• Swiss move on quantum cryptography

    Ensuring effective data security is the next challenge for global data networks; quantum cryptography offers such effective security; the Swiss national election in October 2007 provided first real-life test of the technology, and Swiss now move to implement it in security-sensitive sectors of the economy

  • Reviewing -- and fixing -- Open Source code security holes

    Popular open source projects such as Samba, the PHP, Perl, Tcl dynamic languages, and Amanda were found to have dozens or hundreds of security exposures; some are quicker than others in fixing the problem

  • A new Wi-Fi security worry: Sidejacking

    Two hackers’ tools — Ferret and Hamster — “sidejack” machines using Wi-Fi and accesses their Web accounts; Hamster hacks the cookies and URL trail left behind by a Wi-Fi user, and the attacker then can pose as the victim and read, send, and receive e-mail on his or her behalf

  • U.S. forces in Europe pay more attention to cybersecurity

    Greater reliance on cyberspace by the U.S. military offers many benefits, but also introduces many vulnerabilities; the 5th Signal Command creates cyber cells to monitor and improve cyber security

  • Cisco release global security report

    Security threats and attacks have become more global and sophisticated; as the adoption of more and more IP-connected devices, applications, and communication methods increases, the opportunity emerges for a greater number of attacks

  • 700 MHz auction attracts 96 bidders

    By February 2009, TV broadcasters will have to vacate the 700 MHz so they can offer digital-only TV, as mandated by Congress; FCC will hold an auction for the coveted vacated spectrum, and 96 bidders — the usual suspects, but also Paul Allen, Chevron, and others — have been accepted (there were also 170 incomplete applications)

  • Phishing attacks escalated in 2007

    Gartner survey finds that $3.2 billion was lost due to phishing attacks in 2007; 3.6 million Americans lost money in phishing attacks in the twelve months ending in August 2007, compared with the 2.3 million who did so the year before

  • Quantum communication over long distance, flawed networks possible

    Chinese scientists offer possible breakthrough in quantum communication — overcoming the problem of quantum entanglement between photons at long distances; the scientists show a quantum-communications network in which producing entanglement over a long distance is conceptually possible

  • Dutch health insurance database easily accessible

    The Dutch Vecozo medical database is used by Dutch health care workers to make payments easier and to check Dutch medical insurance data; trouble is, at least 80,000 people are able to search the database, which contains personal information about nearly every Dutch citizen

  • Fiber optics no obstacle to cyber crime

    Fiber optics are an ideal transmission medium, and the length of cable installed around the globe is estimated at more than 300 million kilometers; fiber optic networks are employed by many banks, insurance companies, enterprises, and public authorities as their communication backbone, supporting critical business activities; fiber optic cables are as vulnerable to hacking as traditional copper wires

  • China suspected in hacking attempt on Oak Ridge National Lab

    In October about 1,100 employees at the Oak Ridge National Lab received versions of seven phishing e-mails which appeared legitimate; eleven employees opened the e-mails’ attachments, which enabled the hackers to infiltrate the Lab’s system and remove data; Last week DHS circulated memo to security experts pointing to China as the source of the October hacking at the weapon lab

  • Grisoft acquires Exploit Prevention Labs

    Exploit Prevention Labs specializes in safe surfing technology that protects Internet users against malicious web sites and drive-by downloaded exploits; Grisoft expands it Web security offerings

  • How to secure the new data center

    Virtualization is disruptive, and it changes the rules for how companies secure — or, rather, ought to secure — their data and their computing infrastructure

  • AFIT team wins annual DOD Cyber Crime Center Challenge

    Four graduate students from the Air Force Institute of Technology win highly competitive annual DOD Cyber Crime Center Challenge; the winning team used innovative techniques to crack passwords; repair damaged media such as CDs, DVDs, and a thumb drive; extract hidden information from audio files; and dissect digitally altered photos

  • Defense panel worries about foreign software development

    The U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies rely more and more on software developed outside the U.S.; a Defense Science Board task force warns that this “creates a rich opportunity to damage or destroy elements of the [U.S.] warfighter’s capability”