Network Security Roundup for October 20, 2003

E-Commerce Times: The Ultimate Home-Computing Defense18-Oct-03 4:31 ET

Story Highlights:“Despite red-alert headlines about hackers, worms and viruses, and despite the threat of identity theft and misappropriation of personal data, many home computer users have yet to invest in the first line of defense against external attacks: a firewall. Why are consumers so resistant to adopting such technology, and will that change as broadband adoption increases?”

Full Story on the E-Commerce Times

Story Highlights:“NetScreen Technologies is to integrate intrusion protection technology into its range of hardware firewalls this winter as part of its plans to provide more robust defences against application-level attacks.”

Full Story on The Register

Story Highlights:“Security suppliers are gearing up to offer centrally managed products to enterprise customers, who are increasingly eschewing the standalone approach. Network Associates and Internet Security Systems (ISS) have outlined strategies and product road maps which consolidate many security functions — such as antivirus protection, intrusion detection and firewalls — into single products.”

Full Story on ComputerWeekly.com

Story Highlights:“In an effort to shore up the security of the nation’s critical infrastructures, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security recently proposed that all publicly-traded companies disclose in their filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission precisely what they are doing to protect the security, confidentiality, integrity and availability of their electronic information and databases. But encouraging publicly-traded companies to disclose their cyber security efforts would only force them to choose between providing vague and useless platitudes, or specific and dangerous details.”

Full Story on SecurityFocus

Story Highlights:“A new backdoor (spying program) which poses as a DivX file containing subtitles from the latest Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill has been spotted on the Net. The low-spreading Manda-A (AKA PWSteal.Salira) Trojan arrives as a .RAR archive with a malformed header. This archive, 35347 bytes in size, has a movie subtitle name Kill Bill.”

Full Story on The Register

Story Highlights:“Increasingly, computer-savvy Romanians hack vital systems, scam consumers and release viruses worldwide. With more than 60 arrests so far in Romania, FBI, Scotland Yard and other agencies team up with programmers to roust the villains in cyberspace.”

Full Story on Wired News