VPNs and Public Key Infrastructure -- Security and convenience often conflict with each other. It'd be nice to have access to your office network from anywhere, but you can't trust the Internet. Virtual private networks are one solution, but how do they keep your data safe? Scott Brumbaugh explains the basics of Public Key Infrastructure, the cryptographic basis for secure VPNs. For 100 ways to make your network secure, see Network Security Hacks.
Wireless Security and the Open1X Project
-- Open1X is an open source project focusing on network
security. The wireless adoption of this technology is referred to as
802.1X. Matthew Gast went to the University of Utah to talk about it
with Chris Hessing and Terry Simmons, who are intent on bringing
standards-based wireless security to Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows
clients. Matthew is the author of 802.11 Wireless
Networks: The Definitive Guide.
Open Source Security: Still a Myth -- Open source may have many benefits over closed systems, but don't count security among them--yet. This article by John Viega looks at why open source software may currently be less secure than its commercial counterparts. John is a coauthor of Secure Programming Cookbook for C and C++.
Behind the Scenes at The Mezonic Agenda: An Electronic Voting Primer -- Although electronic voting and touch-screen systems have been in use since the 1970s, the recent controversy that has surrounded the design and implementation of Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) systems, as well as the companies that make them, has brought the risks of electronic voting under spotlight. This article by Spyros Nomikos offers a snapshot of where we are and how we got here. Spyros is a coauthor of The Mezonic Agenda: Hacking the Presidency.
Stealing the Network: A Prequel -- Ryan Russell has written this tale of a '70s-era security hack, set at a tech company on the East Coast. What real-world company he used as a backdrop is up to you to guess. This short bit of fiction provides a real sense of the concept behind the book he's coauthored, Stealing the Network: How
to Own a Continent (from Syngress).
Book Review: Security Warrior -- In this UnixReview.com book review, Peter H. Salus writes, "Peikari and Chuvakin have written a valuable book that will soon find its way onto the shelf of everyone involved in network and machine security." Learn the mind of your attacker and defend yourself with Security Warrior.
What's New in SpamAssassin 3.0 -- Based on his testing of beta versions of the upcoming SpamAssassin 3.0 release, Alan Schwartz presents an overview of some of SA 3's newest, coolest features. Find out why he thinks mail administrators should strongly consider upgrading to SA 3 when it releases. Alan is the author of SpamAssassin.
Top Ten Ethereal Tips and Tricks -- Ethereal rivals commercial sniffers with its abundance of features and hundreds of protocol dissectors. And best of all, it's free. Here's a top ten list of Ethereal tips and tricks from Angela D. Orebaugh, a coauthor of Syngress' Ethereal Packet Sniffing.
Java and Security, Part 2 -- This book excerpt takes a close look at WebLogic's various security providers and their default implementations. It shows you how to
authenticate using JAAS, and how to create custom Authentication and
Identity Assertion Providers. Get a 360-degree view of the world of WebLogic from WebLogic: The Definitive Guide.
Your O'Reilly Account: New, Single Sign On -- O'Reilly customers and guests now have a single address and one password to access all things O'Reilly, from oreilly.com and Safari Bookshelf to all of the O'Reilly Network sites and DevCenters. When possible, we've consolidated your prior, separate accounts into one new account. Logging into the new system is quick and easy; details on how to do it have been emailed to you, and you can read more about O'Reilly's single sign on in Tony Stubblebine's weblog.
Using Penetration Testing to Identify
Management Issues -- Bob Ayers discusses the most
common systems-management process failures that produce vulnerabilities
detected by penetration testing, in this modified foreword from Chris
McNab's Network
Security Assessment.
Intrusion Detection Systems -- Unlike firewalls and VPNs, which attempt to prevent attacks, intrusion detection systems (IDS's) provide an additional level of security for your network by notifying you of suspected attacks and arming you with other critical information. Read all about IDS technology in Chapter 19 of Security Warrior. And if you like this chapter, read the
whole book (and up to nine others) on Safari with a free trial
subscription.
The
Trouble with RFID -- Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID) technology is already widely used to track pharmaceuticals, meat
shipments, and manufactured goods. It has the potential to save businesses
billions of dollars. It also has the potential to enable a police
surveillance state, further erode consumer privacy, and make identity theft
even easier. Writing for The Nation, Simson Garfinkel explains the
problem and a potential code of conduct that might help address it. Simson
is the author of Database
Nation.
Top Ten Tips to Make Attackers' Lives Hell -- Chris McNab breaks down his top ten tips all network administrators should follow to protect their networks from
opportunistic threats, and to make it hard for the more determined attackers to get anywhere. Chris is the
author of the recently released Network Security
Assessment.
The
Journey from Poacher to Gamekeeper -- Chris McNab
has been on both sides of the hacker fence. In this article, Chris
explains how his past led him to trade his black hat for a white one,
and what he hopes to achieve with his new book, Network Security
Assessment.
