Information Security News mailing list archives
Windows & .NET Magazine Security UPDATE - November 12, 2003
From: InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 07:50:49 -0600 (CST)
==================== ==== This Issue Sponsored By ==== Protocom Development Systems http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edZN0CJgSH0CBw0BC8w0As VeriSign - The Value of Trust http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edZN0CJgSH0CBw0BDeV0A6 ==================== 1. In Focus: Is It Time for Security Bug Bounties? 2. Announcements - Order Windows & .NET Magazine and the Article Archive CD at One Low Rate! - We Need Your Feedback 3. Security News and Features - Recent Security Vulnerabilities - News: Microsoft Funds Bounty Hunters to Track Down Malicious Coders - Buyer's Guide: Single Sign-On Products - News: NetScreen Announces Deep Inspection Firewall 4. Instant Poll - Results of Previous Poll: Work Responsibilities - New Instant Poll: Security Bug Bounty 5. Security Toolkit - Virus Center - FAQ: When does Windows Installer use elevated privileges? - Featured Thread: Encrypting AD 6. Event - Check Out 4 New Upcoming Web Seminars 7. New and Improved - Firewall Appliances Offer Integrated Security - Cobion Adds Sophos Virus Detection - Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt 8. Contact Us See this section for a list of ways to contact us. ==================== ==== Sponsor: Protocom Development Systems ==== Single sign-on does exist, even for heterogeneous environments, with SecureLogin Single Sign-On or SecureLogin Password Management Suite. Increase security while enhancing the end-user experience. It is possible. SecureLogin was named TechEd Best of Show in the security category. Request your evaluation copy of SecureLogin Single Sign-On. http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edZN0CJgSH0CBw0BC8w0As ==================== ==== 1. In Focus: Is It Time for Security Bug Bounties? ==== by Mark Joseph Edwards, News Editor, mailto:mark () ntsecurity net A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) program in which some MVPs will be allowed restricted access to parts of Microsoft's code. I expressed doubts that such code access would have any significant effect on the security of Windows platforms. One reader pointed out that many MVPs are talented people who do occasionally find security problems in Microsoft code. I have no idea who participates in the MVP program. I do know that a vast pool of proven programmers who understand security regularly discover bugs in code even without being able to examine source code. So I, along with others, wonder what could such people achieve if they could view source code. You might have heard the news by now that Microsoft has put a $250,000 bounty on the heads of the person or people who unleashed the MSBlaster and Sobig worms onto the public. The bounty money is part of a $5 million fund Microsoft has launched to aid the capture of future malicious code writers. You can link to the story from the Security News and Features section below. I expect most of you think it sounds reasonable to offer a reward, and I agree. However, I wonder why the company doesn't create a similar or larger fund to reward those who capture and correct bugs in its software? A bug bounty would benefit the public as much, or perhaps even more than the capture of a few contemptuous criminals. What better way to convert potential perpetrators (and keep honest people honest) than by putting them indirectly on the payroll by offering them bounty money to seek out security bugs in the world's most widely used code base? Microsoft's reputation and public image, its products, and public safety around the world would benefit. Many people have expressed similar sentiments in various online forums, but will such an idea ever become a reality through Microsoft--or any other software company? We'll have to wait and see. We're conducting a new poll this week that asks the question, "Regarding Microsoft's $5 million bounty to capture and convict malicious coders, could the money be better spent?" Stop by the Windows & .NET Magazine Security Hot Topic home page and offer your answer. http://www.winnetmag.com/windowssecurity ==================== ==== Sponsor: VeriSign - The Value of Trust ==== Secure all your Web servers now - with a proven 5-part strategy. The FREE Server Security Guide shows you how: * DEPLOY THE LATEST ENCRYPTION and authentication techniques * DELIVER TRANSPARENT PROTECTION with the strongest security without disrupting users. And more. Get your FREE Guide now: http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edZN0CJgSH0CBw0BDeV0A6 ==================== ==== 2. Announcements ==== (from Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners) Order Windows & .NET Magazine and the Article Archive CD at One Low Rate! What's better than Windows & .NET Magazine? Try Windows & .NET Magazine and the Windows & .NET Magazine Article Archive CD at one super low rate. Read Windows & .NET Magazine in the office. Take the Article Archive CD with you on the road. Subscribe now! http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edZN0CJgSH0CBw0BDQB0AR We Need Your Feedback In order to improve our security-related content in our Microsoft Security Watch newsletter, we need your opinion about what issues are of greatest importance to you and your organization. It only takes a few minutes to respond and complete the survey at http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edZN0CJgSH0CBw0BDXG0Ad ==================== ==== Sponsor: Virus Update from Panda Software ==== Check for the latest anti-virus information and tools, including weekly virus reports, virus forecasts, and virus prevention tips, at Panda Software's Center for Virus Control. http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edZN0CJgSH0CBw0BDeW0A7 Viruses routinely infect "fully protected" networks. Is total protection possible? Find answers in the free guide HOW TO KEEP YOUR COMPANY 100% VIRUS FREE from Panda Software. Learn how viruses enter networks, what they do, and the most effective weapons to combat them. Protect your network effectively and permanently - download today! http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edZN0CJgSH0CBw0BBDp0Aw ==================== ==== 3. Security News and Features ==== Recent Security Vulnerabilities If you subscribe to this newsletter, you also receive Security Alerts, which inform you about recently discovered security vulnerabilities. You can also find information about these discoveries at http://www.winnetmag.com/departments/departmentid/752/752.html News: Microsoft Funds Bounty Hunters to Track Down Malicious Coders Microsoft announced that it has created a new program, the Anti-Virus Reward Program, and funded it with $5 million to pay for information leading to the arrest and conviction of virus spreaders. The company said the new program is "an old fashioned criminal justice tactic to help solve a modern day problem." http://winnetmag.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=40768 Buyer's Guide: Single Sign-On Products In many organizations, users struggle with having to sign on multiple times to access different applications, Web portals, and servers. As the number of mandatory unique sign-ons grows, the burden on users to remember numerous usernames and passwords increases. Unfortunately, reducing the need for multiple sign-ons isn't a simple task. Here are some products that help ease authentication. http://winnetmag.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=40453 News: NetScreen Announces Deep Inspection Firewall NetScreen Technologies announced a new type of firewall, which the company has named the Deep Inspection firewall. The firewall provides application-level intrusion protection along with stateful inspection capabilities. http://winnetmag.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=40658 ==================== ==== 4. Instant Poll ==== Results of Previous Poll: Work Responsibilities The voting has closed in the Windows & .NET Magazine Network Security Hot Topic nonscientific Instant Poll for the question, "Which of the following options best describes your work-related responsibilities?" Here are the results from the 52 votes. - 17% Administration only - 4% Administration and auditing - 52% Administration, auditing, and network monitoring - 10% Networking monitoring and auditing - 17% Development New Instant Poll: Security Bug Bounty The next Instant Poll question is, "Regarding Microsoft's $5 million bounty to capture and convict malicious coders, could the money be better spent?" Go to the Security Hot Topic home page and submit your vote for - Yes, by paying non-Microsoft security researchers to find bugs - Yes, by paying Microsoft programmers to find bugs - Yes, by paying both non-Microsoft researchers and Microsoft programmers - No, it's exactly the thing to do http://www.winnetmag.com/windowssecurity ==== 5. Security Toolkit ==== Virus Center Panda Software and the Windows & .NET Magazine Network have teamed to bring you the Center for Virus Control. Visit the site often to remain informed about the latest threats to your system security. http://www.winnetmag.com/windowssecurity/panda FAQ: When does Windows Installer use elevated privileges? by John Savill, http://www.winnetmag.com/windowsnt20002003faq A. You can use a tool such as Group Policy to perform a managed installation of a Windows Installer file, or you can manually install a Windows Installer file. Some applications that you install with a Windows Installer file require elevated privileges to access file system areas or registry keys. When you use a tool such as Group Policy to install a Windows Installer file that deploys an application to a user's system, the application runs with elevated privileges (e.g., system permissions) that replace the user's limited permissions. However, when a user uses a Windows Installer file to install an application manually, the installation is limited by the user's current privilege level, which might cause some installations to fail. You can configure a system to run all Windows Installer installations, including manual installations, with elevated privileges. However, keep in mind that doing so carries the risk that a skilled user could use the elevated privileges to access areas of the system that would otherwise be protected. For information about how to configure all Windows Installer installations to use elevated privileges, see the FAQ "How can I configure all Windows Installer installations to run with elevated privileges?" http://www.winnetmag.com/article/articleid/40694/40694.html If you enable a Group Policy Object (GPO) to let all installations run with elevated privileges, be aware that if you install an application on a per-machine basis (i.e., all users on that machine can use it), any repair operations performed for that application will run with elevated privileges, even if you remove the GPO. If, however, you install an application on a per-user basis, then remove the GPO, any attempts to repair that application might fail because the elevated privileges no longer apply. Featured Thread: Encrypting AD (Four messages in this thread) Chris wants to know whether he can encrypt the Windows 2000 Active Directory (AD) components, namely the C:\winnt\ntds folder and its contents (ntds.dit and log files), and the C:\winnt\sysvol folder and its contents. He has just implemented the Encrypting File System (EFS) to encrypt Microsoft SQL Server, and he'd like to do the same for the AD folders. If applying EFS isn't possible, can he secure the contents of AD some other way? Lend a hand or read the responses: http://www.winnetmag.com/Forums/messageview.cfm?catid=42&threadid=64863 ==== 6. Event ==== Check Out 4 New Upcoming Web Seminars Sign up today for these upcoming Web seminars: Access Control for the Web (NEW!), Assess IM Risks on Your Network, Five Keys to Choosing the Right Patch Management Solution, and The Secret Costs of Spam ... What You Don't Know Can Hurt You. Don't miss these free events! http://www.winnetmag.com/seminars ==== 7. New and Improved ==== by Jason Bovberg, products () winnetmag com Firewall Appliances Offer Integrated Security Symantec announced the Symantec Gateway Security 5400 Series, the company's new line of firewall appliances. The appliances offer customers a ready-to-deploy network security solution designed to protect against various types of malicious threats, including blended Internet threats such as Blaster, Slammer, and Sobig. The solutions provide comprehensive gateway-level protection by integrating intrusion-prevention, intrusion-detection, antivirus, content-filtering, VPN, and antispam technologies in one device. The Symantec Gateway Security 5400 Series comes in three models--the 5420, 5440, and 5460--starting at an estimated retail price of $3995. For more information about the firewall appliances, contact Symantec on the Web. http://www.symantec.com Cobion Adds Sophos Virus Detection Cobion announced that it will add the Sophos virus-detection engine as a plugin to its email-security product, OrangeBox Mail 2.0. OrangeBox Mail 2.0 checks all incoming and outgoing email messages and filters spam. Sophos's virus-detection technology checks all incoming, outgoing, and internal mail messages for viruses before the messages arrive at the user's mailbox or are sent out to the Internet. The software refuses and quarantines any attachments that contain viruses. For more information about OrangeBox Mail 2.0 and Sophos, contact Cobion and Sophos on the Web. http://www.cobion.com http://www.sophos.com Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt! Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Tell us about the product, and we'll send you a Windows & .NET Magazine T-shirt if we write about the product in a future Windows & .NET Magazine What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions with information about how the product has helped you to whatshot () winnetmag com. =================== ==== Sponsored Links ==== Argent Comparison Paper: The Argent Guardian Easily Beats Out MOM http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edZN0CJgSH0CBw0BDWV0Ar NetIQ Check out our free web seminar on The Costs of Spam - Nov. 18! http://list.winnetmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edZN0CJgSH0CBw0BDeX0A8 =================== ==== 8. Contact Us ==== About the newsletter -- letters () winnetmag com About technical questions -- http://www.winnetmag.com/forums About product news -- products () winnetmag com About your subscription -- securityupdate () winnetmag com About sponsoring Security UPDATE -- emedia_opps () winnetmag com This email newsletter is brought to you by Security Administrator, the print newsletter with independent, impartial advice for IT administrators securing Windows and related technologies. Subscribe today. https://secure.pentontech.com/nt/security/index.cfm?promocode=00&Code=ei25xxup Copyright 2003, Penton Media, Inc. - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomo () attrition org with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
Current thread:
- Windows & .NET Magazine Security UPDATE - November 12, 2003 InfoSec News (Nov 13)