Explaining WPA2

Explaining WPA2

In April 2003, the Wi-Fi Alliance introduced an interoperable security protocol known as WiFi Protected Access (WPA), based on draft 3 of the IEEE 802.11i amendment. WPA was designed to be a replacement for WEP networks without requiring hardware replacements, using a subset IEEE 802.11i amendment. Organizations who adopt WPA can take advantage of the following features...

To find out the differences between WPA and WPA2, click Here.

Microsoft blesses Datacenter users with limitless OS copies

Microsoft blesses Datacenter users with limitless OS copies

Microsoft, of all companies, continues to lead the way with free and loose licensing terms around server virtualization software and multi-core processors.

As of Oct 1, Windows Server Datacenter Edition operating system customers will have the right to run "an unlimted number of virtualized Windows Server instances." This policy applies to licenses covering new servers and previous licenses upgraded with new version rights. All told, it means that you pay to run Windows Server Datacenter Edition on a server with a set number of processors and can then divvy that box up with any combination of Windows Server Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition and/or Datacenter Edition without needing to count the number of virtual machines being created or pay for extra Windows Server licenses.....

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CompTIA Security+ to be refreshed

CompTIA Security+ to be refreshed

CompTIA has begun the process to refresh the content of the CompTIA Security+ exam. The goal of the content refresh is to make the exam more accurately reflect security issues faced by the IT industry today. CompTIA Security+ validates knowledge of communication security, infrastructure security, cryptography, operational security and general security concepts. The refresh will include changes to the test questions only; the exam objectives will not change. CompTIA Security+ is still a relevant and even vital certification for those looking to work in any aspect of IT security.

Read the rest of this article at CompTIA.org

Microsoft to lock pirates out of Vista PCs

Microsoft to lock pirates out of Vista PCs

"Windows Vista will have new antipiracy technology that locks people out their PCs if the operating system isn't activated within 30 days after installation.

If Vista is not activated with a legitimate product registration key in time, the system will run in "reduced functionality mode" until it is activated, said Thomas Lindeman, a senior product manager at Microsoft. In this mode, people will be able to use a Web browser for up to an hour, after which time the system will log them out, he said...."

Read the full article here.

-Ken

The Impact of CompTIA’s A+ Changes

The Impact of CompTIA’s A+ Changes

We’ve received a lot of questions via e-mail in recent weeks, all of which basically asking what the changes to the CompTIA A+ certification are all about. We at Certification Magazine are only too happy to help: Here’s a rundown of how the new A+ differs from the old and what the transition means for certification candidates...Under the previous version of CompTIA’s A+, there were two exams that covered principles of hardware and software. With the newest iteration, the content of the hardware and software tests have been more or less combined in a single exam: CompTIA A+ Essentials.

Read the entire essay at Certification Magazine

Tesco moves into the software market

Tesco Moves into the software market

Tesco is to launch a range of budget own-brand PC software, in a move that will pitch the grocery giant against the likes of Microsoft and Symantec.

Tesco said it would offer six packages, including office software, security systems and a photo editing tool.

Britain's biggest retailer said each title would cost less than £20, challenging what it described as the current "high" price of PC software.

Read the rest here.

Security pros patch older Windows versions

Security pros patch older Windows versions

A group of security professionals has released a patch to repair a serious flaw in older Windows versions for which Microsoft no longer provides security updates. The group, which calls itself the Zeroday Emergency Response Team, or ZERT, created the patch so users of Windows versions that are no longer officially supported can protect their PCs against increasing attacks that utilize a recently disclosed Windows flaw. The vulnerability, first reported last week, lies in a Windows component called "vgx.dll." This component supports Vector Markup Language (VML) graphics in the operating system. Malicious software can be loaded, unbeknownst to the user, onto a vulnerable PC when the user clicks on a malicious link on a Web site or an e-mail message.

Read the rest of the article at news.com

Exploit Code Published for Unpatched IE Vulnerability

Exploit Code Published for Unpatched IE Vulnerability

Malware researcher H.D. Moore, co-founder of the Metasploit Framework, has published software exploit code meant to prove that a vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser that he first publicized in July remains unpatched and capable of being attacked. According to Moore, and other security researchers including Copenhagen, Denmark-based Secunia, the IE-borne vulnerability has been confirmed as legitimate on Windows computers running Internet Explorer 6.0 and Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Read the entire story at eWeek.com

OpenSSL hit by forgery bug

OpenSSL hit by forgery bug

Security researchers have demonstrated a way to bypass OpenSSL security restrictions by forging certain digital signatures, the OpenSSL project has warned. OpenSSL is used in many security products, secure Web servers and virtual private networks (VPNs).

SSL (secure sockets layer) is used to secure e-commerce transactions, among other purposes....

To read the rest of the article, click here...

Three Linux Book Reviews in one

Three Linux Book Reviews in one

Linux Magazine has just published three of my book reviews. The books are:

SELinux by Example
Sams Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML and CSS in One Hour a Day
Ubuntu Linux for Non-Geeks

I've attached a pdf of the reviews to this post for your review. You can also download a copy for yourself Here.