Do firewall appliances expire like a carton of milk?

Something that many people don’t know is that there are actually expiration dates on hardware and software. Let’s say you buy a Cisco ASA 5505 security appliance (firewall) for your business, and you keep it up to date. When do you expect to replace it? Chances are, you feel that the firewall should be left in place until it dies …

Patch your Mac, patch your Windows, patch your Microsoft Groove too… #patches

  Homeland Secure IT Alert for Thursday, March 10, 2011 It has been patch city this past week… Let’s start off with the Mac stuff for a change…   Apple Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard) and 10.6.x (Snow Leopard) are the subject of two Apple security advisories which warn of 16 vulnerabilities in OS X’s Java components. Apple simply states …

Secure IT Alert: Microsoft Patches Coming along with Mozilla Firefox Update for Windows, Mac & Linux

Homeland Secure IT Alert for Thursday, March 3, 2011 Microsoft issued the Advance Notification for March 2011 and today… The full version of the Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for March 2011 can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms11-mar.mspx. The advanced notification will be replaced with the March bulletin summary on March 8, 2011. On the Critical list are updates for remote code execution …

Why do you need Microsoft Windows 7 SP1?

I am hearing that many people are opting to not install Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 which was released back in February 22, 2011. The reasoning is that it is a large download (750MB or 1GB depending on whether you need 32bit or 64bit versions), a long install process, and there are no enhanced features. So what does the Service Pack …

Trend Micro Worry-Free 7.0 Business Security Patch Build 1396 Released

If you are running Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security 7.0, then you should have received an update notification that reads like this:   A new patch has been released: “WFBS 7.0 Critical Patch Build 1396”. To view the readme and get the install package:     1.   Visit the Trend Micro Download Center from the Small Business tab on the Trend …

WatchGuard XCS 9.1 Update 2 With Spam & Data Loss Prevention Enhancements

Re-posted direct from the WatchGuard announcement: WatchGuard is very pleased to announce the release of WatchGuard XCS version 9.1 Update 2 for all XCS Extensible Content Security appliances. WatchGuard XCS 9.1 Update 2 includes significant enhancements to our award-winning WatchGuard XCS Extensible Content Security solutions. This release includes enhancements in spam protection, management and reporting, as well as data loss …

WatchGuard Fireware XTM & WSM 11.4 Released for XTM 2, 5, 8 and 1050 Appliances

WatchGuard has released FireWare XTM 11.4 and WSM 11.4. This release is available immediately and this latest security subscription is for WatchGuard XTM 2, 5, 8 and 1050 appliances. In addition to enhancements covering just about every aspect of the product functionality, including: Security, centralized management, authentication, reporting and wireless, the following has been addressed: v11.4 allows better management of …

Secure IT Alert: Vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer

 Homeland Secure IT Alert for Friday, December 31, 2010 An advisory from Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/2488013.mspx) released today that reveals a new potentially dangerous vulnerability in Internet Explorer…. Here is an excerpt from that site: Microsoft Security Advisory (2488013) Vulnerability in Internet Explorer Could Allow Remote Code Execution Published: December 22, 2010 | Updated: December 31, 2010 Version: 1.1 General Information Executive …

2

Secure IT Alert: Koobface Variant Infects Linux, Mac & Windows Systems

Homeland Secure IT Alert Homeland Secure IT Alert for Thursday, October 28, 2010 In the news today you will find that a new variant of the infamous Koobface is making the rounds via social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. Unsuspecting users are enticed to click a video link in a direct message which links to a bogus …

Microsoft Windows 8 post on Dutch MS blog triggers massive speculation

Don’t get all excited, yet, but a couple days ago, bloggers found a post on a Dutch Microsoft blog which discussed the upcoming release of Windows 8. While the post was quickly removed, it has created a lot of stir in the IT community. Some of it good, and a LOT of it bad. Some believe after the “failed” unleashing …