Michael Gracie

BT acquired Counterpane Systems, noting…

“Counterpane is a welcome addition to BT’s global professional services community. As more and more of our customers seek to exploit the opportunities of globalisation, we are finding that increasingly business critical applications are dependent upon the resilience and security of their infrastructure. “

In separate news, Bruce Schneier, former CEO of Counterpane, will be blogging from Fiji, until April.

A trojan was recently found that installs it’s own anti-virus scanner. On top of that, the virus uses peer-to-peer technology to communicate with other infected computers. Jon Stewart (no, not the comedian turned political pundit) a researcher at SecureWorks, noted:

“This the first time I’ve seen this done. [It] gets points for originality.”

“SpamThru” installs a pirated copy of Kaspersky AntiVirus for WinGate, which then deletes competing malware to free up system resources for SpamThru’s email barrage.

Can’t malware just get along? How inconsiderate.

Symantec and McAfee are fighting for not only their lives, but getting embarrassed as well. C|Net Australia reports that the companies may fall into the same trap as Netscape, being market leaders, and then, well, getting pummeled by Microsoft.

Personally, I don’t think Microsoft wields that kind of influence anymore (or Firefox wouldn’t continue to make gains). But, if the company ever does get its act in gear regarding security, Symantec and McAfee may have to re-invent themselves in a way. Nonetheless, the argument has been made before, and I doubt anyone is going to be holding their breath when Vista arrives.

(h/t to Slashdot)

PS: A show of hands - is anyone even going to buy Vista? Or a Dell with Vista on it?

Over dinner Friday, a friend noted how she would never carry a “swipe-able” credit card in her purse (I didn’t start that conversation, thanks). “Anyone with a handheld scanner could run around the mall, waving it around near purses and “mens’ backsides” and grab a ton of credit card information, then go shopping themselves.”

It seems researchers have the same idea.

Hell, who needs researchers anyway. This gal just, last week, discovered eBay.
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Internet Explorer 7 came out, and security experts were quick to jump on it. Flaws were immediately found, and now Microsoft is backpedalling like a bunch of politicians.

“These reports are technically inaccurate: the issue concerned in these reports is not in Internet Explorer 7 (or any other version) at all. Rather, it is in a different Windows component, specifically a component in Outlook Express. While these reports use Internet Explorer as a vector the vulnerability itself is in Outlook Express.”

The company must obviously be doing their IE development on Linux, where Outlook Express is nowhere to be found.

Techdirt noted that Mac users probably don’t need to worry much about security for a while, despite what CNN says. After viruses were discovered on the backs of iPods, CNN decided it was a risk to Macs even though the infection was of the usual Windows variety.

No wonder I don’t even have cable.

You hear a lot of chatter about the Russian mob, Brazil cartels, and, of course, the Nigerians, pulling email scams. Maybe the media in the US doesn’t care enough to pay attention.

So, here you go:

Federal prosecutors in Delaware claim to have snagged a “phisherman.” In an 18-count indictment unsealed Wednesday, John T. Brothers III, 31, of Marshallton, is accused of using bogus e-mails to get personal information from victims, which he then used to make unauthorized credit card purchases.

Thanks to the Delaware’s The News Journal for the evidence.

Now, quit pointing fingers!

After getting sued and not bothering to show up in court, the blacklist to beat all blacklists was slapped with a default judgement.

Spamhaus said they weren’t going to pay the $11+ million judgement, so their opponent asked ICANN to delete their domain. No dice.

Spamhaus runs a little interference, and then decides to head to court.

Now, a judge has said the court won’t try to force the issue on Spamhaus’s domain registrar, Tucows.

When is e360 going to get the hint? After their lawyers own their company?

I am not a lawyer. Let’s repeat, I am not a lawyer. But I am not a criminal (as far as I know), and I am a laptop encryption user (and a fervent believer in it). Now, I am going to opine on a story…

A guy, one Joseph Edward Duncan II, is accused of murder and kidnapping (i.e. the parents were murdered, and the children were kidnapped). The FBI confiscated a laptop of his, and despite their best efforts, they can’t crack its encryption.

The computer key may provide Duncan some negotiating leverage in the next few weeks when authorities file federal charges that are expected to carry the death penalty. ‘Federal authorities are going to attempt to execute my client,’ said Roger Peven, Duncan’s federal public defender. ‘This is something I’d be happy to talk with federal authorities about.’ Peven is the only person other than Duncan to have seen some of the contents of the laptop. He has declined to say what he saw on the computer.

What is right with this picture is that encryption works. If you are storing sensitive personal and business documents on your machine, I’d bet a thief is not going to get into it any easier that the FBI, if properly encrypted. What a great system.

What is wrong with that picture? Well, this human (if you can call him that), killed a family so he could kidnap a couple of innocent kids to satisfy his sick sexual desires. Authorities found one dead child and another in a terrible state. Duncan plead guilty. Now his lawyer, who has seen the laptop contents, is using the laptop as leverage to keep Duncan alive.

Very sad system indeed.

According to, well what might be the strangest report I have heard this month, a small number of Apple’s iPods shipped with….are you sitting down… a Windows virus acquired on the manufacturing floor.

Please, don’t ask. I don’t have a clue. I am in shock and awe right now - it is like something out the Dustin Hoffman movie Outbreak. Windows viruses are now iPod-borne!