A new release of a popular utility for managing and securing passwords provides a place to store all your personal information.

By Chris Smith

I have written in the past of the importance of having solid passwords to protect your data. I haven't offered, however, any convenient and inexpensive utilities to manage passwords at home, in the office, or on the road. One such utility that has recently been released following a complete rewrite is Password Profiler 2. This automated password filler enables you to log into Web sites and quickly complete lengthy registration and checkout forms, allows you to save logins to frequently visited sites, and provides for multiple profiles for separating business and personal information.

While Internet security breaches have increased noticeably of late, individual dangers are morphing into risks to entire countries.

By Chris Smith

The profusion of malware and the sophistication of attacks on personal, business, and now state entities seem to be increasing at a rate and level that is difficult even for security professionals to address.

These days, encryption is essential. Be sure you're doing it right.

By Patrick Townsend

Encryption key management is a crucial part of any data encryption strategy. It's designed to protect credit card numbers, social security numbers, or any other sensitive information you need to protect in data files. A failure in encryption key management can result in the loss of your sensitive data and can lead to severe penalties and legal liability. Unlike public/private key technology, which maintains the security of two separate endpoints, database encryption uses a single secret key, and its loss compromises your data. That's why good encryption key management is so important to your data security strategy.

Let's examine both sides of the security regulations debate.

By Pat Botz

Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), government regulations passed in 2002 primarily as a response to egregious corporate behavior (a la Enron and others), turned six years old on July 30. Much has been said and written about SOX and its kin (HIPAA, GLBA, PCI DSS, SAS 70, etc.) in those six years as to whether these government regulations and industry standards actually help protect investors and consumers or whether they are merely a costly noose around the neck of U.S. businesses, strangling productivity for no discernable benefit. Now that SOX is six, is it any more obvious as to whether regulations and standards have made a positive difference?

By Paul Howard
For many organizations, the need to add to or introduce security in order to meet regulatory compliance is seen as a serious burden being imposed upon them with no defined advantages. This article examines security from all angles and exposes how it can be perceived as an asset and/or a burden to an organization.  

Using a random-number generator, however, can give you an unbreakable password.

By Chris Smith

I've been writing for the past few weeks about security and encryption and ways to take care of yourself and your computer in the face of some pretty--shall we say--"obsessive behavior" by numerous people using the Internet who aren't very nice.

I have to confess that when I thought up my most common password, variations of which I use for just about everything, I imagined a classroom of sixth-graders sitting around trying to guess what it is.

Ever print out your passwords just before leaving on a trip? That's not necessary with the right password management software.

By Chris Smith

As I was getting ready to leave for COMMON in Nashville last spring, I wondered if I wouldn't need at least a few of the dozen or more passwords I have filed away that provide access to various Web sites, including the back of the MC Press Online news portal where we post articles. No password, no access to the site. No access, no news gets posted. Since passwords are usually filled in automatically by Windows, I don't have to commit them to memory (though I do know one or two).

The chances of travelers losing sensitive data riding on laptops, mobile devices, or USB drives are running high today for anyone who doesn't effectively encrypt their data.

By Chris Smith

We usually think of encrypting data as a way to protect it from hackers and criminals, but did you ever consider that the U.S. federal government can now search your laptop without probable cause?