Privacy, Security Archive

A sophisticated computer hacker had access to servers at wireless giant T-Mobile for at least a year, which he used to monitor U.S. Secret Service e-mail, obtain customers' passwords and Social Security numbers, and download candid photos taken by Sidekick users, including Hollywood celebrities, SecurityFocus has learned.

"A vulnerability in Firefox could expose users of the open-source browser to the risk of phishing scams, security experts have warned. " In a related note, security firm Secunia has discovered three very critical security flaws in IE.

A Chinese company has released sample code that exploits new vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system. The LoadImage function and Windows Help program are both affected.

This article will address at a summary level the most significant security risks in the wireless computing environment. The purpose of the article is to introduce in a centralized fashion the scope of the problem and the most significant talking points on the issue of wireless security and to summarize where the industry is in addressing these problems and where it is going.

Within 30 days, Microsoft will have a tool available to remove spyware from Windows PCs. The tool comes from a small company called Giant Company Software that Microsoft recently acquired. The anti-spyware tool will initially be free, but Microsoft has stated that it may eventually charge for the program. Update: It seems that another company has co-ownership of the code that Microsoft bought in this acquisition.

To really understand what is going on in your network, you must do more than deploy security devices, you must also monitor your security situation on a constant basis. Intrusion detection monitoring is a major trend in the security industry.

Surfing the Web has never been more risky. Simply connecting to the Internet — and doing nothing else — exposes your PC to non-stop, automated break-in attempts by intruders looking to take control of your machine surreptitiously.

Remembering all the logins and passwords to all the services and systems you've got access to is pretty hard to do nowadays. Many people use the same login and password for multiple sites and systems. That won't improve security. One of the IT buzzwords is SSO (Single Sign-on). Most SSO systems are hard to setup and will only provide SSO to the systems of one company. It is possible to easily provide worldwide single sing-on.

This guide will show you how to secure Windows XP. While it covers the basics it also goes beyond them without going into "paranoid" mode...This guide is for home users in a stand-alone or workgroup environment. It is intended as a step-by-step guide and we highly suggest you read through the entire article before taking any action. We welcome suggestions and feedback.

Removable media devices are here to stay. Their ease of use and low cost have made them ubiquitous in the work environment – but at what price? In this article they look at the pros and cons of removable media, and the steps IT managers can take to mitigate the security risks associated with them.

Reports on the comp.periphs.printers Usenet newsgroup claim that Lexmark has been planting spyware on its customers' PCs in the form of undocumented software that monitors the use of its printers and silently reports back to a Lexmark-owned company Web site.

Security researchers claimed today that millions of Microsoft customers are at risk from 10 serious security vulnerabilities uncovered in Windows XP patched with Service Pack 2.

Microsoft is rejecting claims from security researchers that a spoofing technique discovered on Internet Explorer is a security vulnerability.

In this article we'll discuss the claim made by proponents of open source software that such software is more secure. Is open source really inherently more secure than closed source commercial software? If so, why? And if not, why do so many have that perception? Read Article