SecurityFocus

Hacker-Tool Law Still Does Little
by Mark Rasch, 2009-06-05
In 2007, Germany passed a law that could be interpreted to make the creation or distribution of computer security software a criminal offense. Two years out, the German law has been effectively used to scare legitimate security researchers, but little else, says SecurityFocus contributor Mark Rasch.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/502

A Botnet by Any Other Name
by Gunter Ollmann, 2009-05-01
To better fight against botnets, we first need to give them meaningful names, argues guest contributor Gunter Ollmann, vice president of research for security firm Damballa.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/501

Projecting Borders into Cyberspace
by Jeffrey Carr, 2009-04-28
The United States and other nations need a better way to attribute online attacks. SecurityFocus contributor Jeffrey Carr argues that cyberspace, like airspace or territorial waters, should be divvied up and controlled by nations.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/500

Celebrity Viruses Improve Security
by Adam O'Donnell, 2009-04-21
Conficker and Katie Couric's colon — both media sensations have had net positive effects, leading SecurityFocus contributor Adam O'Donnell to argue that the occasional overhyped security threat is good for the hygiene of the Internet.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/499

Good Obfuscation, Bad Code
by Chris Wysopal, 2009-04-17
As malicious coders become better at hiding what their software is doing, the best way to be sure that computers are only running good software is to make obfuscation bad, argues SecurityFocus contributor Chris Wysopal.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/498

Facebook, Privacy and Contracts
by Mark Rasch, 2009-04-08
The social networking site Facebook made a minor change to its terms of service, setting off a firestorm, with customers worrying that the company was laying claim to everything they had posted. Attorney and SecurityFocus contributor Mark Rasch warns that service terms and contracts are only getting more draconian.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/497

Act Locally, Pwn Globally
by Jeffrey Carr, 2009-03-27
Billions of dollars lost each year to cybercrime, but there isn't universal agreement as to what steps are necessary to fix the problem. It's time to act globally, argues cyber intelligence expert and SecurityFocus contributor Jeff Carr.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/496

Time to Shield Researchers
by Oliver Day, 2009-03-20
Research is the backbone of the security industry but the legal climate has become so adverse, that researchers deserve protections from lawsuit, SecurityFocus contributor Oliver Day argues.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/495

Contracting for Secure Code
by Chris Wysopal, 2009-03-06
The availability of software security guidance, training, and tools hasn’t made much of dent in the number of attacks, says SecurityFocus contributor Chris Wysopal. Time to hold third-party software vendors accountable.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/494

Free-Market Filtering
by Mark Rasch, 2009-02-13
A plan by the Australian government to mandate that Internet service providers filter illegal and objectionable content is wrongheaded, but has the kernel of a good idea, says SecurityFocus contributor and attorney Mark Rasch.
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/493