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Politics, profit create conditions hospitable to Internet security disaster
The Internet offers lucrative opportunities for hacking chaos and rampant crime owing to serious computer defense flaws, specialists told cyber security experts from around the world at a major conference in Las Vegas
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The bumpy road to a better Internet
Would that we had an Internet which would cut online crime, tackle child pornography, halt crippling viruses, and get rid of spam; scientists are working on it, but with less government support than was the case 40 years ago, when the Internet was born
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Zero-day vulnerabilities are the top security concern
Most IT managers say that zero-day vulnerabilities are their main concern; 29 percent of organizations deployed critical updates within two hours during 2007 compared to just 14 percent in 2006
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DHS issues security guidelines for U.S. power infrastructure operators
Growing fears of physical and cyber attacks on U.S. power infrastructure lead DHS to issue detailed protection plans against for industry
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FCC puts 700 MHz item on 31 July
Since 9/11 there have been calls for making part of the 700 MHz spectrum a dedicated public-safety band; the FCC is inching toward a ruling on the issue
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New quantum key system combines speed, distance
Detection stage of the NIST prototype quantum key distribution system: Photons are “up-converted” from 1310 to 710 nm by one of the two NIST-designed converters at right, then sent to one of two commercial silicon avalanche photo diode units to the left. Credit: NIST
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CheckPoint awarded DOD IT security contract
A year-and-a-half ago CehckPoint withdrew its application to acquire Sourcefire in the face of sure CFIUS denial; nor the Pentagonm selects CheckPoint to protect sensitive military information
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Cybercrime Is funding organized crime
Cybercrime is so profitable that organized crime is using it to fund its other exploits; U.S. law enforcement receives more cooperation from abroad in fighting back
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GAO's cybercrime report addresses cyber threats, responses
The FBI estimates that the annual loss due to computer crime was estimated to be $67.2 billion for U.S. organizations; nation-states and terrorists could conduct a coordinated cyber attack to seriously disrupt electric power distribution, air traffic control, and financial sectors; GAO studies the issue
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Endpoint data protection specialist raises $13.5 million
As more employees carry portable devices, and as transmission and storage devices of all types proliferate throughout the organization, endpoint data protection becomes more urgent; investors bet on specialist in the field
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Westlin, Zogmo offer dual data center IT continuity deal
Interest is growing in disaster communication continuity solutions, and two Texas companies join hands to offer a dual data center solution
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Data breaches do not often lead to ID theft
GAO report says that large data breaches do not appear to lead to identity theft; proposals requiring companies to notify customers of beaches may be costly an unnecessary
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One-time passcode generator for mobile devices unveiled
The safest password in the world is one which is used only once, then discarded; California company launches a one-time pass code genrator
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Airwave emergency communication radios "seriously flawed"
In 2002 London launched a £3 billion emergency communication service; 7/7 highlighted shortcomings in the system, and a new study finds that two years later the system is still flawed
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Radio over IP promises effective solution for emergency communications
Communication — survivable, interoperable communication — during emergency is a big problem, and Radio over IP offers a solution to both
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The long view
U.S. contemplates responses to a cyber-Pearl Harbor attack on critical infrastructure
Cybersecurity experts often contemplate how U.S. security agencies would react to a cyber-9/11 or a digital Pearl Harbor, in which a computer attack would unplug the power grid, disable communications lines, empty bank accounts, and result in loss of life. “Ultimately, it absolutely could happen,” says one expert. “Yeah, that thought keeps me up at night, in terms of what portion of our critical infrastructure could be really brought to its knees.”
To bolster the world’s inadequate cyber governance framework, a “Cyber WHO” is needed
A new report on cyber governance commissioned by Zurich Insurance Group highlights challenges to digital security and identifies new opportunities for business. It calls for the establishment of guiding principles to build resilience and the establishment of supranational governance bodies such as a Cyber Stability Board and a “Cyber WHO.”
U.S. adopts a more assertive cyber defense posture
Recent cyberattacks and intrusions by hackers, operating alone or backed by nation-states, have prompted the Pentagon and DHS to reaffirm their commitment to upholding the reliability and integrity of America’s cyber network and the systems connected to it. Americans rely on the connected Web to deliver critical services such as water and electricity, and should the Web be breached by bad actors, the consequences could threaten national security. “If we look at cyberspace as a hostile environment and there are bad people out there who want to do bad things to us, it may cause a wholesale re-examination of the way we build our systems in the first place,” noted one expert.