Entries tagged with security - Channel 10

A New App For Mobile Security: Maverick Mobile

sarahintampa — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:31:00 GMT

At this year’s DEMO conference, one of the best demos was from a Pune, India-based company called Maverick Mobile. Their new mobile application helps protect the data on your phone in the event the phone is lost or stolen. The app can be used to back up your data, encrypt it, track your device, retrieve your phonebook from a lost phone, disable the device remotely, and even sound a warning alarm if you know the device to be stolen. At time of launch, the Maverick Mobile app works on Nokia phones only, but in November, the company will debut their Windows Mobile and Blackberry versions.

The app incrementally backs up the data on your phone to their secure servers so you can always retrieve it easily. If your phone is stolen and a new SIM card is put into the device, the application recognizes the change and immediately encrypts all the data, including your phonebook, images, messages, etc. You can then retrieve the data from another phone that’s in your possession and – here’s the best part – that retrieval is done using SMS text messages that are automatically sent from the stolen phone...meaning the thief’s account is used to pay for them!

You can also hunt down your device once it's been re-activated. The mobile app can send your new phone the phone number, device ID, country code, operator name, and area code belonging to your stolen device.

However, the craziest thing about the Maverick Mobile app is that it actually lets you harass the thief! You can make spy calls to the device, which switches on the loudspeaker and mic of the stolen phone so you can listen in on the conversations made. But what’s even more hilarious is that you can disable the stolen phone remotely and then have the device sound a loud alarm that sounds like a siren. The only way to disable the siren is to remove the battery! You can also have the app send a customized message with the alarm (like “this phone has been reported stolen, to return it, please call…” (or whatever message you want).

I couldn’t find any company videos that would allow you to see the device in action, unfortunately. However, I did come across this video from eWEEK where they interview one of the company founders:

The Future Of Anti-Virus: Whitelisting

sarahintampa — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:29:00 GMT

One of the most interesting apps in the realm of security that I saw at this year’s DEMO conference was the new anti-virus product from a company called CoreTrace. The product, called BOUNCER, takes an entirely different approach to blocking unwanted malware. Instead of using a blacklist like today’s anti-virus products do, the software does application whitelisting. This type of security is so effective that at the recent DEFCON conference, CoreTrace’s app stopped 100% of the computer viruses during the ‘Race to Zero” competition. Compare that with the other security vendors’ AV products: their average detection rate was 60%. McAfee had the best overall detection at 90%, but still only detected 24% and 13% of Netsky.P and MS07-014 variants, respectively. Meanwhile, BOUNCER prevented all the viruses from executing.

How does it do this? Through whitelisting. Designed for use in a networked environment where I.T. makes the rules, BOUNCER allows admins to establish sources of “trusted change.” For example, admins could specify that Windows Update and Adobe's Updater are permitted applications that are allowed to make changes to the computer. After doing establishing the rules, users and automated application delivery systems (like patch management systems), can update applications without needing I.T. to create a new policy every time. The result is that computers stay safe and secure, but both users and I.T. are happy because less time and effort is spent on updating applications.

BOUNCER is currently available for purchase at prices which start at $50 per desktop. Volume licensing is available.

Black Coffee, A New Tool For Locking Down PCs

sarahintampa — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:54:00 GMT

Over on gHacks, Martin recently previewed a new tool that system admins for small shops will find handy: Black Coffee. Presumably named for one of the favorite beverages of I.T. pros everywhere, the utility provides an admin an easy way to enable and disable certain options on a PC like disabling the ability to shutdown Windows, disabling command prompt, disabling the ability to download and install apps from IE, and so on. The program is made to lock down the settings of local users and local admins, so it’s not really designed to be run in a domain environment. But for a small workgroup setup, it could certainly be a useful way to quickly lock down a few settings. It might also prove useful for a home workgroup, too, to secure a shared PC from being overrun by programs downloaded by the kids. Local users can run the utility and view the settings, but they cannot make changes. The program is freeware and is available for download from here.

Live OneCare 2.5 Now in Beta

sarahintampa — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:53:00 GMT

Brandon just posted on the Windows Experience blog that Windows Live OneCare 2.5 has arrived in beta form. The software can now be found on the Microsoft Connect site for download. This latest version doesn't offer any major UI updates; instead, the changes from 2.0 to 2.5 are "under the hood," as will most of the changes with the beta going forward.

One thing to note if you're interested in beta testing version 2.5 beta - all the PCs in your OneCare circle will also need to run 2.5 beta you won't see them in your OneCare circle.

Quickly Locking your PC

sarahintampa — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:01:00 GMT

I just saw a great tip on Steve Clayton's blog for quickly locking your Windows PC, so I just had to share. Instead of using "Windows + L" (not everyone can love the keyboard shortcuts, you know), Steve makes himself a little icon for his taskbar instead. Here's how:

   1. Right-click on your desktop and select "New," then"Shortcut"
   2. Paste this text in: rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation
   3. Click "Next" and type a name for the shortcut (e.g. "Lock")
   4. Click "Finish"
   5. You can right-click on your new shortcut and change the icon (there is a lock icon as part of the collection in %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll)
   6. Now drag the icon to your taskbar.

Awesome!

Encrypt Your Thumb Drive

sarahintampa — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:57:00 GMT

I was reading a great post on LifeHacker about TrueCryprt, a free, open-source disk encryption software for Windows Vista/XP/2000 and Linux. The software, which creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real hard disk, sounds pretty awesome on its own. However, a commenter, pmhesse, pointed out what is, in my opinion, the software's greatest feature - it doesn't need to be installed to work! As it turns out, you can just put the following files on your thumb drive: truecrypt.exe, truecrypt.sys, and the encrypted volume itself. The encryption is done automatically, in real-time, and transparently. TrueCrypt volumes are hidden and impossible to identify; until decrypted, a TrueCrypt volume appears to consist of nothing more than random data. This is great for anyone who needs to take sensitive files out of the office on a USB key (or just for privacy nuts in genera!)

Microsoft HealthVault: Search, Store and Connect Health Information

bcrounse — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:45:00 GMT

As a physician, I know how important it is to have access to my patient's health information. As a patient, I know how frustrating it is to have my health information scattered across multiple doctors, ambulatory clinics and hospitals. As a care manager for my elderly parents, I've experienced firsthand how difficult it is to keep track of their doctor appointments, medications, and medical problems.

Today, in Washington, D.C., Microsoft is announcing a new tool that will begin to bring order to this chaos. It's called HealthVault; an environment of new online services to help people SEARCH, STORE and CONNECT their health information, putting them in control of their, and their family’s health and wellness.

HealthVault, designed with security and privacy in mind, is built on the principle that people should have a copy of their own health information, have control over it, and be able to share their information with whomever they choose. I think many people are going to proclaim, "It's about time!".

Using HealthVault, people will be able to store and control an array of health information, including prescription medication lists, health histories, hospital discharge summaries, lab results, fitness data and search results.

In addition to being a place to securely store and share personal health information, people can also use HealthVault to access and put to practical use a variety of new health services and home health medical devices.

Microsoft HealthVault Connection Center will make it possible for people to upload health-related data, such as that taken from blood-pressure cuffs, heart rate monitors, blood glucose monitors and peak flow meters. The technology is straightforward and makes it easy to confidently share health information with family, caregivers or physicians. With the support of partners that will develop these services and devices, Microsoft has committed to a platform that is free to consumers, inclusive of industry standards and trusted through robust privacy and security safeguards.

Speaking of privacy and security, I know that nothing is more important when it comes to your personal health information. The HealthVault platform is underpinned by the following clear, strong health privacy commitments:

The Microsoft HealthVault record you create is controlled by you.
You decide what goes into your HealthVault record.
You decide who can see and use your information on a case by case basis.
Microsoft does not use your health information for commercial purposes unless you are asked and you clearly tell Microsoft they may.

Rest assured, we know that transforming healthcare is an incredibly complex challenge – one which no single organization can solve alone. It will require the participation of leaders in every sector of the healthcare ecosystem if success is to be achieved. However, with Microsoft's broad customer reach, extensive software platform and broad partner community, we believe that we have the depth and breadth required to help transform the way people and providers connect with health information and services.

You can learn more about today's launch of HealthVault by clicking on this video clip with Microsoft Health Solutions Group Corporate VP, Peter Neupert and Dr. Deborah Peel, founder of the Patient Privacy Rights Foundation.

I'm pleased to announce that more than 40 other innovative organizations – from leading medical providers, health management device manufacturers, and national health agencies are embarking with us on this challenge to bring the health industry into the Internet age. We invite the rest of the health industry to join us.

Bill Crounse, MD Worldwide Health Director Microsoft Corporation

Log Into Windows Using Facial Recognition Software

sarahintampa — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 07:10:00 GMT

How cool is this? The BananaScreen software lets you login to your computer using facial recognition software. All you need to use the softare is a PC and a webcam. BanananScreen will lock your computer when you move away from it, and, when you return, BananaScreen unlocks the PC in less time than it would take you to enter a password. To use BananaScreen, there are 3 easy steps: download the software, create your face model, then login! Currently, BananaScreen works on Windows 2000 and XP. Vista support is not guaranteed at the moment, but daring users are reporting that it works for them. (Via LifeHacker)

TechFest '07: Kitty Cats and Asirra.com making your internet a safer place!

Laura — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:52:00 GMT

We've all gone to some website where is wants you to write in some scrambled letters into a text box. Well, that technology is boring and sometimes flawed so along came Microsoft Research to bring you asirra.com. They have joined with Petfinder to bring us the next (adorable) wave in internet security. Meow.

Présentation Windows OneCare

bgauth — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 09:57:00 GMT

Voici une présentation de Windows OneCare à ne pas confondre avec Windows Defender intégré à Windows Vista. OneCare est un couteau suisse destiné au grand public. Celui-ci possède un anti-spyware, anti-virus, anti-phishing, un outil de sauvegarde pour vos données et enfin un outil pour nettoyer et remettre en place votre disque dur (défragmenter)..... Le prix? 49,95 euros à l'année. Le reste est expliqué dans cette vidéo avec Mathieu Nuée, assistant chef de produit Windows OneCare. Le site : http://www.windowslive.fr/liveonecare/

Exchange Hosted Services: Right solution, right time, right price for healthcare

bcrounse — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 22:41:00 GMT

If you are charged with managing e-mail, messaging, and other forms of electronic communication and collaboration in a healthcare organization large or small, you will be very interested in learning more about Exchange Hosted Services from Microsoft. For starters, check out the new audio-cast on this topic in my House Calls for Healthcare Professionals series. This just might be the solution you've been waiting for.

Click below to access the programs

Exchange Hosted Services: Secure email communication and collaboration in healthcare
This program is also available in MP3 for download.

Program Introduction and Guests:

E-mail communication has become the norm for consumers and business people. And when it comes to healthcare, consumers have a growing expectation that they should be able to communicate electronically with their doctor or hospital, just as they do with their bank, retail store, or other service industry provider. Striving to increase efficiency and curb rising costs, healthcare providers are turning to e-mail to replace paper-based communications. But healthcare poses some special challenges when it comes to maintaining confidentiality and privacy. To address issues raised by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other regulatory requirements, healthcare organizations must evaluate and implement organization-wide security best practices and technologies—adding potential complexity and expense to the equation. Finally, there’s a solution for more secure e-mail communication for healthcare: Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services.

Panel guests:

•

Forrest Hobbs, director of sales and market development for Exchange Hosted Services (formerly known as Frontbridge Technologies), has worked on Exchange Hosted Services since 2001. He develops and implements programs for sales, marketing, and business development. Previously, Forrest headed business development for TTI/Vanguard, a technology think tank for Fortune 500 companies and government agencies.

•

Danny Bohm, senior product manager for Exchange Hosted Filtering and Exchange Hosted Encryption, has worked with Exchange Hosted Services and its customers since 2003. Prior to that, Daniel led research and development and operations teams at iBeam Broadcasting, a streaming media production and hosting company.

Additional resources

Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services

I hope you enjoy the program!

Bill Crounse, MD Healthcare Industry Director Microsoft