Security Best Practices: Archive: August 2001

RedCreek Authenticator targets HIPAA requirements

RedCreek Communications has announced a new virtual private network (VPN) product that it says can help health care organizations comply with rigorous new privacy standards quickly and inexpensively.

Security is top concern for IBM users

After working to link their systems more closely with those of their business partners, IBM customers now say they have heightened concerns about protecting sensitive data and resources from their partners.

RSA's acquisition of Securant gets good reviews

Experts say RSA Security's acquisition of Securant Technologies provides RSA with an essential element in its security product lineup and should further the cause of integration for customers.

Ponte delivers platform for centralizing security control

Rapidly deploying fixes for known security vulnerabilities is a key aspect of any sound security strategy. But consistently meeting that challenge is no mean feat, especially in networks with tens of thousands of devices.

Tally's Census now scans for hacker tools

You've no doubt heard the horror stories about how insiders are responsible for an awful lot of security breaches and miscellaneous other computer-related mischief. Although the numbers are declining, at least according to the latest Computer Security Institute/FBI study, clearly you still need to be concerned about employees who are up to no good.

Hitachi offers up centralized application security platform

As companies increasingly pursue e-business strategies that call for linking distributed systems and applications, ensuring the security of the systems and the communications channel between them becomes a critical priority.

Security Strategies: Four Disciplines of Security Management

What it takes to be "secure" is for some the source of much confusion. The short answer is: you can never be "secure," only "secure enough." The long answer involves a discussion about risk aversion, networked environments, business expectations, and a host of other factors that create an enterprise security profile.

Siding with the judges on privacy issues

Federal judges are showing some proper perspective when it comes to matters of security and privacy, even when it means putting good guys in their place.

Presbyterian Healthcare creates opportunity out of new privacy regs

Health care providers are facing massive IT challenges these days, many driven by the changing legal landscape. The most pressing is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which lays out strict rules for protecting the privacy of patient data. Congress is also wrangling over consumer rights legislation, such as a patient bill of rights that will likely affect not only how health care organizations treat patients, but also how those organizations treat patient data.

PKI policy in the business environment

In the traditional world, the individual moves through differing process and policy environments in which varying policies govern their interactions with others. As one example, governments face the problem of enabling and managing cross-border travel and immigration. To address such requirements, government law and/or policy typically require citizens crossing national boundaries to possess passports that establish citizenship and identity. A passport links or "binds" some information about the individual (photograph, height, weight, age) to a specially designed physical document having a unique issuing authority and control number.

Exploring the state of enterprise security management

Investments in enterprise security management (ESM) tools have been on the rise in the last few years due to an increasing awareness by organizations that they need to better leverage the investments they've made in a variety of information security point products. How are those products working? How do you know if your company is being attacked? How can volumes of log files be monitored in real time so that an attack can be met with a proactive response?

Help take a bite out of computer crime

As I was reading a story in the Boston Globe recently about a New Hampshire guy who is being sent to jail for hacking into his ex-employer's network, it struck me that I've been seeing more and more of these types of stories recently, with all manner of computer criminals being arrested, prosecuted and/or convicted, both in the United States and abroad.