- Anatomy of an Intrusion Prevention System
- Oct 14, 2005
- Ultimately, security will be embedded within the network fabric, where traffic of all types (e.g., data, voice, video, graphics, fax) is not just routed from source to destination, but delivered with the necessary quality of service, and delivered securely. Intrusion Prevention Systems are the first step in this direction.
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- Living the "Least Privilege" Lifestyle, Part 3: Surviving as a Mere User
- Oct 14, 2005
- In the first two parts of this series, Don Kiely scared us good with how dangerous it is to run as an admin, and pointed out what a pain it is to run as a mere user. But he has some tricks and tools up his sleeve to make the "least privilege" lifestyle a little more bearable, which he covers in this installment.
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- Analyzing MPLS VPN Security
- Oct 6, 2005
- VPN users have certain expectations and requirements for their VPN service. In a nutshell, they want their service to be both private and secure. In other words, they want their VPN to be as secure as with dedicated circuits while gaining the scalability benefits of a shared infrastructure. Both concepts, of privacy and security, are not black and white, and need to be defined for a real world implementation. This chapter introduces you to VPN MPLS security requirements.
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- Choosing the Best Anti-Spyware Program
- Oct 6, 2005
- There are specific programs that you can install to protect yourself from spyware. Laura Hunter discusses the most popular programs and shows what each of them does — or doesn't — do.
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- The Dark Art of Social Engineering
- Oct 6, 2005
- If hacking were black magic, social engineering would be one of the darkest arts of all. Sit back, relax, and let Cyberspace Samurai Duane LaFlotte tell you a tale of social control and manipulation.
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- Two-Factor Authentication in Windows
- Oct 6, 2005
- Simple passwords aren't good enough any more, as the flood of stories about phishing, fraud, and compromised accounts by the millions demonstrate. The Next Big Thing in computer security is two-factor authentication and, like it or not, you're probably going to be dealing with it in the next year or so. But two-factor authentication is a concept, not a product, and how it's implemented is critical to its success.
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- RFID: A Technology Overview
- Sep 30, 2005
- Radio Frequency Identification requires some pretty complicated hardware. This chapter explains the technology required to make RFID work.
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- Managing Passwords In an Unsafe World
- Sep 23, 2005
- How do you keep track of the gazillion passwords needed to access your various resources? Steve Schafer gives you the skinny on consumer options available for managing all those passwords.
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- Alternate Data Streams: Threat or Menace?
- Sep 16, 2005
- By now, you're probably aware of how easy it is to accidentally leave metadata in your Microsoft Word documents, offending or amusing recipients who can easily uncover your mistakes. Did you also know that bad guys might be helping you to even more embarrassment (or danger), by using the alternate data streams (ADS) capability of Windows NTFS to hook warez, pornography, or even hacker's tools to your innocent files?
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- Living the Least Privilege Lifestyle, Part 2: Why Running as a Non-Admin is Safer
- Sep 16, 2005
- Most of us want more power, never less. But Don Kiely explains how deliberately limiting your power over your system can help you to prevent someone else from getting power over it. Running as a "mere user" is sometimes inconvenient, but the aggravations are outweighed by the control you gain.
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- Open Source Tools for Security Testing
- Sep 16, 2005
- Michael Kelly reports on handy security uses for four open source tools: WebGoat, Firefox Web Developer, WebScarab, and Ethereal. By combining the tools in easy ways, testers can track down and close the gaping security holes that are often left in applications.
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- Exploring ISA Server 2004 Tools and Concepts
- Aug 26, 2005
- This chapter covers the high-level details of each portion of the ISA Management Console, with emphasis placed on introducing ISA administrators to the tools available to make their lives easier.
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- Improve Your Network's Security Using Network Admission Control
- Aug 26, 2005
- Is there a place for security focused on the good guys in networking? There is, and one of the latest additions to this area of security is called Network Admission Control (NAC). Sean Convery introduces NAC, a security measure built around the idea that asking specific questions of an organization's end hosts can improve the overall security of a network by improving the compliance of end systems to a given admission policy.
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- Living the "Least Privilege" Lifestyle: Don't Run Every Day Logged In as an Administrator
- Aug 26, 2005
- Don Kiely contends that exercising administrative rights over our computers is a major cause of insecure systems. In the first of five articles, he explains the concept of "least privilege" and shows why software developers should be happy to operate as "mere users."
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- The 1337 Guide to Customizing Your Computer
- Aug 26, 2005
- Every 1337 h4x0r needs a screaming machine of their own. This chapter will help you set up your computer and get ready to pwnz0r. Note: Actual pwnz0ring neither encouraged nor supported by Informit
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- The Basics of Rootkits: Leave No Trace
- Aug 26, 2005
- A rootkit is a set of programs and code that allows a permanent or consistent, undetectable presence on a computer that allows access at the most basic level to a computer's function. This chapter introduces rootkits and their use, as well as how to detect and eliminate them.
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- Creating an SSL Keystore Using the Java Keytool
- Aug 19, 2005
- Many Java application servers and Web servers support the use of keystores for SSL configuration. If you're building secure Java programs, learning to build a keystore is, well, key. Jon Svede shows you how to accomplish it using the Java keytool utility with BEA's WebLogic 8.1.
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- Getting the Most from Microsoft Window's Encrypted File System
- Aug 12, 2005
- Built into Windows 2000, 2003, and XP is a clever system for easy encryption of files and folders. The Encrypted File System (EFS) is fast, free, and easy to use. Rick Cook's rapid-fire overview of EFS covers how it works, what it does, what it doesnโt do, and what you need to know to make the best use of EFS to protect your precious data.
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- Understanding Denial of Service
- Aug 12, 2005
- Denial of Service (DoS) attacks aren't quite like other malicious network traffic. Instead of gaining some benefit, the perpetrator of a DoS attack seeks only to do harm. This chapter explains the hows, whys, and whos of DoS attacks, and what you can do about them.
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- Deploying Secure Internet Connectivity with Cisco ASA and PIX Firewalls
- Aug 5, 2005
- This chapter provides you with the necessary information to use the ASDM Startup Wizard to perform the initial configuration of your network. It provides a step-by-step procedure explaining how to use the ASDM Startup Wizard to set up the initial configuration for your ASA/PIX Security Appliance.
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