Another Serious Internet Issue

For the second day in a row a serious Internet security issue has been announced. This flaw is specifically related to Cisco routers which many companies use to connect to the Internet. This flaw could allow hackers to crash the Cisco router therefore breaking the company's Internet connection or cause websites to go off line temporarily. Cisco has already created a patch. Any company using a Cisco router to connect to the Internet should install the patch to avoid the problem from occurring. Call our office if you have any questions.

Possible Big Problems For The Internet

On Thursday a computer researcher will reveal a flaw he has discovered in TCP/IP, the basic language of the Internet. He actually discovered the flaw last year. Since the discovery, hardware and software vendors have been scrambling to create patches for their products to mitigate the problem. The flaw can allow a hacker to interrupt Internet communications at will. This could be a very serious problem. It is anticipated that after the presentation on Thursday hackers will know how to exploit the flaw "within minutes".

The Department of Homeland Security has issued a security alert which can be found here. This flaw must be mitigated by Internet Service Providers and router vendors. It has very little to do with individual computers on the Internet.

TCP/IP, the underlying language of the Internet was developed years ago and was not designed with security in mind. It has come a long way but needs to be revamped. Actually, TCP/IP Version 6, the replacement for the current Version 4, is beginning to be implemented on the Internet. Version 6 will eliminate several issues with Version 4. It is just taking too long to get implemented. Perhaps this will push it along!

Spammers Really Do Get Caught

Check out this article. It's good to see that at least one or two of these idiots get caught now and then. I really wish these stories would make the national news. Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel!

President Bush Wants You To Have High Speed Internet

In a speech President Bush made in New Mexico on Friday, he called for universal and affordable broadband Internet access by 2007. He is suggesting that Congress not tax Internet access either. His point is that broadband will speed the flow of information and spark innovation.

The fact is that broadband growth in the U.S. is slowing. The rate of growth is expected to drop to about 16% by 2007, down from 36% this year. The President is suggesting that lower prices will push the growth rate higher.

While I agree that the Internet is a great enabler, we must get security and reliability under control in order to gain the greatest benefits from it. Spam, Viruses and phishing cause many to be nervous about using the Internet for anything more than basic research. Once these issues are resolved I believe another phase of Internet growth will occur. In the meantime, cheaper access will be greatly appreciated! Now, about those gas prices?

One For The Good Guys

I am often asked if any virus writers or spammers are ever caught. In fact there have been many arrests. Most of the time it is difficult to find what happened to these idiots because so much time lapses and they are not considered headline news, although I wish a few would be.

Yesterday in Houston Zachary Keith Hill plead guilty to running a phishing operation. Phishing is a version of spamming where emails are sent out looking like they are from a credit card or other type of financial institution. The recipient is tricked into giving account information to the spammer. This has been very popular lately and I'm sure several people have fallen into the trap. In his possession were 471 stolen credit card numbers, 152 bank accounts, and 541 user names and passwords for secure web sites.

This is actually the second arrest for this guy. He could get 10 to 15 years and large fines. It will be interesting to see what he ends up getting. Hopefully the judge or some of the jury members is or knows someone that is a victim of a phishing scam.

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