Reading Time: 1 minute vBulletin Solutions announced this week that they have a critical emergency patch to their vBulletin forum software to fix an SQL injection vulnerability that could allow hackers to access the software’s databases. The vulnerability and fixes apply only vBulletin version 5. The patch will automatically be implemented on all sites on Vbulletin’s cloud hosting service….

Reading Time: 3 minutes Various news reports have confirmed that many web servers are still vulnerable to the Heartbleed bug, which effects Apache servers running SSL. The bug was first reported early in April of this year. Oracle recently released a list of products affected by the Heartbleed OpenSSL vulnerability and hackers appear to be in high gear to…

Reading Time: 1 minute WordPress announced recently that they would join the club of web applications that use SSL by default for all of the web site’s they host, providing users with secured, encrypted communications. The WordpPress web application was originally designed for the creating blogging and news sites, but has evolved into a general purpose Content Management System…

Reading Time: 5 minutes In the last few weeks, I have read a fair amount of press coverage about a new Bitcoin wallet application called Dark Wallet. I have also received many inquiries from various sources (customers, blog subscribers, etc.) asking for recommendations on how to stay protected against this “new threat”.  Being a Bitcoin “technology” fan myself and…

Reading Time: 3 minutes Overview The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) was jointly developed by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc. The PCI DSS is now actively maintained by the PCI Security Standards Council, and represents a multifaceted standard that includes requirements for security management, policies, procedures, network architecture, software…

Reading Time: 3 minutes Boiling Springs Savings Bank: Financial Institution introduces SVT technology that authenticates web content to protect critical customer information in online banking transactions. Background: Boiling Springs Savings Bank, named after the famed Boiling Springs in the Rutherford, New Jersey area, manages assets over $1 billion. This local bank has been serving their community since 1939, with…

Reading Time: 2 minutes The growing use of the Internet for commerce, communication and collaboration has significantly increased the need for online security. Certification Authorities, who provide network, Internet and application security solutions for communicating and conducting business, are a key link in the Internet Security chain. Simply, a Certification Authority acts as a trusted third party whose purpose…

Reading Time: 3 minutes The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Protocol was adopted by Netscape in 1994 as a response to the growing concern over Internet security. Netscape’s goal was to create an encrypted data path between a client and a server that was platform or OS agnostic. Netscape also embraced SSL to take advantage of new encryption schemes such…

Reading Time: 1 minute Mozilla is making its Firefox browser SSL verification stronger, and asking for help in making sure it works. Mozilla will pay $10,000 for critical vulnerabilities found in its new code. Mozilla will reward identifying bugs that allow the construction of certificate chains that are accepted as valid when they should be rejected or can lead…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Over the past 6 months US retailers and American consumers have been rocked by a string of high profile Point of Sale System card data breaches, starting with the massive breach at Target last December. Now, the retail arts & crafts supplier Michaels Stores and their customers join the list of victims of criminal hackers….