Extreme Tech Analysis by Wolf

I look at a lot of software items and eBook texts, in fact I publish and market eBooks at TheLittleCow.org. I see this boilerplate at the end of dozens of download pages.

“ You’ll also need a zip utility to un-pack the zipped files. If you don’t have a zip utility on your PC you can get a Free trial version of WinZip by visiting … http://www.WinZip.com (link opens in a new window).”

This is fine, as far as it goes. My issue with this is that I have seen hundreds of these “free trial versions” of WinZip on all sorts of people’s desktops. Some are hundreds of uses old. How many times do you have to try something before you know you want to spend the $24.99 it costs to buy the license? (more…)

End-to-End Security
ProCurve by HP
From the perspective of a CSO
by Wolf Halton

The larger players in network-appliance vending have begun to address the issue of complete end-to-end security. For instance, how do you keep a mobile computer from infecting your system, presuming you are not using a static addressing system. Wouldn’t it be great if there was an automated system that would check the new node for up-to-date virus protection and security patches, approved software and an approved and authenticated user? Wouldn’t it be great if the system would automatically update patches and AV, and if it was not possible to update the AV would warn the user that they were out of compliance and would be on a quarantined network segment until they had worked that out? And wouldn’t it be nice if it constantly monitored all nodes, in case somebody stuck a usb drive in with a sniffer program? Tall order, but there are several players in the game.
I went to a sales presentation by HP Procurve, held at the Atlanta Regional Microsoft offices. The event was billed as an “Exclusive Security Seminar. I got notice from one of the online publishers to which I subscribe. The follow-up was excellent. I received a phone call and two informational follow-up emails from the publisher, and two anti-RSVP emails from the Microsoft office. “Anti-RSVP”s are notes requesting response only in the event that you are not going to attend. Anti-RSVPs leave me with the impression that the people who aren’t coming are more important than the people who are coming. (more…)