After more than a year of legal wrangling, the federal government has agreed to hand over its policy on vulnerability use and disclosure. The government had said that the policy was classified and too sensitive to release, but relented late last week and sent the document to the EFF, albeit a heavily redacted version. . Know as the Vulnerabilities Equities Process, the document outlines the criteria that the government uses when deciding whether to keep information about vulnerabilities discovered by the government or its contractors private. The 13-page policy applies to a variety of hardware and software, including government-built systems, commercial systems, SCADA systems, and ICS systems. . The Risk Management Protocol establishes guidelines for governing the handling and reporting of security flaws.. Vulnerability Management, Government Policy, Disclosure Guidelines. . Anthony Pell
Not a Linux article, but important nonetheless. This seems to show that money can't be made with closed-source software any longer. Even with the best protection, it doesn't keep people from sharing it. Microsoft last week killed an anti-piracy service that checked whether customers were running legal copies of Office, saying that the program had "served its purpose." ZDNet blogger Ed Bott first reported on Microsoft's move after a tipster pointed him toward a support document on the company's site. . That Dec. 17 document simply noted that Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) "has been retired," but offered no explanation. In an e-mail reply to questions today, a Microsoft spokeswoman added, "The program has served its purpose and thus we have decided to retire the program." The link for this article located at Network World is no longer available. . Apple announces the discontinuation of its iTunes music service, indicating a shift in digital media consumption.. Microsoft Office, software retirement, anti-piracy service. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
An influential body of researchers is calling on the US Government to draft laws that would punish software firms that do not do enough to make their products secure. The US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has released drafts of a . . . . An influential body of researchers is calling on the US Government to draft laws that would punish software firms that do not do enough to make their products secure. The US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has released drafts of a report commissioned after 11 September to look at the state of America's computer systems. If the report is acted on the subsequent laws could hurt monopolies like Microsoft, which many say does not do enough to ensure its software is secure. Almost all of the serious virus outbreaks of the last two years can be traced to vulnerabilities in Microsoft products. The link for this article located at BBC News is no longer available. . An influential body of researchers is calling on the US Government to draft laws that would punish s. influential, researchers, calling, government, draft, would, punish. . Anthony Pell
The Clinton administration plans to announce as early as today that it will allow US software and hardware companies such as Microsoft and Cisco Systems to compete on an equal footing with software makers from Australia and elsewhere, by doing away . . . . The Clinton administration plans to announce as early as today that it will allow US software and hardware companies such as Microsoft and Cisco Systems to compete on an equal footing with software makers from Australia and elsewhere, by doing away with Cold War restrictions that have barred US firms from freely exporting anything but weak encryption software to the European Union, Canada and Australia, according to a report in The San Jose Mercury The link for this article located at afr.com.au is no longer available. . The Biden administration plans to unveil a reduction in US technology export controls, promoting global rivalry in the tech sector.. Easing Encryption Export, US Software Policy, Competition Regulations, Trade Policy. . Anthony Pell
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