I do not allow people to use Telnet on servers that I manage, because usernames and passwords are transmitted over the network as clear text. As concerned about security as people are, I am surprised at peoples’ insistence on using FTP. FTP, a network protocol that also transmits password information as clear text, continues to […]
All things mechanical will fail. A lack of sound disaster recovery procedures should keep a knowledgeable IT administrator awake at night. Measures to prevent data loss are needed by many recovery scenarios and are a worthwhile vehicle to discuss the overall need to practice disaster recovery procedures. Data backups are a key component of disaster […]
Terror originates from many sources, including those who are privileged to serve the public or outraged by the government. American fixation on the belief that Arab peoples are the primary source of terrorism is very troubling and misguided. Politicians want people to believe that barring a company, which is headquartered within the United Arab Emirates, […]
Paul Roberts uncovers H&R Block’s mismanagement of social security numbers in H&R Block Mailing Reveals Customers’ SSNs. The leak was attributed to user error, but the blunder is most likely due to ill-implemented software. After all, software is responsible for printing the labels that are used for these software packages and for assessing their marketing […]
Wired.com has an Associated Press article that discusses the NSA’s Lamest Spy Tool: Cookies. The first sentence in the article claims “the National Security Agency’s internet site has been placing files on visitors’ computers that can track their web-surfing activity,” without bringing up any of these files’ limitations. Articles like the one featured on Wired.com […]