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Technology Security Issues in Arkansas State Security Office Newsletter |
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• SANS Network Security Conference October 24 – 30, 2005 | ||||
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Instant MessagingInstant messaging (IM) continues to be the fastest growing communication medium of all time with an estimated 300 million users in 2005, according to IMlogic's IM Security Threat Report. Instant messaging is the ability for people to communicate instantly via computer if both people are online at the same time. While most messages are text only, files can also be shared. Instant messaging provides great benefits to some people, but IM also presents a cybersecurity threat. Transfers of files through IM can bypass traditional antivirus software and infect computers. People can pretend to be someone else in IM and send links to other users. When the users click on these links they believe to be from trusted sources, their machines become infected. Peer-to-PeerPeer-to-peer network technology allows individuals outside an organization direct access to files on a user's computer, bypassing any clearance process required by the organization's network administration. Once these external users have access to any files on a computer, the potential exists for access to the entire machine. Files shared through peer-to-peer technology can be infected and provide an entry point for spyware. Unless a sound business case exists to use peer-to-peer technology, alternative technologies should be considered. September 13, 2005 - Most People Unaware of IM Threats - IMLogic recently conducted a survey of 1,100 enterprise instant message users, and found that most people unknowingly expose their computers and company networks to security threats. <Read More> September 5, 2005 - So Many Sinister IM Buddies…So Little Time - People are using a mix of programs that include AOL, MSN and Yahoo. The bigger the mix, the tougher it is to control the programs from within the IT shop. Then there's the prospect of people trading sensitive files with the outside world using a program few consider secure. <Read More> August 25, 2005 - New IM Worm Talks in Tongues - A worm running through Microsoft's instant-message network is dropping spyware bots onto compromised Windows PCs using new multilanguage smarts, security vendors said Thursday. <Read More> June 23, 2005 - FTC Issues Report on Peer-to-Peer File Sharing - Peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing technology offers significant benefits but also poses risks to consumers who use it, according to a Federal Trade Commission staff report... <Read More> April 6, 2005 - IM/P2P Threats Surge Ahead - Here's a new reason for IT administrators to worry about all those IM and P2P programs employees are using: Attackers have used them to launch malicious code with alarming frequency since the start of the year... <Read More> March 23, 2005 - Does IM Stand for Insecure Messaging? - Rapid development in the sophistication and frequency of IM-borne attacks is almost guaranteed, security industry experts have said. <Read More> March 8, 2005 - IM threat Growing 50% Per Month - A threat center devoted to instant-messaging hacks put numbers to what IM users already know: IM threats are on the upswing. <Read More> |
State Standards, Policy & Best Practices Watch Promulgated Policies and Standards
Draft Policies, Standards & Best Practices Under DevelopmentInstant Messaging & P2P |
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IM and P2P & Related Information
Q1 2005 IM Security Threat Report National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Research Brief Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Technology: Consumer Protection and Competition Issues (PDF) Federal Trade Commission Staff Workshop Report, June 2005 |
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