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SSL encryption and the Ghost of Windows Past

Three papers about security

We thought we could escape from writing the words "Windows 2000" again. But it's a topsy turvy world, and that's a fact - as these three IT security whitepapers, fresh from the Reg Library, show.

How to offer the strongest SSL encryption

This paper from VeriSign, urges web security pros to get their act together regarding server gated cryptography, (SGC). According the company, many IT pros have "little or incorrect understanding of an extremely important protocol within SSL, one with the potential to radically alter the level of protection offered to any given web site's visitors".

Without the correct SSL Certificate in place on the web server, many client systems cannot utilise full 128-bit SSL and fall back to low-level 40 bit encryptionn. So what are those "many client systems'. Umm... VeriSign comes up with Windows 2000. How big an issue can this moribund operating system be?

That said, Verisign's call for websites to protect every SSL session with the strongest encryption available to each site visitor seems sensible enough.

Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work

This white paper from Trend Micro describes web threats, how they function, and their impacts. The paper argues that conventional security practices cannot cope with today's "blended techniques, an explosion of variants, and targeted regional attacks often based on social engineering to defraud users".

Trend calls for a "multi-layered, comprehensive set of techniques" - to ensure security, regulatory compliance, and business continuity. Sure enough, the IT security firm has its own version of this, the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network. This is a "new type of security model that marries a lightweight desktop agent to Trend’s vast network-based resources in the cloud". An interesting read, nevertheless.

Security for mid-sized businesses

Here's a punt for something we did ourselves, along with our analyst partners at Freeform Dynamics. This one-hour webcast, sponsored by Microsoft considers the business drivers and constraints of medium-sized organisations, while examining the effect of the latest IT security techniques on the current threat landscape. The webcast is based on surveys we conducted with the Reg Technology Panel. Reg moderator Tim Phillips kept our experts in line and fires out reader questions and elicits tips on best practice. ®

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