Facing Legal Challenge, Blackhole List Closes
How is an IT administrator rewarded for fighting spam and reporting a vulnerability in Lotus Domino servers? With an court injunction and possible jail time, for starters... Source: EarthWeb

The Function of Native Win2K Processes
Windows Task Manager lists about 30 processes that Windows 2000 runs at startup. Paula Sharick discusses what some of these processes do and how to stop them. Source: Windows & .NET Magazine

Securing Windows 2000 Communications with IP Security Filters, Part One
This article is the first of a two-part series that will describe the various methods of implementing Windows 2000 IP Security filters that are integrated with IPSEC communications. The series will attempt to describe the function of the features available, how to configure them and how to troubleshoot the installations. It will conclude with recommendations of how to implement each type of IP Security configuration in different scenarios. Source: SecurityFocus.com

Novell spoofs XP ads
Novell may be losing market share, but there's enough cash in the budget to create a spoof of Microsoft's XP "flying" ads. Click the here to view the spoof in RealOne Player format..

Of Diesel and Dial-Up
It makes sense that truckers are the most well-connected travelers on the road. They need to stay in touch with the trucking company and with family. Also, they increasingly use Web-based services that help them find loads to drive home and avoid deadheading, or driving an empty trailer©every trucker's worst nightmare since those miles produce no revenue. For my money, highway travel centers, n©e truck stops, are the best places on the road to surf the Web. Source: TechReview.com

Scambusters.org
Most administrators are savvy enough to avoid getting scammed via the internet, but it's still a good practice to be aware of the current hoaxes so you can prevent their spread via e-mail filtering and other methods. Internet ScamBusters is an award winning free electronic newsletter (e-zine) to help people protect themselves from Internet scams, misinformation and hype that are costing entrepreneurs a fortune.

Preventing and Detecting Insider Attacks Using IDS
Insider attacks pose unique challenges for security administrators. This article will examine some ways in which intrusion detection systems can be used to help prevent and detect insider attacks. Source: SecurityFocus.com

Security Operations Guide for Windows 2000 Server
This guide delivers procedures and best practices for system administrators to lock down their Windows 2000-based servers and maintain secure operations once they're up and running. Through effective use of Group Policy, proper patch management, and auditing and intrusion detection tactics, this guide provides administrators with the key information to manage risk of attack from avoidable malicious code (such as viruses and Trojan horses), unauthorized access, and data theft. Source: Microsoft.com

USB 2.0: Fact and Fantasy
This new technology promises the versatility of its predecessor, compatibility with today's USB products, and performance that's 40 times faster than USB 1.1. Yeah, right. Source: PCWorld

From Joke to Alkahest
Remember when we'd call someone who believes in magic computer viruses with supernatural powers a fool? Today, we call him Senator. Apparently, even the FBI isn't immune to being duped into issuing dire virus warnings by an April Fool's joke. Source: SecurityFocus.com

The Nigerian E-mail Hoax
The hoax is a familiar one. The wife of a wealthy foreign leader needs your help to smuggle millions of dollars out of her country, and is willing to give you a percentage for your trouble. Sound like the easiest $6 million you'll ever make? Think again. According to the U.S. State Department, succumbing to such a plea could cost you everything you own, possibly even your life. Source: Wired

Cable Modem Hacking Tricks Uncapped Online
When his cable modem service seemed to slow almost to a crawl last spring, Matthew Hallacy did like most people and complained to technical support at his Internet service provider, AT&T Broadband. But after the sluggish performance persisted for weeks, Hallacy, a Minnesota-based software engineer and networking expert, decided to take matters into his own hands: he hacked his cable modem. Source: SecurityFocus.com

Ten Windows Password Myths
With all of our advances in security technology, one aspect remains constant: passwords still play a central role in system security. The problem is that as creative as humans are, we are way too predictable. If I asked you to make a list of totally random words, inevitably some sort of pattern will emerge in your list. This article is meant to bring you closer to understanding passwords in Windows 2000 and XP by addressing common password myths. Source: SecurityFocus

Want To Back Up Your PC? Ask Disney's Permission
An Intel exec tried to buck the tide, but a Senate Commerce Committee hearing last week showed that Hollywood's impossible dream of putting the digital-content genie back in the bottle, via draconian copy-protection measures, continues to gain support -- although it could crush consumer rights and the U.S. tech industry. It sounds like a bad dream, columnist Vince Freeman warns, but it's a real-life nightmare. Source: EarthWeb

Hacking 101
Extreme Hacking takes an inside-out approach to network security -- teaching system administrators how to hack into their own networks. Source: FastCompany

Fastboot: Waking up Windows XP
As more software features and new peripherals are added, the boot procedure grows longer and longer. Microsoft took this into account when designing Windows XP as customer research revealed one of the most requested features to be fast system startup. Here's a look at how Microsoft sped up the boot sequence for Windows XP. Source: ServerWorld

He Hacks by Day, Squats by Night
Living out of a backpack, getting online from university libraries and Kinko's laptop stations, and wandering the country's coasts by Amtrak and Greyhound bus, Adrian Lamo is gaining recognition in the hacking world for surreptitiously slipping into computer networks. The fact that he's homeless only adds to his reputation. Source: Wired

Online Kit Lets Even Novices Create Viruses
Security vendors are warning of a new Web site that contains a simple virus-generating kit that would enable even the most inexperienced computer user to create and release a virus. Source: eWeek (March 4, 2002)  

Schmooze or Lose
In the current IT job market, whom you know is as important -- if not more so -- than what you know. A single job posting online or in the classified ads can draw as many as 500 resumes. Expanding your network of personal contacts -- and working them effectively -- is critical if you plan to find a new job this year. In Part 1 of a two-part column, IT Career Advisor looks at the value of networking. To make it really pay off, you have to do more than just round up the usual suspects. Source: ITWorld

Re-visiting the Michelangelo virus
A decade has passed since the Michelangelo virus struck. Have we learned any lessons about hysteria since then? Vmyths looks back at the original "mother of all virus hysteria"...Source: Vmyths.com

Past Archives