Latest security news.
Editor’s Note: We’d like to let you know of some changes affecting this newsletter. To better provide you with immediate access to important security news, this newsletter will be published daily. You will begin to receive the Security News Alert every working day beginning Nov. 6. We hope you will continue to enjoy this newsletter and thank you for reading.
Security threat changing, says Symantec CEO, 11/03/06
The threat posed to computer users and companies by hackers is shifting from attacks on the computers to attacks on electronic transactions, according to the head of one of the world’s largest security software vendors.
Twisted Pair Podcast: Gone spear phishing, 11/03/06
Jason and Keith discuss the hacker attack on a Pennsylvania water treatment plan, why spear phishing may be more dangerous …
Editorial: Finance firm finds answer for two-factor, 11/02/06
While most companies doing business on the Internet are interested in getting better at customer authentication, financial institutions don’t have a choice: The federal government is requiring them to install stronger controls by year-end.
Symantec CEO encouraged by Microsoft moves on Vista, 11/02/06
The head of Symantec Corp. said Thursday that he is encouraged by recent statements from Microsoft Corp. that it plans to work with security software companies and provide them with more access to the Windows Vista operating system.
Opinion: Conflicts lead to tense times in security, 11/02/06
Security is often like insurance: money you spend now to avoid a much bigger and more catastrophic expense later.
Symantec ships Mobile AntiVirus 4.0, 11/02/06
Symantec has announced an updated version of its Mobile AntiVirus software to protect Windows-based smartphones and mobile handsets based on Windows Mobile 5.0 and the earlier Windows Mobile 2003.
Average data breach costs companies $5 million, 11/02/06
Companies spent nearly $5 million on average, and 30% more, this year than in 2005, to recover when corporate data was lost or stolen, according to a new study from the Poneman Institute.
Fortify Software measures success of apps-testing black boxes, 11/02/06
Fortify Software has a new tool for figuring out how well Web applications have been tested for vulnerabilities with the idea of making the applications safer.
Mozilla pledges to fix second minor Firefox 2.0 bug, 11/02/06
A second minor bug found in the Firefox 2.0 Web browser will be fixed, but users shouldn’t encounter much of a problem in the mean time, a Mozilla Corp. official said Thursday.
Microsoft’s Forefront group eying compliance market, 11/02/06
Security vendors Symantec Corp. and McAfee Inc. may soon find Microsoft Corp. competing with them in a new market.
Symantec releases support Vista, 64-bit computing, 11/01/06
In the next few weeks, Symantec will roll out products aimed at early adopters of the Windows Vista operating system and 64-bit computing, while also expanding the capabilities of its backup software.
EMC acquires data deduplication vendor Avamar, 11/01/06
EMC on Tuesday acquired Avamar Technologies for $165 million to bolster its data protection portfolio.
Spam that delivers a pink slip, 11/01/06
Last week, a handful of employees at Dekalb Medical Center in Decatur, Ga., received e-mails saying they were being laid off. The subject line read “Urgent – employment issue,” and the sender listed on the message was at dekalb.org, which is the …
New alliance puts crosshairs on spam, 11/01/06
Spam faces a new foe with the formation of an international group to exchange tactics and legal information.
Hacker project puts spotlight back on Mac security, 11/01/06
The security of Apple Computer Inc.’s wireless drivers is under scrutiny again, thanks to a new hacker project.
Webroot to ship spyware/antivirus combo for SMB market, 11/01/06
Webroot, which partnered with Sophos in order to combine its antivirus technology with Webroot’s antispyware, says it has ready a consumer product for PCs and expects to have an antispyware/antivirus product by year-end for the small-to-midsize …
IronPort to buy Postx, 11/01/06
Looking to expand its security appliance offerings, IronPort Systems Inc. plans to acquire PostX Corp., a vendor of e-mail encryption software.
Vulnerability found in Visual Studio 2005, 11/01/06
A vulnerability in Visual Studio 2005 could let an attacker execute code on a targeted Windows machine, Microsoft said Wednesday.
Groups call for investigation of Microsoft ad service, 11/01/06
Two consumer advocacy groups have filed a complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), saying Microsoft Corp. and other Web-based companies are using “unfair and deceptive” business practices to collect data about their customers.
Former McAfee executive settles with SEC, 11/01/06
A former financial officer at McAfee, the security software company that has been under fire since 2002 for accounting irregularities, has agreed to pay over $757,000 to settle fraud charges by the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission.
