THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY March 19, 2004
zero-day exploit _____________ SPONSORED BY: Win a disk-on-key! Enter our daily Info Quest contest -- each response qualifies you for our daily prize draw! Each time you enter (once per day, Monday-Friday) also gives you another chance in the final draw for a nifty disk-on-key in April. http://whatis.techtarget.com/content/0,290959,sid9_gci954359,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 Congratulations to H. Ashton for winning Thursday's drawing! Your prize is in the mail. ______________________ TODAY'S WORD: zero-day exploit See our complete definition with hyperlinks at http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci955554,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 A zero-day exploit is one that takes advantage of a security vulnerability on the same day that the vulnerability becomes generally known. Ordinarily, after someone detects that a software program contains a potential exposure to exploitation by a hacker, that person or company can notify the software company and sometimes the world at large so that action can be taken to repair the exposure or defend against its exploitation. Given time, the software company can repair and distribute a fix to users. Even if potential hackers also learn of the vulnerability, it may take them some time to exploit it; meanwhile, the fix can hopefully become available first. With experience, however, hackers are becoming faster at exploiting a vulnerability and sometimes a hacker may be the first to discover the vulnerability. In these situations, the vulnerability and the exploit may become apparent on the same day. Since the vulnerability isn't known in advance, there is no way to guard against the exploit before it happens. Companies exposed to such exploits can, however, institute procedures for early detection of an exploit. A study released by Symantec in early 2004 found that although the number of vulnerabilities discovered was about the same in 2003 as in 2002, the time between the vulnerability and exploits based on it had narrowed. ______________________ RELATED TERMS: hacker http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci212220,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 ______________________ SELECTED LINKS: SearchSecurity.com's Edward Hurley writes about the Symantec report. http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci955335,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 On About.com, Tony Bradley writes about "Zero-Day Exploits - The Holy Grail." http://www.netsecurity.about.com/library/weekly/aa031903a.htm Brent Huston offers advice about how to "Protect against zero day exploits." http://www.itworld.com/nl/security_strat/10302002/pf_index.html The InfoAnarchy wiki defines zero day from the hacker's point-of- view. http://www.infoanarchy.org/wiki/wiki.pl?Zero_Day _____________________ SPONSORED BY: | Free Backup School If you need to know what the benefits are of disk-based backup, tape or how to cost-justify your backup plans to your boss -- Backup School is for you. http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid5_gci955343,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 _____________________ TODAY'S TECH NEWS: LATEST BAGLE WORM BOTH NASTY AND SNEAKY A new variant of Bagle has a unique way of worming through computer systems. http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci955907,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 TELECOMS CALL ON IBM BLADES FOR AILING INFRASTRUCTURES IBM has targeted the telecommunications industry as the next hot market for blade servers. http://search390.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid10_gci955888,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 SUSE LINUX 9.1 LIKES TASTE OF 2.6 KERNEL Novell hits a milestone with the release of SuSE Linux 9.1, the first commercial Linux product based on the 2.6 kernel. http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_gci955816,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 >> Catch up on all the latest IT news at http://searchtechtarget.techtarget.com?track=NL-34&ad=478655 ______________________ SECRET WORD-OF-THE-DAY | What is IT? Historically, this was a person in a circus sideshow, such as Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy, but now it means someone who is inordinately dedicated to and involved with technology. Do you think you know the Secret Word? Click to see if you're right! http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci212179,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 ______________________ CAREER CENTER | Dice.com Looking for a new job? Visit the WhatIs.com Career Center powered by Dice and find over 37,000 tech positions to choose from. And get the career resources you need to set yourself apart from other job seekers. Find training and certification resources, get help with your resume and more. Visit today! http://whatis.techtarget.com/dice/0,294542,sid9,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655&Offer=dicewhssrp34 ______________________ GLOSSARY-TO-GO | Ethernet Bookmark or print out our handy Ethernet glossary! http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci954712,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 ______________________ HOROSCOPES FOR GEEKS | March Find out what the stars have in store for you the rest of this month! http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid19_gci919205,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES [1] A-weighted decibels http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci955021,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 [2] megachips per second http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci954334,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 [3] Broadband over Power Line http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci953137,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 [4] cell http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci211761,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 [5] cell breathing http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci820970,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=478655 ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: 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 e-newsletter is published by WhatIs.com, a targeted Web site from TechTarget, the most targeted IT media and events company. 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