THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY December 30, 2003 ethical worm ______________________ SPONSORED BY: Smart CRM
Today, it's about smarter CRM. And that's exactly why SearchCRM.com and Peppers & Rogers Group have joined forces to bring you the industry's definitive CRM conference that delivers on both the promise and challenges of enterprise CRM. Attend Smart CRM conference in Atlanta, GA, February 11 - 13, and go home with tested CRM solutions and critical tips and techniques from the industry's leading independent experts, analysts, and the top principals from the Peppers and Rogers Group. Confirm your registration today and save $1,495. http://searchCRM.com/r/0,,19798,00.html?track=NL-34 ______________________ TODAY'S WORD: ethical worm See our complete definition with hyperlinks at http://searchwin2000.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid1_gci888454,00.html?track=NL-34 An ethical worm is a program that automates network-based distribution of security patches for known vulnerabilities. Like its malicious counterpart, the ethical worm could propagate across networks exponentially and perform its tasks without user knowledge or consent, through a process sometimes called a drive-by download. According to some, such invasive behavior is warranted because many system administrators fail to install appropriate patches and service packs, despite knowledge of vulnerabilities and available solutions. The deployment of ethical worms for patch distribution is frequently suggested in discussion forums, especially in the wake of a wide-ranging malicious attack. In January 2003, a worm called the SQL Slammer exploited a known buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft SQL 2000 server systems to cause widespread Internet outages. The attack, which may have been carried out to illustrate the problem of lax security, was launched precisely six months after Microsoft released a patch for the flaw. Had the patch been installed to vulnerable systems, the SQL Slammer attack might have had little impact. Although installing security solutions through ethical worms would, at least, ensure they were deployed, there are concerns that the method would create more problems than it solved. According to Ed Skoudis, author of the book, "Counter Hack: A Step-by-Step Guide to Computer Attacks and Effective Defenses," even if an ethical worm worked flawlessly, it could inadvertently cause damage because of conflicts with other programs and particular system configurations. __________________________ RELATED TERMS: patch http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci212753,00.html?track=NL-34 drive-by download http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci887624,00.html?track=NL-34 buffer overflow http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci549024,00.html?track=NL-34 ______________________ SELECTED LINKS: SearchSecurity.com offers a tip from Ed Skoudis, "Ethic worms: a bad idea." http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid14_gci877038,00.html?track=NL-34 SearchNetworking.com offers a page listing white papers about "Network Security." http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/whitepapersByCategory/0,293837,sid7_tax289248_idx0_off10,00.html?track=NL-34 Ed Skoudis's book is available at Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0130332739/002-8822961-0676017 ______________________ TODAY'S TECH NEWS: FROM SAP TO SOBIG, 2003'S HIGH-TECH WINNERS AND LOSERS Some will pop the bubbly on New Year's night. Others just can't wait for the calendar to run out. Check out our list of 2003's winners and losers. http://searchsap.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid21_gci942124,00.html?track=NL-34 CIO PRIORITIES FOR 2004 >From security to staffing, CIOs have plenty to do in 2004. Read some CIO wish lists, and find out what Forrester Research has to say about the top CIO priorities next year. http://searchcio.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid19_gci942247,00.html?track=NL-34 IF CONTENT IS KING, IBM WANTS THE CROWN Analysts expect content management to be a pivotal component of Big Blue's on-demand strategy in 2004. http://search400.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid3_gci942090,00.html?track=NL-34 >> Catch up on all the latest IT news at http://searchtechtarget.techtarget.com?track=NL-34 ______________________ STRANGE BUT TRUE | Top 10 Bizarre IT News Items for 2003 Technology might make our lives easier, but it's also good for a yuck or two. Or 10. Actually, the list of the most bizarre tech-related stories of 2003 could be a longer and more convoluted mess than Mr. and Mrs. Liza Minelli's divorce papers. But we've culled 10 that stand out. http://searchcio.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid19_gci942372,00.html?track=NL-34 ______________________ SECRET WORD-OF-THE-DAY | What is IT? Is this a condition you might get from eating too many blueberry treats? In a wireless context, it's a specification that describes how various devices can communicate with each other using a short-range wireless connection. Do you think you know the Secret Word? Click this URL and see if you're right! http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci211680,00.html?track=NL-34 ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES [1] Fast Guide to IT Humor http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci942103,00.html?track=NL-34 [2] churn rate http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid11_gci940457,00.html?track=NL-34 [3] unary http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci940292,00.html?track=NL-34 [4] Ethernet/IP http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci940057,00.html?track=NL-34 [5] Faraday cage http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci942282,00.html?track=NL-34 ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: WHATIS.COM CONTACTS ::::::::::::::::::: MARGARET ROUSE, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) IVY WIGMORE, Consulting Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) LOWELL THING, Consulting Editor and Founder ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) GABRIELLE DERUSSY, Advertising ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ::::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER :::::::::::::::::::::: This newsletter is published by TechTarget, the most targeted IT media. http://www.techtarget.com?track=NL-34 Copyright 2003 TechTarget. 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