Jan Hichert

Does the open source community provide world-class security technology? Can organizations stop dealing with commercial vendors for security software? To avoid any undue suspense, the answers are: "Emphatically yes" and "Maybe, but you probably need to make an investment of some kind." But let's take a look at the evidence - this article references two open source projects: netfilter and Snort. Escalating ChallengesFirst, it's clear that the challenges related to security are escalating. Outbreaks of viruses and worms are becoming more virulent and spreading faster. Blended threats and application-specific attacks are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect. Wireless communications, instant messaging, and peer-to-peer networks are opening new holes in corporate defenses. Top management is taking a sudden and unaccustomed interest in IT security. Yet IT depart... (more)

Using the Open Source Model to Prepare for More Security Threats in 2006

IT managers planning for possible security threats in 2006 might be tempted to look back at some of the big security debacles of 2005 for inspiration. A major security breach at CardSystems exposed the personal data of more than 40 million credit card holders to possible fraud. Marriott tried to explain how it misplaced personal data for some of its 200,000 customers. Other major companies including Bank of America, Citigroup, and DSW Shoe Warehouse had similar woes. In addition to these events, companies endured an increase in the sophistication of threats, including virus-infec... (more)