[ISN] Security UPDATE -- So You Found a Security Problem, Now What? -- June 29, 2005

From: InfoSec News (isn@private)
Date: Thu Jun 30 2005 - 00:47:51 PDT


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====================

1. In Focus: So You Found a Security Problem, Now What?

2. Security News and Features
   - Recent Security Vulnerabilities
   - No More Antigen for Unix and Linux 
   - Firewall Appliances, Part 1
   - Importing Security Settings into a GPO

3. Security Toolkit
   - Security Matters Blog
   - FAQ
   - Security Forum Featured Thread

4. New and Improved
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====================

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====================

==== 1. In Focus: So You Found a Security Problem, Now What? ====
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, News Editor, mark at ntsecurity / net

Lots of people find security problems with hardware and software 
products, network services, Web sites, and more. Some find problems 
through day-to-day computer use; others search for security problems 
purposely either as a hobby or as part of their job. 

When you find a security problem, what do you do? The obvious answer is 
to contact the company that produced the product. However, alerting a 
company to your discovery of a problem in one of its products can be a 
challenge. Lots of companies simply don't prepare for reports of 
problems in their products and services. Their employees don't know 
what to do when people try to report problems. Nor do their Web sites 
or product documentation provide any information about who to contact 
for security matters. 

Like many of you, I subscribe to a lot of security mailing lists. I 
can't even begin to remember the number of times I've read a message to 
one of those lists from someone asking how to contact a given company. 
The messages typically say something like, "I found a security problem 
in Product XYZ. I tried to contact the company via email and received 
no response. Does anybody have security contact info for the company?" 

A good case in point happened last week. Someone found a problem in a 
widely used product and tried to contact the company via email and by 
phone. The person couldn't make it past the receptionist and so 
couldn't offer the information about the security problem to anybody in 
a position to do something about it. The person posted a description of 
the experience to a popular security mailing list, and now the company 
has to endure the embarrassment that comes along with public knowledge 
of its shortcomings--and the company's customers are more exposed to 
someone exploiting the publicized vulnerability. Had the company 
trained the receptionist to handle calls regarding security matters, 
the incident probably wouldn't have happened. As it turns out, the 
company in question read the message on the popular mailing list and 
quickly contacted the researcher. The company also quickly established 
a "security@" mailbox to which future reports can be sent.

Of course, in other cases, it turns out that the person who posted the 
vulnerability details didn't try very hard to contact the vendor. I'll 
sidestep the endless debate about whether vulnerability information 
should be publicly posted and say that these situations point out that 
every company that provides products and services should have 
information listed in plain sight in the product documentation and on 
the company Web site that shows who to contact about security matters. 
Even if a company's Web site serves only as an advertising vehicle and 
not as an ecommerce site, the company should include such contact 
information. 

Likewise, when you're shopping for products, you should check whether a 
vendor lists security contact information. After all, you want the most 
secure products you can get, right? If a company doesn't provide a 
highly visible contact for security problems, the company is making it 
more difficult than necessary for people to report security problems 
directly to the company. And as I pointed out earlier, such difficulty 
can lead to vulnerabilities being publicly disclosed. 

The trend seems to be to establish a "security@" or possibly a 
"secure@" email address that people can use to report potential 
security problems. Vendors should consider establishing such an 
address, if they haven't already. 

====================

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====================

==== 2. Security News and Features ====

Recent Security Vulnerabilities
   If you subscribe to this newsletter, you also receive Security 
Alerts, which inform you about recently discovered security 
vulnerabilities. You can also find information about these 
discoveries at
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=D579:4FB69

No More Antigen for Unix and Linux
   Microsoft completed its acquisition of Sybari and said it will 
discontinue new sales of Sybari Antigen for Unix and Linux. No surprise 
there. The company will continue sales of Antigen for other products. 
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=D581:4FB69

Firewall Appliances, Part 1
   When it comes to network security, the firewall is your primary line 
of defense. Firewalls have undergone a major transition in the past few 
years. In this two-part series, Thomas W. Shinder looks at popular 
firewall appliances and makes recommendations based on the size of your 
organization, the level of security you require, and the cost of the 
solution. 
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=D57E:4FB69

Importing Security Settings into a GPO
   Unfortunately, you can't export a GPO's security settings. Moving 
settings from one GPO to another requires a fairly simple workaround. 
Randy Franklin Smith explains how to do it by using the Secedit 
command. 
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=D57F:4FB69

====================

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====================

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====================

==== 3. Security Toolkit ==== 

Security Matters Blog: Firefox 1.0.5 Just Around the Corner
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=D586:4FB69

Waiting for Firefox 1.0.5? You can get it now or later. The "nightly 
builds" of the new version are available, although the version is still 
in testing. If you're adventurous, download a copy now. If you like to 
play it safe, then you better wait for the official release, which 
undoubtedly is just around the corner. 
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FAQ
   by John Savill, http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=D584:4FB69 

Q: How can I control which authentication methods my Active Directory 
(AD) domain supports? 

Find the answer at
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=D582:4FB69

Security Forum Featured Thread: Removing Access
   I just took a position as CIO. The previous CIO moved to another 
area of the business and no longer needs all the access she once gave 
herself. Can anyone recommend tools to scan the network drives to find 
where her account is assigned? We have Windows 2000 Active Directory 
(AD).
   Join the discussion at 
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=D575:4FB69

====================

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====================

==== 4. New and Improved ====
   by Dustin Ewing, products@private

SOHO Broadband Security Appliance
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====================

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====================

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