Dennis Fisher

Two security vendors renowned for their vulnerability research have each developed tools designed to eliminate the panicked rush of patching that administrators face whenever a new software flaw is discovered. PivX Solutions LLC and eEye Digital Security Inc. have developed tools that automatically deploy fixes and workarounds to prevent attackers from exploiting newly discovered vulnerabilities. […]

Sanctum Inc., one of the pioneers of the Web application security market, was acquired Monday by enterprise software provider Watchfire Inc. The companies are not detailing the financial terms of the transaction. Sanctum had been the subject of acquisition rumors for more than a year, with many industry observers suggesting that Microsoft Corp. or any […]

A new variant of the MyDoom worm that hit the Internet hard on Monday is causing massive e-mail slowdowns across the Web, and it may be to blame for problems plaguing several search engines. Variously named MyDoom.M, MyDoom.M@mm or MyDoom.O, the new worm is little different from its predecessors in most of its behaviors and […]

As Web services continue to become an integral part of enterprise Web strategies, IT managers are increasingly looking for ways to lock them down. This week, Reactivity Inc. and RSA Security Inc. will unveil tools designed to do just that. Although the companies take different approaches—with Reactivity going the hardware route and RSA relying on […]

CipherTrust Inc. on Monday announced a new architecture for its IronMail solution that is designed to protect users privacy through the use of a diverse set of encryption capabilities. The IronMail Privacy Architecture lets users choose among three distinct types of encryption and sending options for secure e-mail messages. The IronMail appliance comes with support […]

Another version of the tenacious Bagle virus is on the loose, and some security experts and administrators say it is among the more persistent viruses theyve seen all year. Bagle.AI, which was discovered Monday, is quite similar to the dozens of other variants in its family, and there seems to be little reason for its […]

If there is one constant in the security community, its the ready supply of controversies available to rile the troops. The mere mention of open-source security or the hype surrounding intrusion prevention systems is enough to generate pointed, Opinionated feedback in many circles. Perhaps no issue is drawing as much attention and engendering as many […]

Security appliance vendor Blue Coat Systems Inc. on Monday announced plans to acquire Cerberian Inc., a provider of URL filtering technology. Blue Coat has been in the process of adding new capabilities to its boxes for more than a year, and the Cerberian purchase gives the company access to four separate URL filtering databases. Blue […]

A group calling itself the Source Code Club is offering to sell files that it claims contain the source code for Enterasys Networks Inc.s Dragon IDS (intrusion detection system) software. The asking price: $16,000. The groups rudimentary Web site, which is registered under a Ukrainian domain name, lists hundreds of files that appear as though […]

Ten months after co-authoring a paper positing that Microsoft Corp.s dominance in the operating system market is a hazard to the security of the Internet—a claim that cost him his job—Dan Geer has lost none of the zeal for the fight. Geer, now the chief scientist at security vendor Verdasys Inc., in Waltham, Mass., defended […]