Cue Security Spotlight 3: A Night at the Roundtable

Here are some security-related posts I found interesting this week.

• Schneier on Security: Dual_EC_DRBG Added to Windows Vista - Yes, despite known flaws and a "possible" NSA backdoor, Microsoft has chosen to include the dual_ED-DRBG random-number generator to Vista in its upcoming SP1 release.   More:  Controversial random number generator in Vista Service Pack 1 - heise Security and Backdoor suspected in encryption standard - heise Security

• Using leak tests to evaluate firewall effectiveness - Donna's SecurityFlash links on to how leaktests can be used to probe and test a firewall.  Not really groundbreaking as Matousec, Firewall Leak Tester, and PC Flank have been spearheading this for a while.

• Sunbelt Blog: Another security company succumbs to temptation - Seems ZoneAlarm is now bundling a toolbar sponsored by ASK.com in their products.  The benefit of this is that it can act as a blocker for malicious websites/code while browsing.  Might be handy, but then, toolbars tend to have a bit of a cloud of shame hanging over them in the malware fighting cloud.  Form your own opinion if this is a good thing or no.

• The truth about Sony's rootkit disaster - Tech.co.uk examines the going's on behind the Sony rootkit fiasco.  Interesting post-mortem.

• Pushdo - Analysis of a Modern Malware Distribution System - SecureWorks takes a fascinating look into how one anti-malware program works it's evil.

• Pushdo - Web Based Malware as Usual - Dancho Danchev takes the Pushdo assessment a bit deeper in this add-on post.

Stay safe.

--Claus