An 8 year old uses a bump key to open a cylinder lock.
Archive for April 2007
Bump Bump Bump
Here’s why I wont by buying anythign from Sunbelt Software
At first I just found their advertizing really annoying. More recently, as I’ve followed the Sunbelt Blog, I realize, I just can’t stand Alex.
Here’s his latest whine. “Oh no sales people are reading the case studies on our public website and then calling the customer offering them a competitive upgrade. Waaaa.”
“Oh no, Webroot people are saying mean things on my blog waaaaaa.” (actually the comment was by the Webroot guy was pretty funny.)
“Waaaa, Webroot PR is mean like Karl Rove.” I guess we now know the politics of Alex Eckelberry. Whatever dude.
Shoes Dropping May 8th
The Microsoft Security Response Center writes today that the DNS server patch is on target for May 8th.
“support for the legacy WSUSSCAN.CAB expired in March 2007, you need to ensure that your detection and deployment tools now support the new WSUSSCN2.CAB file. There will be no support for the security update for this issue in the old WSUSSCAN.CAB architecture. ”
If you use MBSA 2.0 in offline-scan mode, you will need to use MBSA 2.0.1. If you use the SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU), you need to ensure you’re using version 3 of that tool.
Next, a reminder that as part of our standard Microsoft Support Lifecycle, support for Windows Server 2003 expired on April 10, 2007 with the April monthly bulletin release. Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 are the currently supported versions.”
While I think the ITMU requirement came up last month, I suspect a lot of people will be caught flat footed with the Windows 2003 RTM expiration.
Security Luddites
Spaf is crowing because people are getting hacking with Word zero days. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that when there are zero days you might want to take some action. What is debatable is what that action should be.
Security people have a reputation for having feet of clay and for using the word “no” more than a bean counter at budget time. Perhaps, just perhaps, it is possible to have a solution other than blocking word documents. Why stop at word documents, what about vulnerabilities in Powerpoint, Adobe Reader, Quicktime, Real Player, Media Player.
I’ve written about this time and time again. If you have bad antivirus and your mitigation for that is to block vulnerable file types, then sooner or later, you’ll be blocking everything but FAX.
McAfee Joins Data Leakage Market
McAfee called me earlier this week about their Data Loss Prevention Host software. In addition to host-based software, they have an appliance check for leakage at the network boundary. Enterprises that have implemented full disk encryption now realize that their data is at risk from more than just a stolen laptop. Social Security Numbers, Credit Card info and company proprietary information are routinely passed over the Internet in plain text at many companies.
I haven’t looked into this McAfee product, but I see their interest as a validation that this marketspace will continue to develop.
Yet Another Quicktime Vuln
I’m starting to question how much we really need Quicktime. We deployed 7.1.5 last week. As luck would have it, word of a new Quicktime vulnerability came out this week.
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/488
The attack successfully used in last week’s CanSecWest competition exploits a Java-based flaw in QuickTime and affects all browsers on systems with the multimedia software installed, possibly including Windows
New AVCompartivies Report
AVComparatives.org has a new report comparing malware testing organizations. Based on the subject “Anti-Virus Testing Websites: An Overview on Which Testing Sites can be trusted and which cannot” I was kind of expecting a comparison of the various online scanners. Instead I’m greeted by a paper with some of their testing philosophy and why they are better than everyone else.
It didn’t do much for me, but I’d still suggest adding their RSS feed to your reader so you can keep up on their new studies.
Symantec Steps into software as a service
I thought this article was interesting, Symantec Steps into Software as a Service.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company said that the launch of its Online Backup Service, which provides outsourced data storage and disaster recovery services to SMB customers, is merely the first piece in a wider set of offerings it will introduce dubbed Symantec Protection Network, which will eventually include a full range of hosted security tools.
Apologies for today’s blog entry
I found it kind of interesting that Alex put a disclaimer on the blog entry asking “Are the Open Sourcerers Selling You a Bill of Goods?” I don’t recall Sunbelt putting a disclaimer on a blog entry before. Its clear that they fear the mindless Linux horde the way a Danish Cartoon writer fears going out in public.
Is the article that controversial? I don’t think so. It just asks the mindless Linux horde to take it easy. That they should allow for the fact that an intelligent person can use Windows.
It also made me think about ‘reflections on trusting trust.’ Who has better guarantees that the software, the compiler, etc hasn’t been trojaned.
Then I got down to the end of the article and saw it was by Deb Shinder. I guess I should consider the source.
Bad Day in Blacksburg
Obviously my prayers are with the students, faculty and parents of those at Virginia Tech.
