Cisco Announces CCIE Security Lab Revamp.....

<img border="0" src="../logos/cisco.gif" align="right"><font size="3">Cisco Announces CCIE Security Lab Revamp, Releases Blueprints for All Labs </font>
Last week Cisco Systems announced two changes to its high-level Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification program: a revamp of the CCIE Security lab, and new blueprints for all the credentials’ hands-on lab exams.

The Cisco Web site states that the Security lab exam content will be revised on Oct. 1 to make “much of the core routing and switching…preconfigured on the devices, giving the candidate much more time to work on security-specific technology.”

According to Cisco, more details on the new Security lab exam can be found within the new Security lab exam blueprints, one of several blueprints Cisco recently published for its CCIE lab exams.

Full Story: certcities.com

Everyone get to upgrade to XP SP2

<img border="0" src="../logos/xp.gif" align="right"><font size="3">Everyone get to upgrade to XP SP2 even cracked copies...</font>

Both legitimate and unlicensed users of Microsoft's XP operating system software will be able to download the Service Pack 2 security patch for free. Microsoft's increasing concern over information security has translated into its decision to bite the bullet and make its upcoming SP2 (Service Pack 2) security patch available to all users - including those using pirated copies of its Windows XP software.

Full Story: computertimes.com

Sasser suspect arrested in Germany

<img border="0" src="../logos/virus.gif" align="right"><font size="3">Sasser suspect arrested in Germany</font>

An 18-year-old high school student has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of creating the Sasser internet worm, police say. The worm spread through an estimated 18 million computers across the world last week, continually shutting down and rebooting them.

Police say the man was arrested in the northern German town of Rotenburg. Investigators were searching his parents' home, according to the German newspaper Bild. No further details have been given about the suspect, who was arrested on Friday.

Full Story: bbc.co.uk

UK to have near universal broadband coverage by summer 2005

<font size="3">UK to have near universal broadband coverage by summer 2005</font>

BT today announced plans to speed up the delivery of broadband services to rural communities. These plans will make the UK a world leader for broadband availability.

BT is to systematically rollout ADSL broadband to a further 1,128 exchanges by no later than summer 2005. This will help bring broadband to exchanges serving 99.6 per cent of UK homes and businesses.

BT Press Release

Texas D.A. Won't Prosecute Alleged Braindumper

<font size="3">Texas D.A. Won't Prosecute Alleged Braindumper</font>

The longest-standing criminal investigation of an alleged braindumper has come to an end without any charges being filed.

Almost two years ago, San Antonio police seized the business and personal assets of former TestKiller.com and TroyTec.com owner Garry Neale during a criminal investigation of a complaint made by Microsoft alleging that he sold Microsoft certification exam questions, in violation of Texas theft of trade secret statutes.

Full Story: certcities.com

Flaw Leaves Internet Open to Attacks

<font size="3">Flaw Leaves Internet Open to Attacks </font>

A security researcher has developed a new attack for a well-known flaw in the TCP protocol that allows an attacker to effectively shut down targeted routers and terminate existing TCP sessions at will. The scenario has many security experts worried, given the ubiquity of TCP and the fact that there's an attack tool already circulating on the Internet.

The basic problem lies in the fact that existing TCP sessions can be reset by sending specially crafted RST (reset) or Syn (synchronization) packets to either of the machines involved in the session. This is in fact an intended feature of the protocol.

Full Story: eweek.com

New Internet speed record set

<font size="3">New Internet speed record set</font>

The new record, announced Tuesday at the Spring 2004 Internet2 member meeting in Arlington, Va., was for transmitting data over nearly 11,000 kilometers at an average speed of 6.25 gigabits per second. This is nearly 10,000 times faster than a typical home broadband connection. The network link used to set the record reaches from Los Angeles to Geneva, Switzerland. Internet2 is a consortium of more than 200 universities working with industry and government to develop next-generation Internet technology. The Internet2's contest, which began in 2000, is open and ongoing, and it tests researchers' ability to build the highest-bandwidth, end-to-end Internet Protocol network.

Full Story: news.com

Teenager comes to Microsoft's aid

<font size="3">Teenager comes to Microsoft's aid</font>

A teenage computer whizz from Aberdeen has averted a potential crisis at software giant Microsoft. IT specialist Matt Thompson was barely out of college when he discovered a security glitch in Microsoft's Windows operating system.

The 19-year-old informed the company and worked with them for six months to solve the problem. But all he received for helping protect Microsoft from hackers was a mention on its website.

Mr Thompson discovered a flaw in the company's Jet Database Engine while carrying out work for a client at the firm where he works, Aberdeen IT. The bug allowed an attacker to take complete control of an affected system, install programs, and view, change, or delete data.

Mr Thompson said that he initially had difficulty convincing Microsoft it had a problem. He said: "At first I was put through to a load of different departments because they thought I...

New Web Protocol May Leave DSL in the Dust

<font size="3">New Web Protocol May Leave DSL in the Dust</font>

With the click of a BIC, speeding along the information superhighway may begin to feel like zooming down Germany's no-holds-barred Autobahn. BIC-TCP (binary increase congestion transmission control protocol) is a new data-transfer protocol that "makes today's high-speed digital subscriber line (DSL) connections seem lethargic," say computer science researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU).

In a recent Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) study, BIC-TCP "consistently topped the rankings in a set of experiments that determined its stability, scalability and fairness in comparison with other protocols," explained NCSU spokesperson Jon Pishney. SLAC researchers tested six other new protocols from such universities as the California Institute of Technology and University College, London. "BIC can achieve speeds roughly 6,000 times that of DSL and 150,000 times...

DVD Forum punts blue laser HD-DVD

DVD Forum punts blue laser HD-DVD

The DVD Forum has begun to promote its second-generation DVD specification to Taiwanese drive manufacturers.

The organisation, which oversees the DVD format, approved a blue laser-based format, to be called HD-DVD, last November. The technology came from Toshiba and NEC, rather than the Blu-ray format backed by Sony, Pioneer, Samsung, Matsushita Electric, Philips and others.

Unlike Blu-ray, the Toshiba/NEC system retains backwards compatibility with today's DVD specification, allowing HD-DVD machines to play older discs and ensuring disc manufacturers can more easily re-tool their production lines for the new format.

By contrast, Blu-ray requires all-new equipment. However, supporter companies are already offering Blu-ray machines. Sony shipped its pro-oriented rewriteable 23GB Professional Disc for Data (PDD) last December, and is preparing a second-generation 50GB consumer version which it will use in...