Softpanorama, Vol. 8, No. 5. (Dec.1996) *** NEWS *** Compiled by N.Bezroukov

NEWS

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT NEWS

Apple Nextstep OS merger create healthy competition for NT

Entry Level PC Is redefined as a PC With 1 CPU

Gerstner Predicted a Redefinition of the Term "Killer Application."

Fingerprint identification and voice will be used to protect laptop data.

DATA SECURITY AND COMPUTER VIRUSES

Integration of Cheyenne's InocuLAN network antivirus solution and Intrusion Detection's Kane Security Analyst (KSA).

NeTegrity's security consultants provide controlled intrusion service for corporations

Sofa - second Excel macro virus.

Softbank have bought Trend Micro

InocuLAN wins PC Week's Analysts Choice

KEY TECHNOLOGIES

WWW

Internet firewalls can now monitor suspicious network activity.

Fewer than 1% of WWW sites can deliver secure transactions

V-One enhances security suite

Digital Oil Change from Cybermedia - Auto Upgrades from the WWWW

Data compression/caching promises faster Web surfing

Netscape post preview of Communicator with better E-mail capabilities...

Bell Atlantic and all sister Bells adopt Netscape Navigator...

Microsoft releases beta of Script Debugger for Internet Explorer.

Using major Internet providers make sense for corporate users: better security at lower price

Microsoft Corp. update to its Internet Mail and News viewer for Internet Explorer 3.0 that adds support for the LDAP directory technologies and services.

SCO is adopting an Internet-centric technology direction and revamping its 1997 product road map to fill in its missing pieces.

Lotus Notes

Hole in Domino 4.5 security patched…

NT

NT is vulnerable to denial of service attack

Microsoft Corp. has released a second Service Pack for NT 4.0 that fixes a few dozen bugs and adds new features.

WebStalker-Pro to provide burglar alarm for NT Web servers

CRYPTOGRAPHY AND REVERCE ENGINEERING

Cray Introduces New `Teraflop' Supercomputer. So now it is much easier to break DES

Pretty Good Privacy introduces 'cookie cutter' for browsers

Ericsson introduces crypto modem

US Federal Judge Rules Export Restrictions On Encryption Are Unconstitutional Restraint On Free Speech.

NuMega gained Visual Basic debugger

BACKUP AND DATA RECOVERY

Free ARCserve for Windows NT's Disaster Recovery Option…

SDX: direct connection of the CD-ROM drive to the harddrive

COMPUTER CRIMES AND LAWS

European Police Raid Computer Gang

New Copyright Treaty

Strategically Important News

Apple Nextstep OS merger create healthy competition for NT

Apple Computer have bought NeXT Software Inc. and adopted the Nextstep operating system as its future OS foundation. The deal will comprise $350 million in cash and $50 million in assumed debt, Apple said. NeXT chairman and CEO Steven P. Jobs will become a part-time advisor in Apple.

Nextstep is an objected oriented operating system based on the Mach kernel. It uses Display PostScript as its imaging engine and Objective C as its primary development language. Currently at Version 4.0, Nextstep runs on Intel Pentium, Motorola 680x0, Sun Sparc, and Hewlett-Packard's PA-Risc processors. Built on a Unix core, Nextstep provides key services missing from the current Mac OS. These services include protected memory, pre-emptive multitasking, multithreading, and symmetric multiprocessing.

Jobs defended NeXT's use of Objective C over the more popular C++, which is used by much of Apple's development community. "Dynamic objects must have a dynamic messaging structure," he said. In addition, he claimed that programmers would need an hour to an afternoon to convert C or C++ code to Objective C.

In addition to the OS, Apple will acquire NeXT's WebObjects technology, which links corporate databases to the Internet. NeXT's engineering team would not be spread among Apple's various divisions. Avie Tevanian, NeXT vice-president of engineering, will head up the OS merger effort under CTO Hancock.

The deal will substantially strengthen UNIX position as a server basically doubling the number of UNIX clients and will create healthy competition to NT on the desktop. It will be "fuel for the market -- not just Apple, but the copycats as well -- for the next ten years," Jobs said.

Entry Level PC Is redefined as a PC With 1 CPU

With new high-end 2 PCU machines due out only weeks after Christmas, entry level PC is now redefined as PC with 1 CPU. Availability of 2 CPU motherboards and operating systems that support them(UNIX, NT) forced manufacturers to relax their minimum pricing policies early in the season, which allowed the retail chains to initiate a second round of price cuts on 1 CPU non MMX PC. For example the HP Pavilion 7285 computer(200Mhz P5 CPU, 32M, 8 speed CD-ROM, 3.1G HD, 28.8 fax-modem) was $2,999 before Christmas. Now you can probably get it for $1,500. Powerful, low-end computers selling below $1,000. Some of these are 133 MHz Pentium systems that would have been last year’s top-of-the-line item. All pack CD-ROM drives and 28.8 modems. Generally the sub-$1,500 market is stronger than expected and the above $2,000 price band is lower than expected.

Gerstner Predicted a Redefinition of the Term "Killer Application."

"The killer app will not be a shrink-wrapped program that sells millions," he said on Internet World. "The killer app will be a Web site that touches millions of people and helps them do what they want to do." Gerstner added that corporations will have to reassess the way they merge technology with their internal processes. "Before any of these great apps come online, the business or enterprise must fundamentally decide to change the way they work. And changing the way a business works is hard. Believe me, I know."

PC WEEK, December 20, 1996:

Fingerprint identification and voice will be used to protect laptop data.

Next year, laptop vendors will offer solutions like signature capture, voice and fingerprint identification to protect data on laptops. Even now some laptops - such as IBM ThinkPads and Toshiba T4600 offer multilevel password protection. These laptops require you to key in a password to power up and then enter additional passwords to access data on the hard disk. In addition, most operating systems and many applications provide password protection. Of course, these precautions won’t help if you keep password and access information with the laptop.

Some simple solutions are also effective. Qualtec Data Products manufactures locks that fasten floppy drives, preventing from copying data onto a diskette. Other locks secure the bays that hold hard drives.

Another alternative is to physically protect the entire laptop. Kensington Technology Group markets The Leash, a lock-and-cable combination that secures a laptop by wrapping the cable around any immovable object. And SonicPRO International offers the LT128 alarm, which is bonded to the laptop and activated when the computer is moved.

Protecting data as it flows from the laptop to the host computer is a major security concern. Two firms - Greenwich Associates, a Greenwich, Conn., market research firm, and New Haven, Conn.-based telecommunications company Southern New England Telephone (SNET) - handle this problem with the SecurID card, an access control token from Security Dynamics. "A SecurID card randomly generates a number every 60 seconds. To gain access, you must enter both that number and your personal ID number. At SNET, SecurID is part of the dial-in access routine for everyone from senior managers to telephone repair technicians. Along with traditional PGP there are now some hardware solutions. Telequip’s Crypta Plus card is one choice that integrates PCMCIA, cryptography and flash memory technologies into a secure coprocessing solution.

For additional information see http://beyondcomputingmag.com

Data Security and Computer Viruses

Integration of Cheyenne's InocuLAN network antivirus solution and Intrusion Detection's Kane Security Analyst (KSA).

Cheyenne Software announced a strategic alliance with Intrusion Detection, Inc., a network security software developer. The alliance kicks off with the integration of Cheyenne's InocuLAN network antivirus solution and Intrusion Detection's Kane Security Analyst (KSA). As the established standard among security auditors and network professionals, KSA is now able to assess network virus protection in addition to overall network security. Cheyenne is now shipping an evaluation version of KSA with InocuLAN 4 for Windows NT. "Administrators today are very aware of the importance of virus protection on the network but are looking for tools which will lighten the administrative tasks associated with providing that protection," said Paul Mason, an analyst at International Data Corporation. "The integration of InocuLAN and KSA will provide network security professionals with a valuable tool for reporting on the level of network security and virus protection employed on the network at any given time."

Additional development is currently underway to further expand the integration of the products by incorporating InocuLAN virus scanning statistics into the KSA audit reports. These features will provide KSA users with detailed information about the type and frequency of computer viruses found on the network. The companies are also planning to integrate KSA with Cheyenne's storage management products which include ARCserve 6 for Windows NT and NetWare. "Security users will get real mileage from these products working together. It is the logical integration of security assessment with both virus and backup protection," commented Robert Kane, president of Intrusion Detection.

From Press Release of Cheyenne Software.

NeTegrity's security consultants provide controlled intrusion service for corporations

As the demand for Internet and intranet connectivity grows, so does the need for controlling access to proprietary information. Computer and network security breaches can cost corporation a lot of dollars and untold loss of prestige. For organizations that have multiple access points to their network resources and want to actively test for security holes, NeTegrity provides a comprehensive Vulnerability Analysis. Using a wide variety of tools and techniques, NeTegrity consultants, posing as internal and external users, will attempt to penetrate your network and uncover weaknesses in your firewall and router configurations. NeTegrity will then prepare a detailed report documenting the risks and make recommendations to

eliminate the identified risks.

Sofa - second Excel macro virus.

The virus, discovered at one of Semantics’ corporate customers, just replicates and changes the caption at the top of the screen from "Microsoft Excel" to "Microsofa Excel.". Only one case of this virus has been reported.

PC WEEK, December 9, 1996

Softbank have bought Trend Micro

Softbank Corp. has purchased 35% of anti-virus company Trend Micro Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Trend Micro is a privately held company based in Tokyo with offices in Cupertino, Calif. The company, which develops server-based anti-virus software, has recently signed licensing deals with Netscape Communications Corp. and Sun Microsystems Inc. Trend Micro’s technology is also included in Intel Corp.’s LANDesk Virus Protect software. Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son said the investment was part of his company’s strategy to "own and influence key parts of the Internet infrastructure." Softbank also own Ziff-Davis Publishing, which publishes PC Week.

InocuLAN wins PC Week's Analysts Choice

PC Week in December 18, 1996 issue award InocuLAN 4 PC Analyst's Choice Award. "Cheyenne Software Inc.'s InocuLAN 4 for Windows NT boasts an extensive list of features that administrators of multiplatform"(http://www.pcweek.com/reviews/1216/16chey.html). "InocuLAN 4 for Windows NT offers an unusually wide variety of safeguards for networks, including a VirusWall that prevents clean copies of files from being overwritten, Internet download protection and optional agents for protecting Lotus Development Corp.'s Notes and Microsoft Corp.'s Exchange E-mail."

PC Week December 18, 1996

Key Technologies

WWW

Internet firewalls can now monitor suspicious network activity.

That is more proactive approach that are going beyond prevention. That is very important as corporate data is no longer contained and transmitted on a private WAN. Due to Internet and Intranet much of this data could be viewed via open public networks.

Atlanta-based Internet Security Systems last week released RealSecure, a real-time intrusion recognition and response tool that monitors network traffic and blocks suspicious activity. It watches source and destination addresses and the types of service requests being made, and monitors a list of more than 50 typical hacking signatures. RealSecure is priced at $4,995.

Authentex Software Corp. and Terisa Systems Inc. have announced products that protect documents at their source.

Trusted Information Systems, of Glenwood, Calif., next month will ship ForceField, a new technology based on its Gauntlet firewall that enables corporations to protect World Wide Web pages from vandalism. ForceField modifies the operating system that powers a Web site to close loopholes that hackers might be able to exploit, officials said. ForceField is priced at $495. TIS also announced last week that its Gauntlet firewall now supports Microsoft Corp.’s Authenticode digital signature technology, enabling users to block access of ActiveX controls or Java applets that have not been signed by a trusted third party using Authenticode.

Authentex, of Massena, N.Y. released a beta of DataSafe, security software that enables users to store, transmit and retrieve documents securely over intranets or the Internet. Using a combination safe metaphor as its user interface, DataSafe allows users to drag and drop files into the safe to encrypt them. Priced at $79.95, DataSafe is due to ship next month.

Terisa Systems, of Los Altos, Calif., announced SecureWeb Documents, a digital certificate/digital signature technology that enables specific forms and documents to be signed and sealed when transmitted over the Internet. SecureWeb Documents, which leverages the underlying technology found in the Secure-HTTP standard, will be available in Jan. 1997.

Raptor Systems Inc., of Waltham, Mass., and CyberGuard Corp., of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., each landed deals indicative of the expanding role that firewalls are taking within corporations. Starting next month, Raptor’s Eagle NT firewall will be included within Compaq Computer Corp.’s SmartStart configuration and optimization utility for its servers. SCO and CyberGuard are close to a joint-marketing agreement that will permit SCO to resell the CyberGuard firewall.

Fewer than 1% of WWW sites can deliver secure transactions

A survey of more than 648,000 commercial World Wide Web sites, conducted last month by O’Reilly & Associates Inc. and released today at Internet World, revealed that just 3,200--fewer than 1 percent—were equipped to provide fully encrypted online transactions. O’Reilly’s "State of Web Commerce" report illustrates how few Web sites are moving toward digital certificate and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technologies for hosting secure business transactions. Until these tools become more widely used, the commercial potential of the Web will remain limited, said Dick Peck, VP of business development at O’Reilly, in Sebastopol, Calif.

Of the sites surveyed, 10 percent offered SSL and 5 percent delivered digital certificates, but just under 1 percent made both technologies available for online transactions, according to the report. "Consumer confidence is commonly identified as a major stumbling block to selling via the Web," Peck said. "Our results suggest that huge opportunities still exist in this new channel, both for businesses addressing their customers’ concerns by offering secure transactions and for companies supplying the technology to help businesses sell online." The report also predicts that the providers of the two currently dominant Web security technologies, Netscape Communications Corp. with SSL and VeriSign Inc. with digital certificates, will face increasing competition as the market matures.

O’Reilly teamed with Netcraft to compile data for the report, deploying Netcraft’s proprietary Web Query technology to send HTTP requests to the survey sites and retrieve certificates and server signatures using SSL 2.0 clients. These were decrypted and analyzed to pull together the report’s findings, O’Reilly and Netcraft officials said. The full report is available on CD-ROM for $695 at the Internet World show in New York, and $895 thereafter, by contacting O’Reilly at www.ora.com/research/ or at (800) 998-9938.

Netcraft can be reached at www.netcraft.co.uk/.

PC WEEK, December 16, 1996

V-One enhances security suite

Electronic commerce software and smart-card maker V-One Corp. has beefed up its SmartGate browser-and server-independent security suite to provide firewall, encryption and authentication support across all TCP/IP-based applications. SmartGate 2.2, which is expected to ship on Dec. 30, raises the bar on competing security systems by providing encrypted online registration, an accounting utility for tracking site traffic, and multiple-user and token support, said Jim Chen, CEO of V-One, in Rockville, Md.

The suite provides secure messaging and mobile user access, private communications with clients, customer interfaces for online banking and trading, and support for public agency applications such as online form-filing functions, Chen said.

SmartGate 2.2 lets organizations salvage more of their non-World Wide Web-enabled legacy applications than competing security products that rely on Secure Sockets Layer encryption, he said.

The suite incorporates technology first tested by the newly public company in U.S. government networks, including the National Security Agency and Air Force systems.

Users can customize the system to fit their needs, Chen said, adding that SmartGate works with numerous firewall products from competing vendors and supports a variety of protocols for digital certificates, secure messaging and smart cards.

Some early testers of the upgrade called it comprehensive and cost-efficient, albeit initially lacking in documentation and support.

Utah’s state government is deploying the suite to enhance security for telecommuting employees. Officials so far have been pleased with the results, according to Mike Rogers, a state network security official in Salt Lake City. V-One can be reached at www.v-one.com/.

PC WEEK, December 12, 1996

Digital Oil Change from Cybermedia - Auto Upgrades from the WWWW

You have to know that the manufacturer has created a free update for one of your programs, and then you have to find it. Once you do that, you need to install the update. For most people, it is just too much trouble. Digital Oil Change from Cybermedia ($40) that does almost all of this for you automatically.

After the program is installed, it logs onto the Internet (you’ll need an Internet connection to use the program). Then it takes a survey of all the programs on your hard disk and transmits that information to

special Web site maintained by Cybermedia. A program on that Web site compares your software with a list of programs that have been updated. It not only knows, for instance, that you have Microsoft Word, but it looks at the version date of your software. Then it compares the list of your programs to a list of software that has updates available. As it finds newer versions, updates and bug fixes, it compiles a list of the programs on your hard disk that need updating. Then, you have the option of either clicking on a program to get the update, or not to update.

For additional information see the Atlanta Journal-Constitution http://www.coxnews.com

Data compression/caching promises faster Web surfing

Datalytics Inc., a privately held Internet software developer roll out a technology called xSpeed that speeds World Wide Web browsing through data compression and intelligent caching. The server software enables users to surf the Web at speeds up to five times higher than normal using standard browsers, company officials claimed after testing the technology on more than 2,000 Web sites. xSpeed employs "read-ahead browsing" technology for fetching pages in advance of a user’s request, as well as a data encapsulation technology that reduces the number of HTTP connections between clients and servers as the user downloads information, according to officials with Datalytics, in Dayton, Ohio. The product works with the HTTP standard and does not replace existing protocols.

The software works with Microsoft Corp.’s Internet Information Server, Netscape Communications Corp. servers, Apache on Windows NT, and several Unix platforms, company officials said. It is compatible with the Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 and Netscape Communications Corp. Navigator 2.0 browsers running on Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 platforms.

Netscape post preview of Communicator with better E-mail capabilities...

At present Netscape has very basic e-mail capabilities. They are substantially improved in beta release of Communicator client (aka Netscape 4.0). It will be commercially available in the I quarter. New features include Internet Messaging Access Protocol 4-based E-mail capabilities, calendaring and scheduling, groupware functionality, and better HTML authoring. Communicator will be priced at $49 with an enterprise version priced at $79.

PC WEEK, December 20, 1996. Additional info is available at www.pcweek.com

Bell Atlantic and all sister Bells adopt Netscape Navigator...

Netscape Communications Corp. said its Internet software will be offered by five Baby Bell phone companies as their browser of choice. Ameritech Corp., Bell Atlantic Corp., BellSouth Corp., Pacific Telesis Group and SBC Communications Inc. will adopt Netscape Navigator. The Bells represent a potential market of 72 million consumers and businesses in 26 states, and in 15 of the nation's 20 largest markets. Customers also get access to In Box Direct, a Netscape product that offers information from The New York Times and The Weather Channel, among others. Additional info is available from Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com).

Microsoft releases beta of Script Debugger for Internet Explorer.

Microsoft Corp. Script Debugger for Internet Explorer is an add-on for IE and enables Web site developers to debug scripts created with either Visual Basic Script or JScript from within the browser.

Script Debugger scans for errors in any VBScript or Jscript contained in the Web page and notifies the developer. In addition, the developer can edit the scripts from within the browser.

The new environment is host and language independent, which means that Script Debugger also could be used to debug Java applets or ActiveX controls in the future.

Script Debugger also enables developers to dynamically view the entire source code for a Web page in a hierarchical fashion. In addition, they can step through floating frames and view the object model of HTML pages.

The debugger works only with scripts contained in Web pages and that run on the client rather than the server. It currently runs on Windows 95 or Windows NT.

The Script Debugger is due to be commercially available in the first quarter of next year. The beta version can be found at www.microsoft.com/workshop/prog/scriptie.

Using major Internet providers make sense for corporate users: better security at lower price

Major Internet providers have decent level of security protection and apply patches for discovered security holes. Also at today’s low prices of $20 per user for unlimited dial up access, you might as well save money for keeping our own dial-up infrastructure. AOL, AT&T and Compuserve access are especially useful for the frequent traveler. Outside of their immediate service areas, many small access providers can only be reached with an expensive long-distance phone call. Big guys have good national coverage. For example AT&T’s Internet service has more than 200 local access numbers, all in the United States. AOL and CompuServe can be reached by a local call throughout the United States and in major cities around the world.

All services will run Internet-standard software packages like Netscape Navigator and Eudora, and permit access to other Internet providers worldwide.

The Internet is also a useful for directions. You can now download maps and detailed driving instructions that should make it nearly impossible to get lost. For example Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com ), an Internet site with detailed maps of the entire country, can plan your route between any two US cities. Mapquest will send you a map, and describes the fastest way to reach your destination. Mapquest doesn’t tell you how to get from one place to another inside a city. but one can use www.yahoo.com. Their Yellow pages feature lets you type in a starting location and the destination of a local business, and replies with a map and driving directions.

Microsoft Corp. update to its Internet Mail and News viewer for Internet Explorer 3.0 that adds support for the LDAP directory technologies and services.

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol is rapidly emerging as the standard technology for creating and linking together directories. As a result of the new LDAP support within the Internet Mail and News viewer, users will able to directly access LDAP-based public and private directories to search for E-mail addresses from within the browser.

As part of the release of the LDAP capabilities, Microsoft is also announcing partnerships with several LDAP-based Internet directory services, including 411, Bigfoot, Switchboard and WhoWhere.

According to Microsoft officials in Redmond, Wash., users will be able to seamlessly connect to 411 and Bigfoot when trying to locate a person’s E-mail address.

For example, a user sending a message will be able to type the addressee’s name in the "TO" section, and the Mail client will automatically query the 411 and Bigfoot directories for E-mail addresses associated with that person’s name. The results of the query will be returned to the user, who can then select the correct E-mail address and have it automatically entered.

The new Internet Mail and News viewer, which is free of charge, runs only on

Windows 95 or Windows NT versions of Internet Explorer 3.0

SCO is adopting an Internet-centric technology direction and revamping its 1997 product road map to fill in its missing pieces.

SCO announced plans to add Internet capabilities to the Non-Uniform Memory Access clustering architecture the company is integrating into Gemini—the forthcoming merger of SCO’s UnixWare and OpenServer operating systems, due in mid-1997. Other Internet enhancements for Gemini include the development of a new "Webtop" interface that will provide users with a unified view of their desktop resources and World Wide Web-based files and applications, said Scott McGregor, senior vice president of products for SCO, in Santa Cruz, Calif. SCO is working to optimize all its client- and server-side software around the new Internet model by enhancing current products and introducing new technologies. SCO will begin offering a Web browser in all its operating system products, starting with Gemini, and will continue to update its Internet FastStart family of third-party Web servers and browsers. The company also will integrate Java capabilities into its operating systems early next year.

Lotus Notes

Hole in Domino 4.5 security patched…

Lotus Development Corp. has released a patch to its Domino 4.5 servers to fix a security hole that lets World Wide Web browser users impersonate legitimate Notes users. The security hole, described in a security advisory issued by Internet service provider LOpht Heavy Industries, concerns Web browser users accessing a Domino server running on NT, Unix versions running on Solaris and AIX platforms.

According to the 10PHT security advisory, some Web browser users might be able to access an edit form for a Domino document and enter data under the identity of another user. For NT installations, an incremental installer, Domino 4.5a, is available on the Web at

http://beta.notes.net

. For Unix servers, replacement files are also available from beta.notes.net. Lotus will also be shipping replacement CD kits. Administrators at sites running Domino servers that are accessed only by Web browsers and are not replicated to other servers that provide access to Notes clients can set the Access Control List on the server's name and address book to No Access.

NT

NT is vulnerable to denial of service attack

Errors in the way Windows NT schedules concurrently running applications leave it vulnerable to a simple, but very effective, denial of service attack, according to a Windows NT expert.

"This is a wide-open hole just waiting for exploitation by an ActiveX control," said Mark Russinovich, a consulting associate with Open Systems Resources Inc. who discovered the vulnerability this week. The flaw is particularly serious, since it can be easily exploited by an ActiveX control or by a Netscape plug-in.

Russinovich wrote a simple utility that, while running with no special security privileges, is able to take complete control of any Windows NT server or workstation, rendering it useless for any other applications. The algorithm used by Windows NT to protect itself against such CPU-hogging attacks appears to be seriously flawed and ineffective, Russinovich said. The source code for the utility, which is called CpuHog, is available on the Web at www.ntinternals.com. Basically, Russinovich’s program exploits a vulnerability in the way Windows NT schedules the execution of processes.

Applications can set their own priority level, which affects how often Windows NT allows those applications to run. An application running under a user account with administrative privileges can set its priority to any of 32 levels, with the highest level giving it more time slices. Applications running under accounts without administrative privileges can set their priority to any of the first 16 of those levels.

CpuHog sets its priority to the highest level available, which is level 16 when run by a normal user. Windows NT attempts to deal with CPU-hogging applications by boosting the priority of other applications. However, Russinovich found that Windows NT will only boost applications as high as level 15. Thus, all other applications - even system utilities such as Task Manager - never get a chance to execute while CpuHog is running.

Independent researchers were able to duplicate Russinovich’s findings. When run on Windows NT 4.0, for example, the only way to regain control once CpuHog was executed was to reset the PC.

Hogging the CPU is one of the oldest known forms of denial of service attack. So old, in fact, that many operating systems have developed a defense. Many forms of Unix allow administrators to set limits on CPU usage by user - limiting any one user to 50 percent of available CPU cycles, for example.

Almost all forms of Unix also automatically decrease the priority of the highest-priority processes when applications become starved for CPU time, which is the opposite of what Windows NT does.

Russinovich said Microsoft could get around the problem fairly easily in one of two ways: Either increase the maximum priority given to other, CPU-starved applications above level 15, or increase the priority of the Task Manager above level 16, so that it can be used to end CPU-hogging applications.

Microsoft Corp. released a fix for a security problem discovered in the way Windows NT multitasks applications shortly after Christmas. Fix will be posted on Microsoft’s World Wide Web site that will enables users to end tasks that are hogging the CPU. "The fix makes a change in the Windows NT scheduler so that you will be able to press Control-Alt-Delete and either shut down the [CPU-hogging] application or log off and log back on again," Holden said.

PC WEEK, Dec.18, 1996; Dec 22,1996.

Microsoft Corp. has released a second Service Pack for NT 4.0 that fixes a few dozen bugs and adds new features.

Among the new features are a DHCP Server and Point-to-Point Protocol authenticator support. The fix is posted at ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/winnt-public/fixes/usa/nt40/ussp2/.

The first Service Pack for NT 4.0 was issued in the fall. Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., released NT 4.0 to manufacturing in midsummer. The good news is that you can get free updates on the Internet from the folks who designed the software. Whether it's the newest and best version of the driver for your video card improvements to Microsoft Word, or a bug fix program that cures a problem with Windows 95, you'll find it free on the Net.

WebStalker-Pro to provide burglar alarm for NT Web servers

Haystack Labs Inc. - a small Unix security vendor in Austin,Texas says it has a burglar alarm to protect Windows NT-based Web servers from intruders. It released WebStalker-Pro for NT at Internet World. WebStalker was developed for organizations that need high levels of security. Where firewalls typically are used to block intruders from the outside, WebStalker-Pro tracks log-ins, authorizations and privileges and matches them against typical usage patterns. It can then automatically block users who violate these patterns, even if they come from inside the firewall.

Currently, only Sun Microsystems Inc. bundles WebStalker with its Ultra UNIX servers, although Tivoli Systems Inc. and Compaq Computer Corp. were both demonstrating WebStalker-Pro in their booths. Discussions were under way between Haystack and both of these vendors.

WebStalker-Pro for NT will sell for $2,995 per license when it begins shipping in the first quarter of 1997.

CRYPTOGRAPHY AND REVERCE engineering

Cray Introduces New `Teraflop' Supercomputer.
So now it is much easier to break DES

Silicon Graphics Inc.’s Cray Research unit introduced a new supercomputer capable of performing a trillion calculations per second, the fastest commercially available system in the world. The new CRAY T3E-900 is the first teraflop system on the market, though other companies, including Intel and IBM, have plans to build similar machines. Shipments of the system will begin in the second quarter of next year. U.S. prices will start at $500,000. The T3E-900 is the next version of the T3E, which was introduced last year(Cray has shipped almost 30 CRAY T3E). The system comes with anywhere from hundreds to thousands of microprocessors that work in parallel. A supercomputer of this speed can be used by crypto analysts, engineers, doctors, researchers and others to perform complex calculations or modeling of three-dimensional figures. New system could help oil companies and seismic specialists map and analyze sites to find oil and decide how to extract it.

An analysis that today could take three months of computations would be completed in just a few days on a teraflops machine. Customers can upgrade their existing T3E systems to the newer model to take advantage of the increased speed. One customer said a prototype system has been running for two months already. ``It’s exceeding our expectations for speed and reliability,’’ said Michael Levine, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center co-scientific director.

Cray was bought by Silicon Graphics for about $740 million in stock and cash to gain access to the company’s supercomputer products.

(The Bloomberg web site is at http://www.bloomberg.com )

Pretty Good Privacy introduces 'cookie cutter' for browsers

"Cookies" is a technology supported by popular World Wide Web browsers that lets sites exchange information with visitors’ computers. Pretty Good Privacy Inc. today announced PGPcookie.cutter, a browser plug-in that lets users fight back by selectively blocking cookies. The plug-in will be available in January for $19.95 in Windows 95, Windows NT and Macintosh versions for Netscape Communications Corp.’s Navigator. Most Web browsers can notify users when a site attempts to set a cookie and let them block it. The PGP program lets users preprogram their browsers to block or allow only specific cookies to be set on their browsers. It also shows the number of cookies Web sites have attempted to set and where they are coming from, said officials for the Redwood Shores, Calif., company.

Additional information is available at www.pgp.com.

Ericsson introduces crypto modem

Ericsson V.34 HE provide DES-based encription in modem’s firmware. The 33.6K-bps modem will also be available in a modem pool rack, with space for 156 devices. Ericsson is targeting the modem at banks and other organizations that require encrypted transfer of information. Additional info is available at www.ericsson.com.

US Federal Judge Rules Export Restrictions On Encryption Are Unconstitutional Restraint On Free Speech.

U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel issued the decision Wednesday in a 38-page ruling filed in San Francisco. The decision is a victory for companies that want to use encryption software to protect the confidentiality of transactions on the Internet. She consider rules blocking free distribution of computer encryption software "an unconstitutional prior restraint in violation of the First Amendment".

The case was brought to court with Mr.Bernstein who challenged the federal in 1992 after the state Department blocked him from publishing his Snuffle program under the Arms Export Control Act. His lawyer, Cindy Cohn, said the State Department rules "don’t have any of the procedural protections," guaranteed by the Constitution. "The government has to bring the case and has the burden of proof," if it wants to prevent publication. Federal officials had argued that the restrictions are needed to keep encryption software out of the hands of terrorists and drug dealers. In October the Clinton Administration moved to ease regulation of encryption software, saying it would allow some exports if software makers give the keys to their codes to the government.

However an industry group whose members include IBM, Microsoft Corp., and 10 other computer companies, said last week it appeared the new policy would be too burdensome and intrusive. "We seriously doubt that the regulations will work," the Business Software Alliance said in a letter to Vice President Al Gore.

Patel’s decision is expected to be appealed.

Material is bases on NYT and Bloomberg. See http://www.bloomberg.com for more complete coverage.

PC WEEK, December 9, 1996

NuMega gained Visual Basic debugger

NuMega Technologies Inc. announced acquisition of Marquis Computing Inc. NuMega makes debugging software for Windows 95, Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS, but the company lacks a debugging tool for Visual Basic developers. Company is expected to introduce new error detection software for Microsoft’s VB 5.0 in the first quarter of 1997. Marquis Computing produce VB/Code Review- which examines a project for bugs in Custom Controls, Visual Basic, Windows and third-party tools and VB/Fail Safe - a Visual Basic development tool with integrated debugging. They will expand the NuMega product line. Products like VB are popular in the corporate development environments, so there is good market for robust tools.

PC WEEK, December 5, 1996 11:00 AM ET

PC WEEK, December 19, 1996

BACKUP and Data Recovery

Free ARCserve for Windows NT's Disaster Recovery Option…

All customers who have purchased ARCserve 6 for Windows NT between June 1996 and

March 30, 1997 can take advantage of this limited time offer. You must be running ARCserve 6 for Windows NT build 355 or later to use this free Disaster Recovery Option. ARCserve's Disaster Recovery Option allows you to regenerate your entire Windows NT system. In the case of a disaster, this option eliminates the need to reinstall Windows NT and ARCserve during the server restore process. The quick boot procedure helps get your server data back quickly and easily in just a few simple steps after a disaster strikes.

SDX: direct connection of the CD-ROM drive to the harddrive

Western Digital Corp. has developed technology called SDX (Storage Data Acceleration) that could be used instead of EIDE connection of CD-ROM. SDX interface connects a CD directly to a hard drive through a 10-pin connector. This eliminates cost of a dedicated 40-pin EIDE and allows CD drive to use the hard disk’s caching capabilities, the sources said. All Western Digital drives will support SDX starting from II quarter of 1997. Sanyo Information Systems will be the first vendor to produce CD-ROM drive employing SDX.

Source PC WEEK: December 2, 1996

Computer crimes and laws

European Police Raid Computer Gang

European police are seeking 12 members of an international computer chip counterfeiting gang that was smashed this week in Germany and nine other countries. The raids, part of an operation code-named "Goldfish," resulted in the arrest of 12 others suspected of selling counterfeit Pentium chips and pirated software programs as well as fraud, money-laundering and tax evasion.

Gang specialized in smuggling used 133-megahertz Pentium chips in Asia, retouched them in Hong Kong to look like new 166- megahertz processors and than selling them as new. It also sold illegal copies of Microsoft programs and counterfeit Hercules graphics adapters. Law enforcement officials confiscated files, computer disks and equipment in Germany, France, Italy and Belgium. Three Germans and five Asians were arrested in Germany. Four other arrests were made in France.

New Copyright Treaty

75 countries reached an agreement on a new treaty designed to strengthen copyright protections on line. The final treaty won’t include the most controversial proposal for protection of databases. Negotiators are continuing to work on a statement that will accompany the treaty. Statement would attempt to mirror the principles of current international law, which doesn’t specifically cover computer-generated copies.

U.S. entertainment and publishing companies, backed by President Bill Clinton’s administration, have been the strongest proponents of the treaty. They say enhanced copyright protection is becoming increasingly important as the companies try to sell products on-line and as technology makes piracy easier.

U.S. high-tech and telecommunications companies oppose the treaty. Last week, chief executives from 11 of largest U.S. telephone and high-tech companies, including MCI, America Online Inc., and three Bell companies, urged the Clinton administration to drop its support for the language. The companies said the provision could make them liable any time they deliver communications that violate copyright laws.

Supporters downplayed the possibility that the original proposal would have affected casual on-line users—or the companies that provide access for them. They said the original language permitted copying of materials in cases where the owner authorizes access — including most Internet sites and software programs.

The treaty would clarify that copyright protection includes the right to control the distribution of copyrighted materials, as well as the right to prevent others from making copies.

Negotiators also reached a compromise on provisions covering devices that allow users to circumvent computer protections on copyrighted materials. The treaty will require signatory countries to provide protection against those products.

Additional information is available from the Bloomberg web site (www.bloomberg.com).