The bMighty Blog -- IT

Password Security: With Prosecutors Like This, Who Needs Rogue Administrators?

Posted by Keith Ferrell 02:23 PM ET | Jul 28, 2008

So the San Francisco District Attorney, building a case against the rogue administrator who shut down city network access, decided to include actual passwords as evidence. Bonehead decisions may not get much more boneheaded than this.

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DNS Woes: How Worried Should You Be? Pretty Dang Worried!

Posted by Keith Ferrell 12:21 PM ET | Jul 25, 2008

Yesterday's news that the first DNS attack strategies are circulating was no surprise: once a vulnerability -- large, small or in-between -- is discovered, the exploit code follows like rats nipping at the heels of the Pied Piper. The question is, how worried should you be about this particular vulnerability? Pretty worried, is my take.

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The "Consumerization" Of Business Intelligence

Posted by Fredric Paul 06:06 PM ET | Jul 24, 2008

You might think that business intelligence is the last software category to be affected by the trend toward consumer technology eclipsing its business equivalents. But according to the CEO of BI vendor QlikTech, it's already happening.

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Finance/Accounting | Hardware & Software | IT | Management | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

DNS Flaw Attacks Coming: Patch Now!!!

Posted by Keith Ferrell 11:28 AM ET | Jul 24, 2008

The first attackware strategies based on the widespread DNS flaw announced earlier this month have been spotted. If you haven't patched yet, do it now, before it's too late. (Some say it's already too late.)

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McAfee Says Small, Midsize Business Sweats Security Too Little. You Agree?

Posted by Keith Ferrell 04:15 PM ET | Jul 23, 2008

A new survey from security firm McAfee warns that small and midsize businesses don't consider themselves to be targets for cybercrime. Do their findings match your feelings? Let's hope not.

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Business & E-Business | IT | Internet/Web | Security | bMighty

Open-Source Support: The More You Know, The Better It Looks

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 01:49 PM ET | Jul 18, 2008

Open-source support has a problem: People who assume, for no good reason, that it has a problem.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Linux | Open Source | Services

San Francisco Network Lockout: Who Controls System Access -- And Who Controls The Controllers?

Posted by Keith Ferrell 11:39 AM ET | Jul 16, 2008

San Francisco's misadventures (to put it mildly) of being locked out of part of its own computer network by a disgruntled but password/access-controlling employee raises one of IT security's oldest and still thorniest questions: who has the authority to grant or deny system access, and who has authority over the authorizers?

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Crooks Making Less From Bank Data Look To Steal From Other Businesses (Including Yours)

Posted by Keith Ferrell 11:30 AM ET | Jul 15, 2008

Things are tough all over, as a new report on the drop in the value of stolen bank data shows. But as stolen bank info drops in price, you can bet that the crooks are going to be looking elsewhere to make up the difference. And small and midsize business data is definitely one of the elsewheres.

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Remote Offices, Remote Workers: Tech Tools to The Rescue

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:05 AM ET | Jul 15, 2008

It's time for small and midsize businesses to accept that at least some of their workers will be working remotely ý whether in satellite offices or from their home offices. Between rising gas prices, costs of maintaining central offices, and the increasing need (and desire) for flexibility, it's a trend that is not going away. But before your IT department starts to panic, check out this list of technologies for remote office support.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Networking & Communications | Technology/Telecom

Why Isn't Internet Infrastructure Security A Bigger Issue?

Posted by Keith Ferrell 11:14 AM ET | Jul 14, 2008

The ongoing debate and discussion about the domain name server vulnerability disclosed last week may be getting a bit of traction in the world beyond IT, but the size and potential seriousness of the problem ought to raise other questions: Namely, why the security of the Net itself, as well as its users, doesn't loom larger (or at all) on the campaign trails.

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New Media Trojan Exploits Bad Old Piracy, P2P Habits

Posted by Keith Ferrell 11:33 AM ET | Jul 11, 2008

A particularly aggressive new Trojan takes advantage of the oldest of vulnerabilities -- human nature. Hiding in pirate software sites, the Trojan infects the music and video files of illegal software seekers, then spreads when those files are peer-shared.

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Justice Breyer's Data Exposure A Reminder Of P2P File Risks

Posted by Keith Ferrell 12:24 PM ET | Jul 10, 2008

The news that Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's personal information was among thousands of other personal data files compromised as a result of a file-sharing snafu raises a couple of issues, chief among them whether or not peer-to-peer file sharing via public programs is ever appropriate for business info.

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Server Hijack Problem Prompts Unified Industry Response

Posted by Keith Ferrell 02:58 PM ET | Jul 9, 2008

The show of patch-unity displayed by many of the industry's major players in addressing a domain name sever flaw is gratifying -- and annoying too. Nice to see them working together. Nicer if we knew more about the problem they're working to fix.

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I'm a Mac, You're a Bad OS

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:50 AM ET | Jul 9, 2008

Microsoft is finally admitting that those "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads have had some impact on Vista's reputation and performance in the market. The software giant is planning to respond with a huge advertising campaign of its own -- which will not involve admitting that Vista is a bad OS.

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Apple | Hardware & Software | IT

Tips to Enjoy Your Summer Vacation

Posted by Paul Korzeniowski 05:20 AM ET | Jul 9, 2008

Chances are that a few days away from the office will invariably include some office tasks, such as answering your email. Given the advent of todayýs always connected technology, how does an IT executive get some well deserved down time?

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Watch your Back -- And Your Back-Office: Insider Threats More Than Double

Posted by Keith Ferrell 11:02 AM ET | Jul 7, 2008

Insider threats increased by more than 100 percent over the past year, according to a new report. The percentage of identity breaches attributed to insider crime or error far exceeds those caused by external hackers.

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Using Cloud Computing To Beat The Enterprise

Posted by Fredric Paul 02:32 PM ET | Jul 3, 2008

Many enterprises remain reluctant to embrace cloud computing. They have their reasons, but this could be a big opportunity for smaller companies.

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Cloud Computing | Hardware & Software | IT | Internet/Web

Player Beware: PS3 Site Hacks Can Game Your Systems

Posted by Keith Ferrell 05:15 PM ET | Jul 2, 2008

Whether or not you're a gamer, the detection of malware infestation on the Sony USA PlayStation Web site should give you pause. Compromises of popular commercial sites -- the sorts that employees and family members might visit, even if you don't -- are precisely the sort of thing that can have anything but a playful effect on your business.

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Mishandling Information Overload A Security and Legal Risk

Posted by Keith Ferrell 11:32 AM ET | Jul 1, 2008

Small and midsize businesses generate digital information a furious rate -- same as bigger business (and individuals, for that matter.) What to save and what to toss -- and the consequences of either -- looms large among security, business, compliance and fiduciary concerns. A new slideshow offers some interesting and provocative takes on taking out (and keeping in) the digital trash.

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Bad Economy Triggers Belt Tightening Or Record Spending

Posted by Benjamin Tomkins 09:46 AM ET | Jul 1, 2008

Right now, the economic outlook is bleak -- gas prices are up, the stock market is down, and on it goes. But how are smaller businesses responding in the face of discouraging forecasts and tightening resources? On the one hand, cost cutting is the mantra, telecommuting is up, travel is down, but then again, IT spending is at record levels.

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Security Spending: Dollars Up, Safety Down?

Posted by Keith Ferrell 10:02 AM ET | Jun 30, 2008

IT security is spending more to deliver less or, at best, hold the line against a growing threat universe, according to major new Informationweek survey.

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Central Office IT Neglects Mobile Security: CDW Survey

Posted by Keith Ferrell 01:28 PM ET | Jun 25, 2008

Mobile security is very much a moving target -- one that too many businesses are either missing or not aiming at altogether, according to a newly released study.

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Home is Where Your Employees Should Be

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:30 AM ET | Jun 24, 2008

It's 11 AM on a weekday morning, gas prices are soaring, and there are lots of affordable collaboration tools on the market. Do you know where your employees are? Better yet, do you know where your employees should be? Working from home.

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HR | Hardware & Software | IT

Social Media Hits Critical Mass: How Will Your Latest Hires Communicate?

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:27 PM ET | Jun 20, 2008

A recent study indicates that more than half of all adults rely on some form of social media to communicate not just with friends and family, but also with their colleagues. And in the 18 to 34 year old adult category (the adult term is used very loosely here) those numbers climb way higher. All this means one thing: Those new employees you are planning in hiring will be communicating in all sorts of different ways.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Networking & Communications

Security Staff Snoops: Who's Watching Your Watchers (And What Are Your Watchers Watching?)

Posted by Keith Ferrell 10:42 AM ET | Jun 20, 2008

Fully a third of IT staffers recently surveyed admitted to taking unauthorized, inappropriate, and often illegal looks at confidential files and e-mails. Maybe that lets them get their peeping Tom jollies off -- but it may also leave your business on very shaky and un-jolly legal ground.

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Business & E-Business | Hardware & Software | IT | Management | Security

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