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WATCH - This week, perhaps the most interesting articles include ethereal,
prozilla, smartlist, kdewebdev, wireless-tools, gimp, bootparamd, tcpdump, kdelibs,
vte, php, words, util-linux, lapack, gnuutils, and glibc. The distributors include
Conectiva, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, and Red Hat.
LinuxSecurity.com
Feature Extras:
Introduction:
Buffer Overflow Vulnerabilities - Buffer overflows are a leading type
of security vulnerability. This paper explains what a buffer overflow is,
how it can be exploited, and what countermeasures can be taken to prevent
the use of buffer overflow vulnerabilities.
Getting
to Know Linux Security: File Permissions - Welcome to the first
tutorial in the 'Getting to Know Linux Security' series. The topic explored
is Linux file permissions. It offers an easy to follow explanation of how
to read permissions, and how to set them using chmod. This guide is intended
for users new to Linux security, therefore very simple.
The
Tao of Network Security Monitoring: Beyond Intrusion Detection
- The Tao of Network Security Monitoring is one of the most comprehensive
and up-to-date sources available on the subject. It gives an excellent introduction
to information security and the importance of network security monitoring,
offers hands-on examples of almost 30 open source network security tools,
and includes information relevant to security managers through case studies,
best practices, and recommendations on how to establish training programs
for network security staff.
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Thank you for reading the LinuxSecurity.com
weekly security newsletter. The purpose of this document is to provide our readers
with a quick summary of each week's most relevant Linux security headline.
Review: Deep Inspection Firewalls
6th, May, 2005
If it were on public display, this portion of our Firewall Blowout
would be the geek equivalent of the Chicago Auto Show. Our Chicago Neohapsis
partner labs focused on the muscle cars: enterprise-class, gigabit-capable
network firewall appliances and turnkey systems that support high-availability
stateful failover, VPNs and centralized management as well as DI (deep
inspection), which we define as having the ability not only to perform
stateful packet filtering, but also to inspect packet payloads higher
up the OSI model using specific attack signatures and Layer 7 protocol
engines.
On the server end, you get the best release schedule in the
business for security updates and bug fixes. On the desktop, you get the
latest and greatest packages (if you enable 'beta' packages to be used)
like KDE 3.4 (which I'm running), X.org with awesome openGL support, and
a nicely compiled nvidia driver. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.
From Operating System to Application: Web Survey Looks at Malware Trends
5th, May, 2005
"Two years ago, this list was dominated completely by weaknesses
in operating systems," said SANS Institute Director of Research Alan Paller.
"Now we're seeing more and more vulnerabilities in applications being
exploited." The data also reveal that, for the first time, some security
Latest News about Security and anti-virus software is vulnerable to hackers,
creating a dangerous high-level backdoor into users' systems.
If a new report from the SANS Institute is any indication, enterprises
are jeopardizing security by taking a sloppy approach to log keeping.
As a result, the report recommends some companies abandon home-grown logging
systems in favor of commercial tools or simply outsource the task.
The decision of whether to implement an intrusion-detection
system (IDS) is a complicated one. Unfortunately, IDS has a well-deserved
reputation for requiring a lot of "care and feeding" and commercial systems
can be very expensive. However, there is an enterprise-grade open source
IDS called Snort that may tip the scales over to a "can't lose" position.
BlueCat Networks Previews its Proteus Enterprise IP Address Management
3rd, May, 2005
Networks, Inc., a leading provider of simple, secure and affordable
network security appliances, today announced that it is previewing Proteus,
its new enterprise class Internet protocol (IP) Address Management (IPAM)
system at Networld+Interop in booth # 1124. Proteus, the first dedicated
IPAM appliance of its kind, is a self-managed, turnkey design and management
tool created to help enterprises design, deploy and manage their IP-based
networks. Its unique design combines the features of an enterprise class
IPAM software application with the security and manageability of a network
appliance.
Linux Labs International consolidates SELinux with Bproc
6th, May, 2005
Linux Labs International, Inc. ( LLII ), the world leader in
Linux-based clustered supercomputer engineering, announced today a key
milestone for security in supercomputing technology. With today's release
of Nimbus 4.0, its out-of-the-box Linux cluster distribution, the leading
Single System Image cluster architecture ( bproc ) is now seamlessly integrated
with SELinux, the Security Enhanced Linux platform ( SELinux ).
Large companies are reconsidering their security and backup policies after a handful of financial and information-technology companies have admitted that tapes holding unencrypted customer data have gone missing.
Last week, trading firm Ameritrade acknowledged that the company that handles
its backup data had lost a tape containing information on about 200,000
customers. The financial firm is now revising its backup policies and,
in the interim, has halted all movement of backup tapes, a spokesperson
said this week.
Netcraft launched an anti-phishing system at the start of 2005: people install a toolbar and effectively become part of a giant neighbourhood watch system whereby the most experienced members of the community can report phishing sites and effectively block them for the rest of the community.
Some 5,400 unique phishing sites have been detected and blocked to date [late
April 2005] and the community has been widely featured in the media
from the Washington Post & Wall St. Journal through to Slashdot.
Rootsecure.net recently recorded a series of interviews with
attendees at ‘Infosecurity Europe 2005’, “Europe's number one, dedicated
Information Security event�. Those interviewed include representatives
from eEye Digital Security, Zone-H, Forensic Computing Ltd, British Computing
Society, and a reformed serial website defacer. They are downloadable
in MP3 or OGG Vorbis format [22 minutes].
The Industrial Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has decided to
switch its servers to the Linux operating system after signing an agreement
with Turbolinux. The deal marks the largest Linux deployment in China;
ICBC has $640bn in total assets and over 20,000 branch offices across
the country. Claude Zhou, general manager for Turbolinux China, said that
stability, security and flexibility were key factors in the bank's choice.
IT management software ranges from hundreds of point solutions
to huge integrated bundles for high-end enterprises. Aiming for a target
in between is Robert Fanini, co-founder and CEO of GroundWork Open Source
Solutions Inc., a startup in Emeryville, Calif., that has built its simple,
low-priced IT management package on open source code. In this interview,
Fanini explains how open source will open the eyes of now-doubting chief
information officers (CIOs).
Internet telephone service's appeal as a cutting-edge technology for cutting phone costs is convincing more and more people to ditch their landlines and go hi-tech with Voice over Internet Protocol.
VoIP companies like Vonage are growing rapidly, with their promise of nifty
new features and lower monthly phone bills. Vonage, one of many Internet
telephone service providers, says that about 1500 people sign up for
its service alone per month. But some computer security experts say
that, just as with wireless networking, VoIP's rapid-fire adoption will
be closely followed by revelations of security vulnerabilities and electronic
attacks.
Before I wrote this article, I went to some Linux newsgroups
to find out what typical concerns among security-conscious Linux users
might be. I asked, simply, what they felt were the biggest myths surrounding
Linux security. Boy, did I get an earful! It was as if I had gored someone's
pet ox. When I asked about the most common misperceptions of Linux security,
I wasn't implying that Linux is any worse, or any better, than other operating
systems. There are few "religions," however, with followers as zealous
as those of Linux. As with any religion, you can't make zealots question
the perfection of their belief systems.
Sober Hasn't Slowed, Still Accounts For Four Of Five Worms And Viruses
6th, May, 2005
Sober.p, the worm that stormed the Internet Monday, showed no signs of fading away as of Thursday morning, an anti-virus vendor said.
"It's had quite the impact," said Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant
with Sophos. "Although it's not on the level of a really major worm,
like Sobig of last year, Sober is the biggest we've seen so far this
year."
U.S. businesses for years have urged the government to let them set computer-security standards of their own, but their inability to do so could now prompt Congress to step in, experts say.
Those who worry that regulation may stifle innovation say the business community
may have already missed an opportunity to prove the government's help
is not needed.
House subcommittee elevates cybersecurity position
6th, May, 2005
A bill that would create a high-level cybersecurity official
in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was approved Wednesday
by a House of Representatives subcommittee.
How a Bookmaker and a Whiz Kid
Took On an Extortionist — and Won
3rd, May, 2005
The e-mail began, "Your site is under attack," and it gave Mickey
Richardson two choices: "You can send us $40K by Western Union [and] your
site will be protected not just this weekend but for the next 12 months,"
or, "If you choose not to pay...you will be under attack each weekend
for the next 20 weeks, or until you close your doors."
Hackers continue to develop new ways to infiltrate computer
systems, staying one step ahead of software providers by targeting an
array of applications, according to a recent report from the SANS Institute
Latest News about SANS Institute. Some 600 new Internet security Latest
News about Security vulnerabilities were found by SANS during the first
quarter of 2005, a 20 percent increase over the same period last year.
The surge indicates a continuous assault by individuals aiming to cash
in on software vulnerabilities.
The 25-year-old researcher has spent years analyzing how spyware
and adware programs work and publicizing his findings. That often results
in red faces and, occasionally, lawsuit threats from companies like WhenU
and Claria, formerly known as Gator. When testing spyware and adware,
Edelman isn't about to sacrifice his own Windows XP computer. So he uses
the VMware utility to create a virtual Windows box.
