What Is In a Name?
Hacker purists constantly get upset about the mis-use of the term hacker. Many words are adopted to mean more than they were specifically intended- Bandaid is used instead of self-sticking bandage; Q-Tip is used instead of cotton-tipped swab. Hacker has been adopted into the mainstream vocabulary to mean any sort of cyber-criminal and its here to stay To Disclose or Not To Disclose
The Department of Homeland Security wants to ensure companies that their information will be kept secret if they disclose details of cyber-attacks and security incidents. Senator Feinstein introduced a bill that would require companies to share such information. Is disclosure good or bad? For whom is it good or bad? Computer Security 101
A simple overview of active scripting such as JavaScript, VBScript and ActiveX, Cross Site Scripting (XSS), Instant Messaging (IM), Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Networking and Packet Sniffing. This is the 5th of a 10-part series called Computer Security 101 from your About.com Guide, Tony Bradley. Counter-Hacking: The Sequel
Senator Hatch wants to destroy computers found to be downloading illegal software. The RIAA and MPAA have lobbied state and federal governments for years to block illegal MP3's and allow them to counter-hack violators. Researchers "Stumble" Onto Mystery Trojan
Intrusec and ISS X-force captured and analyzed a mystery Trojan that has been baffling security experts for weeks. TCP traffic with a window size of 55808 but no identifiable source information or code has worried many security administrators Computer Security 101
The 4th in a 10-part series on Computer Security basics. This lesson covers Email viruses, hidden file extensions and email address spoofing Computer Security 101
An article on Ports, TCP (transmission control protocol), UDP (user datagram protocol) and firewalls. This is the 3rd in a 10-part series called Computer Security 101 from your Guide, Tony Bradley. Help! I Think I've Been Hacked
An article on incident response when you think you've been hacked. how do you collect clues and evidence of your perpetrator- when they attacked? what they did? How do you restore your system and how do you protect yourself from future occurrences?? False Sense of Security
Home users are migrating to broadband, 24/7 connections to the Internet without the basic knowledge and skills necessary to protect themselves and the rest of the Internet from the security risks that exist on their computer. This false sense of security is bad for everyone. Virus Writing 101
The University of Calgary is offering a hotly debated course on malware and viruses. Part of the class will actually teach the students how to create their own viruses. Many in the security community fear this will just create the next generation of malicious code developers and is not necessary to teach defense and security. Security Through Obscurity
Many profess security through obscurity and protest the sharing of hacker tools and techniques through classes or through books such as Hacking Exposed, Hack Attacks Revealed and the like. This article shares my point of view on why security through obscurity is the wrong way to go Computer Security 101
An article on network perimeter defense systems such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems and honeypots by your About.com guide for Internet / Network Security, Tony Bradley Counter-Hacking: Savior or Vigilante?
An article on counter-hacking or counter-attacking when an infected device hits your computer. Is it legal or ethical to respond? Is it vigilantism? There are many questions yet to be answered on how to handle devices that are insecure and show no signs of fixing themselves anytime soon Microsoft's New Antivirus Alliance
An article on the newly formed Virus Information Alliance created by Microsoft with Network Asociates AVERT and Trend Micro TrendLabs to share and collaborate on virus research to be communicated on the Microsoft Virus Information Protection Strategies web site. Internet / Network Security Forums
The Forums section of the Internet / Network Security site had been neglected and fallen into disarray while there was no Guide for the site. I have reorganized the folders to provide specific categories and help to make the Forums into a valuable resource for our visitors to use to get and share information. Pop, Pop, Pop
An article about pop-up, pop-under and every other sort of pop advertising message that invades your computer while you try to surf the web by your About.com Guide, Tony Bradley Sub7 Trojan / Backdoor
A brief description of the capabilities of the Sub7 Trojan horse hacker utility software Plan Ahead to Catch an Intruder
An article on setting up auditing to log events on your computer or network. Having logs helps to detect and prevent intrusions as well as providing valuable forensic evidence after an intrusion occurs. Critical Sendmail Vulnerability
An article about the Sendmaail vulnerability discovered by Internet Security Systems (ISS) which allows an attacker to gain control of a Sendmail server by sending a specially-crafted email message Windows 2000 Users Beware
An article about the Microsoft WebDAV vulnerability (MS03-007) in Windows 2000 and how it affects significantly more than just WebDAV Rootkits
An article on rootkits with an overview of how hackers use them to maintain access, attack computers and conceal their actions. Windows NT: R.I.P.
An article on the MS03-010 RPC vulnerability and how Windows NT 4.0 can not be patched Are You Breaking The Law?
Article on state Super-DMCA laws lobbied by the MPAA and how they may be mis-interpreted to make firewalls, NAT, VPN's, encryption and other security measures illegal | 