Cyber Terrorism Debate Continues

While the debate is currently raging regarding the definition of cyber war, another central debate in cybersecurity is the issue of cyber terrorism. Jim Lewis, of CSIS, believes that cyber terrorism is not the principle threat at present, largely because he does not think terrorists presently have the capability. “I don’t worry about cyber terrorism,” he…

Symantec Survey Reveals Poor Password Security

Last week, security firm Symantec released a survey that revealed poor cyber hygiene on the part of respondents. Over 60 percent of respondents said they do not alter their passwords on a regular basis and 10 percent never change their passwords. Close to half of respondents utilize the same few passwords for all of their accounts.

The use of passwords to identify users is becoming increasingly common. Around 44 percent…

China Largest Malware Distributor

China is presently the largest distributor of malware, according to a new report released by Symantec. The U.S. is the leading malware distributor based on mail servers followed by China and Romania, with over 36 percent being distributed from U.S. based servers.

However, a more in-depth look revealed that the users sending the malware are based in China. The report studied the ISP address of the user and found that…

Anti-Virus for Facebook? Be Careful, It’s a Trap

Researchers at F-Secure have found an interesting new attempt by scammers to infiltrate Facebook. The scammers utilize a fake anti-virus that tags 20 “Friends” in a picture containing the anti-virus software. If another user clicks the link, it provides a warning saying “Allowing Antivirus in Focebook access will let it pull your profile information, photos, your friend’s info, and other content that it requires to work.”

Facebook is currently working…

“It doesn’t matter how you define cyberwar,” says Amit Yoran

A central debate in recent months has been over the issue of cyber warfare and whether or not one is occurring presently. Mike McConnell, currently of Booz Allen and former DNI, wrote an article in the Washington Post in which he said that the U.S. was currently engaged in a cyber…

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Serve as the Information Systems Security Manager/Officer (ISSM/ISSO) reporting to the Site Security Manager. Provide day-to-day computer/information systems (IS) security support, administration and management for classified government contracts and programs. Be responsible for the life cycle of an information system. Specific responsibilities include:

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‘Some Improvements [to FISMA] are Warranted,’ Says Chris Fountain of SecureInfo

In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization and Procurement, Christopher Fountain, president and CEO of  SecureInfo, told Congress members that, while FISMA is a good starting point, added reforms are needed to make it more effective. He also discussed NIST’s effectiveness and some of the current legislation under development by the Subcommittee.

During his…

Congress Slams Brakes on CYBERCOM

The Senate Armed Services Committee is delaying the implementation of Cyber Command, according to an article in the Washington Times. A spokesman with U.S. STRATCOM said the Committee “has raised a number of detailed questions regarding the department’s plans for U.S. Cybercom, including its  relationship , and indicated that it would…

Laser Looks to Keep Hackers at Bay

A new invention by a professor at Tel Aviv University’s School of Electrical Engineering claims to help to stop hackers of today… and tomorrow.

Dr. Jacob Scheuer’s invention uses existing computer technology and fiber optic cables to transmit “binary lock-and-key information in the form of light pulses.”

The  “device ensures that a shared key code can be unlocked by the sender…

Email Users Still Like Spam

A significant percentage of Internet users continue to interact with spam messages according to a recent report released by the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG). The report is a based on a survey of users in North American and Western Europe.

While around 80 million respondents are aware of the existence of botnets, tens of millions still follow spam links…