May 1, 2008
With Linux being commonly associated with the hacker community in terms of origin and maintenance, there are bound to be some questions as to its security. The term “hacker” unfortunately conjures images of cyber crime whereby providing an impression of an operating system that is riddled with security holes that provide backdoor system access and an assortment of malicious software designed for various purposes.
Linux possesses all the basic options commonly used to secure systems. It has the hallmark form of authentications – the password protected log-in. For the average home user, this is highly suitable considering the prohibitive costs of other more advanced options such as biometrics. File system permissions, network security, port scans, firewall capabilities and public key cryptography are the other safeguards possessed by Linux.
SANS WhatWorks Security Summit
April 28, 2008
I’m considering attending the SANS WhatWorks in Web Application Security Summit 2008 this June at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas. It’s supposed to be a terrific show, I was just wondering if it is worth the cost. I actually just discovered something which can tip the scale in favor of going. I just heard that Caesars Palace is replacing Celine Dion as their lead performer. No, that’s not the good news… The good news is that they are bringing in Cher instead.
This is almost the perfect combination of business and pleasure. The trip itself is tax deductable because of the convention and you get a truly rare opportunity to see this wonderful performer in a live performance. There are not many singers who appear to such a wide audience as Cher does with an electrifying performance every time. I will be deciding and making final arrangements shortly and if you plan on going too – I recommend you do the same. Tickets are already selling out for many dates so be sure to book your Cher Las Vegas tickets early for the dates of the show (or before\after depending on your travel plans). You can find more information about the show and get tickets online at teamonetickets.com.
April 26, 2008
Once a communication request meets all the criteria specified in any rule set up by the firewall administrator, a firewall will take the appropriate action as specified in the rules. It will no longer review any subsequent rules set for such particular communication session after a match is found.
The actions that may be taken depends on the vendor for the firewall product being used but would typically be any of the following: allow the communication to occur; block the communication with or without notifying the source; require the user to provide valid authentication information before allowing the communication; or set up a virtual private network to encrypt the communication session between the source and the firewall.
Automating the Capture and Analysis of Evidence
April 25, 2008
An IBM Research technology is helping investigators analyze clues and solve violent crimes in an expedited manner. It allows detectives to transmit evidence gathered at a crime scene to a police database. This can then be retrieved, shared, searched and analyzed from squad cars, streets as well as other location and jurisdictions.
The ability to automate the capture and analysis of evidence will greatly decrease the administrative burden on the police officers to help them focus on their main responsibility of crime prevention. This is now possible through the advanced data mining and content management tool that converts video and audio material such as wiretaps, interrogations, surveillance tapes and text-based evidence such as interview notes or witness statements into digital files that can be queried for common links, patterns, objects and even faces.
