June 15, 2008
While we owe much of our modern lifestyle to the internet, there is no denying that the web has brought some undesired elements into many households. The problem is that as parents it is quite difficult to monitor what children are doing on the computer when today’s kids know much more about computers than their parents. That’s what the creators of the SurfRecon porn detection tool came to solve. In their home version of the tool, parents can easily detect offensive content on their computer with very little knowledge or tech skills. SurfRecon comes preinstalled on a thumb drive which can be connected to any computer to perform a search. It’s as simple as that. Dealing with the consequences and confronting ones children on the matter may be a bit more challenging…
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.
