******************** Windows 2000 Magazine Security UPDATE--brought to you by Security Administrator, a print newsletter bringing you practical, how-to articles about securing your Windows 2000 and NT systems. http://www.secadministrator.com ******************** ~~~~ THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY ~~~~ IBM Infrastructure http://lists.win2000mag.net/cgi-bin3/flo?y=eIeM0CJgSH0BVg0g4v0A4 VeriSign - The Internet Trust Company http://lists.win2000mag.net/cgi-bin3/flo?y=eIeM0CJgSH0BVg0Lo50AW (under IN FOCUS) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ SPONSOR: IBM INFRASTRUCTURE ~~~~ Not worried about hackers? You should be. Because they can put your e-business out of business. If your customers don't feel comfortable dealing with you online, they'll work with someone else. With IBM infrastructure, you'll have the security your company needs to operate effectively and to keep your clients comfortable. Your networks and servers are the backbone of your company. It's time you treated them that way. In today's ever-changing e-environment, keeping network security tight is something that can't be ignored. So is keeping your clients happy. Find out more from our latest security white paper today. Download at: http://lists.win2000mag.net/cgi-bin3/flo?y=eIeM0CJgSH0BVg0g4v0A4 ******************** October 31, 2001--In this issue: 1. IN FOCUS - SnortSam, DCPC, and the FIRST Conference 2. ANNOUNCEMENTS - MEC 2001, Nice, France, November 6 Through 9, 2001 - Attention Home Computing Enthusiasts! 3. SECURITY ROUNDUP - News: Penton Media Announces Security Matters Conference and Exhibition - News: CERT Paper Highlights DoS Trends - News: Activists Blame Government for XP Privacy Invasion - Feature: What to Do About Windows XP 4. SECURITY TOOLKIT - Book Highlight: Maximum Windows 2000 Security - Virus Center - FAQ: Do Any Web Sites Exist That Check a Machine's Security? 5. NEW AND IMPROVED - Security Configuration Scanning Software - VPN Solution 6. HOT THREADS - Windows 2000 Magazine Online Forums - Featured Thread: Secure Shell--Help! - HowTo Mailing List - Featured Thread: UNIX DHCP Windows 2000 Active Directory 7. CONTACT US See this section for a list of ways to contact us. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. ==== COMMENTARY ==== Hello everyone, The security front has been fairly quiet over the last week, but I found several tools that might interest you. The first item is SnortSam, an open-source plugin and agent for Snort, a lightweight Intrusion Detection System (IDS) for Windows and UNIX systems. SnortSam offers automated IP address blocking in conjunction with Checkpoint Firewall-1, so you don't have to review Snort logs and manually enter new firewall rules. The tool consists of two components: a Snort plugin, which interacts with Snort's detection mechanism, and an agent that runs on the Firewall-1 system. SnortSam supports a "white list" of addresses that it will never block, time-driven rule-making, and support for several databases such as Microsoft SQL Server and MySQL. You can download a copy of SnortSam and the source code at the SnortSam Web site. http://www.snortsam.net Another interesting tool, DCPC, lets you change the local Administrator account passwords on numerous machines across your network from one workstation. Version 1.0 of the tool is available as freeware. The tool's maker, DC Danish-Company, intends to develop a DCPC Pro version of the tool and is seeking comments from interested users about any new features or product improvements. Be sure to check it out. http://www.danish-company.com/dcpc The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is holding its 14th annual Computer Security Incident Handling Conference in Hawaii June 24 through 28, 2002. FIRST has issued a call for papers from people interested in delivering a tutorial during the 5-day event. Conference topics include incident response, operation and tools, cooperation and legal issues, new vulnerabilities, ISP security, intruder profiling, and secure programming techniques. If you're interested in delivering a tutorial or attending the conference, be sure to visit the FIRST Web site at the URL below. Until next time, have a great week. http://www.first.org/conference/2002/cfp.html Sincerely, Mark Joseph Edwards, News Editor, markat_private ******************** ~~~~~ SPONSOR: VERISIGN -- THE INTERNET TRUST COMPANY Secure your servers with 128-bit SSL encryption! Grab your copy of VeriSign's FREE Guide, "Securing Your Web site for Business," and you'll learn everything you need to know about using 128-bit SSL to encrypt your e-commerce transactions, secure your corporate intranets and authenticate your Web sites. 128-bit SSL is serious security for your online business. Get it now! http://lists.win2000mag.net/cgi-bin3/flo?y=eIeM0CJgSH0BVg0Lo50AW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. ==== ANNOUNCEMENTS ==== * MEC 2001, NICE, FRANCE, NOVEMBER 6 THROUGH 9, 2001 MEC 2001 offers in-depth technical training for planning, deploying, and managing your enterprise infrastructure. Join industry experts to discuss best practices for deploying Microsoft Exchange 2000 and Active Directory (AD), extending the platform with Office XP, and integrating Exchange 2000 with the other .NET Enterprise Servers. Call to register at +44 1252 771 133, or visit the MEC Web site. http://lists.win2000mag.net/cgi-bin3/flo?y=eIeM0CJgSH0BVg0gcd0AY * ATTENTION HOME COMPUTING ENTHUSIASTS! Are you interested in home networking, home theater, wireless connectivity, and cool electronic devices? Do you want to keep up with the latest high-tech developments for the home? Subscribe now (for FREE!) to Connected Home Express, a biweekly email newsletter that brings you the latest news and information to help you work and play smarter. http://lists.win2000mag.net/cgi-bin3/flo?y=eIeM0CJgSH0BVg0gye0Av 3. ==== SECURITY ROUNDUP ==== * NEWS: PENTON MEDIA ANNOUNCES SECURITY MATTERS CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION Penton Media, owner of Internet World Magazine, Internet World Trade Show, and Windows 2000 Magazine, announced the launch of Security Matters, a conference and exhibition Penton will hold at the upcoming Internet World Spring 2002 conference in the Los Angeles Convention Center. The conference will take place April 22 through 26 and will feature a 3-day conference program along with an exhibitor showcase on the main show floor. For more details, go to the URL below. http://www.secadministrator.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=23038 * NEWS: CERT PAPER HIGHLIGHTS DOS TRENDS The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) released a study that highlights recent trends in Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. CERT said that an influx of DoS tools began appearing on the Internet in June 1999. The team uses this timeframe as the starting point of its study, but it's careful to point out that DoS tools existed before that timeframe, some of which are still in use now. CERT points out that all systems connected to the Internet face a real threat from DoS attacks for two basic reasons: The Internet has limited resources, and security across the Internet is highly interdependent. Go to the URL below for more about this study. http://www.secadministrator.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=23039 * NEWS: ACTIVISTS BLAME GOVERNMENT FOR XP PRIVACY INVASION A set of consumer and privacy groups railed against the US government this week for not investigating or blocking the sale of Windows XP, which Microsoft released October 25. Microsoft competitors are backing some of the groups, which have complained that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should have acted against XP when the critics logged their first complaints earlier this summer. The groups are concerned that certain XP features, such as its Passport integration, violate consumers' privacy and US laws. http://www.secadministrator.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=23018 * FEATURE: WHAT TO DO ABOUT WINDOWS XP An array of Microsoft competitors, government bodies, and special- interest groups attempted to forestall the release of Windows XP, so you might wonder whether you should fear rather than adopt XP. The OS includes several technologies that scare people for various reasons. The biggest bugaboo, Windows Product Activation (WPA), enforces Microsoft licensing policies. Individuals will no longer be able to use one XP product key to install XP on multiple PCs. For corporate users, WPA is a nonevent because volume-licensed copies of XP won't even Understanding and choosing among Microsoft volume-licensing options takes effort, but if your company isn't already using volume licensing, it should start. In addition to the obvious benefit of not having to deal with WPA, volume licensing offers lower prices and an array of support options. Any company purchasing five or more XP licenses qualifies. http://www.win2000mag.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=22542 4. ==== SECURITY TOOLKIT ==== * BOOK HIGHLIGHT: MAXIMUM WINDOWS 2000 SECURITY By Sams List Price: $49.99 Fatbrain Online Price: $39.99 Hardcover; 800 pages Published by Sams, September 2001 ISBN 0672319659 For more information or to purchase this book, go to http://www1.fatbrain.com/asp/bookinfo/bookinfo.asp?theisbn=0672319659 and enter WIN2000MAG as the discount code when you order. * VIRUS CENTER Panda Software and the Windows 2000 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.secadministrator.com/panda * FAQ: DO ANY WEB SITES EXIST THAT CHECK A MACHINE'S SECURITY? ( contributed by Paul Robichaux, http://www.windows2000faq.com ) A. Microsoft Personal Security Advisor (MPSA) is a Web application that uses an ActiveX plugin to perform security checks on Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 systems. (MPSA is available at the URL below.) MPSA checks include the following: account password strength, password length, automatic logon, anonymous access, auditing, service packs, shares, file systems, services, Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft Outlook zones, and Microsoft Office macro settings. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/mpsa/start.asp MPSA provides a solution and detailed implementation instructions for any problems the tool finds. Although Microsoft designed MPSA for Win2K and NT machines, the application also works with Windows XP. 5. ==== NEW AND IMPROVED ==== (contributed by Scott Firestone, IV, productsat_private) * SECURITY CONFIGURATION SCANNING SOFTWARE e-business technology released PoliVec Scanner 2.1, security- configuration-scanning software for Windows 2000 and Windows NT networks and workstations. The new release features enhanced reporting, enhanced file management, remote configuration corrections, links to Microsoft technical articles, enhanced password evaluation, and scheduled audit evaluation. PoliVec Scanner 2.1 costs $995 for a five- system license. Contact e-business technology at 719-599-9605. http://www.polivec.com * VPN SOLUTION SSH Communications Security released SSH Complete VPN, the fist product in the company's IPVia family of VPN solutions. The solution consists of three components: the physical SSH VPN Gateway for site-to- site connections, the SSH Sentinel software VPN client for mobile users, and the Central manager for centralized VPN management and configuration. The solution supports standard IP Security (IPSec) encryption and Internet Key Exchange (IKE) key management. For pricing, contact SSH Communications Security at 650-251-2700. http://www.ssh.com 6. ==== HOT THREADS ==== * WINDOWS 2000 MAGAZINE ONLINE FORUMS http://www.win2000mag.net/forums Featured Thread: Secure Shell--Help! (One message in this thread) Jessica is looking for a systems administrator who has used Secure Shell 3.3.1 (latest version). She's working on a systems administration team in a lab that's based on Windows 2000, Windows NT, and UNIX, and she wants to implement the Secure Shell program to make sure that no one internally can steal the root/admin password. Can you help? Read more about the questions and responses or lend a hand at the following URL: http://www.secadministrator.com/forums/thread.cfm?thread_id=81566 * HOWTO MAILING LIST http://www.secadministrator.com/listserv/page_listserv.asp?s=howto Featured Thread: UNIX DHCP Windows 2000 Active Directory (Three messages in this thread) This user has a UNIX and Windows network that he intends to migrate to Windows XP. He's wondering if his UNIX-based DHCP daemon will interoperate properly with Windows 2000 Active Directory (AD). Can you help? Read the responses or lend a hand at the following URL: http://63.88.172.96/listserv/page_listserv.asp?a2=ind0110d&l=howto&p=1706 7. ==== CONTACT US ==== Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions: * ABOUT THE COMMENTARY -- markat_private * ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER IN GENERAL -- mlibbeyat_private; please mention the newsletter name in the subject line. * TECHNICAL QUESTIONS -- http://www.win2000mag.net/forums * PRODUCT NEWS -- productsat_private * QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR SECURITY UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION? -- Email Customer Support at securityupdateat_private * WANT TO SPONSOR SECURITY UPDATE? -- emedia_oppsat_private ******************** Receive the latest information about the Windows 2000 and Windows NT topics of your choice. Subscribe to our other FREE email newsletters. http://www.win2000mag.net/email |-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-| Thank you for reading Security UPDATE. 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