Computer Security 101 is a 10-part series designed to introduce users to the basic concepts, technology and terminology associated with computer and network security. Each lesson is followed by a ... Read More

In an effort to test the stability and interdependencies of the various critical infrastructure networks the Department of Homeland Security initiated a massive mock cyberattack in late October. These types ... Read More

This is perhaps the most read article I have written for this site. I have converted it to our newer format and made some minor tweaks. This article introduces some ... Read More

If you've been following along this week you have probably noticed that I am reposting a lot of articles from earlier this year. I am converting old articles to the ... Read More

This was originally posted in February of 2003. From Microsoft's official standpoint at the time this wasn't considered a "flaw" per se. Essentially, to exploit this issue a user would ... Read More

Although the Apple Macintosh operating system is generally secure compared with the various Microsoft Windows platforms and even many of its Linux / Unix cousins, it still has its problems. ... Read More

Passwords remain the primary source of authentication for most computer applications and devices. There have been advances in biometrics and other authentication techniques, but passwords are still most prevalent. It ... Read More

This is an article that I originally posted earlier this year. The concept of layered security, or "in depth" security, is a popular one. Basically, why have one lock on ... Read More

Jon Erickson's Hacking: The Art of Exploitation is a phenomenal book. It provides a deeper look at the inner-workings of vulnerability types like heap and stack overflows, string format vulnerabilities ... Read More

Cisco has decided to go to war to prevent the spread of network-based worms such as Blaster or Sobig which have recently spread around the Internet and clogged network bandwidth. ... Read More

I try not to be a conspiracy theorist or paranoid about "Big Brother" government spying on me. A book like this one makes you wonder though. The Soft Cage by ... Read More

Continuing with information on SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) VPN's (Virtual Private Networks), here is a review of 14 SSL VPN solutions from Network Computing magazine. It provides a brief overview ... Read More

Virtual Private Networks (VPN's) have been around for awhile. A VPN allows a remote user to connect to a corporate network in a secure manner using the public Internet. Communications ... Read More

Microsoft released their November 2003 monthly Security Bulletin Summary for both the Windows operating system and Office application suite. In all there are four bulletins this month: Three ranked as ... Read More

Computer flaws are almost constantly headline news. Vulnerabilities are discovered in operating systems and mainstream retail applications and patches are released almost daily. The unseen risk though is to the ... Read More

Virtual Private Networks (VPN's) based on SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) connections rather than IPSec have been gaining ground. There are pros and cons to each, but one of the biggest ... Read More

Malware: Fighting Malicious Code by Ed Skoudis will be hitting a bookstore shelf near you sometime later this month. Ed Skoudis is already well-known for his book Counter Hack and ... Read More

A development version of an upcoming release of the Linux kernel code was found to contain a small, but very sophisticated backdoor. During routine integrity checks of the code a ... Read More

Last month I posted a brief review of the open-source vulnerability scanner Nessus (see Profile: Nessus Vulnerability Scanner). Harry Anderson has written a detailed introduction to the Nessus program from ... Read More

Internet Security Systems (ISS) X-Force has created a number of in-depth and comprehensive white papers that you might find valuable. This 37-page white paper by Paul Piccard will help you ... Read More

The traditional metaphor for information security is a house (or castle, or fortress). Parallels are drawn comparing doors and windows to holes in your network security and locks and alarms ... Read More

Mac users don't traditionally have much to worry about regarding vulnerabilities or security in general. However, Mac OS X is based on a Unix / BSD core which adds power ... Read More