Computer Security

[Alaskansnowbirds]

Don?t know how many of you are listening to Podcasts. I have been listening to one called Security Now. It is Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson discussing computer security. They talk about anything and everything having to do with computer security. They are around 30 minutes each and come out once a week. There are several where they talk about wireless security and how to set up your network so others can share the internet connection but not have access to your machines.

You can find them at    http://www.grc.com/securitynow.htm

 

[Ron]

Thanks Don looks interesting.

 

[John From Detroit]

There was recently (Halloween and most of November) a big blow up over Sony Using a copy protection scheme on many of it's newest CD's which involved some stealth technology called "Root-kit"

Basically a Root Kit is a chunk of software that gets it's name from the days of Unix where the ROOT privlidges can do things nobody else can... With windows generally the owner of the machine has Root privlidges (It is more secure if you create a 2nd account wi/o root privliges and use it)

The Root kit installs itself in a way that prevents windows from even knowing it's there or letting you see it is there, and it can (and does) take up computer time, thus reducing performance, and can mess your system up in other ways... What's more once such a kit is installed... Others, who know how (Read that HACKERS) can take advantage of it to install even more stuff you can't find on your computer (And so they have)

The media and most of the usenet traffic makes it sound like Sony's was the first.

Steve talked about them a full two weeks before Halloween, and my security software slapped one at least a week before halloween... And I have not purchased a SONY cd in a long (years) time

By the way... I strongly suggest not buying any SONY or BMG cd due to the posibility of this crap.  Loss of sales is the one thing that ALL publishers of software will understand  big time

Law suites... Well that's why they hire lawyers.... But no sales... That hurts

 

[Ned]

If you use iTiunes, you can subscribe to Security Now and have it automatically download each episode as it becomes available. ?Some RSS readers will also do that.