sexually explicit Web sites, and "generic Viagra" must
pay more than $5 million in penalties to America Online, a
federal judge ruled.
Microsoft's new offer to let competitors examine some of the
blueprints to its Windows operating system may not end the threat
of daily $2.36 million fines in the European Union's antitrust
case, an EU spokesman said Thursday.
Over the last few years, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs has made
history by persuading companies to do things differently.
5. In Depth: Personal Tech & Review
There are some Firefox extensions that are good--and some that
are indispensable. Our expert tells why these are the add-ons you
can't live without.
America Online on Wednesday unveiled version 8.1 of its
struggling Netscape browser. It boasts a new anti-spyware tool,
performance improvements, and bug fixes, its makers say.
Google Pack is designed to be a single, easy-to-use package
containing a dozen desktop applications for personal
productivity, communications, security, and just for fun. How
well does it work?
There's a new wave of fast, affordable, and super-high-capacity
drives. Here's how to make the most of them.
A self-professed Mac lover who jump-started a prize award for the
first person to figure out how to boot Windows XP on an
Intel-based Macintosh is confident that someone will step forward
to claim the bounty, now at nearly $6,000.
In a world where free desktop search apps abound, are traditional
third-party desktop search utilities still worth the cost?
Is Unix dead? We debated that issue as we worked on this week's
cover story, "What's Left Of Unix?" My answer is no, it's not
dead. As a matter of fact, I think I hear it laughing on its way
to the bank. Charles Babcock explains.
VeriSign Unified Authentication provides an open, integrated
platform for managing all types of two-factor authentication
credentials. This white paper focuses on the one-time password
authentication solutions and helps IT professionals identify the
key components that contribute to their total cost of ownership.
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