Windows 7 - Certain limitation regarding security

Windows 7 users got a nice surprise on Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009 when Microsoft released its first set of security patches since unveiling Windows 7 last month. It will focus on the Windows 7 security outfit.
When Microsoft launched Windows 7, it was billed as the company's best secure release ever -- the result of a nine-year "Trustworthy Computing" effort to shore up a product line that had been riddled with major security holes.
But does stress-tested windows 7 how to software really matter to Microsoft's customers, seemingly besieged by more online attacks than ever before? Microsoft had years to improve Windows XP, but the Conficker worm, which began spreading last year, has till date infected more than 7 million Windows machines. And for every Windows bug that gets squashed, hackers seem to get new problems in the software that runs on top of latest Windows7-- Flash Player, QuickTime and Java.
No doubt Windows 7 is definitely by far the most secure operating system, said Dave Aitel, chief technology officer with Immunity, a security company that spends a lot of time finding the latest software bugs. But the question that everybody is asking right now is will it be sufficient?
The man behind Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiative, Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie, says the industry still needs to improve.
This is Microsoft's conundrum. Windows may be safer, but cyber-criminals still have plenty of other places to attack. And when you can target hundreds of millions of customers with a single attack, why change the game plan? So most of the worst attacks today still target PCs running Windows, whether the OS itself is safe or not.
Consider spear-phishing. Attackers are so efficient at sending these highly customized e-mail messages, complete with malicious attachments, that the underlying security of Windows 7 is almost irrelevant.
According to Alan Paller, director of research for the SANS Institute, a security training company, the problem with the targeted attacks is that there's so much money that they can actually trump the security. Hence the governments and large industrial crime groups have to spend huge amount of money to trump any of the defenses.
In a report released last month for a congressional advisory panel, Northrop Grumman analysts detailed exactly how this happens. Looking at known attacks, the report found that targets are carefully selected, and then sent very believable e-mails with maliciously encoded attachments that exploit bugs in a product such as Adobe Reader -- something that's outside of Microsoft's control. The victim opens the .pdf and suddenly attackers have a foothold on the network.
Microsoft has taken initiation step in this direction with its Windows CardSpace identity management software. This will make people to check any fraud while online dealing.

The Mac Moment: Apple Advice for IT Support Professionals

The Apple iMac, Apple Mac Pro, Apple MacBook Pro and other Macintosh desktops and notebooks are increasingly replacing Windows-based PCs in the enterprise. IT professionals need to know how to provide great Mac support in their organization. In this Knowledge Center article, contributor Ivan Drucker gives the Windows-oriented IT professional some hands-on techniques and advice about how to support the Apple iMac, Apple Mac Pro, Apple MacBook Pro and other Apple technology.

This is the Mac Moment. Five years ago, Macs were still a fringe product for their fans. Today, Mac market share is 8 percent and shows no signs of slowing down. Effective advertising, attractive retail stores, the iPod and the bad rap on Windows Vista canada have millions looking at Macs when they decide that their PCs need replacing, rather than automatically buying another Hewlett-Packard or Dell machine.

What does this mean for you, the IT professional? It means that Macs are coming to your users' desktops, if they aren't there already. And those users will be coming to you for support. Macs in the enterprise have often been treated as second-class citizens, sequestered in the graphics department, a foreign platform to be avoided whenever possible. That isn't going to cut it anymore. Macs are valuable business tools too, despite their "creative" reputation. It's time to make friends.

This article is intended to give the Windows-oriented IT pro some hands-on techniques and advice about Apple technology. We'll look at what Macs do well and not so well. We'll explain how to maintain Macs, how they interact with Windows and other platforms. We'll take a glimpse at Apple's forays into cloud computing and lots more—all to help you get the most out of the Macs in your business. We're not here to sell you on Apple; our purpose is to give you the tools you need to provide great Mac support in your organization.

What is a Mac?

Let's start off by talking about what a Mac is. A modern Mac has hardware that is 99 percent identical to any PC running Windows. In fact, a Mac can run Windows, but we'll discuss that in depth in a future article. Current Macs use Intel Core 2 Duo or Xeon CPUs, standard RAM, hard drives and peripherals, and have most of the same ports and slots you'll find on a PC.

What really makes a Mac a Mac is its operating system, Mac OS X (currently Version 10.5, aka "Leopard"). Mac OS X is actually the most widely used variant of Unix in the world. Unix, of course, is a multiuser operating system that dates back to the early 1970s, so it's tried and tested—a known quantity. Mac OS X is carefully designed to hide its Unix engine from everyday users, but reveals tremendous power when you pop the hood by opening a command shell.

What can Mac OS X do?

Conceptually and functionally, Mac OS X does pretty much the same things that Windows does. It manages files, launches applications, prints, browses networks and so on. The interface is largely similar to Windows, so learning it is not difficult. It's well known that the user interface of Windows was inspired by the Mac and, many years later, Microsoft has repaid the favor by introducing ideas that Apple has adopted. When working with a Mac, keep in mind that it does most of the same things as Windows but it does them a bit differently.

Why would someone want a Mac?

There are many reasons someone in your organization might want to use a Mac. Security is one of the most common. Though new Mac security holes are always discovered (as they are with every platform), malware is still practically nonexistent. There have been no outbreaks to date. Exploits have been theoretical, not in the wild. This doesn't mean that you can afford to be complacent about security with a Mac. But it does mean that there's nothing remotely approaching the teeming hive of dangerous code that exists in the Windows universe. After all, if you wanted to spread your malicious software as far and wide as possible, would you rather attack 90 percent of the world's computers or 8 percent?

Another common reason people get Macs is for their "ease of use." Whether or not Macs are actually easier to use is a matter of opinion, of course. However, you might notice that setting up a wireless network is quick and dependable. Printers on your network just become available for use automatically; you're rarely asked hard-to-answer questions (such as whether or not to replace a given .DLL).

There are also numerous small details intended to make using the computer more pleasing to the user. Why is that important? For the same reason people buy comfortable cars. If I'm using something for 8 hours a day, shouldn't I like it? If your users find the Mac experience a pleasant one, the relationship between the user and the machine is changed. Their computer becomes something to enjoy—not something to deal with. And when your users are happy, your job is easier.

Who usually uses Macs?

Because Macs are often associated with "creative types," graphics, photography departments and other creative departments often do their work on Macs. Though most of the major software titles (such as Adobe Creative Suite) are available for both platforms, users of those applications often prefer Macs. This is, in part, historical: Apple has long been the brand of choice for many creative people. But there are some packages that are only available for Macs (particularly, Apple's own line of professional video and audio production tools).

Finally, there's the "cool factor." You may laugh, but Macs are "in," so people want them. The CEO likes her iPod, and she sees that the guy in the next office just got a Mac and it looks good. She's seen the ads. She's curious about whether they're really easier to use, and she wants the "cool factor." So she decides to give the new platform a try. This is happening all the time and is a phenomenon that didn't exist even two years ago. Macs are in.

SmarterTools Products Support Google's Chrome Browser

PHOENIX, Sep 09, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- SmarterTools, Inc. announced that the entire suite of SmarterTools' Web-based software products, SmarterMail mail server, SmarterTrack customer service software, and SmarterStats Web log analytics, support and operate within Google's new Chrome browser platform. Future versions of all three products will be optimized to take full advantage of Chrome's unique features.

Customer's Rely on Portability and Cross Browser Compatibility

"More than 15,000,000 end users worldwide count on our software to communicate and collaborate, manage customer interactions, and report on their online marketing performance," said Tim Uzzanti, CEO of SmarterTools. "SmarterTools is committed to fully support Google's Chrome browser because we believe that end users should not have their Web application options limited by their choice of browser platform."

Worldwide Access

SmarterTools products are designed to be accessed by end users anywhere in the world through popular Web browsers. SmarterMail, SmarterTrack, and SmarterStats are already thoroughly tested and optimized for Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Apple's Safari, Firefox, and Opera. Google, with its sizable existing user base in their core offerings, will no doubt be able to bring a large number of users to the Chrome browser platform. SmarterTools' support of the Chrome browser will ensure that these Google users will have equal access to its enterprise-class Web applications.

Choice is Good

"We imagine a technological future not dominated by one or two controlling mega-technology companies. Web 2.0 (and later) is all about empowerment and choice," continued Mr. Uzzanti. "We see a world where consumers will be able to open virtually any browser on any computer in the world to access SmarterMail, and push email and collaboration to their Apple iPhone, BlackBerry, or other mobile device--and we think this is a good thing."

Microsoft Silverlight and Other Technologies

Although there are concerns in the Web application community about Chrome's lack of compatibility with Microsoft's new Silverlight framework, these issues do not apply to SmarterTools' products because they have been designed from the ground up to support multiple technologies--allowing customers to choose the browser, platform, and charting component that best suits their environment.

source: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/smartertools-products-support-googles-chrome/story.aspx?guid={4D08B70F-79F6-4410-BAA8-7387E65A698D}&dist=hppr

US firms donate $100,000 to help save Bletchley Park

LONDON — The Americans have joined the campaign to save Bletchley Park, the home of code breaking during the Second World War, as well as of Britain's computing heritage, with IBM and computer security specialist PGP already pledging £57,000 (about $100,000) to secure the facilitys future.

The donation will help restore exhibits at the National Museum of Computing in Bletchley Park, (Buckinghamshire, England).

The two firms said they hoped the money would kick-start further donations from the technology industry to make up an estimated £7million needed to run the museum.

Exhibits include Colossus, thought by many to be the world's first computer.

Today, Bletchley is home to the National Museum of Computing but a lack of funding has sadly made the facilities fall into a state of decay.

PGP said as an encryption firm, the company has a strong connection to the pioneer work that went on at Bletchley Park. PGP CEO Phillip Dunkelberger said the company also believes the technology industry as a whole owes a huge historical debt to Bletchley Park and has a duty to preserve and protect the site for future generations.

Andy Clark, a director and a trustee at the museum, said he was thrilled by the donation.

"This is a kick-start, these guys are really helping us out by getting us the support of the technology community really for the first time."

He said of the £7 million the museum hoped to raise, about £1million would go towards restoration and curation and the rest would be entrusted to a fund to allow the museum to run without charging an entrance fee.

The British Computer Society had already donated £75,000 and about £50,000 had come through personal donations.

Earlier this year, about 100 academics signed a letter to The Times saying the code-cracking centre, and crucible of the UK computer industry, was being allowed to fall into decay.

Source : http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210600420

Students targeted by phishing scams

The "foreign dignitary" contacting students via e-mail may not be who he says he is, and probably does not have millions of dollars to give away.

College campuses are prime targets for phishing e-mails, and Illinois State is no exception.

Carla Birckelbaw, director of Computer Infrastructure and Support Services at Illinois State, explained that many e-mails have been sent out claiming to be from "The ILSTU Team."

These phishing e-mails ask students to supply their password in order to verify their account, letting the hackers into the system.

"These attacks are directed at all of ISU, anyone who has an e-mail account," Birckelbaw explained.

"They are smart and they demonstrate that they know about the university in order to gain your trust."

Though she did not know the exact number of students who had succumbed to these predatory schemes, Birckelbaw commented that enough students were sending in their passwords to warrant a serious response from the school.

"Preventing problems like this is a major focus of [Computer Infrastructure and Support Services] security and education," Birckelbaw said.

"In fact, this is our number one priority right now."

Erin Shaw, a sophomore graphic design major, is glad that there are people on-campus working to prevent "phishers" from being successful.

"I hate getting those e-mails because they look so convincing," Shaw said. "I'm glad that someone at ISU cares to inform us about them so that we don't give in."
Birckelbaw offered a few suggestions to help students recognize when they are being scammed.

"On the iCampus home page is an alert feed that will notify students of any recent suspicious activity. The latest information is posted immediately," Birckelbaw said. "If you do receive something suspicious, report it immediately. We can detect these scammers."

"Never give out your password, not even to large corporations like eBay or PayPal," Birckelbaw said. "They will never ask for your password. Legitimate companies cannot ask for that information.

Source: http://media.www.dailyvidette.com/media/storage/paper420/news/2008/09/08/News/Students.Targeted.By.Phishing.Scams-3418501.shtml