Authentication Techniques

I thought you would all enjoy reading about one of those "Why didn't I think of that!?" ideas...

PassWindow is a visual-authentication system that uses pattern-matching techniques to provide verification every time a person attempts to log on a web site.

Those Australians... first they get the cool accents and now this!! :)

http://www.passwindow.com

Street Value...Of A Human!?!?

Well, if you have ever wondered "What am I worth?"... You can now find out the answer! I followed the very scientific questionnaire and found out that I am worth.... Drum roll please!.... $2.65 million! Not too bad I guess. I would buy me!



Give it a try! Just click the image above.

Conficker - Why you little #@$*!

Dr. James Lyne examines Conficker from a technology perspective, reviews the various methods by which Conficker can spread, and explains what IT managers can do to protect themselves from future iterations.

Dilbert Videos

These are just a couple entertaining videos that I think anyone can enjoy - whether in IT or not...

Internet traffic - like Michigan x-ways... SLOWWW!!

As I am sure most of you were - I found myself online investigating the news of Michael Jackson's passing last week. The immediacy of news medium today still amazes me and how quickly word travels around the world. Especially in the realm of IT security, we come across instances of system/network attacks (eg. DoS, etc.) where systems are brought to their "knees" but we don't really see un-intentional situations of this magnitude very often. This is mainly because of strategic monitoring, configuration, and load balancing performed by IT professionals. Yet, the Internet traffic spurred by this one news story can demand such resources that it causes major interruption and difficulties for large [technology based] companies such as AOL and Google - among others. Very interesting...

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/06/26/michael.jackson.internet/

What To Do!?!?

So as it turns out, I guess that I am kind of a big deal in Russia. I mean how else would a "good looking female" from abroad single me out from the millions of other people online?? Come on ladies... Don't you know that I am married!?

This is one of the five VERY similar (some might even say identical) emails that I received this week from females who are supposedly coming to the US from Russia and need a "good man" to spend time with.

I am not exactly sure what the tactic or goal is here. They don't seem to be asking for money or other material goods... yet!

BIT 546 - Information Systems Security

Well, the Spring 2009 semester is almost upon us. Begining next week I will venture into the world of online learning with BIT 546 at Walsh college. This will be my first [completely] online based course I have taken since enrolling at Walsh about a year ago... Has it been that long already!?! Boy, time sure does fly by! Anywho, here is the course description:

BIT 546 Information Systems Security:
An exploration of the components of a comprehensive information
systems security plan including such critical areas as planning
and administration of security, the security program, access
control and network security measures, Internet and e-commerce
security issues, physical protection of computing facilities, and
the legal and regulatory aspects of information security. Students
will learn how to protect an organization from computer crime and
potentially malicious behavior, and to ensure confidentiality,
availability and data integrity through several hands-on case
studies.

I am really looking forward to this class (except the part about reading the 1145 page book). The book used for this course is the CISSP Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Fouth Edition [description]. I ordered it from Amazon two days ago, so we'll see if I get it in time to start reading come Monday...

BIT 511 - Final Score!

Well the numbers are in and all votes have been tabulated (Sorry, I've been watching too much American Idol lately)... Another 'A' for the books. Can't complain about that! 3.9 GPA still going strong and with the upcoming spring (2009) semester, hopefully it will continue on this trend. This makes five courses down (...well 7 technically - I had two waived) of the fourteen required in the MSIS program at Walsh.

I am going to take a shot at the online portion of the program next with BIT 546 - Information Systems Security. Now we are getting to the good stuff!!

Ray Kurzweil - 'Innovation Everywhere—How the Acceleration of “GNR” (genetics, nanotechnology, robotics) Will Create a Flat and Equitable World'

Or you can view the original posting on MIT's site here: http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/327

UK spends billions on high-tech IDs, forgets to buy card readers

Not much more I can say about this one... Oops!!

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/02/05/uk-spends-billions-on-high-tech-ids-forgets-to-buy-card-readers/

$100,000+ Salary to Blog on the Beach

Do you like to blog? Do you like to lay on the beach? Would you like to make a six figure income? If you answered 'Yes' to all of these questions, than this could be the perfect job for you!!... http://www.islandreefjob.com/

I heard about this, this morning on the radio while driving into work (battling the rush-hour traffic). Just to make me feel even better about my hour and a half drive each way... This is unarguably a great PR tactic in not only giving someone a chance at their "dream job" but while doing so, drawing attention to the company's island resort destination from around the world! It definitely did not fall on deaf ears here. I put my coffee back in the cup-holder and said out loud "I could do that!". I am sure they are reaching well into the six figure mark for applicants and I would most likely get lost in the mix (especially with my limited blogging "experience").

The job (if you can really call it that) is based on Hamilton Island which is located just off the the coast of Queensland, Australia. The details of the opportunity sound like paradise... Travel the islands and Great Barrier Reef, lay on the beach, chat with locals and visitors, and blog about it! If you don't mind this type of STRENUOUS activity, then check it out... I did!

Web-based vs. on-site email solutions

As there have been discussions continuing to arise in regards to the costs of technology, e-mail service is one that was sure to show up on the agenda. With articles like THIS one, discussing the decision to move a company's e-mail services to a cloud solution, things like security don't seem to gain the limelight as much as one would think.

There is a focus on the cost savings and ease of accessibility, which are great, but there is also much that is lost with a solution like this. Information ownership, legal litigation, data integrity, and records maintenance to name a few. Yes, it will definitely change the costs to your bottom line but what are the non-monetary costs that are being lost? Is it worth the risks? These are questions that only the institutions relying on services like these can answer and the responses are sure to vary widely.

What do you think??

BIT 511 - Business Information Technology Trends and Issues

This will be the fifth of my courses taken to-date at Walsh College. Looks to be a good one. I just ordered my books yesterday from Amazon and UPS tells me they should arrive today... Zero chapters read so far and seven to go before class next Tuesday... Wish me luck!

Books:
Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams (2006)
The Big Switch by Nicholas Carr (2008)

Find the course description here.

¡Mi primer poste!... (Translation: "My first post!")

Well, I created this a while ago but never did anything with it. So... there, now I have!