The U.S. Department of Defense may have found a new way to scan millions of lines of software code for vulnerabilities, by turning the practice into a set of video games and puzzles and having volunteers do the work.. Having gamers identify potentially problematic chunks of code could help lower the work load of trained vulnerability analysts by "an order of magnitude or more," said John Murray, a program director in SRI International's computer science laboratory who helped create one of the games, called Xylem. The link for this article located at Network World is no longer available. . Having gamers identify potentially problematic chunks of code could help lower the work load of trai. department, defense, found, millions, lines, software. . Anthony Pell
The US Department of Defence has unequivocally backed the use of more open source software, describing the genre as one that provides advantages when it comes to achieving the department's objectives.. Chief information officer David Wennergren said in a memo (PDF), that to effectively achieve its objectives, the department had to develop and update its software capabilities faster than ever, anticipate new threats and respond to constantly changing requirements. "The use of open source software can provide advantages in this regard," he wrote. Six years ago, the Department had issued a memorandum about the use of open source software in the department; the new memo, issued on October 16, supercedes that advice. The link for this article located at IT Wire is no longer available. . Chief information officer David Wennergren said in a memo (PDF), that to effectively achieve its obj. department, defence, unequivocally, backed, source, software, describi. . Alex
A new test laboratory at Iowa State University will allow researchers to study how computer networks respond to massive Internet attacks and could lead to breakthroughs in computer defenses and forensics, said a researcher behind the project. . The new test network, ISEAGE (Internet Simulation Event and Attack Generation Environment), was funded by a $500,000 grant from the Department of Justice. ISEAGE is the first research lab to be able to re-create any cyber-attack on any part of the Internet infrastructure, said Doug Jacobson, director of information assurance at ISU, in Ames. Jacobson is also the chief technology officer of Palisade Systems Inc., a security technology vendor, also in Ames. ISEAGE uses a 64-processor cluster connected via high-speed switching gear at ISU's Research Park. The cluster is linked to a central disk storage system running Free BSD Unix. Each processor can re-create 50 routing points, giving researchers tremendous flexibility to reproduce network attacks. The guts of the new test lab are software tools, developed by Jacobson, that let researchers change traffic patterns, replay attacks in endless configurations and collect attack data, Jacobson said. "We can make an attack that looks like it came from 1,000 computers, but we don't need 1,000 computers to do it," he said. The testbed can just as easily simulate attacks from 100,000 Internet-connected machines—or from every Internet address in existence, Jacobson said. The link for this article located at EWeek is no longer available. . The new test network, ISEAGE (Internet Simulation Event and Attack Generation Environment), was fund. laboratory, state, university, allow, researchers, study, computer, networks. . Brittany Day
The government and military are investing more heavily in encryption technology as a defence against hackers who are beginning to deploy more sophisticated cracking techniques. That's the conclusion of a study by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan who said sales of . . . . The government and military are investing more heavily in encryption technology as a defence against hackers who are beginning to deploy more sophisticated cracking techniques. That's the conclusion of a study by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan who said sales of encryption technologies to military and government agencies, along with contractors, are growing from $176 million to a projected $457.6 million by 2007. "Hackers are no longer solely focused on disrupting service and implanting viruses," said Frost & Sullivan senior analyst Brooks Lieske. The link for this article located at TheRegister is no longer available. . Authorities and armed forces increase funding in encryption solutions to counter advanced cyber intrusion methods decisively.. Encryption Technology,Cybersecurity Investment,Defense Technology,Military Security. . Anthony Pell
Get the latest Linux and open source security news straight to your inbox.