HNS Newsletter
Issue 52 - 26.02.2001
http://net-security.org
http://security-db.com

This is a newsletter delivered to you by Help Net Security. It covers weekly 
roundups of security events that were in the news the past week. Visit Help 
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Table of contents:
 
1) General security news
2) Security issues
3) Security world
4) Featured books
5) Security software
6) Defaced archives



General security news
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THE TERRORISM ACT 2000
The Terrorism Act 2000 is designed to prevent dissident political groups from 
using the United Kingdom as a base for terrorism and recognises a new threat 
from cyberterrorists for the first time. But the Act also significantly widens the 
definition of terrorism to include those actions that "seriously interfere with or 
seriously disrupt an electronic system".
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/2001/7/ns-21060.html


BIOMETRICS: THE TIGHTROPE
At first look, biometrics is a mighty fortress. Or, does that initial impression 
overlook some subtle problems with the technology? If the prime directive 
of all security practice dictates that no security system is perfect, then 
biometrics definitely has shortcomings. To understand those problems, 
explaining two concepts becomes essential.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://securityportal.com/articles/biometrics20010220.html


THE SM0KED CREW FAQ
"With all the recent media attention that the "sm0ked crew", an online group 
of web defacers, has been getting it was time to ask a couple of important 
questions. We've never done an interview of defacers before, but my 
curiousity gets the best of me quite often."
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.cipherwar.com/news/01/sm0ked_crew.htm


EASY INTERNET SHARING NHF: VERSION 1.0
"This is a tutorial on sharing your Internet connection by configuring a Linux 
machine as your gateway/firewall. I've made this tutorial as easy as possible 
so that the average newbie can have a running and secure mini-home network. 
I'm sure you've probably been told that setting up firewall rules and IP 
masquerading can be difficult. Not so, as you will find out. In fact, we 
won't even be learning a single firewall rule."
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://linuxnewbie.org/nhf/intel/network/eznetshare.html


PGP CREATOR ZIMMERMAN JOINS HUSH
One of the founding fathers of modern cryptography, Phil Zimmermann - who 
created PGP and thus introduced a generation of computer users to email 
encryption - has left the security firm Network Associates to join Irish-based 
encryption startup Hushmail. Zimmermann was at the forefront of the battle 
to give ordinary Internet users access to email encryption in the 1990s. When 
he released the first version of PGP in 1991, Zimmermann faced a three-year 
FBI investigation. Encryption was still viewed as a threat to the US government's 
intelligence operations and classified military munitions.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/2001/7/ns-21079.html


THE STATE OF MUSIC SECURITY
Recently, the digital rights management crowd got a sharp lesson from the 
entertainment industry. No more proprietary systems and hard-to-use digital 
rights management systems that consumers can't understand. Instead, they 
want clearinghouses where their content can be safely stored and streamed 
to end users who don't have to decipher which media player will work.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,41874,00.html


THEY REVEAL HIDDEN MESSAGES
U.S. government agencies, including the NSA and the Pentagon, are quietly 
funding research into steganalysis: the study of detecting hidden messages 
inserted into MP3 or JPEG files. What have they found? Current steganography 
programs don't work that well at all.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,41861,00.html


CONFIGURING A QUICK-AND-DIRTY ROUTER AND PROXY
Setting up an unsecured router and proxy using IP Masquerading; plus, 
contrary to popular belief, Linux can play nice with PCI modems.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://linuxworld.com/linuxworld/lw-2001-02/lw-02-geek_2.html


ZIXMAIL SECURE DOCUMENT DELIVERY
ZixMail is a secure document delivery, private email and message tracking 
service that enables you to easily send encrypted and digitally signed 
communications to any email address in the world. This means that only your 
intended email recipients will be able to open messages that you have sent.
Link: http://www.security-db.com/product.php?id=324&cid=65


NSA CHIEF SAYS BIN LADEN HAS SUPERIOR TECHNOLOGY
Islamic terrorist Osama bin Laden has superior technology at his disposal than 
the National Security Agency, the head of the super-secretive spy agency has 
told an American documentary programme. Superior technological capabilities 
helped bin Laden to mastermind the simultaneous 1998 bombings of US 
embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people, said General Mike 
Hayden, head of the NSA, during an interview to be broadcast tonight on 
CBS' 60 Minutes II news show.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/8/17072.html


PANIC OVER VULNERABILITIES
The recent discovery of vulnerabilities in BIND quickly escalated from a 
reasonable security concern to widespread panic. In this week's Unix Security, 
Dev Zaborav looks at the increasing sensationalism that surrounds Internet 
security and worries that too many cries of emergency will leave administrators 
distrustful when critical situations actually arise.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.sunworld.com/unixinsideronline/swol-02-2001/swol-0216-unixsecurity-dv.html


NET ANONYMITY FIRMS SEEK THEIR MARKET
As an Internet user and online shopper, you may have more in common with 
your friendly neighborhood spook at the CIA than you think - both you and 
the agents who look out for your national security are concerned about 
remaining anonymous online. Unlike the CIA, you probably won't have to 
pay for it in the next few years - as long as the companies offering these 
tools can stay in business...
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.computeruser.com/news/01/02/20/news15.html


IS YOUR WEB SERVER RUNNING UNNECESSARY SOFTWARE?
This article quickly shares some ideas on how beginning webserver administrators 
can improve server efficiency, ease management and, hopefully, improve security 
as well. It gives a few examples of processes that don't need to be running, 
required programs and some ideas for BSD and System V-type systems for 
disabling startup scripts. This article doesn't go into great detail, but will give 
the newbie administrator some basic ideas.
Link: http://apachetoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2001-02-20-003-06-PS-LF-AD


FBI AGENT SOLD SURVEILLANCE/NUKE DATA TO RUSSIA
FBI Special Agent Robert Philip Hanssen, aged 56, was placing a packet of 
classified information at a dead drop site near his residence in suburban 
Virginia Sunday night when the Feds collared him, much to his surprise. 
Hanssen gave his Russian handlers over 6,000 pages of secret and top 
secret documents, according to a detailed, 103-page FBI affidavit in 
support of a request for search and arrest warrants.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/8/17078.html


VENDOR KEY MANAGEMENT
Times sure do change. I remember when Linux was new, a "hacker's" OS. We 
had to walk 10 miles, uphill, to get install floppies for it. (Actually I was lucky, 
I only had to copy them my friend downloaded the Slackware images over a 
9600 modem.) Back then security wasn't much of an issue for most Linux 
users. We used telnet, and we liked it. Software updates either consisted of 
downloading the source and compiling it, or using extremely simple package 
management such as Slackware provides (although calling tarballs package 
management does seem kind). GnuPG didn't exist, and PGP was still only used 
by a minority (an even smaller minority than today, if you can believe that).
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://securityportal.com/closet/closet20010221.html


BIOMETRIC SECURITY FOR E-BUSINESS
Computer Associates International and DataTreasury Corp. said they have 
formed an alliance to provide biometric security – which uses identifying 
traits like fingerprints, iris scans and voice patterns – to protect e-business 
transactions. The two companies said they hope to market the system to 
businesses that manage information worldwide, including healthcare 
organizations that hold sensitive data about patients. Computer Associates 
describes itself as an e-business management company, while DataTreasury 
said it is a data broker that operates a biometrics information clearinghouse.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/162257.html


EARTHLINK SLOW TO ADMIT ATTACK
Crackers broke into Internet service provider Earthlink's network last week, 
but the company kept it quiet because it claims customer data was not 
compromised. A company spokesman said that it did not alert subscribers 
because the main security system remained intact, but a Wired News tipster 
said the crackers created a potentially dangerous backdoor to the system.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,41934,00.html


SECURING YOUR SOLARIS SERVER
Systems administrators are often too busy with their day-to-day work to 
concern themselves with system security. That means servers may end up 
without the latest security patches or fixes, offering easy ways for attackers 
to gain entry into their systems. In this Unix Insider feature, Jamie Wilson helps 
you secure your Solaris server by demonstrating how to disable inetd, secure 
su, find and secure setuid and setgid files, and install and configure ipfilter.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.sunworld.com/unixinsideronline/swol-02-2001/swol-0216-hardening.html


STUDYING FTP TRAFFIC
This is the second article in a three-part series devoted to studying normal 
traffic. Many intrusion detection analysts concentrate on identifying the 
characteristics of suspicious packets. However, it is also important to be 
familiar with what normal traffic looks like. A great way to do this is to 
generate some normal traffic, capture the packets and examine them. The 
first article in this series explained how to capture packets using WinDump 
and reviewed some simple examples of normal TCP/IP traffic. In this article, 
we will be examining FTP traffic, which, from a traffic flow standpoint, is 
more complicated than many other protocols.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.securityfocus.com/focus/ids/articles/normaltraf2.html


PRACTICE SAFE INTERNET SHOPPING
If there is one thing to blame for the slow adoption of Internet commerce, it's 
the age-old credit card. Many consumers are simply afraid to use it online. And 
they have reason. A report released Monday by the European Commission 
revealed that credit card fraud ballooned last year by approximately 50 percent 
in Europe amid an increase in Internet commerce transactions. The study follows 
repeated news reports of attacked credit card databases and failed security at 
a number of high-profile Internet sites.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.upside.com/Ebiz/3a9454365.html


NET FILTERING LAW DRAWS FINAL COMMENTS
Regulators accepted final public comments on a new law requiring libraries and 
schools that accept federal funds to install computer filters aimed at blocking 
access to adult material online. Librarians and educators criticized the law, 
saying it may be impossible to enforce. But conservative groups praised the 
plan, saying it will save children from finding pornography on the Internet.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/newsbursts/0,7407,2689132,00.html


ELIMINATING IP ADDRESS FORGERY
"It seems that eliminating IP address forgery is now all the rage because it is 
now affecting enough people who are important enough to get the whole 
Internet to take action. And it is indeed gratifying to see this - despite the 
frustration I suffer over the lack of citation to my original paper on the 
subject and my firewalls course that has covered this subject in detail 
for the last five years."
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.all.net/journal/netsec/0005.html


NETMAX FIREWALL WORTH THE FICKLE INSTALLATION
NetMAX FireWall from Cybernet Systems is a smooth-running, easily configurable 
firewall, if you can get past its annoying setup and installation. I'd like to mention 
some useful-looking features that I was unable to test. NetMAX FireWall includes 
a traffic monitor that logs and graphically displays all traffic over the network. 
That kind of monitoring could be very useful -- not only for ISPs, but in almost 
any corporate setting. If the quarterly report is due in an hour, but bandwidth 
seems a little slow, pop up the bandwidth report and find out that Johnny is 
on Napster again.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.linuxworld.com/linuxworld/lw-2001-02/lw-02-netmax.html


DECSS UPDATE
In a filing submitted to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, the 
Justice Department lashed out at hackers and praised a lower court ruling that 
bans hacker magazine 2600 from publishing a code known as DeCSS.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2689144,00.html


ENGINEER PLEADS SELF DEFENCE IN HACKING CASE
The Criminal Investigation Bureau referred to prosecutors a computer engineer 
who allegedly hacked into a computer server in what he called "self-defense." 
The Hsinchu computer engineer, surnamed Fan (S), said he thought that the 
other side attacked his computer first, while the truth was that the other side 
was an innocent party which had been attacked by a Trojan horse. A man last 
year reported to the police that a Web site which teaches magic and is run by 
him, had been hacked. He said some Web pages had been altered and some 
registered users' access to the Web site blocked.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/news/2001/02/21/story/0000074560


TIME TO UN-BIND YOUR NETWORK!
This post by D. J. Bernstein, author of djbdns, a "secure" DNS server, wrote 
this message prompted by the recent problems experienced with BIND 9 and 
its "300000 lines of bad code." "BIND 9 is good code, you say? The BIND 
programmers learned their lesson from these security disasters and rewrote 
everything from scratch?" Professor Bernstein's opinion differs...
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.linuxsecurity.com/articles/server_security_article-2566.html


WEF HACKER ARRESTED
Swiss police arrested a man today on suspicion of hacking into the computer 
systems of the World Economic Forum and stealing private information about 
participants.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/hacker010223.html


STORY OF MICROSOFT 'HACK'
A top Microsoft executive revealed how a hacker was able to view some of the 
company's top-secret source code last October. The attacker gained broad 
access because an employee forgot to create a password when configuring a 
server, leaving the password blank.
Link: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SeattleTimes.woa/wa/gotoArticle?zsection_id=268448455&text_only=0&slug=hack23&document_id=134269414


FIGHTING CHILD PORN
Tony Blair and George Bush are to lead a global crusade against the internet 
perverts who peddle child porn. The Prime Minister and the President sealed 
the deal during late night talks at Camp David at the end of their two-day 
summit. Mr Blair's government will immediately reinforce the deal with new 
tough laws on Internet paedophiles, to be announced in the House of 
Commons on Monday.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/4165837


INSURANCE AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS
An internet user or ISP in India, so far, has no option if threatened by an 
attacker except to lodge a police complaint and change the profile of the 
internet service. Soon, Net users and ISPs can have insurance cover against 
cyber attacks. For the first time in India, insurance is being offered against 
all kinds of cyber crime, including loss of airtime, to the extent of $25 million. 
The insurance package, which was introduced in the US, UK and Japan last 
year, will be brought to India by Tata-AIG, a joint venture by the Tatas and 
American Insurance Group Incorporate.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://www.indian-express.com/ie/daily/20010226/ina26039.html


SURFINGATE AGAINST MALICIOUS WEB CONTENT
SurfinGate provides proactive gateway security for malicious Web content 
including ActiveX, Java, Visual Basic Script and JavaScript. Using a 
sophisticated real-time content-inspection process, SurfinGate identifies 
and blocks malicious code without relying on database updates. Centrally 
managed, SurfinGate allows companies to tailor policies for departments 
and users and enables secure e-business.
Link: http://www.security-db.com/product.php?id=606&cid=132


IDS REVIEW: INTRODUCTION
IDSes as we know them today are a relatively new phenomenon in the computer 
security field, but they have been improving rapidly and quickly becoming more 
complex, making them difficult for non-specialists in security to understand, and 
similarly difficult to judge when you are entertaining the thought of purchasing 
one. This article is intended to help you understand what these boxes are and 
give you some hopefully :-) informed opinions about the leading products on 
the market and what applications make sense for each.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?url=http://securityportal.com/articles/idsintroduction20010226.html

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Security issues
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All vulnerabilities are located at:
http://net-security.org/text/bugs


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RED HAT LINUX - NEW VIXIE-CRON PACKAGES
New vixie-cron packages are available that fix a buffer overflow in the 'crontab' 
command; this could allow certain users to gain elevated privileges. 
Link: http://www.net-security.org/text/bugs/982685081,35659,.shtml


IMMUNIX OS - VIXIE-CRON UPDATE
Immunix has tested the versions of the vixie-cron packages that are shipped 
with Immunix OS 6.2, 7.0-beta, and 7.0 and they are not vulnerable to the 
buffer overflow (due to the use of the StackGuard compiler). However, we 
are making updated packages available for those users who want to upgrade.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/text/bugs/982754741,49344,.shtml


SECURITY FLAW IN TELOCITY'S "GATEWAY MODEM"
Telocity provides DSL to their customers through what they call the Telocity 
"Gateway Modem". In the modems, you can connect to them through your 
web browser to view usage statistics, your assigned IP, the DHCP server IP 
(Modems IP), Management's IP (Modem's IP, different than the previous), 
DNS IP, and the hardware software version information. In the older model 
modem, it is possible to remotely view the "Details" section of the modem, 
thus reveling all the above mentioned information to a possible intruder. 
Telocity has numbered their gateways in sequential order, so it would be 
possible to write a script that would search for http://123.123.123.1/stats 
in a range of addresses.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/text/bugs/982781361,33018,.shtml


LINUX MANDRAKE - VIXIE-CRON UPDATE
A buffer overflow exists in the 'crontab' command if it was called by a user with 
a username longer than 20 characters. If the system administrator has created 
usernames of that length, it would be possible for those users to gain elevated 
privileges.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/text/bugs/982858260,74013,.shtml


NT DRIVERS AND FORMAT STRING BUG
Many NT drivers are potentially vulnerable to "format string bug". The problem is 
concerned with DbgPrint function that is used for debug messages. Some drivers 
instead of directly call of this function use additional intermediate functions. 
Those functions add a prefix to an outputted string, resolve a string format 
and pass the final string to DbgPrint. Note the DbgPrint also additionally 
resolves format specifications.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/text/bugs/982858351,64712,.shtml


WIN2K DIRECTORY SERVICES WEAKNESS
"We came across one security issue; which may be critical for large organizations 
planning to deploy Windows 2000 and Active Directory in one forest. Imagine 
that there is a forest with more than one domain. (Tree hierarchy does not 
matter in this situation.) Every domain has its own set of administrators. In 
Active directory there is one Configuration Container for the whole forest. So 
every domain controller has its own copy of Configuration Container and is able 
to change it and replicate changes to other domain controllers. The only 
obstruction for changing configuration are ACLs. But ACLs are checked on 
local system and if you somehow modify it to avoid this checking, you can 
modify this Container."
Link: http://www.net-security.org/text/bugs/982858422,97626,.shtml


TURBOLINUX - BIND UPDATE
Two vulnerabilities have been discovered in ISC BIND 8. Please update the
packages in your installation as soon as possible.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/text/bugs/982910525,58182,.shtml


LINUX MANDRAKE - CUPS UPDATE
A number of problems were found by the SuSE security team recently during an 
internal audit of the CUPS printing package. These problems have been resolved 
with the latest CUPS release which include temp file creation vulnerabilities, 
potential buffer overflows, and other security enhancements. It is highly 
recommended that all Linux-Mandrake users upgrade to this new version 
of CUPS.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/text/bugs/982910560,1837,.shtml


SEDUM V2.1 HTTPD - DENIAL OF SERVICE
SEDUM v2.1 is vulnerable to a nasty Denial of Service attack where it can be 
flooded with useless junk until the server crashes promptly. Once it has been 
crashed it needs to be restarted again for it to work properly. All windows 
versions apear to be affected.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/text/bugs/983031499,96065,.shtml


MERCUR MAILSERVER 3.3 BUFFER OVERFLOW
By default SMTP server is installed to be run from LocalSystem account. This 
makes it easy to make any action on the target system if an attacker could 
gain control over the code execution flow of the product.
Link: http://www.net-security.org/text/bugs/983031584,54993,.shtml

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Security world
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All press releases are located at:
http://net-security.org/text/press

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ITALIAN PETROLEUM GIANT CHOSES SECURE COMPUTING - [21.02.2001]

Secure Computing announced that its SafeWord Plus authentication and 
authorization solution will be used by the Italian petroleum company, 
AgipPetroli Spa, to add strong security to all of its present and future 
intranet applications. AgipPetroli, an ENI Group company, operates in the 
oil, natural gas, petrochemicals, oilfield services and engineering industries, 
and is one of the largest natural gas companies in the world with operations 
in many countries.

Press release:
< http://www.net-security.org/text/press/982725334,11543,.shtml >

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BALTIMORE TECHNOLOGIES CHOSEN BY EORIGINAL - [21.02.2001]

Baltimore Technologies, a global leader in e-security, announced it has 
been chosen by eOriginal, the leading provider of Electronic Negotiable 
Instrument Software Solutions, to be included in the development of a 
trusted security infrastructure for the real estate financing, equipment 
and vehicle leasing, and the trade and transportation industries. Baltimore's 
award winning technology will enable eOriginal to deliver a secure and trusted 
environment for eOriginal's business partners to execute critical transactions, 
and trade or transfer legally enforceable electronic negotiable instruments and 
securities such as electronic mortgages, leases, bills of lading, letters of credit, 
regulatory filings and stock certificates.

Press release:
< http://www.net-security.org/text/press/982755394,25511,.shtml >

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ZERO-KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS INTRODUCES PRIVACY EYE - [21.02.2001]

Study after study indicates that consumers value their privacy, but they are 
often unaware of personal privacy intrusions and unsure of how to protect 
themselves. To empower individuals with valuable privacy information, 
Zero-Knowledge Systems today introduced Privacy Eye, a digital source of 
privacy news and commentary edited by author, journalist and privacy expert 
Tom Maddox. Whether they are average citizens with questions and concerns 
or informed privacy advocates, readers of Privacy Eye will find valuable privacy 
resources from the Web site (http://privacy.zeroknowledge.com/privacyeye/), 
including:
* Expert commentary on privacy issues from Editor-in-Chief Tom Maddox
* The most recent privacy headlines
* Information about how consumers can protect their privacy online

Press release:
< http://www.net-security.org/text/press/982848200,50350,.shtml >

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CISCO TEAMS UP WITH VIGILANTE - [22.02.2001]

The E-Business Security Forum 2001 is organized by Cisco and associated 
companies involved in the European data security market (VIGILANTe, RSA, 
MIMEsweeper, Arthur Andersen, Websence, Netforensics, Tripwire). The goal 
of the roadshow is to bring together speakers from a variety of technology, 
consulting and related backgrounds to provide customers with a clear set of 
perspectives on how to secure their data networks in the E-Business world. 
The roadshow is FREE for all attendees and will be visiting a total of 12 
European cities over the course of 3 weeks during Feb-Mar 2001. Be one 
of the expected 2,500 people to experience this exciting and informative 
event!

Press release:
< http://www.net-security.org/text/press/982851597,49360,.shtml >

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ODYSSEY - DEPLOYING CA'S UNICENTER TNG - [22.02.2001]

Computer Associates International, Inc. announced that Odyssey Technology, 
Inc. (Odyssey), an innovative developer of IT-focused business solutions for 
the retail industry, is deploying CA's Unicenter TNG to manage a revolutionary 
turnkey Web-based marketing solution. By providing a fully integrated solution 
for controlling Odyssey's highly dynamic eBusiness infrastructure, Unicenter 
TNG will ensure a highly available and secure environment in which consumers, 
retailers, manufacturers and national brands can conveniently exchange 
information and efficiently conduct transactions.

Press release:
< http://www.net-security.org/text/press/982852099,26710,.shtml >

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SAFENET - SECURE 3 REMOTE ACCESS PROGRAM - [22.02.2001]

SafeNet, Inc., a leading provider of Internet security technology that is the de 
facto standard in the VPN industry, today announced the introduction of the 
SafeNet Secure 3 Program. Through this program, preferred customers can be 
assured that they have continued access to SafeNet's industry-leading remote 
access client software. Program participants will get SafeNet's new product, 
SoftRemote, which includes several important new features like support of 
industry-standard Smart Cards, full-featured personal firewall capabilities, 
centralized management, and enhanced interoperability. In addition, preferred 
customers will have the ability to input into the future direction of SoftRemote.

Press release:
< http://www.net-security.org/text/press/982875227,80539,.shtml >

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TUMBLEWEED GRANTED PATENT FOR PRIVATE URLS - [23.02.2001]

Tumbleweed Communications Corp., a leading provider of mission critical 
messaging solutions, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark 
Office granted the company patent no. 6,192,407, which protects private, 
trackable URLs for directed document delivery. The private URL technology 
is included in Tumbleweed Integrated Messaging ExchangeTM (IMETM), a 
platform and set of applications for creating secure communications 
channels between a business and its customers, partners, and suppliers.
Tumbleweed IME generates a private URL for each secure delivery. The 
private URL that IME creates is unique, tied to the sender of the package 
or transaction, to the content being sent, and to the intended recipient. 
In practice, the private URL binds the recipient's e-mail identity to the 
content being sent, assuring that the information being sent is delivered 
only to the intended recipient. The private URL also binds a recipient's 
e-mail identity to an on-line transaction, facilitating authentication for 
both business-to-consumer and business-to-business online commerce.

Press release:
< http://www.net-security.org/text/press/982910862,83436,.shtml >

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CAMELOT'S NETWORK INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY - [24.02.2001]

Camelot today announced the launch of Hark! automated access control solution 
into the marketplace. Based on groundbreaking Network Intelligence technology, 
Hark! solves the problem of defining, managing and enforcing access control in 
today's interconnected e-business world. Developed by Israel-based Camelot, 
the Network Intelligence technology utilizes proprietary, advanced discovery 
algorithms to analyze network events and deduct the functional structure of 
an organization, extracting and mapping the relationship between users and 
various network resources.

Press release:
< http://www.net-security.org/text/press/983031879,1997,.shtml >

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Featured books
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The HNS bookstore is located at:
http://net-security.org/various/bookstore

Suggestions for books to be included into our bookstore 
can be sent to staff@net-security.org

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INFORMATION SECURITY RISK ANALYSIS

Risk is a cost of doing business. The question is, "What are the risks, and
what are their costs?" Knowing the vulnerabilities and threats that face 
your organization's information and systems is the first essential step in 
risk management. This book shows you how to use cost-effective risk 
analysis techniques to identify and quantify the threats - both accidental 
and purposefu - that your organization faces. You can find books that 
cover risk analysis for financial, environmental, and even software projects, 
but you will find none that apply risk analysis to information technology and 
business continuity planning or deal with issues of loss of systems configuration, 
passwords, information loss, system integrity, CPU cycles, bandwidth, and more. 
Information Security Risk Analysis shows you how to determine cost effective 
solutions for your organization's information technology.

Book:
< http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0849308801/netsecurity >

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SECURITY ENGINEERING: A GUIDE TO BUILDING DEPENDABLE DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS

The first quick reference guide to the do's and don'ts of creating high quality 
security software. Ross Anderson, one of the world's foremost authorities on 
security design for such companies as Microsoft, Intel, and VISA, presents a 
comprehensive security design tutorial that covers the complete suite of 
security applications referred to as "end2end" security. Designed to meet a 
growing, critical need among today's programmers, most of whom have no 
security training but need to build better "mousetraps", this book illustrates 
basic concepts of security engineering through real-world examples, including 
system design successes and failures. It provides security designs tips, tricks, 
and, sometimes, even secrets from military and medical records to Internet 
intrusion detection and burglar alarms. The author explains how to use a wide 
range of security tools, including cryptography, DES, AES, Skipjack, Unix 
passwords, hash functions, stream ciphers, and public keys to build secure, 
crime-fighting, virus-proof security systems for industry.

Book:
< http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471389226/netsecurity >

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CRYPTOGRAPHY AND E-COMMERCE: A WILEY TECH BRIEF

Cryptography basics for non-technical managers working with e-business 
products and services. With more and more companies vying for e-commerce 
market share, the competitive edge belongs to those who can offer the best 
and most secure services over the Internet. This book offers a handy, quick 
reference guide to cryptography--the enabling technology for secure Internet
based transactions. The author takes the mystery out of the math, injects 
humor, and provides clear, easy-to-understand explanations and case studies. 
Graff responds to the growing need among managerial and sales and marketing 
staff for a brief, non-technical version of Bruce Schneier's Applied Cryptography. 
The author draws on a successful presentations given at Cylink, Amdahl, Wells 
Fargo, KPMG Peat Marwick, Deliotte & Touche, and NetReliance.Topics covered 
include keys & management, Kerberos, Window 2000 security, PKI, cryptography 
protocols, certificates, digital signatures, and government policy.

Book:
< http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471405744/netsecurity >

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THE INTERNET SECURITY GUIDEBOOK: FROM PLANNING TO DEPLOYMENT

This book provides a complete analysis of an enterprise's Internet security. 
Strategies, steps, and procedures for conducting business securely on the 
Internet are discussed and reviewed. Very few organizations take the 
needed precautions to protect their Internet enterprise. Protection is 
not simply a firewall or technology; it is a strategy that encompasses 
risk, trust, business goals, security processes, and technology. The 
holistic approach offered in this book evaluates security needs in relation 
to business goals and the current attacks on the global Internet. The goal 
of The Internet Security Guidebook is to protect the business-computing 
environment by keeping our online enterprises functioning correctly and 
securely. Unlike other books available, this book contains a complete guide 
to Internet security that is accessible to both novices and computer 
professionals. The specific steps discussed and illustrated show the reader 
how to implement security from the individual process to the complete 
corporate enterprise. The reader will also learn about resources that can 
help such as the CERT, the FBI, and even their own software vendors.

Book:
< http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0122374711/netsecurity >

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INFORMATION HIDING: STEGANOGRAPHY AND WATERMARKING - ATTACKS 
AND COUNTERMEASURES (ADVANCES IN INFORMATION SECURITY, VOLUME 1)

This book deals with information hiding. With the proliferation of multimedia on 
the Internet, information hiding addresses two areas of concern: privacy of 
information from surveillance (steganography) and protection of intellectual 
property (digital watermarking). Steganography (literally, covered writing) 
explores methods to hide the existence of hidden messages. These methods 
include invisible ink, microdot, digital signature, covert channel, and spread 
spectrum communication. Digital watermarks represent a commercial application 
of steganography. Watermarks can be used to track the copyright and ownership 
of electronic media. In this volume, the authors focus on techniques for hiding 
information in digital media. They analyze the hiding techniques to uncover their 
limitations. These limitations are employed to devise attacks against hidden 
information. The goal of these attacks is to expose the existence of a secret 
message or render a digital watermark unusable. In assessing these attacks, 
countermeasures are developed to assist in protecting digital watermarking 
systems.

Book:
< http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0792372042/netsecurity >

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Security Software
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All programs are located at:
http://net-security.org/various/software

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AVX FOR ICQ

AVX for ICQ is a FREE utility which uses new technology to intercept; filter, 
and virus scan all files sent during an ICQ chat session. The new proprietary 
technology incorporates features found on enterprise-class corporate firewalls. 
AVX for ICQ uses the same powerful virus protection scan engine incorporated 
into the AntiVirus eXpert Professional (AVX), a full-featured virus protection 
application for desktops.

Info/Download:
< http://www.net-security.org/various/software/983140894,72643,windows.shtml >

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SAFEMAIL V.2.1

SafeMail allows you to communicate and exchange information securely with 
other people. Based on well known standards, SafeMail will allow you to easily 
"digitally sign" all messages and files. SafeMail protects your data against any 
prying eyes while your messages travel trough the Internet. In addition, 
SafeMail automatically compresses messages and files thus saving valuable 
transmission time.

Info/Download:
< http://www.net-security.org/various/software/982874633,89644,mac.shtml >

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OPENSSH 2.5.1P1

This is a Linux/portable port of OpenBSD's excellent OpenSSH. OpenSSH is 
based on the last free version of Tatu Ylonen's SSH with all patent-encumbered 
algorithms removed, all known security bugs fixed, new features reintroduced, 
and many other clean-ups. Changes: Added support for RSA pubkeys, Agent 
forwarding, remote forwarding, and SFTP. Also includes many bug fixes.

Info/Download:
< http://www.net-security.org/various/software/983140424,48189,linux.shtml >

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PASSVAULT 3.1

PassVault is a database that will enable you to keep your all your Passwords, 
Account Numbers, PIN Numbers, Locker Combinations, Credit Card Numbers 
and more in a consolidated place.

Info/Download:
< http://www.net-security.org/various/software/983140266,5770,windows.shtml >

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NMAP 2.54 BETA 19

Nmap is a utility for port scanning large networks, although it works fine for 
single hosts. Sometimes you need speed, other times you may need stealth. 
In some cases, bypassing firewalls may be required. Not to mention the fact 
that you may want to scan different protocols (UDP, TCP, ICMP, etc.). Nmap 
supports Vanilla TCP connect() scanning, TCP SYN (half open) scanning, TCP 
FIN, Xmas, or NULL (stealth) scanning, TCP ftp proxy (bounce attack) scanning, 
SYN/FIN scanning using IP fragments (bypasses some packet filters), TCP ACK 
and Window scanning, UDP raw ICMP port unreachable scanning, ICMP scanning 
(ping-sweep), TCP Ping scanning, Direct (non portmapper) RPC scanning, Remote 
OS Identification by TCP/IP Fingerprinting, and Reverse-ident scanning. Nmap 
also supports a number of performance and reliability features such as dynamic 
delay time calculations, packet timeout and retransmission, parallel port scanning, 
detection of down hosts via parallel pings.

Info/Download:
< http://www.net-security.org/various/software/983140545,60712,linux.shtml >

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Defaced archives
------------------------

[20.02.2001] - Iraki Satellite Television
Original: http://www.irakitv.com/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/20/www.irakitv.com/

[20.02.2001] - Kolinska
Original: http://www.kolinska.si/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/20/www.kolinska.si/

[20.02.2001] - Pension Fund of America
Original: http://www.pensionfundofamerica.com/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/20/www.pensionfundofamerica.com/

[20.02.2001] - Laser Technology
Original: http://www.laser-printer-tech.com/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/20/www.laser-printer-tech.com/

[20.02.2001] - Tatung Netherlands
Original: http://www.tatung.nl/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/20/www.tatung.nl/

[20.02.2001] - ICQ Groups
Original: http://groups.icq.com/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/20/groups.icq.com/

[21.02.2001] - Adidas de Mexico
Original: http://www.adidas.com.mx/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/21/www.adidas.com.mx/

[21.02.2001] - Best Buy Internet
Original: http://www.bestbuyinternet.com/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/21/www.bestbuyinternet.com/

[21.02.2001] - Internet Communication Network
Original: http://klaatu.fusive.com/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/21/klaatu.fusive.com/

[21.02.2001] - Toshiba International Corporation
Original: http://www.toshiba.com.au/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/21/www.toshiba.com.au/

[21.02.2001] - Hacker (HK)
Original: http://www.hacker.com.hk/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/21/www.hacker.com.hk/

[21.02.2001] - Kentucky State Government
Original: http://kydisweb1.state.ky.us/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/21/kydisweb1.state.ky.us/

[22.02.2001] - Governo do Estado de Sao Paulo
Original: http://www.procon.sp.gov.br/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/22/www.procon.sp.gov.br/

[22.02.2001] - Le Ministre de l'Agriculture
Original: http://www.agr.gouv.qc.ca/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/22/www.agr.gouv.qc.ca/

[22.02.2001] - Hewlett-Packard Company
Original: http://www.netserver.hp.com/
Defaced: http://www.attrition.org/mirror/attrition/2001/02/22/www.netserver.hp.com/

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