Security

Are security concerns over cloud computing unfounded?

It seems the biggest reservation people have when it comes to the cloud involves the added security risks – the whole idea that “you can’t control what you can’t see.” But is that really the case, or is it more of a knee-jerk reaction from those unfamiliar with the cloud?

Last week I spoke with John Welch about how data warehousing fits into a cloud-based model. Welch is a chief architect with North Carolina-based business intelligence consulting firm Mariner, and he’s scheduled to speak at PASS 2009 on BI and cloud computing.

During our conversation, I asked him a general question about whether he thought the security risks associated with the cloud are myth or reality. Here’s what he had to say:
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News Roundup: AD turns heads, Exchange hits RTM

Lots going on in the world of Windows this month, as you might expect. Here’s a roundup of some of the top news from this past week:

1. Forget Live Migration; AD is king in R2
   While most of the attention around Windows Server 2008 R2 has been given to Hyper-V enhancements and brand new features like Direct Access, when it comes right down to it, Active Directory is still No. 1 on the priority list for admins.
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IIS gets patched, SQL Server not so much

Microsoft is actively working on patching a critical flaw affecting three versions of Internet Information Services (IIS) that was discovered earlier this week. Another vulnerability affecting SQL Server, however, isn’t getting so much love.
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Protect your databases from the ‘internal threat’

Database security is always critical. After all, DBs usually house some pretty important information (just ask TJX customers). Experts have noticed a growing trend, however, of internal threats against your environment.

The crazy part? IT pros are to blame – not that they are doing it intentionally.
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Six patch updates released in July

This month’s Patch Tuesday saw the release of six new bulletins, two of which address zero-day flaws.
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Will R2’s DirectAccess leave you vulnerable?

We’re continuing to drill into the big new Windows Server 2008 R2 features on the site, the latest of which is Microsoft’s new DirectAccess technology. For those who don’t know, the feature is new to R2 and Windows 7, and is designed (as Microsoft puts it) to give “users the experience of being seamlessly connected to their corporate network any time they have Internet access.”

It works, too (by all accounts).

Now from a user standpoint, this is beyond fantastic. From an IT professional’s perspective though, it’s bound to immediately trigger questions about security.
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“Fix” available for new Windows DirectShow flaw

Late last week, Microsoft released an advisory warning of a new vulnerability that could strike users simply by opening a Web page. Windows Vista users (if there are any out there) along with those running Windows Server 2008 are safe, but XP, Server 2003 and Windows 2000 are all affected.

According to SearchSecurity.com, the flaw is in the QuickTime parser in DirectShow, and can be used by an attacker to execute code remotely.

While there is no official fix for the issue as of yet, there is a workaround that Microsoft is currently recommending. Also, Michael Horowitz over at Computerworld has posted a neat little cheat sheet for solving the problem that is defintely worth checking out.