The recent audit conducted by Western Australia’s Auditor-General on network security of the state government’s IT facilities reveals a dismal state of affairs. Most agencies do not have any network security policies in place. A majority of the agencies did not notice anything amiss when the auditors tried and succeeded in penetrating the network

One lesson from this episode for companies and governments ...

The recent spate of attacks on companies (Lockheed Martin, Google, Sony, and Citi) inspite of their robust and state of the art security infrastructure raises the question of effectiveness of network security in computing. The problem however may not have anything to do with network security mechanisms at all, and even enhancing safeguards to infinity may not prevent future attacks. The best of firewalls, network detectors, authentication mechanisms, ...

Network Security: Protect Your Computer Network from PDF Viruses

PDF files were initially virus-free, and this accounted for its rapid rise in popularity. The increased popularity however resulted in malware creators discovering vulnerabilities in both PDF Writer and PDF viewers including the popular Abode Acrobat Reader, and creating malware that compromises web security. The virus is usually not the PDF file per-se, but ...

A packet analyzer, also known as packet sniffer or network analyzer, is a computer program and hardware that intercepts and logs the traffic passing over a wireless network. It captures packets of a data stream as it flows over the network, decodes the data in the packet, and analyzes the content according to the set specifications.

Packet analyzers are used to filer suspicious traffic, and detect network intrusion attempts or misuse. It ...

“Diskless computers” as the term implies, are computers without hard disks. Such computers boot and operate through network servers, retrieving and storing the data in central servers. This type of architecture suits large organizations, universities, and other places where sensitive processing takes place, and where control of individual node behavior is at a premium.

Diskless computers bear striking similarity to hybrid clients in thin client computing architecture, ...

Of the many types of attacks to gain unauthorized entry into network systems, “man in the browser” attacks (MiTB – also known as “man in the middle” attacks) rank as a common one, capable of overcoming even otherwise secure and widely popular RSA SecureID token two-factor authentication systems.

In this type of attack, the attacker manipulates the flow of data by intercepting the authentication data that the user sends to the ...

RSAs “SecurID” is a popular two-factor user authentication system for network resources, extensively used to authenticate network and desktop users. The user has a simple task of entering a password and an authentication code, but the complex processes taking place at back-end make this process a robust and almost fail-proof one.

SecurID’s authentication mechanism consists of a USB like hardware, known as “token.” Such token contains a 128-bit authentication code, known as the “seed..” Each token has a unique ...

Attacks on networks increase by the day, with cases of hackers compromising Sony PlayStation and Lockheed Martin networks hitting headlines recently. Expanded access to applications and new services create multiple new entry points for malicious activity, and hackers exploit these situations by creating more innovative delivery mechanisms that circumvent existing safeguards.

In the face of such challenges, the onus is on companies and network providers to not just strengthen their security apparatus, but also undertake a comprehensive ...

Yes, it is true! Human oversights and errors cause more network security concerns and breaches than malware. Some of the most common human errors that system administrators make include:

• failing to upgrade firewall, anti-virus and other software, leaving such applications with security holes and making the entire system vulnerable
• deploying the wrong technology, such as ...
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Social networking sites, an integral feature of Web 2.0, provides tremendous opportunities for hackers to hack into, and gain access to, large amounts of personal and confidential data.

Research suggests that 77 percent of all malicious codes come from legitimate sites, and social networking sites have become major culprits in this instance. Many businesses allow complete access to social networking sites using URL filters. Users get in ...