Old models for new?

By admin | March 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment 

admin

I was thinking over the weekend… It’s interesting that all of the major IT vendors are returning to the old model of selling pre-integrated technology stacks to sell their wares.. It seems that the days of having “one great product” that can drive revenue (of the size that the large vendors need) are numbered and, as a result, the big guns are going back to positioning themselves as “one stop shops” for technology.

IBM (who never really moved away from the old model !) are now positioning themselves as “chip to command-line” suppliers, leaning heavily on Linux and virtualization enablers

Oracle have obviously acquired Sun to provide an integrated stack

Cisco/EMC/Vmware have partnered (with themselves !?) to create VCE to aggressively go after “Cloud”

Microsoft and HP are partnering to enable future Hyper V, .NET installations and the Azure cloud platform.

Let’s hope that, this time around, customers will actually benefit from this dynamic change. Also, it is clear the Symantec needs to show it has a very strong proposition in order to stay at the table in large data centre transformations.

Darren Thomson

Downadup/Conficker One Year Later

By admin | March 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment 

admin

This week is the one-year anniversary of the Downadup/Conficker threat’s April 1, 2009 “trigger” date. Although, Conficker did not turn into a widespread threat or cause the significant damage it had the potential to inflict, one year later, we know that those behind Downadup/Conficker still potentially have the keys to some 6.5 million of these computers. These computers have not been fixed by their owners, leaving them open to be victimized at any time by cybercriminals.

While 6.5 million infected computers remain wide open to further attack, they are monitored very closely by law enforcement and by members of the Conficker Working Group. Should the criminal(s) attempt to use them, the alarm will sound. For the criminals holding the keys, too much attention may be a turn off and it will likely prevent them from carrying out their original malicious plans.

So, are we out of the woods in terms of Downadup/Conficker?

Probably not. Downadup/Conficker may not be the biggest known botnet on the block, but it still has the potential to do serious harm. Industry groups and law enforcement are being vigilant but the 6.5 million infected PC are very much so like a loaded gun, waiting to go off.

Here’s what we know today:
• Approximately 6.5 million systems are still infected with either the .A or .B variants.
• The .C variant, which used a peer-2-peer method of propagating, has been slowly dying out over the past year. From a high of nearly 1.5 million infections in April of 2009, the infection rate has steadily decreased to between 210,000 to 220,000 infections. This indicates some computer users are fixing the issue and getting rid of the infection.
• Symantec also observed another variant, .E, released on April 8, 2009, but this variant deleted itself from infected systems on or after May 3, 2009.
• Thus far, the machines still infected with Downadup/Conficker have not been utilized for any significant criminal activity, but with an army of nearly 6.5 million computers strong, the threat remains a viable one.

Symantec has put together the following video highlighting the evolution of Downadup/Conficker to help give computer users background on the threat and information about where it is today:

Orla Cox, Security Operations Manager at Symantec Security Response

Reader Offer… 5th International Cloud Expo

By Guy Bunker | March 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment 

Guy Bunker

The 5th International Cloud Expo is happening at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York (April 19-21) and as a reader of this blog you can get a discounted ticket!

The procedure is:

1. Go to the special registration page for this offer: https://www3.sys-con.com/cloud0410/registernew.cfm?a1=gold

2. Enter the coupon code VIPBloggerGuest  [case sensitive]      

3. The price will re-set from $1950 to $300 and they can then complete the brief registration process for full access to all sessions, all days, all tracks (Luncheon is NOT included.)

So, there you go – a bargain, especially if you happen to be in New York! Please note, lunch isn’t included in the offer… but there looks to be lots of great sessions to get your teeth into.

Guy Bunker

@ By Design

By Guy Bunker | March 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment 

Guy Bunker

Snail, pig’s-tail, monkey’s tail, little mouse… just some of the alternative names for the ‘@’ symbol depending on where you are in the world. Of course we all know it as part of an email address, or from Twitter. OK, so what’s the post all about… well the ‘@’ symbol has just been elevated to the giddy heights of the architecture and design collection in New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)… which marks it out as something a bit special in the design world.

It first appeared on the typewriter in 1885 and was mainly used as accounting shorthand for ‘at the rate of’… it first appeared in the first email address in 1971 when the programmer wanted something to designate the user ‘at’ a particular computer. The @ symbol fitted the bill perfectly.

So the next time you send an email, remember you are now using a design classic at the same time.

Guy Bunker

Mobile hacking highlights need for mobile security

By admin | March 25, 2010 | 1 Comment 

admin

Following reports on a The Register and ZDNet regarding the ease of hacking smartphones, the growing issue of mobile security looks set to come under the spotlight.

Although the loss or theft of the physical device is seen as the biggest problem around mobile security, there is also the problem resulting from the increasing volume of ‘stealable’ business data which is held on them, made worse by the current poor encryption.
                                                   
Mobile platforms have so far been down the ‘pecking order’ of cyber criminals compared to desktops computers with just 400 different viruses in existence compared with 4 million in Windows. Although currently a drop in the ocean, the increased standardisation of mobile platforms will make it more profitable and easier for malware writers to infiltrate mobile devices.

If phones are infected, then there are a number of security risks that the user and their organisation is left open to. Industrial espionage becomes a very real risk, with data being hacked, the device being cloned without users knowledge and malicious emails distributed to contacts within the address book. The phone may also be used to send SMS messages to premium rate numbers and rack up huge bills in the process

To avoid these security breaches, Symantec recommends that organisations ensure all data is encrypted, secure password settings are in place, remote wiping of data is enabled should the handset be lost and that a sound user policy is in place.

Candid Wueest

 
Photo by Flickr user csaila, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Symantec helps the House of Lords tackle cyber warfare

By Greg Day, EMEA Security CTO for Symantec | March 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment 

Greg Day, EMEA Security CTO for Symantec

cyberwarfareYesterday the House of Lords released its report examining how to protect Europe against large-scale cyber-attacks. The publication of the report follows a committee meeting on the topic last year in which Symantec’s Director of Government Relations EMEA & APJ, Ilias Chantzos, was one of two cyber security experts invited to give evidence.

The report’s findings have been welcomed by Symantec, in particular the recommendation for an EU-wide approach to address cyber related issues that don’t just affect the UK. Ensuring industry and government are collaborating to address the issues will be crucial to success of such an initiative.

Commenting on the need for public and private cooperation to tackle cyber warfare, Ilias Chantzos said, “One of the biggest problems with supposed acts of cyber warfare is where and when to use the term. It is very difficult to determine the origin of an internet-based attack, and almost impossible to pinpoint either the identity or motivation of its perpetrators: whether they’re a criminal, an activist or a government agent.

“For security agencies, following the trail of evidence left by alleged cyber warfare operations is made doubly complex by the fact that this evidence typically crosses international jurisdictions. Tackling this requires international co-operation, but the current levels of co-operation between nation states are often not able to police cybercrime, much less track covert activities.”

“Another problem is that government no longer controls most of the critical infrastructure; much of it is under the control of the private sector. It is in the interest of industry and government to better cooperate to tackle these issues.”

The full recommendations from the House of Lords report can be viewed here.

Dominic Cook

2010 Net Threat

By admin | March 15, 2010 | Leave a Comment 

admin

defaultWith the 2010 World Cup only a little under three months away, football fans will be starting to wet their lips with excitement and wishing their teams and favourite players well.

But while it seems that David Beckham is increasingly likely to miss the World Cup due to injury, the cybercrime underworld are certain to be gathering their cohorts to spam and scam the unwary out of their hard earned cash. This is not anything new of course; cybercriminals regularly hide behind major news events like disasters and sporting events to spread their malicious activities. Whether it be phishing, spam, malicious downloads, poisoned searches, or anything else, they are trying to get hold of one thing – money!

Symantec recently launched a new website – www.2010netthreat.com – which will host up-to-date data and information specific to security threats and scams around the world cup in South Africa. Now we’ve developed a new video in the popular series ‘Symantec Guide to Scary Internet Stuff’ called Net Threats which seeks to educate users to the potential scams and threats cybercriminals use to hide behind major sporting events like the world cup. Please take a look and tell us what you think? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TwEo2-APlA

Dominic Cook

Improving Security Through A Self-Assessment Scheme

By Guy Bunker | March 15, 2010 | Leave a Comment 

Guy Bunker

The Jericho Forum has just released it’s Self-Assessment Scheme (SAS) which will help both vendors and customers check the effectiveness of an IT security product – and that it will be properly installed and deployed.

The way this is done is relatively simple – with eleven thought provoking questions based on the downloadable template which will help match requirements to product (or service) offered. The template describes best practice as well as what is acceptable.

The Jericho Forum, part of The Open Group, is made up of experts from all areas, customers, vendors and independent consultants all working together. It has led the way in creating a practical approach to securing the new ways in which business is done, with the de-perimiterization of business models being the focal point back in 2004. Cloud computing has been the focus of the group for the past 18+ months and the SAS template is the latest deliverable. Take a look – it doesn’t take long to read, and it will give you some thoughts on what you should be asking in this new cloudy world.

Guy Bunker

Spammers attempt Grand Theft from Auto Recall

By admin | March 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment 

admin

Symantec’s March State of Spam and Phishing report has found that spammers are using recent car recalls as a premise to deliver spam messages and ‘phish’ personal details. Also this month, Symantec has noted a continued trend towards exploiting natural disasters with a high volume of spam and phishing linked to the Haiti and Chile earthquakes. Overall, phishing attacks increased by 16 per cent in March compared to February.

There have been several global product recalls from multiple car manufacturers recently which spammers have sought to exploit. The report uncovers examples where spammers try to trick the user to give up personal information by pretending to be a legal industry representative.

The world’s media have extensively covered the recent recalls from automotive manufacturers in the news. The interest from the public has been noticed by spammers who are tailoring phishing emails to benefit from the fear of car defects leading to accidents. By offering “free private case evaluation” and taking advantage of “sudden acceleration danger” spammers are instead collecting personal details for malicious use.

The following trends are also all highlighted in the March 2010 report:

  • Spam from .cn URLs on the decline, .ru is on the rise
  • A 12 per cent rise in phishing from non-English sites, attacks on Italian and French banks
  • Online auction marketing tools under attack

Link to new report: State of Spam and Phishing http://eval.symantec.com/mktginfo/enterprise/other_resources/b-state_of_spam_and_phishing_report_03-2010.en-us.pdf

Amanda Grady

And the Academy Award for the most dangerous search term goes to…

By abigail_lovell | March 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment 

abigail_lovell

The team at Norton have been busy digging through the gossip since Sunday’s glamorous Oscar ceremony. They weren’t just looking for juicy rumours though; they’ve been looking for malware around the Academy Awards.

Cybercriminals often take advantage of public interest in both individual celebrities and world entertainment events, so it is no surprise that when the two combine, crooks get busy infecting websites. Norton found that around 50% of Oscar related internet search results lead to “poisoned” sites.

 Some of the most dangerous search terms (and the percentage of infected results) include:

  • “Oscar 2010 Winners” – 60% infected
  • “Music By Prudence” – 58% infected
  • “Kathryn Bigelow height” – 48% infected
  • “Sandra bullock Meryl Streep kiss” – 43% infected

Criminals predict public curiosity and infect pages that contain key words with malware. When a victim clicks through on links from search engines they inadvertently end up with their computer infected with a virus or inundated with pop-ups for fake, and in some cases dangerous, “anti-virus software.”
 
When searching for anything online, Oscar-related or not, it is important to be on guard. Make sure you have legitimate antivirus software that includes all the latest updates, and if you don’t, make sure you buy software from a reputable source.
 
Abigail Lovell

Photo by Flickr user Zadi Diaz, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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