The Week's DMZ Report
Once again, I managed to skate out of serving on a trial yesterday when all three civil cases were settled. So, now I'm back in business and working through my usual scans for interesting security news. My friend Annie R. in North Carolina passed along a Business Week story analyzing the Sony BMG settlement that will provide free downloads and CDs that are "clean" of its prying copyright-enforcement program in exchange for New York dropping what amounted to a national class-action lawsuit. Sony still has to deal with Texas, though, which is pursuing criminal charges for violating its antispyware law.
Annie asked what is to be done for those that installed an infected CD on their computer. Sony's issued a rootkit remover tool that had its own problems when first released. I would recommend going with Rootkit Revealer or similar freeware which by now should detect the spyware.
Sandy M. in Pennsylvannia sent me a CNN story about the NSA doing something similar to unsuspecting Web browsers before it was caught with its hands in the 'cookie' jar.
Finally, MSNBC.com's Bob Sullivan has an excellent checklist of places you should call or visit to enhance your privacy on his Red Tape Chronicles blog.
Actually, I have one more comment from the security world that I found amusing. I took my grandmother to see the film "Rumor Has It" earlier this week and one of the previews was for an upcoming Harrison Ford thriller called, of all things, "Firewall." Yes, it involves computer hacking and yes, I'm all ready to poke fun if need be once it arrives in theaters. I also find it a hoot that Hollywood's embracing the same technologies I've written about the past six years now. Worst, I bet this movie has more influence than all of us technology journalists. Well, that's maybe not such a bad thing.
Annie asked what is to be done for those that installed an infected CD on their computer. Sony's issued a rootkit remover tool that had its own problems when first released. I would recommend going with Rootkit Revealer or similar freeware which by now should detect the spyware.
Sandy M. in Pennsylvannia sent me a CNN story about the NSA doing something similar to unsuspecting Web browsers before it was caught with its hands in the 'cookie' jar.
Finally, MSNBC.com's Bob Sullivan has an excellent checklist of places you should call or visit to enhance your privacy on his Red Tape Chronicles blog.
Actually, I have one more comment from the security world that I found amusing. I took my grandmother to see the film "Rumor Has It" earlier this week and one of the previews was for an upcoming Harrison Ford thriller called, of all things, "Firewall." Yes, it involves computer hacking and yes, I'm all ready to poke fun if need be once it arrives in theaters. I also find it a hoot that Hollywood's embracing the same technologies I've written about the past six years now. Worst, I bet this movie has more influence than all of us technology journalists. Well, that's maybe not such a bad thing.
