WASHINGTON DC - Two U.S. senators introduced legislation late last month that calls for naming a national cybersecurity adviser who reports directly to the president and who would have the authority to disconnect federal or critical infrastructure networks from the Internet if they were deemed to be at risk of attack. This proposed legislation comes
SAN FRANCISCO - The Cloud Security Alliance, whose founding members include eBay, PGP, and Qualys, is seeking to promote the best ways to secure cloud computing and outline how to use cloud computing for the protection of other types of computing. "The very nature of how businesses use information technology is being transformed by the
WASHINGTON DC - Two Senators are attempting to curb unsolicited text messages with a bill to strengthen government oversight of commercial texts. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) this month introduced the m-SPAM Act, which would strictly prohibit commercial text messages to wireless numbers listed on the Do Not Call registry. The bill
REDMOND - Hackers have launched attacks targeting an unpatched flaw in Microsoft PowerPoint, the company warned last week. The vulnerability, which affects Microsoft Office 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, and 2003 SP3, can be exploited by getting a person to open a PowerPoint file rigged for the attack. When the file is opened, PowerPoint will access
WASHINGTON DC - Smarter is not always better-at least when it comes to utilities. More than a decade after initial reports said critical infrastructure in the U.S. is vulnerable to cyberattack, the situation has only worsened as utilities move their control systems closer to the Internet and install smart-grid technology, according to security experts. Questions
SOUTHFIELD - To have a successful information security program, you must first visualize the successful program. The first person you must sell, before your boss, is yourself. The April 16 meeting of the Motor City Chapter of ISSA look at ways to sell that message. The session also will discuss establishing a short-term goal, achieving
LANSING - Gov. Jennifer Granholm has ordered departments to take better care of personal information, creating the Information Privacy Protection Council to oversee those efforts. She made the Parole Board, eventually, smaller and the Great Lakes Wind Council larger. The IPPC (Executive Order ), created in the Department of Information Technology and led by the
LANSING - Rep. Paul Opsommer (R-DeWitt) said Monday the governor's newly created Information Privacy Protection Council and the chief privacy officer should review the state's memorandum of agreement with the federal government regarding enhanced driver's licenses, arguing the use of radio frequency identification chips poses a privacy risk. The Legislature approved the enhanced driver's license
WASHINGTON DC - The Supreme Court won't consider reinstating Virginia's antispam law, among the nation's toughest in banning unsolicited emails. The court Monday said it will leave in place a ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court that the law was unconstitutional because it prohibited political, religious and other messages in addition to commercial solicitations. Virginia
MOUNTAIN VIEW - There's been lots of hype about the fact that the latest variant of the Conficker worm is set to start communicating with other computers on the Internet on April 1 - like a bad April Fool's joke. But security researchers say the reality is probably going to be more like what happened