This message is in MIME format. The first part should be readable text, while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools. Send mail to mimet_private for more info. --------------5C4161D55E8F Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=us-ascii Content-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.981029182409.13132kt_private> http://www.wired.com/news/print_version/technology/story/15678.html Padlocking Windows 95 by Niall McKay 7:00 p.m. 16.Oct.98.PDT Fred Phelps had 25 Post-it Notes on the side of his computer monitor, each with a different password to the various systems he accessed daily. In this respect, he's hardly alone. "I could never remember if a password was the last four digits of my social security number or my date of birth," said Phelps, CEO of Arosurgical, a surgical-equipment manufacturer in Newport Beach, California. Earlier this month, Phelps -- in a bid to better protect his computer files -- decided to hire eEye, a computer-security startup based in Corona Del Mar, California, to evaluate his system. What it found was that Phelps' computer was an open book, beginning with his Post-it Notes and ending with the password configuration. Would-be intruders, it said, commonly use "PWL Crack," a Windows 95 decryption program, to unlock password information from Windows machines. The program decrypts .pwl password files, accessed easily with the Windows 95 Find utility. eEye gave Phelps a copy of its newly developed password-protection program, codenamed Padlock. Padlock stores all of a network's users' Windows passwords in a single file, which is stored in a 128-bit encrypted database. In a situation that requires a password, the software will automatically launch and prompt the user for his Padlock password -- also protected in the encrypted database. When the password is verified, Padlock unlocks the database and retrieves the correct Windows password and logs onto the system. Essentially, it adds a layer of crypto protection and eliminates the need to remember muliple Windows passwords. "Windows 95 has very poor security," said Marc Maiffret, a programmer and security consultant with eEye. "Any network is only as strong as the weakest link in the chain. So, we decided to start with the basics and wrote Padlock." Padlock is currently in beta, and will be available in November for US$50. eEye is also developing a server-security scanner called Retina, planned for a December beta release. Retina will check for potential points of entry into a computer network. To test a company's system, a network manager would type in a list of its local Internet protocol numbers. Retina will scan the ports and report back potential security holes, along with a list of recommendations. --------------5C4161D55E8F-- -o- Subscribe: mail majordomot_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Repent Security Incorporated [www.repsec.com]
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