THE CENTER FOR Internet Security (CISecurity) has released a free tool to help plug vulnerabilities that the FBI last week warned were being exploited by Russian and Ukrainian hackers.

   ADVERTISEMENT
  

Free IT resource

Open Source Business Conference (OSBC) May 22-23, 2007

Sponsored by OSBC

Free IT resource

TechNet: More ways to know it, share it, and keep it running.

Sponsored by Microsoft

RELATED LINKS
»  Canonical chases deals to ship Ubuntu Server preinstalled
»  Sun delivers first UltraSparc T2-based servers
»  IT trainer offers master's degree for hackers
»  Platforms RSS feed 

IDG ENTERPRISE NETWORK
• More Operating Systems News...  (ComputerWorld)
• CrossOver Office aims to ease a switch to Linux  (ComputerWorld)

TOP NEWS 


IT SOLUTION SEARCH
CISecurity, founded in October, released PatchWork, a software tool that automates the process of finding the vulnerabilities and identifying needed patches. Its purpose is to assist companies that have not secured their systems and to do so quickly, the center said in a release Saturday. The tool can be downloaded from the CISecurity Web site.

According to the FBI, the Russian and Ukrainian hackers belong to a gang that has stolen credit card and other personal information from electronic banking and electronic commerce sites and extorted money from the operators of the sites.

This type of hacker activity is the reason the center was created, the CISecurity release said. The center gives computer officials a chance to share the best available technical knowledge. Experts and users consult through the center to prioritize the threats and develop a consensus defining the specific actions needed to shield systems and networks from those threats. The result is a benchmark that organizations can use to measure the security of their systems and those of their e-business partners.

The first CISecurity benchmark covers the Solaris operating system and is expected to be issued in June. CISecurity benchmarks for the other major operating systems are expected to be issued during the next six months.

Among the 150 members of the nonprofit CISecurity are government agencies, banks, insurance companies, manufacturers, universities, computer service companies, and consulting organizations. The first general meeting of CISecurity will take place on May 17 in Baltimore.