Vista contest offers cash for exploits

Vista contest offers cash for exploits

A US security firm is offering up to US$72,000 in bounties for the development of working exploits for Microsoft's Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7.

IDefense has launched its latest Quarterly Vulnerability Challenge which offers researchers up to US$8,000 for reporting a working vulnerability allowing for remote code execution.

An additional US$2,000 to US$4,000 is available if the researcher can also deliver a working exploit.

Read more here

Schools urged not to install Windows Vista

Schools urged not to install Windows Vista

The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) has recommended that schools hold off upgrading to Windows Vista and Office 2007, citing no important benefits and a lot of extra costs.

Becta's interim report on Vista and Office 2007 said that upgrading to Vista would cost a primary school around £4,000 and a secondary school up to £25,000, but that there is nothing in the two applications that is a "must have".

Read more here

PCI Express 2.0 released

PCI Express 2.0 released

The PCI SIG, overseer of the PCI Express add-in card standard, has finalised version 2.0 of the base specification. The new released doubles the signalling rate from 2.5Gbps to 5Gbps. The upshot: a x16 connector can transfer data at up to around 16GBps.

PCIe 2.0 remains compatible with PCIe 1.1, until now, the latest version of the specification, so older cards will be able to operate in machines equipped with the new version. Intel is expected to release its first PCIe 2.0 supporting chipsets, members of the 'Bearlake' family, next quarter.

Read more here

Cisco Betas New CCIE Security Written Exam

Cisco Betas New CCIE Security Written Exam

Cisco is releasing another beta for its line of Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) "written" exams -- the standard-format prequalification exams that qualify candidates for related CCIE hands-on labs.

Last month, the company held a beta test for its new CCIE Routing & Switching exam, and now the company is holding a beta for its written CCIE Security exam.

Read more here

Longhorn Server Revealed: Group Policy Enhancements

Longhorn Server Revealed: Group Policy Enhancements

January 12, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Longhorn Server, due to be released later this year, is a major revision of Microsoft’s flagship server operating system. In this article, I’ll look at the most significant enhancements to Group Policy (GP) in Longhorn Server.

Read the rest here

Fedora 6 Live CD Released

Fedora 6 Live CD Released

After lots of feedback, bug fixing and testing of the beta live CD announced 3 weeks ago, I'm pleased to announce the first official Fedora live CD. This live CD is based on packages from the Fedora Core 6 (codenamed "Zod") and Fedora Extras package collections and is such 100% free software. At a glance, the live CD features:

Click here to read more and download the ISO

New Year, New Vista Exam Beta

New Year, New Vista Exam Beta

Microsoft has released 70-624 TS: Deploying and Maintaining Vista Client and Office System 2007 Desktops into beta testing. According to the exam objective guide, the exam actually was put into beta testing on Dec. 18, with testing to end Jan. 10. Exam 70-624, which is labeled 71-624 while in beta, is a requirement for the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Deploying and Maintaining Vista Client and Office System 2007 Desktops. Unlike other Vista exams, though, this one covers a wide range of technologies that Microsoft expects candidates to be well prepared in implementing: Windows SharePoint Services, Web administration with IIS, ISA Server, SQL Server 2000/2005 administration, as well as others.

Find the whole story at CertCities.com.

For Windows Vista Security, Microsoft Called in Pros

For Windows Vista Security, Microsoft Called in Pros" />

For Windows Vista Security, Microsoft Called in Pros

When Microsoft introduces its long-awaited Windows Vista operating system this month, it will have an unlikely partner to thank for making its flagship product safe and secure for millions of computer users across the world: the National Security Agency.
For the first time, the giant software maker is acknowledging the help of the secretive agency, better known for eavesdropping on foreign officials and, more recently, U.S. citizens as part of the Bush...

Hot Jobs & Skills for 2007

Hot Jobs & Skills for 2007

2007 promises to be a strong year for IT job seekers with the right technical skill sets. The first wave of baby boomers turned 60 in 2006, and while these IT veterans are beginning to retire, the number of people entering the computer field is declining rapidly. According to the Education Research Institute at UCLA, interest among prospective students in computer science as a major dropped 70 percent between 2001 and 2005. This massive decline in the supply of future IT workers, combined with the aging IT population, might spell trouble for U.S. global competitiveness down the road. But it’s good news for techies who wish to move up within their IT departments or for those who seek entry-level IT jobs...

Find out which IT jobs and skills Certification Magazine predicts will be...

How many Wi-Fi security sensors should you install?

How many Wi-Fi security sensors should you install?

If you are planning to deploy a Wi-Fi intrusion detection/prevention system, how do you know where to place your sensors and how many of them to install? Sensors, of course, are the distributed wireless devices that continually scan all Wi-Fi channels. They are looking for unauthorized devices that might be connected to your network, exposing it to denial-of-service attacks and malicious hacking. So do you just toss a few sensors up in the ceiling, cross your fingers, and hope for the best? That’s one approach. Consider, though, that you’ll want your facility fairly well blanketed with sensor coverage, which might actually entail installing more sensors than you have access points (AP).

The rest of the story is at NetworkWorld.com.