<< SBS news the week of October 24, 2004>>

From: Susan Bradley, CPA aka Ebitz SBS Rocks [MVP] (sbradcpa_at_pacbell.net)
Date: 10/25/04 

Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2004 21:45:35 -0700

Kevin's song of the week
news://msnews.microsoft.com/#lCyAuWuEHA.272@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl
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Blog happenings:

SBS 2003 and Dr. Watson:
Charlie Anthe's blog
http://blogs.msdn.com/canthe

SeanDaniel.com on adding domains/websites to your SBS 2003
http://seanda.blogspot.com/

Chad links to Dr. J's "Passphrase"

http://msmvps.com/cgross/archive/2004/10/23/16521.aspx
In this installment of the passwords article series, we took a first a
step toward analyzing passwords and pass phrases. As you might have
noticed, however, we do not know much about the pass phrases people use.
In order to understand more about this, we would like to ask you a
favor. If you would like to help us, think of a pass phrase you might
use (preferably not the one you are currently using!) and e-mail it to
passstud@microsoft.com*. We hope to get enough samples to be able to
perform some analysis on pass phrases and understand how they are
actually formed.

Setting up a MX record
Kevin goes into the details of setup
http://msmvps.com/kwsupport/archive/2004/10/23/16537.aspx

If you are a SBS consultant... do YOU have a backup?
Dean talks about business partnering
http://msmvps.com/calvert/archive/2004/10/23/16474.aspx

If you are a small business... have you checked out the SBA resources?
Jeff Loucks talks about government funding for small businesses
http://msmvps.com/sbs/

Wayne talks about 2000 to 2003
http://msmvps.com/sbsfaq/archive/2004/10/01/14654.aspx

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So early Saturday morning I got an email from "Redhat Security team"
with notification of a "critical critial" patch. Problem is that the
email wasn't signed, it pointed to a patch on a Standford University
website.... bottom line it was a bogus patch that gave the emailer root
privileges on that box after installation
http://www.redhat.com/security/

Social engineering knows no boundaries and you are only as secure as
your weakest link.
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What file extension are you?
http://www.bbspot.com/News/2004/10/extension_quiz.php

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In other news

Purdue urges precautions after hacking discovered
Someone gained unauthorized access to Purdue's
computer network, prompting school officials to
urge all students, staff and faculty to change
their passwords. ``We have confirmed that some
computer passwords have been obtained by
unauthorized users accessing a number of computer
systems,'' said Scott Ksander of Purdue's information
technology office. ``The full extent of the problem
is still being analyzed, but we think it is important
to exercise caution, and the best action to take is
for all users to change their passwords at this time.''
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/9988098.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6307984/
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/10/22/us.purduehack.ap/index.html
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Hackers post 'confession' on football ref's website
England fans just won't forgive Urs Meier for
Euro 2004... Swiss football referee Urs Meier
who controversially disallowed an England goal
at Euro 2004 has had his website defaced by
hackers who posted a hoax message apologising
and confessing that he took a bribe.
http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39125203,00.htm
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/22/swiss_ref_hack/
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New Netsky variant appears from Korea
Despite the incarceration of the original author
new variants of the Netsky worm are still appearing,
with the latest version seemingly coming from South
Korea, according to experts. Antivirus researchers
have discovered a new version of the Netsky worm
that contains text linking it to the SoonChunHyang
University in Bucheon, South Korea.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39171027,00.htm
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5422581.html

Bug bites continue to plague the Net
http://news.com.com/Bug+bites+continue+to+plague+the+Net/2009-1002_3-5422692.html
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Political hacking increasing says internet security firm
Hackers from Muslim countries are increasingly
targeting western corporations as politically
inspired cyber attacks spread around the globe,
an internet security company claimed yesterday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/news/0,12597,1331998,00.html
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Vulnerability hits Java for cell phones
A Polish researcher has found two vulnerabilities
in the cell phone version of Sun Microsystems'
Java software that under unusual circumstances
could let a malicious program read private
information or render the phone unusable.
The flaws are difficult to exploit because
malicious programs must be tailored to each
cell phone, saidAdam Gowdiak, the 29-year-old
security researcher with the Poznan Supercomputing
and Networking Center who discovered the
vulnerabilities.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5423310.html?tag=default

Phreakers will rape and pillage your mobile
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/22/mobile_java_peril/
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Touch-screens under surveillance
Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Jesse
Durazo is not taking any chances with this year's
presidential election. After weathering months of
criticism of the county's new touch-screen voting
system, Durazo in July installed 24-hour surveillance
cameras in the warehouse where the voting machines
are stored and are being tested this week. ``Voters
deserve to know we have done our best to maintain
security,'' Durazo said.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/9988083.htm
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Corporate security undermined by lack of cooperation
A lack of information sharing and cooperation
between IT security, physical security and risk
management functions is hindering efforts to
upgrade corporate security, according to a report
released this week by The Conference Board Inc.
http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,96876,00.html
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Cops, Geeks, and Bean Counters: The Clashing Cultures of Corporate Security
Bridging the clash of cultures and creating a common frame of reference
is essential if companies are to manage their total security needs in an
effective manner. File size: 91KB

http://www.conference-board.org/publications/execaction.cfm
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UC hacking may have gotten data on 600,000
A hacker who broke into the computer system of
the University of California-Berkeley may have
gained access to names, Social Security numbers
and other personal information of about 600,000
state residents. Amid rising public concern over
identity theft, the breach highlighted weaknesses
in safeguards against improper handling of
sensitive personal information. It also raised
questions about why the lapse wasn't disclosed
immediately.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/9975199.htm
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'Grand Theft' of intellectual property
A stolen copy of the latest sequel in one of
the top-selling video game series of all time
began circulating on the Web late Wednesday,
the second high-profile game theft in a week.
Game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software
confirmed that a purloined copy of "Grand Theft
Auto: San Andreas," set for commercial release
next week, is making the rounds of "warez"
sites used to swap pirated software.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-5421159.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3762350.stm
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/21/gt_web_leak
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Security holes exposed in several major browsers
Flaws have been exposed this week in Opera,
Konqueror, all Mozilla browsers and - most
seriously - Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
For every browser, a security bug. That seemed
to be Wednesday's lesson from security information
provider Secunia for the developers of the major
Internet browsers.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39170856,00.htm
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/1018/web-alert-10-21-04.asp
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Viruses leap through window of opportunity
Mass mailing viruses could be consigned to
the dustbin of history if only anti-virus vendors
were quicker off the mark. Findings presented
by security experts at the recent Virus Bulletin
Conference in Chicago show that reducing the
‘window of vulnerability’ between the release
of a virus and the availability of fixes could
make email virus outbreaks a rarity.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/21/mass_mailing_virus/
- - - - - - - - - -
Hackers getting smarter, Microsoft CEO says
Microsoft Corp.'s chief executive believes it's
naive to suggest the software giant can eliminate
all security vulnerabilities in its various products
even though engineers are trying hard to do so.
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20041021.gtballmeroct21/BNStory/Technology/
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Microsoft-s-Ballmer--Hackers-Getting-Smarter&story_id=27802
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IT chiefs use scare tactics to tighten security
Hacking and virus threat often exaggerated to
win management support, says survey. Despite
increasing awareness of IT security threats,
many IT administrators are reduced to using
scare tactics to get management support for
tighter security procedures, research has
revealed.
http://www.vnunet.com/news/1158895
- - - - - - - - - -
Thumb twiddling on cybersecurity
Threats and vulnerabilities to our global computer
networks and systems are growing faster than we
can address them. Malicious code--viruses and
worms--is being created to exploit software flaws
within days, when only a year ago it would have
taken months for such code to appear. Our water
supply, electric grid, nuclear energy system and
other critical infrastructures are interconnected
and interdependent, increasing the likelihood that
a cyberattack could disrupt major services and
cripple economic activity.
http://news.com.com/Thumb+twiddling+on+cybersecurity/2010-7348_3-5420059.html
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5421322.html
- - - - - - - - - -
Cyberterrorism a reality 'in two years'
Cyberterrorism could become a reality in 2006,
a leading UK information security expert has said.
Speaking at the SC Magazine Conference in London
on Thursday, director of information security for
Royal Mail David Lacey said that that the world
would witness cyberterrorism within two years.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39170864,00.htm
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Is your boss Googling you?
Almost one in four Net surfers has searched
online for information about someone at work
or a business contact, according to a new
survey released Thursday. The survey, conducted
by Harris Interactive for search engine Dogpile,
said about 23 percent of adult Internet users
in the United States have searched online for
their clients or customers, workers or potential
employees, and supervisors or prospective managers.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5421210.html

Relevant Pages

  • RE: Comments on 5 IE vulnerabilities
    ... For those who have opened up the Internet Options, ... Enterprise Security and Privacy Programs ... Despite the severity of some of the vulnerabilities posted by Liu Die Yu, ... I have locked down the My Computer security zone ...
    (Focus-Microsoft)
  • RE: NAT/PAT (Hide NAT) Vulnerabilities?
    ... Subject: NAT/PAT Vulnerabilities? ... Preventing incoming connections will do a lot to improve your security, ... internal machines can reach the Internet through the ... You can't start a connection with an internal system ...
    (Security-Basics)
  • [Full-disclosure] CORE-2009-0108: Multiple vulnerabilities in Sun Calendar Express Web S
    ... Multiple vulnerabilities in Sun Calendar Express Web Server ... These vulnerabilities were discovered by the SCS team from Core Security ...
    (Full-Disclosure)
  • CORE-2009-0108: Multiple vulnerabilities in Sun Calendar Express Web Server
    ... Multiple vulnerabilities in Sun Calendar Express Web Server ... These vulnerabilities were discovered by the SCS team from Core Security ...
    (Bugtraq)
  • Cyber Crime Evolution
    ... Just 10 years ago, the sophistication of hackers ... The hackers of the past are likely now working as information security ... These "kids" can and will scan the entire Internet, ... most hackers were not looking at breaking into Windows ...
    (comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.adventure)