ANTenna Blog -- Keith Ferrell

Keith Ferrell covers security issues for bMighty.com. He is also the author of more than a dozen books, including novels and biographies. He has written widely on technology and science, as well as business and medicine, has spoken to business, government and educational audiences in the United States, Europe and Asia, and has appeared frequently on television and radio.

From 1990 to 1996, Ferrell was editor-in-chief of OMNI Magazine, the world’s largest circulation science magazine; additionally he was editorial director of the Compute family of books and magazines, as well as senior vice president of parent company General Media International. In 1994, Ferrell oversaw the launch of OMNI On-Line, the first major magazine to make the transition to Internet publication.

Ferrell lives on a small farm in the hills of southern Virginia where, in addition writing for bMighty, he is completing a long new novel and a history of science from the dawn of language to the dawn of the Internet.

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Cloud Security Certification In Development, But It Won't Be Quick

Posted by Keith Ferrell 12:06 PM ET | Nov 5, 2009

The news that formal security certification for cloud-based services is in development is welcome news indeed. The news that the players involved understand just how complicated devising a certification will be is also good news, however little it may seem so at the moment.

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Security
Business & E-Business | Internet/Web | Web 2.0

FBI: SMBs Losing Millions To Cybercrooks

Posted by Keith Ferrell 10:39 AM ET | Nov 4, 2009

Cybercrooks may have tried to nab as much as $100 million from small and midsized U.S. businesses in payroll scams over he last year. Now the FBI is talking about how to protect yourself from this automated threat.

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Security
Business & E-Business | Finance/Banking/Insurance | Government

Worm Infections Double In First Half Of Year: Microsoft

Posted by Keith Ferrell 12:10 PM ET | Nov 2, 2009

Microsoft's latest Security intelligence Report confirms what we all know: worms are spreading faster and faster, and although rogue anti-virus scams remain the top threat, the rate of worm infection doubled in the first six months of 2009.

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Security
Internet/Web | Web 2.0

SMB Security Survey Shows Sorry State Of Cyber Safety

Posted by Keith Ferrell 02:03 PM ET | Oct 27, 2009

A new survey of small business cybersecurity offers a bleak picture of the state of things. Bleak unless you're a cybercrook, of course.

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Security
Business & E-Business | Company Size: 1-49 | IT | IT Management | Internet/Web

AVG Sends Speedy Small Business Security Signal

Posted by Keith Ferrell 10:33 AM ET | Oct 27, 2009

New Internet security and anti-virus products for small businesses from AVG are being touted by the company as both secure and speedy, with an array of promised features and administrative tools that address some of the tech-challenges smaller firms face.

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Security
Business & E-Business | Company Size: 1-49 | Hardware & Software | Linux

Smartphones Call For Security-Smarter Users

Posted by Keith Ferrell 11:42 AM ET | Oct 26, 2009

Smartphones, and all the other smartstuff filling our pockets, bags, lives, make for mobile convenience and access -- including access by crooks. Time to get your smartphone-using staff to dial up their security practices.

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Security
Messaging | Mobile | Networking & Communications | Technology/Telecom

Phishing Alert: Get Your Guards Up! Botnet On The Move And It Looks Like It's Coming From YOU

Posted by Keith Ferrell 01:35 PM ET | Oct 20, 2009

Odds are you or someone in your business have received some dangerously convincing e-mails in the last few days. Mail that claims to come from Microsoft, warning of Conficker infections and, more dangerously, mail that appears to be from your administrator at your own domain, announcing a server upgrade. They're phishing attacks, of course, and particularly nasty ones.

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Security
Business & E-Business | IT | IT Management | Windows

UPDATE Sidekick Data Restored: Security And Cofidence Questions Remain

Posted by Keith Ferrell 03:42 PM ET | Oct 15, 2009

So now the missing Microsoft/T-Mobile Sidekick is back, doubtless relieving both hundreds of thousands of customers and the legal departments at the affected companies. But the questions about confidence in cloud-based data remain. And that's a good thing.

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Security
Business & E-Business | Business Continuity | Cloud Computing | Internet/Web

Sidekick Failure Highlights Security Demands Cloud Customers Must Make

Posted by Keith Ferrell 08:52 AM ET | Oct 14, 2009

Whether or not Sidekick recovers from the data debacle that may have cost hundreds of thousands of customers their cloud-stored material, the disaster shows into sharp relief a couple of great and greatly unasked questions about doing business in and with the cloud: How confident can you be of your cloud service providers? How confident should you insist on being?

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Security
Business & E-Business | Business Continuity | Cloud Computing | Internet/Web | Networking & Communications | Technology/Telecom | Windows

Patch Alert! Microsoft Releasing Largest Patch Array Ever

Posted by Keith Ferrell 02:18 PM ET | Oct 9, 2009

Use BOLD when you mark next Tuesday on your patch calendar-- that's when Microsoft is releasing the biggest patch array ever: 13 patches addressing close to 3 dozen vulnerabilities.

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Security
Business & E-Business | IT | Internet/Web | Web 2.0 | Windows