-----Original Message----- From: InfraGard [mailto:infragard@private] Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2003 7:10 AM To: Information Technology Subject: [Information_technology] Daily News 6/10/03 June 06, vnunet.com 'Hack-proof' cryptography goes quantum. Researchers have developed new technology that could allow companies to implement hack-proof communications in three years. The technology, based on quantum cryptography, was demonstrated by UK-based Toshiba Research Europe last week working over distances of 100km for the first time. Research laboratory group leader Andrew Shields explained that the technology will be applicable for large organizations such as banks and government departments needing highly secure links between local sites. Quantum cryptography allows users on an optical network to guarantee security by encoding each transmitted bit with a single particle of light. Commercial products could be available in less than three years, according to Shields. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in London, England, is partially funding further research into the technology by Toshiba, the University of Cambridge and Imperial College, London. Source: http://www.vnunet.com/News/1141438 June 02, New Scientist Net attack overwhelms computers with complexity. Dan Wallach and Scott Crosby, researchers at Rice University in Houston, TX, have found an Internet attack that can knock a web-connected computer offline using specially crafted packets of data. Many programs perform small calculations - called hash functions - on substantial amounts of data to make it easier to sort through. Tables of hashed information can then be referred to, to check that information has not been corrupted or lost en route. Wallach and Crosby calculated that some data would force a program to perform the most intensive hash calculations possible. They tested a number of commercial computer programs and found that sending these types of packets could use up nearly all of a computer's processing power, preventing it from carrying out normal tasks. Wallach and Crosby were able to disrupt target computer program using just a dial-up modem connection. The only way to defend against the attack is to use more efficient, better designed hashing algorithms. A paper outlining the attack will be presented in August at the Usenix Security Symposium in Washington D.C. Source: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993789NewScientist Internet Security Systems - AlertCon: 1 out of 4 https://gtoc.iss.net/ Last Changed 10 June 2003 Security Focus ThreatCon: 2 out of 4 www.securityfocus.com Last Changed 10 June 2003 Current Virus and Port Attacks Virus: #1 Virus in USA: BAT_SPYBOT.A Source: http://wtc.trendmicro.com/wtc/wmap.html, Trend World Micro Virus Tracking Center [Infected Computers, North America, Past 24 hours, #1 in United States] Top 10 Target Ports: 137 (netbios-ns), 80 (www), 1434 (ms-sql-m), 445 (microsoft-ds), 113 (ident), 139 (netbios-ssn), 53 (domain), 0 (---), 25 (smtp), 41170 (---) Source: http://isc.incidents.org/top10.html; Internet Storm Center _______________________________________________ Information_technology mailing list Information_technology@listserv
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