August 14, 2007 | Comments: (0)
A Day Without SPAM is, well, Rare
A couple of interesting security announcements today, one positive and one much less so.
On the positive side, Microsoft has released Forefront Security of Exchange Server SP1 Beta 2 just in time for the release of Exchange Server SP1 Beta 2. The really good part about this is the recognition that security is a critical part of any application suite. According to the press release, the new version offers IPv6 support, improved filtering for profanity (in 11 languages, yet), better integration with Microsoft System Center Operations Manager, and more flexibility in dealing with ZIP and RAR files as attachments. More information on the product is available from Microsoft.
The less-good announcment came from Proofpoint, which says that there has been a spike in SPAM using .PDF files as a payload. How big is the spike? It's up 500% in the last two week, with .PDF spam accounting for roughly 25% of all SPAM on August 13. I don't have independent verification of their numbers, but in my own in-box I've seen a dramatic rise in the number of .PDF SPAM messages. We're already seeing more product that claim to deal with this sort of problem (oddly enough, Proofpoint has one of these products), and I think it's heading towards being a check-box requirement for any product that claims to provide e-mail security.
As if e-mail security weren't enough of a challenge to an IT staff, over at the Zero Day Security blog, Matt Hines fills us in on the amount of user silliness going on with FaceBook. It turns out that some people believe no one with bad intentions ever looks at Facebook entries. I like to call these blissfully ignorant people "victims". If they haven't been hit yet, they will. I can offer only sympathy to their security teams.
Posted by Curt Franklin on August 14, 2007 12:07 PM
January 08, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Samsung hedges its mobile search bets
As Google and Yahoo prepare to battle for dominance of mobile search, one company is clearly poised to cash in no matter which search giant wins: Samsung.
Both Google and Yahoo separately announced strategic partnerships with Samsung today through which the consumer electronics company will ship some mobile devices pre-installed with Google search and e-mail apps, and more -- and some select devices packaged with Yahoo search and e-mail apps, and more.
Specifically, the Google-y Samsung devices will come with "a Google icon in the application menu, providing users with one-click access to Google search"; Google Maps, "an application that enables users to view maps and satellite imagery, find local businesses, and get driving directions," and Gmail for mobile devices, according to Google.
The Yahooified devices, Yahoo says, will come with Yahoo Go 2.0, Yahoo's new mobile Internet application that lets users "navigate the selection of Yahoo Go widgets for e-mail, local information and maps, and more"; Yahoo oneSearch, "a new mobile search service designed to give consumers instant answers through more relevant search results; Yahoo Mail; Yahoo Messenger; and Yahoo Personal Information Management for synchronizing contacts from Yahoo Address Book and tasks and events saved on Yahoo Calendar.
Amusingly, the two announcements have somewhat similar canned quotes attributed to Kitae Lee, Samsung's president of telecommunications network business.
Of the Google partnership, she -- ahem -- "said", "We are very thrilled to introduce Samsung mobiles with one-click access to Google services. Our cooperation with Google exemplifies our commitment to leading the evolution from the fixed-Internet era to a mobile Internet era and ushering in a ubiquitous world where mobile enables our consumers to access information about anything, anywhere, anytime. Samsung and Google will enhance users' mobile experience with a powerful, yet easy-to-use handset with simple access to information and personal management."
And of the Yahoo partnership, Lee declared, "Samsung recognizes consumers' need for Internet access through their mobiles anytime, anywhere. Samsung mobile phones with Yahoo services will provide consumers with fast and convenient access to the Internet, even on the move. Our successful partnership with Yahoo builds on Samsung's continuing efforts to enhance consumers' mobile experience."
Hm. The Google quote is much longer. Do you think Samsung is playing favorites already?
Posted by Ted Samson on January 8, 2007 01:06 PM
October 23, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Azaleos expands Exchange management arsenal
Azaleos today announced that it has packed a pile of new functionality into Version 2 of its OneServer and BladeMail Exchange-management appliances, including e-mail archiving, reporting, monitoring, and security functionality.
The company also has extended its OneStop Managed Services to support "the majority of IT requirements" for maintaining an e-mail infrastructure based on Exchange 2003 and 2007
"Azaleos has delivered an end-to-end solution for Microsoft Exchange that should significantly reduce the variability of Microsoft Exchange total cost of ownership," said Michael Osterman, analyst at Osterman Research. "The hybrid solution approach to helping IT organizations manage their e-mail environments is a unique and market-defining approach that I believe customers will have a lot of interest in exploring."
New software modules include ArchiveXchange, "a complete solution for archiving e-mail for storage management that improves Exchange performance, reduces Exchange backup and recovery times, and eliminates much of the need for Exchange-based quota management," according to the company.
There's also VieweXchange, which provides admins with reports on Exchange health monitoring, e-mail traffic analysis, spam and and virus activity, as well as archiving and mobility statistics. VieweXchange also send e-mail appliance health and hygiene information to Azaleos NOCs.
Finally, SecureXchange, a remote command and control system, enables logged, auditable, repeatable, scripted remote command execution, helping Azaleos staff to troubleshoot and fix issues in the Exchange environment without requiring VPN access.
InfoWorld reviewed a previous version of Azaleos OneServer earlier this year.
For more information, go to www.azaleos.com.
Posted by Ted Samson on October 23, 2006 03:51 PM