Archive for June 22nd, 2007
The EPA is proposing to strengthen the nation’s air quality standards for ground-level ozone, the primary element in smog, but critics insist the EPA’s standards fall short of health goals.Ground-level ozone is not emitted directly into the air, but is created through a reaction of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compound emissions in the presence of sunlight. Emissions from industrial facilities, electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents are the major sources of these ozone precursors.
Both the EPA and environmental groups are concerned about the harmful effects of ground-level ozone on individuals with asthma or other lung diseases, as well as those who spend a lot of time outside, such as children. Ozone exposure can aggravate asthma, which results in increased medication use and emergency room visits. Ozone exposure can also increase susceptibility to respiratory infections.
“Advances in science are leading to cleaner skies and healthier lives,” EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said in a statement. “America’s science is progressing and our air quality is improving. By strengthening the ozone standard, EPA is keeping our clean air momentum moving into the future.”
Click here to read the rest of this story on Sci-Tech Today.
June 22nd, 2007
According to Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group, the software giant’s latest operating system is far more secure than competing platforms — or even previous Windows iterations.”The Windows Vista Six-Month Day Vulnerability Report” offers insights into the total fixed and unfixed Vista vulnerabilities, plus a comparative view of Linux, OpenOffice, and other applications. The report is available as a PDF download on the blog of Jeff Jones, the security strategy director in Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group.
“The results of the analysis show that Windows Vista continues to show a trend of fewer total and fewer high-severity vulnerabilities at the six-month mark compared to its predecessor product Windows XP (which did not benefit from the SDL) and compared to other modern competitive workstation OSs (which also did not benefit from an SDL-like process),” Jones wrote.
The “SDL” Jones refers to is Microsoft’s “secure development lifecycle,” a software-development process Microsoft adopted for creating software that can withstand malicious attack.
Click here to read the rest of this story on NewsFactor.
June 22nd, 2007
“Failures are expected by losers, ignored by winners.” — Joe Gibbs, Football Coach
June 22nd, 2007
While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues to try to secure its virtual borders, security 
researchers are digging more deeply into a computer infection that started in Italy and might soon spread beyond European shores.Trend Micro initially reported the infection of seemingly legitimate Web pages loaded with malicious code that can install keyloggers to steal user passwords or turn computers into proxy servers for various other attacks.
The malware takes advantage of iFrames, which are commonly used on Web sites to nest content within pages. Trend Micro researchers believe the malware was generated with a Trojan-creation toolkit called MPack.
Trend Micro data indicates that tens of thousands of users worldwide have accessed malicious URLs, oblivious to the MPack threat. VeriSign’s iDefense, for its part, is reporting that the MPack attacks are gaining momentum.
Click here to read the rest of this story on CIOToday.
June 22nd, 2007
Five billion spam messages flooded the Internet on Wednesday in a realistic-looking pump-and-dump scam that had its intended effect of boosting trading volume for German-based Talktech Telemedia.Cisco’s IronPort Systems first discovered the scam that caused shares of Talktech Telemedia to jump 20 percent. The outbreak was the first major instance of a spammer using a PDF to advertise a stock, according to IronPort.
The use of a new file type made the spam less likely to be caught by antispam filters. The professional-looking document was designed to look exactly like an investment newsletter, making recipients more likely to believe it was authentic.
Click here to read the rest of this story on CIOToday.
June 22nd, 2007
