+---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | LinuxSecurity.com Weekly Newsletter | | May 23rd, 2005 Volume 6, Number 22n | | | | Editorial Team: Dave Wreski dave@private | | Benjamin D. Thomas ben@private | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ 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 headlines. This week, perhaps the most interesting articles include "Security and the Linux process," "Security's shortcoming: Too many machines, not enough training," and "Towards proactive security." --- ## Internet Productivity Suite: Open Source Security ## Trust Internet Productivity Suite's open source architecture to give you the best security and productivity applications available. Collaborating with thousands of developers, Guardian Digital security engineers implement the most technologically advanced ideas and methods into their design. Click to find out more! http://store.guardiandigital.com/html/eng/products/software/ips_overview.shtml --- LINUX ADVISORY WATCH This week, advisories were released for kde, phpsysinfo, fonts-xorg, gaim, phpBB, mozilla suite, PostgreSQL, FreeRADIUS, ncpfs, kdelibs, cyrus-imapd, rsh, glibc, ia32el, and the Red Hat kernel. The distributors include Conectiva, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, and Red Hat. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119156/150/ --- Review: The Book of Postfix: State-of-the-Art Message Transport I was very impressed with "The Book of Postfix" by authors Ralf Hildebrandt and Pattrick Koetter and feel that it is an incredible Postfix reference. It gives a great overall view of the operation and management of Postfix in an extremely systematic and practical format. It flows in a logical manner, is easy to follow and the authors did a great job of explaining topics with attention paid to real world applications and how to avoid many of the associated pitfalls. I am happy to have this reference in my collection. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119027/49/ --- 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. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/118881/49/ --- 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. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/118181/49/ -------- >> The Perfect Productivity Tools << WebMail, Groupware and LDAP Integration provide organizations with the ability to securely access corporate email from any computer, collaborate with co-workers and set-up comprehensive addressbooks to consistently keep employees organized and connected. http://ads.linuxsecurity.com/cgi-bin/newad_redirect.pl?id=gdn05 --> Take advantage of the LinuxSecurity.com Quick Reference Card! --> http://www.linuxsecurity.com/docs/QuickRefCard.pdf +---------------------+ | Security News: | <<-----[ Articles This Week ]---------- +---------------------+ * SSH hole putting big business at risk 17th, May, 2005 Secure business networks are at risk thanks to a vulnerability in a fundamental protocol, according to security researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Researchers have highlighted the increasing danger of attacks exploiting weaknesses in SSH (Secure Shell), and warned that such attacks are likely to be automated in the near future. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119125 * KDE users have to patch twice 20th, May, 2005 Linux and Unix users of KDE who lovingly patched their systems last month to avoid a major security glitch will have to go through the whole process again, it has transpired. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119157 * Computer Crime Forensics Get A Boost 19th, May, 2005 Chatsworth CA-based Intelligent Computer Solutions introduces a new portable high-speed hard drive duplicator. Called the Image MASSter Solo 3 Forensic, the device can duplicate hard drives as speeds of up to 3GB per minute. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119148 * Security query over Intel hyperthreading 17th, May, 2005 Intel's hyperthreading technology could allow a hacker to steal security keys from a compromised server using a sophisticated timing attack, a researcher has warned. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119124 * Security and the Linux process 19th, May, 2005 In his latest entry, Dana asks whether the Linux process is insecure, because it.s not possible to warn the "vendor" before warning the general public about security flaws in Linux. He also notes that "Microsoft has theoretical control of this situation." http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119149 * Microsoft to buy Red Hat? Say it ain.t so 16th, May, 2005 In Paris, Ontario, there.s a large plaza sign advertising both The Paris Sleep Laboratory and the Canadian Post Office. The synergy there, of course, should be obvious .at least from the point of view of the humorist. Recent revivals of the idea that Microsoft might want to take over Red Hat have a similar quality to them. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119121 * IBM bundle service seeks to protect smaller businesses 16th, May, 2005 IBM is looking to make it easier for smaller businesses to protect themselves against spam and viruses that make their way onto the network through e-mail. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119122 * Security needs bring redundant systems back in style 17th, May, 2005 Whether you're considering a multifunction appliance, a broad suite of software or a combination of both to secure your Windows infrastructure, security consultants say there is one key principal to keep in mind: Don't rely on a single vendor for everything. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119127 * Security.s weakest links 17th, May, 2005 Not a month has gone by in 2005 without a far-reaching computer security breach making the nightly news hour. Headliners compelled to walk the plank of shame include Bank of America . the nation.s second-largest bank . Ameritrade, Polo Ralph Lauren, and LexisNexis. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119128 * Before You Fire the Company Geek... 17th, May, 2005 If you notice a fellow employee suddenly freaking out or acting really suspicious, he may be having personal problems -- or he may be in the process of hacking the company. So says a <a href="http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac/its_report_050516.pdf"> new study on "insider threats"</a> released Monday by the U.S. Secret Service and the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute's CERT. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119133 * The Propaganda War 18th, May, 2005 Linux has gradually become the standard OS on the server and is probably destined to become the desktop standard too. It might seem premature to say this, because the statistics from IDC and other market analysts indicate that Linux hasn't overtaken Windows on the server yet and it does not even have a significant share of the desktop market. Nevertheless, the contest is almost over. The tide is running in Linux's favour. It will take its time to come in, but it will not be stopped. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119136 * UK IT bosses confused about governance 18th, May, 2005 IT heads in the UK are convinced that better IT governance will impress senior management, but few of them have the money to invest in better systems. Research from the Economist Intelligence Unit, commissioned by Mercury Interactive, showed that chief information officers around the world think that better IT governance will restore management's faith in IT, with 70 per cent of UK CIOs stating that better IT governance would lead to more accurate financial reporting. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119137 * Security's shortcoming: Too many machines, not enough training 18th, May, 2005 Companies can spend all they want on antivirus, intrusion prevention systems and all-in-one appliances. These tools will do nothing for enterprises that ignore the human side of security, said Tara Manzow, product manager for the workforce development group at the Computing Technology Industry Association [CompTIA]. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119138 * Criminal IT: Why insecurity is implicit in computing 18th, May, 2005 Some statements are undoubtedly true; I am an adult male. Others undoubtedly false; I can breathe underwater. And some of them need more information; I live in a house with a green-tiled bathroom. You can visit my house, you can ask my family; it is decidable, provided that you can get some more information. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119139 * Towards proactive security 18th, May, 2005 To businesses, security is still not equal to paying your electric bill. It is a nuisance, a distraction, a resource drain, and it is expensive. However, when that worm hits, when that hacker attacks, then blame is quick to be assigned. What most organisations do not yet understand is that improving security is not all about buying the latest and greatest products. It is about changing the corporate culture to make security a realistic priority, and to understand that the upfront investment in security resources and processes will be far less costly than the reactionary efforts after an attack. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119147 * Keeping kids from succumbing to 'the dark side' 19th, May, 2005 Edward Ajaeb got his first taste of steganography in sixth grade, when he set up a Web site for his teacher's husband to showcase his master's thesis on the subject. By then the Utica, N.Y., youth had designed Web sites for a couple of years, a side business he'd developed in the fourth grade. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119150 * Know your Enemy: Phishing 19th, May, 2005 This KYE white paper aims to provide practical information on the practice of phishing and draws on data collected by the German Honeynet Project and UK Honeynet Project. This paper focuses on real world incidents that the Honeynet Project has observed in the wild, but does not cover all possible phishing methods or techniques. Attackers are constantly innovating and advancing, and there are likely to be new phishing techniques already under development or in use today. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119154 * Hack attack danger soars in 2005 20th, May, 2005 Security experts have warned of a substantial rise in the number and complexity of hacking attacks during the first half of 2005. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119163 * VeriSign to put more backbone into the Net 20th, May, 2005 VeriSign plans to significantly increase the number of DNS servers it operates, a move that it says will make a key part of the Internet's infrastructure more resilient to cyberattacks. http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119162 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Distributed by: Guardian Digital, Inc. 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