Tony's Network Security Blog

Do you have antivirus software installed? Is it updated? How about antispyware protection? Do you have a personal firewall protecting your PC? Do you have some sort of antiphishing program or phishing scam filter? Surely you have antispam protection. Are you sure???

A recent study by Symantec showed that a majority of PC users do, in fact, have antivirus and antispyware software installed and updated. However, many did not have a personal firewall or spam protection. That is not the worst part though. The worst part is that they thought they did.

It is one thing to be unprotected. As long as you know you are, then you can at least exercise caution or be more on guard about the types of threats you might be vulnerable to. It is entirely a different story for users to think they have security protection they do not. It can taint the way they use their PC or the cavalier attitude they might have to surfing the Web. As long as they act as if they have security measures in place that aren't really there, they are at greater risk.

I think that some may not understand all of the bells and whistles of their security software and may wrongly assume that those features they don't understand must be taking care of those threats they also don't understand. But, not all security software is packaged as a suite, and not all suites are created equally. Take a minute to understand what your security software does or does not do, then either invest in the tools to plug the holes, or at least be aware of the fact that you aren't as secure as you had believed.

OK- that is total FUD. It reminds me of when my kids' computer has issues and he tells me that he "thinks he broke the Internet", or when one site works and another doesn't and he says "some of the Internets are working, but this Internet won't come up". But, I digress.

I did not mean to be sensationalist, or promote FUD. I struggled for quite a while with how to craft a headline that summarizes the issue without being a paragraph unto itself. The reality is that security researchers from Outpost24 have discovered a flaw which can allegedly affect Windows, Linux, firewalls, and other systems as well. There are not a lot of details, but it seems that the vulnerability is related to the core TCP/IP protocols that make up the backbone of communications on the Internet.

Affected vendors are researching the flaw and working on developing a fix. According to a Network World article about the issue, Microsoft has stated it is investigating the issue, but they are "unaware of any attacks trying to use the claimed vulnerability or of customer impact."

Robert Lee, Outpost24's Chief Security Officer, sums it up "The public message here is 'Chill out, the people who need to be involved are involved.'"

The Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico is the foremost research site for nuclear power in the United States, and possibly in the world. There is a completely separate network to segment the ultra-secret, mega-classified data, but the GAO (Government Accountability Office) audit has demonstrated that the unclassified network at Los Alamos is not secure.

The network was found to be vulnerable to cyber attacks which could yield information on controlled nukes, export control, and personal details of lab employees. In addition, the physical security of the site has also been questioned. It just leads me again to the conclusion that much of the efforts of the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) are simply smoke & mirrors theater stunts, and that we largely have National Insecurity rather than security.

I have talked about this in previous posts, but there are certainly varying opinions about the ethics of monitoring computer activity. I think everyone is in complete agreement that companies should not be secretly monitoring customer or user computer activity- we call that spyware. But, an employer technically owns the computer that the employee is using. They pay for the application and the Internet access. They have not only a right, but in some instances an obligation to monitor the activity that occurs on those systems.

For parents, there are also varying opinions of safety vs. the independence and privacy of the child. My opinion falls under the sort of 'trust but verify' philosophy. I use SpectorSoft's eBlaster 6.0. I don't read the reports everyday or scrutinize what my kids do, but I have the reports if anything suspicious happens and I want to see what has been going on in cyberspace. Take a look at my review of eBlaster 6.0 to see how it might help you monitor your children or employees.

Apple fanatics have maintained that Apple's operating systems and applications are simply more secure than Microsoft's. Others (myself included) have held the theory that the software is not necessarily more or less secure, but that hacker's had no reason to try to exploit it. The user base was so small, particularly compared with Microsoft, that it wouldn't be worth the time and effort to develop an exploit.

Apple is under attack more frequently these days. That would seem to support the latter theory. Popularity comes with a price. The more popular your platform and applications, the larger the target on your back. The Register reports that malware is circulating disguised as an iPhone application. To be fair, this is not directly an attack on Apple. The Trojan is simply leveraging the explosive popularity of the iPhone and iPhone apps to lure users into infecting their systems.

The same report from The Register though also discloses information about a more direct threat against Apple. Vulnerabilities have been discovered in both QuickTime and iTunes. The bug, rated as a High risk vulnerability by US-CERT, does not yet have a patch or update available from Apple.

"National Security" has been burned indelibly into the vocabulary of average Americans ever since 9/11. Of course, prior to 9/11 we had enemies- even enemies who attacked us. We knew about them and we knew they were coming (but failed to respond or prepare) before 9/11. Yet, somehow after 9/11 everything about everything revolves around "national security".

But, why is so much time and effort invested in "smoke and mirrors" security like airport security screening procedures, while our government agencies and the critical infrastructure that provides the backbone of our nation remain inadequately protected? These are targets with confidential information. These are systems that control our water supply and our electricity. Compromising these systems can have serious consequences for the country. With trillions (with a "T") of dollars being spent to protect the country, why are our computer and network systems still a national insecurity?

In the wake of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin's Yahoo email account being compromised by hackers last week, Yahoo's VP of Mail, John Kremer, wrote a brief article highlighting tips for users to secure and protect their web-based email accounts. The tips include good ideas like choosing a secure password. Yahoo doesn't restrict password length and even allows spaces in passwords, so you could theoretically use lyrics from your favorite song as your password. It would be long and complex to crack, but very easy for you to remember.

One thing that Kremer's tips do not seem to take into account though is that it wasn't a weak password that led to the Alaska Governor's personal email accounts being compromised. Based on reports thus far, it was the fact that there is enough public information available about Palin that someone was able to correctly answer the security questions to obtain or reset her password. So, in addition to choosing a secure password, you also need to ensure that your security questions and other controls rely on obscure information that an attacker would not easily guess about you. Just as you wouldn't use your birthday or your spouse's name as your password, those tidbits of information should also not be used for your security screening questions.

I get a fair amount of email. I probably get more spam than the average person. Of course, it all goes to my Junkmail folder sight unseen, so I don't really care. I frequently field concerns from readers, or even friends and family about how to stop spam completely. Apparently, many people just don't want it even in the Junkmail box.

On top of all of the email and all of the spam I receive, I also get a fair amount of political email. I subscribe to and participate on a number of lists. I have donated which apparently is like throwing chum into shark-infested waters. Associate your email address with a willingness to surrender money and you will have friends for life emailing you on a daily basis. There is still another kind of email though that crosses all of these lines: political campaign phishing scam emails.

The Register reported that an email with false accusations against Democratic Presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama is being used to spread malware. Their report stems from an advisory from Websense. I am pretty sure that won't be the last we see of spam, malware, or phishing scams designed to exploit interest in the ongoing campaign for President of the United States. Be sure that you know how to recognize threats and protect yourself from phishing attacks.

I know that many people tend to think of Microsoft as being monopolistic. There is one area where, contrary to what opponents might have you believe, Microsoft does not have even a hint of a monopoly: vulnerabilities. For all of the zealous fanatics that seem to believe Steve Jobs walks on water and that Apple can do no wrong, Apple has their fair share of issues. Code was recently released that exploits a vulnerability in Apple QuickTime. Adobe has released security advisories this month for a flaw in the Flash Media Server and another for a vulnerability that affects Mac Illustrator.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that Microsoft has the market cornered on security vulnerabilities. Even if you run Linux, use Firefox, and otherwise avoid Microsoft products completely, you still have to be aware of the vulnerabilities out there and diligent about patching and updating your system to protect it.

Wireless networks are great. Taking the laptop and sitting at the patio table out by the pool sure beats working indoors (it would be nice if laptop manufacturers could work on display technology that works better in bright or natural lighting though). I suppose it is more common to think of wireless convenience in terms of being able to leave your desk and go to a conference room and still be connected to the network, or being able to pick up and go work at the corner coffee shop.

However, since they hit the streets wireless networks have introduced security concerns. Wireless routers all have some sort of encryption to help protect the data being transmitted, but there is more to security than just encryption. The ZoneAlarm Z100G is not just a wireless router. It is more like a security gateway built in to a wireless router. Check out the review of the ZoneAlarm Z100G Secure Wireless Router to learn more about what sets it apart and whether or not its worth it.