Protected: Avoiding the Pitfalls of SharePoint Social Media
May 5, 2011
Vertical Blog: A New Angle for Online
April 27, 2011
Our Overflight intelligence system tracks certain types of information. There are some basic Overflight services available from the ArnoldIT.com Web log. We have other systems running as well. One of these identified a new blog called Backnotch. Published by Jean Glaceau appears to cover one narrow segment of online information; namely, transactions related to Angola. What’s interesting about the publication is that the content appears to be summaries of publicly-accessible information. The Backnotch service is similar to a traditional abstracting service. The principal difference is that the contributors are offering some broad editorial comments. These comments, plus the collection of articles, comprise a useful resource for anyone looking at what types of open source information cover certain activities associated with Angola and related topics.
According to the About page of the blog:
In my first week of work, I decided to narrow my focus to a handful of issues which are covered in the open source literature. The information I located struck me as similar in some ways to a fictional story or a Hollywood film. Going forward, I want to continue to explore how the open source information follows a particular story and what entities surface in those stories.
The publisher is Jean Glaceau. When we did a couple of queries for him, we found a number of individuals in the hit list. We were not able to determine which Glaceau was running the research project behind the information service. We wrote the email address for the blog, but we had not received an answer as we queued this story for publication.
We checked out the search engine for the service, and it appears to have a backfile of about 60 articles. If Mr. Glaceau keeps up his current pace of content production, the service will generate about 50 to 60 stories each month. Our view is that online has moved from vertical search to vertical “finding” services.
We will check back with Backnotch in a couple of months. Worth a look.
Stephen E Arnold, April 27, 2011
Freebie
Google and Microsoft Security Poker: A New Round
April 15, 2011
I ignored the push backs, reinterpretations, and revelations about the murkiness of both Google’s and Microsoft’s security certifications. I was hoping the “security card” story would die a quiet death as the pundits chased the resurgence of RIM with its co-dependent tablet or the Google financial results.
No such luck.
Navigate to “Google Lashes Back at Microsoft over Accusations of Lying.” The story introduces for me a couple of interesting elements. First, this passage sets the tone of the “security card” discussion:
Google said Wednesday it does have FISMA certification from the General Services Administration. FISMA stands for Federal Information Security Management Act. Microsoft said Monday that certification for one agency, the GSA, does not automatically qualify software for another agency, the Department of the Interior. The Department of the Interior had earlier chosen Microsoft’s cloud software over Google. Google sued, claiming the department had not fairly considered its bid, and successfully forced the department to re-evaluate its purchase.
What’s nifty about this approach is that it puts the “debate” in the 10 point font used for government documents. Who really knows what’s inside these “rules of the road”. Agency policies, the role of the General Services Administration, and the notion of duplication of effort within the government may indicate that both Google and Microsoft are on a 50-50 basis.
The other point is the reminder that Google sued a Federal agency. Now, I don’t know about you, but that’s an opportunity for consultants to attend quite a few meetings.
Second, my view is that the “security card” is a potentially corrosive issue within the US government. Calling attention to the idiosyncrasies of how certain security certifications “work” is something that I would keep as part of specific project discussions and out of news releases, blog posts, and other modern conduits.
Stephen E Arnold, April 15, 2011
Freebie
Google and Microsoft: The Security Card
April 11, 2011
The source is Microsoft. I don’t know if the information in “Google’s Misleading Security Claims to the Government Raise Serious Questions” is accurate. The tension between Microsoft and Google seems to be increasing. The allegation that Google is behaving like a combination of Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Commodore Vanderbilt brightened my blog a few days ago. Now we get Microsoft’s playing the security card.
Powerful stuff and a maneuver that will have to be discussed by the various government decision makers as long as the budget keeps on paying them. Toss in a few assorted blue chip and azure chip consultants, and you have a recipe for investigations, depositions, study groups, and PR excitement. Good news for some I guess.
Here’s a passage I noted:
…Imagine my [Microsoft professional’s] surprise on Friday afternoon when, after some delay, some of the court papers were unsealed, at least in part. There for all to see was a statement by the Department of Justice contradicting Google on one of its basic FISMA claims. The DOJ’s brief says (on page 13) “On December 16, 2010, counsel for the Government learned that, notwithstanding Google’s representations to the public at large, its counsel, the GAO and this Court, it appears that Google’s Google Apps for Government does not have FISMA certification. This revelation was apparently as striking to the lawyers at the Department of Justice as it was to me. The Justice Department brief states “We immediately contacted counsel for Google, shared this information and advised counsel that we would bring this to the Court’s attention.
My view on this matter is that until more information becomes available to me in Harrod’s Creek, the best I can do is assert, “Interesting.”
The impact of the security card is of interest to fewer people than own iPods but ultimately may be more important than some of the other hoo-hah about Google. The notion of stretching security like a rubber sheet may be one of those plays that persist through time. Like a clever chees move from a young Bobby Fischer, specialists may pick up the play and make it a model for young Microsoft emulators to absorb, modify, and use to devastating affect.
Best to be prepared for these sorts of things. Looking back won’t do the job. The security card is a big play.
Stephen E Arnold, April 11, 2011
Freebie
For Your Popular Passwords Stop List
April 1, 2011
Short honk: Here in the backwoods we love password lists. The “Top 20 Passwords of All Time” is interesting. In Infographic format, you can add to your stop list these sequences. I like “123456”. Yes!
Stephen E Arnold, April 1, 2011
Freebie for April the first
Android Security: Is This an Oxymoron?
March 30, 2011
When I read this, I said sub vocally, “Wow.”
The H Security reports, “Google’s Security Tool Infected With Trojan” explains how the new Android Market Security Tool, developed to delete the recent contaminated apps, actually is infested with a Trojan virus. Users are unaware about the newest infection after a rash of harmful apps hit the Android phone in recent weeks. They were informed to expect the new tool to clean up their phones, but it’s making greater knots in the mangled data. Good news is that the infected security tool is only on an unregulated network in China.
According to an initial analysis by Symantec, the Trojan contacts a control server and is able to send text messages if commanded to do so. According to F-Secure, BGServ (as the contaminant is called) also sends user data to the server after being installed.
Wow.
We are offered the same age- old advice to protect our technology from digital infection: don’t open the application unless you know who sent it. Great advice for everyone in general and maybe for Android folks in particular.
Whitney Grace, March 30, 2011
Freebie
Google and Its Alleged Trojan
March 18, 2011
The H Security reports “Google’s Security Tool Infected with Trojan.” Wow. Just. . . wow. Google’s Android Market Security Tool, intended to delete contaminated apps, has itself been contaminated by a trojan the H Security article alleges:
As users have been told to expect to see the application running on their phones clearing up the damage the Droiddream trojan did, there’s a good chance they won’t be suspicious of it. According to reports though, at present, the trojan-infested version of the tool is only in circulation on an “un-regulated third-party Chinese marketplace” and appears to only affect users of a particular Chinese mobile network.
Okay, so we in the States don’t have to worry about this. For now. The program, known as BGServ, sends texts containing user data to a control server. Think twice about any app that asks for permission to send text messages. If this allegation is accurate, will it have an impact on Google’s enterprise efforts? I surmise that my colleagues and I would think twice, assuming this shocker is true.
Cynthia Murrell March 18, 2011
Freebie
US Government, Domains, and Search
February 11, 2011
There’s been a flurry of search-related news from the US government. We have noticed that some health related content is moving around. Hearings with Health and Human Services executives produced 404 errors last week. We were able to locate the documents, but a 404 is suggestive. The FBI rolled out its new search service. Then we read about a security compliance glitch.
We found it interesting that half of the US Federal government’s sites have failed to comply with mandated security measures. In an article appearing on the NetworkWorld news site, we learned that The Office of Management and Budget issued said mandate requiring agencies to add DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) in 2008. The piece goes on to cite a study which claims that as of January 2011, fifty one percent of these agencies have failed to comply.
“DNSSEC is an Internet standard that prevents hackers from hijacking Web traffic and redirecting it to bogus sites. It allows Web sites to verify their domain names and corresponding IP addresses using digital signatures and public key encryption.”
Understanding the importance of safeguarding data and activity online, especially on the federal level, the question becomes why has the failure to adopt this precaution been so broad? Mark Beckett, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management for Secure64, offers his view stating that while the numbers of those in compliance this year as opposed to last have more than doubled, it is the low rate itself which illustrates the difficulty in employing the security measure. Beckett feels that as more parent domains and sub domains sign, the market for protection will expand creating more user friendly DNSSEC. Search can be tricky if the crawlers cannot access or find the content. Alternatively, search can be even more exciting if content that should not be indexed is.
Stephen E Arnold, February 11, 2011
Freebie
Facebook Productivity Tip
December 31, 2010
Listen up, Facebook users. Bogged down by the number of links shared by your Facebook friends? Well fret no more, TheLikeWall is here in an effort to save you time. Simply visit the website and login with the same details used for your Facebook account. The Like Wall will take tally of all the links your Facebook friends are sharing and rank them by the reactions other people have already recorded. So the most popular links are seated at the top of the list, allowing the less important ones to fall to the fray, thus saving you countless hours by knowing what isn’t worth looking at. There is not much to this… literally. Visit the website for yourself and see.
This service sounds useful enough. I’m afraid I cannot report I have conducted any tests or offer a proper review; I don’t have a Facebook account. My personal solution to wasting less time on Facebook is to never visit Facebook, but that’s just me.
Sarah Rogers, December 31, 2010
Freebie
Affinity Shopping and Free Choice
December 23, 2010
With the holiday shopping season here, retailers try to improve their e-commerce systems, including navigational ease and relevancy of products offered to buyers. Market Watch states in “Retailers Embrace Internal Site Search for Accuracy, Relevancy, and Profitability” that retailers have turned to the Aberdeen Group report: Retail E-Commerce Search: Accuracy, Relevancy, and Profitability in the Age of Choice to help them “address rapidly shifting customer affinities.” E-commerce system vendors underwrite the “free” and independent and objective analysis.
“Consumer and business analytics resources allow retailers to leverage the search process as a key customer touch-point. The more information taken into consideration regarding previous activity and site behavior, the more likely an up-sell will be. This saves time for the consumer and increases profitability for the retailer.”
By using customers’ analytical search data, retailers will improve their search results. Retailers are depending on this data to help increase their profit margins for this year. All I can say is get it quick after you take a wild and crazy survey with words like “affinity” in the questions.
Combine this with Google’s “contextual discovery” and shopping becomes something my great grandmother would not have recognized. Would she have made her own decisions about sox?
Stephen E Arnold, December 23, 2010
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