Network Endpoint Security News - Watch Your End

As if you didn’t have enough problems managing the software on the network; Google has just announced that a selection of its applications (Desktop Search, Picasa, Toolbar) will soon come free of charge on Lexar JumpDrive USB flash drives.

While for some home users, this might provide an attractive alternative to downloading these apps from the internet, the news is less likely to be welcome in corporate circles - where organizations are tending to run tighter ships when it comes to the software loaded onto PCs. Firewalls may already be configured to prevent the download of .exe or .zip files from the internet, but with software readily-available on USB flash drives, many organizations may find unwanted applications appearing on desktops across the network.

In separate news, Google has been pipped in the growth charts by Apple’s iTunes. With 30.8 million unique visitors in November 2005 - up from 19.6 million the same time in 2004 - iTunes experienced a 57% growth in traffic.

But with research from AOL suggesting that 51% of music downloads are illegal, it seems the legitimate side of online music is still in the minority. What many employers, however, fail to understand is that those organizations that turn a blind eye to downloading at work actually risk the wrath of the music companies themselves. There are signs that the recording industry may be showing less inclination to chase individual miscreants when it can get more money out of their employers.

Research from McAfee claims that 226 malicious programs have been created for mobile devices, which they forecast will increase to 726 by the end of 2006.

At the same time, MessageLabs is warning that 3G phones could be the next big target for virus writers, expecting triple the number of threats in 2006.

While viruses on these devices themselves will prove disruptive and perhaps even costly to their owners, of more concern to businesses will be the dangers of connecting an infected device to a company PC. Will the infection be transferable when the device in synchronized? Will any data uploaded from the device to the PC infect the computer in the same way it did the device?

For now it’s an unproven case, but one that highlights the potential dangers of allowing personally-owned lifestyle IT devices to be connected freely to the company network.

The average MP3 player is only just over half-full, according to new research released this week. On average, we leave 4GB free - enough for the entire catalog from Elvis, the Rolling Stones and Madonna combined.

Alternatively, that space could also be used to house Word documents, customer databases and new designs. And with Christmas just around the corner, many analysts are predicting a boom for the iPod and its many competitors - which means more of these devices than ever will turn up in the office from January 2006.

In the UK, around two thirds of all MP3 players are thought to have been purchased in the last 12 months, with 16 per cent of the nation now owning such as device.

Anyone interested in wireless security and understanding how their wireless networks can be compromised, should know the tools and techniques that their oponents may be using. In this article titled “Essential Wireless Hacking Tools” Dan Hoffman, CISSP, CWNA and regular columnist for The Ethical Hacker Network discusses a list of free tools available on the Internet that can be used to find wireless networks, crack WEP keys and more importantly how you can protect your network from these tools.

A week ago, it was 1,500 UK Government employees thought to be at risk of ID theft. Yesterday, the Department of Works and Pensions admitted that as many as 10,000 employees may be the victims of organized criminal gangs stealing personal information.

According to Britain’s Guardian newspaper: The National Audit Office has reported that up to £30m may have gone missing from tax credit fraud - and that there were not enough staff to investigate frauds of more than £1,500. Yesterday the DWP confirmed that criminal investigation was under way into the scale of identity theft and fraud.