Security Best Practices: Archive: April 2009

FTC Red Flag 'Sensitive Data" Rule to Begin

Aimed at protecting sensitive personal data, the regulations are not without their detractors.

Beware 'Swine Flu' Internet Scams

Scammers are using public fear of the Swine flu to create Internet fraud.

Mozilla Security Stresses Testing

Johnathan Nightingale of Mozilla's security team argues that testing is key -- and that simply counting bugs isn't a good measure for security.

Conficker Starts Attacking PCs

Three weeks later than expected, the conficker malware program is gradually starting to attack personal computers.

Defending Firefox from Interest-based Ad Cookies

Although enabling cookies in your browser gives you a lot of advantages, you may still want to block certain cookies. Here’s a guide.

Google Fixes Chrome for IE Vulnerability

Google fixed a security vulnerability that, oddly, involved a hole in IE.

U.S. Cybersecurity Has a Long Way to Go

Danger of cyber attacks on U.S. computer system cannot be easily guarded against, according to an expert who wrote an analysis for the Obama administration.

U.S. to Unveil 'Cyber Command' for Security

The Obama administration plans to create a new military command to focus on Pentagon computer networks and offensive capabilities in cyberwarfare.

RSA Focuses on Enterprise Security

The buzz at the big security confab is all about safeguarding corporate data and dealing with regulations.

Mac Botnet Still a Danger, Symantec says

Although there's been negligible activity since the January warning, Mac systems aren't safe.

Phishers Getting More Cunning

McColo is offline, yet phishers are finding a way to continue to score victories.

Protect Yourself on Facebook

Tips on protecting yourself and your PC as you use Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites.

Cyber Gangs Have Easy Access to Credit Cards

Hackers get cannier while businesses fail to adhere to even the most basic security standards.

Security Firm Lists Leading VoIP Threats

The growing popularity of Voice over IP telephony -- especially by companies -- comes with a corresponding security threat.

Cyber Thieves Go After Banks, Credit Accounts

Financial hacking work is getting increasingly professional as organized criminal groups buy and sell information in underground online markets.

Twitter Worm Attack Continues

With yet another new variant, the malicious scripting attack still plagues Twitter.

Tax Day Attracts Hacker Crowd

Tax season brings out the online data thieves like no other event.

Microsoft says Most File Exploits Avoidable

Consumers need to take responsibility for their PC safety, explains Microsoft.

Conficker a Fake, Mafiaboy Claims

The notorious hacker says "the Internet is still broken" and that the confusion around Conficker proves it.

Microsoft: Fear Could be Driving PC Attacks

Consumers have become so concerned about PC virus attacks that they are rushing to install security apps -- many of which are fake and actually install malware.

Cybersecurity Bill Goes too Far, CDT Claims

The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) strongly criticized the pending security legislation for giving too much power to the U.S. government.

Free Download: Bluecoat Debuts Consumer Web Filtering App

Known for its enterprise-class Web filtering software, Bluecoat releases a free version for consumers. Here's the link to the free download of K9.

Pending Legislation to Combat Mobile Spam

A proposed bill will fight spam by enlarging the powers of the Do-Not-Call registry and the CAN-SPAM Act.

FCC to Handle Privacy, Net Neutrality

At an industry gathering, the Federal Communications Commission makes noises about how it expects to approach major issues in the year ahead.

PowerPoint Gets Security Advisory

The popular presentation software PowerPoint has fallen victim to active attacks.

Senate Gets Cybersecurity Bill

The proposed legislation would upgrade U.S. tech security and create better partnerships with business.

Conficker: Did all The Hype Help?

The damage that some predicted from Conficker has failed to materialize, yet the risks haven't gone away.

The Conficker.C worm has infected about 10 million Windows-based computers in 150 countries, with China's level of infection estimated at 3 million, Brazil at 1 million and Russia at 800,000. In the United States, researchers suspect about 200,000 computers have been infected.