Network World on Security

Strategies for keeping disaster recovery on target

2008-05-17T00:00:00Z

It was a normal Monday batch process at a well-respected global bank -- until, that is, a critical back-office system failed. At first, IT administrators took it in stride. This wasn't the only time they'd had to recover lost data. But soon it became clear something more ominous was occurring: the bank's multi-terabyte database had become corrupted.

NASA moves to save computers from swarming ants

2008-05-17T00:00:00Z

A flood of voracious ants is heading straight for Houston, taking out computers, radios and even vehicles in their path.

Microsoft ballyhoos Vista's lower patch count

2008-05-17T00:00:00Z

Microsoft touted Windows Vista's lower patch count Wednesday, saying it required about 20% fewer fixes in 2007 than the four-year-old Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Apple dismisses Safari download issue

2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

A security researcher has published a demonstration exploit that takes advantage of the download mechanism in Apple's Safari browser to automatically download files onto a user's system.

TOP 10 - HP-EDS buy, Icahn strikes again, China quakes

2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

This was a big IT news week, with the massive earthquake in China on Monday showing once again the role that the Internet plays in connecting us all, in good times and bad, and the importance of telecommunication, particularly for rural areas. HP opened the week with word that it is buying EDS. And the Microsoft-Yahoo saga was back in headlines, thanks to investor Carl Icahn, who hasn't enjoyed a good proxy fight lately and so decided to try to shake up Yahoo's board.

WhitePages.com grapples with privacy in Web 2.0 world

2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

WhitePages.com does exactly what you'd expect from the name -- it tries to provide phone book-style listings for both the U.S. and Canada. Of course, there's nothing new about that, so WhitePages.com tries to do an especially thorough job. The company claims that at the end of 2007, it had 180 million U.S. adults, about 80% of the population, in its records.

Tools circulate that crack Debian, Ubuntu keys

2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

A recently disclosed vulnerability in widely used Linux distributions can be exploited by attackers to guess cryptographic keys, possibly leading to the forgery of digital signatures and theft of confidential information, a noted security researcher said Thursday.

Former Microsoft manager offers fix for XP SP3 'endless reboot'

2008-05-16T00:00:00Z

A former Microsoft security manager has published a tool designed to detect and fix PCs that may be susceptible to "endless reboots" if updated to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3).

Essential mobile gear

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

For many people, laptops are just a way to take work down to the corner café. But for true road warriors, portable computing means bringing along all your computing essentials without having to schedule a visit to the chiropractor. As a Macworld editor, I'm often asked what I pack in my laptop bag; here's a look at the kinds of accessories that are on my must-have on-the-go list, along with some specific examples of them.

Oklahoma State breach points to higher-ed security problems

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

A seemingly neverending string of data breaches at various colleges around the U.S. highlights precisely why university systems and networks continue to have a reputation for being notoriously insecure.

Is your data center ready for tomorrow's applications?

2004-04-12T00:00:00Z

Click here to see what Gartner, Network World and other experts say about the new data center.