It
can be difficult to keep up with new security threats and
vulnerabilities. Newsletters, advisories and groups are
an effective way to cover a wide variety of developments
with limited effort. Subscribing to large volumes of lists
is also a valuable source for research when search engines
respond with too much or not enough. Another great benefit
of subscribing is the ability to ask questions and receive
quality responses.
Subscribe to numerous security resources. Use your mail
client to filter them into their own folder(s) and search
for specific topics.
Where possible, subscribe to the digest format to limit
the number of e-mail and provide an easy way to search using
the subject lines at the top. Also use a separate e-mail
account that will never respond with an out of office.
I. ALERTS
US
CERT Technical Cyber Security Alerts
"If you were to subscribe to one security vulnerability/threat
notification service, the US CERT advisories would be it.
The CERT mailing lists are part of the National Cyber Alert
System. The Technical Cyber Security Alerts provide timely
information about current security issues, vulnerabilities,
and exploits. This list is written in technical terms, with
experienced users and administrators as the intended audience."
SANS
@RISK: The Consensus Security Alert
"The Critical Vulnerability Analysis and the Security
Alert Consensus have merged to become @RISK: The Consensus
Security Alert. Delivered every Thursday morning, @RISK
first summarizes the three to eight vulnerabilities that
matter most, tells what damage they do and how to protect
yourself from them, and then adds a unique feature: a summary
of the actions 15 giant organizations have taken to protect
their users. @RISK adds to the critical vulnerability list
a complete catalog of all the new security vulnerabilities
discovered during the past week. Thus in one bulletin, you
get the critical ones, what others are doing to protect
themselves, plus a complete list of the full spectrum of
newly discovered vulnerabilities. This is also the subscription
list that receives SANS Flash Alerts when they come out
two or three times a year. More than 190,000 people are
subscribers."
US
CERT Cyber Security Alerts
"Cyber Security Alerts provide timely information about
current security issues, vulnerabilities, and exploits.
Cyber Security Alerts are released in conjunction with Technical
Cyber Security Alerts when there is an issue that affects
the general public. Cyber Security Alerts outline the steps
and actions that non-technical home and corporate computer
users can take to protect themselves from attack."
DHS
Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report
"The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report (Daily
Report) is collected each week day as a summary of open-source
published information concerning significant critical
infrastructure issues. Each Daily Report is divided by the
critical infrastructure sectors and key assets defined in the
National Infrastructure Protection Plan."
TRC
Terrorism E-Mail Alerts
The TRC-Alerts mailing list provides FLASH style alerts as critical information
relating to terrorism or homeland security is released. Examples include attacks
relevant to U.S. homeland security, changes in the homeland security status,
international conflict issues, or the capture of a high-profile terrorist.
Messages are typically less than 100 characters making this service optimal for
pagers or text message enabled cell phones.
The
Emergency Email and Wireless Network
This free service provides notification of local, regional, national and
international emergencies utilizing e-mail in a secure and expedient manner.
CNN
Breaking News Alerts
Severe weather or civil disturbances have the potential
to impact business. Operations teams should be aware of
critical events as they occur.
II. NEWSLETTERS
SecurityFocus
Newsletter
A summary of the news stories and commentaries written
by SecurityFocus staff and published each week on the SecurityFocus
web site.
To
subscribe, send a blank e-mail to sf-news-digest-subscribe@securityfocus.com.
Reply to the confirmation e-mail sent to you shortly afterwards.
SANS NewsBites
"SANS NewsBites is a weekly high-level executive summary
of the most important news articles that have been published
on computer security during the last week. Each news item
is very briefly summarized and includes a reference on the
web for detailed information, if possible. Spend five minutes
per week to keep up with the high-level perspective of all
the latest security news. New issues are delivered free
every Wednesday."
ComputerWorld
Newsletters
ComputerWorld offers a wide variety of newsletters.
Consider the following categories: Virus and Vulnerability
Roundup, Security Update, Security, E-Business, Quick Studies,
Emerging Technologies, Web Site Management, IT Management,
Computerworld Daily, and The Weekly Top 10. There are more...
Search
Security Newsletters
Security Daily News provides a daily synopsis of current security news with URLs for greater
detail.
Additional
categories include: virus prevention, firewall management,
executive security briefing, security product roundup, security
tool shed, expert advice, security policies, security tech
tips, web security tips, information architects, authentication/access
control, OS security, E-commerce security, and intrusion
detection.
Security Awareness Newsletter - NoticeBored
Our security awareness newsletter is one of the regular
monthly NoticeBored deliverables. Each issue:
°
Introduces the month’s security awareness topic
° Summarizes recent news stories on the topic
° Analyzes the associated information security risks
° Includes links to further information resources
° Outlines the awareness materials
US
CERT Cyber Security Bulletins
"Cyber Security Bulletins provide bi-weekly summaries
of security issues and new vulnerabilities. They also provide
patches, workarounds, and other actions to help mitigate
risk. This list is written in technical terms, with experienced
users and administrators as the intended audience."
SANS
AuditBits Newsletter
"SANS AuditBits is a biweekly summary of the latest
news, alerts and announcements relating to regulatory case
law, governance, best practice, and other advances in the
field of Information Technology auditing."
SANS
NetworkBits Newsletter
"SANS NetworkBits is a biweekly summary of the latest
news, alerts and announcements relating to network operations,
engineering, products, best practice, performance tuning,
defense in depth, and other advances in the field of Information
Technology networking."
Kroll Ontrack: Case Law Update & E-Discovery News
"This newsletter helps busy legal professionals keep pace with case law pertaining to
electronic evidence. Get valuable and timely information on new court decisions, technology as it
relates to e-evidence, and practical points for incorporating electronic discovery into your case
strategy. If you are an Attorney or other legal professional, you won't want to miss an
issue!"
Kroll Ontrack: Computer Forensics & Cyber Crime News
"This newsletter contains real-life stories about work done in the field of computer forensics
with clients who have encountered some challenging issues. It also contains some great information
on how computers work and how investigations are conducted. This newsletter will bring you the
very latest news and information on a very exciting topic."
Microsoft Security Notification Service
Better protect your computing environment by keeping up to date on Microsoft technical security
notifications. Notifications are available in RSS, instant message, mobile device, or e-mail format,
and are always available online at TechNet.
III. TIPS
US
CERT Cyber Security Tips
"Cyber Security Tips describe common security issues
and offer advice for non-technical home and corporate computer
users. Although each one is restricted to a single topic,
complex issues may span multiple tips. Each tip builds upon
the knowledge, both terminology and content, of those published
prior to it."
IV. GROUPS & MAILING LISTS
CISSP Forum - Yahoo Groups
The CISSP forum is restricted to CISSPs (Certified Information
Systems Security Professionals). To subscribe, login to
http://www.isc2.org
and select CISSP Forum. There are roughly 2,500 CISSPs subscribed
to the forum. In my opinion, it is the best IT resource
on the web. Members discuss pretty much every IT topic.
Security
Awareness Group - Yahoo Groups
The security awareness group provides a forum to discuss
awareness methodologies and share information security tips.
The group can also be used by anyone interested in learning
more about information security.
Information security tips should be written with the average
person as the intended audience. In general, tips should
advise of best practices and reinforce policy.
Security-Basics
Mailing List - Security Focus
"The Security-Basics mailing list is meant to assist
those responsible for securing individual systems (including
their own home computer) and small LANs. This includes but
is not limited to small companies, home-based businesses,
and home users. This list is designed for people who are
not necessarily security experts. As such, it is also an
excellent resource for the beginner who wants a non-threatening
place to learn the ropes."
To
subscribe, send a blank e-mail to security-basics-digest-subscribe@securityfocus.com.
Reply to the confirmation e-mail sent to you shortly afterwards.
Security-Management
Mailing List - Security Focus
"SECURITY-MANAGEMENT is a forum established for
the discussion of information security program management
as a critical business support process. We as a profession
generally tend to define the components of that process
under the headings of physical, administrative, and technical
security controls leveraged to mitigate risks that are prevalent
in the information age. But information security does not
exist in a vacuum. Information security is a strategic concern
that must be aligned to support an organization's key mission
and/or business objectives. This list specifically addresses
the business component of risk management and the myriad
of information security program management issues that must
be dealt with by information security management personnel
and others with similar responsibilities and/or interests."
To
subscribe, send a blank e-mail to security-management-digest-subscribe@securityfocus.com.
Reply to the confirmation e-mail sent to you shortly afterwards.
Information
Security Manager Discussion Forum - ISACA
Few would argue the importance of information security-especially
in the wake of recent reports that indicate that up to 85
percent of an enterprise’s market value is based on
its intangibles, information being primary among them. This
listserv is newly created to make it possible for those
managing information security programs to exchange views,
questions and experiences. Perfect for those having earned
ISACA’s new Certified Information Security Manager
(CISM) credential. To subscribe to the information security
manager listserv:
Send
the following email message:
TO:
join-info-sec-manager@share.isaca.org
SUBJECT: (leave blank)
BODY OF MESSAGE: (leave blank)
You
will receive an acknowledgment and instructions on how to
unsubscribe by email.
IT
Governance Discussion Forum - ISACA
IT governance is an increasingly important discipline,
particularly in the wake of corporate scandals, stricter
regulation and a need to restore stakeholder confidence.
This newly established listserv offers participants a chance
to discuss IT/business alignment, value delivery, risk management,
performance measurement and asset management-all aspects
of this emerging concept. To subscribe to the IT governance
listserv:
Send the following email message:
TO:
join-IT-Governance@share.isaca.org
SUBJECT: (leave blank)
BODY OF MESSAGE: (leave blank)
You
will receive an acknowledgment and instructions on how to
unsubscribe by email.
General
Topic Discussion Forum Digest - ISACA
Send the following email message:
TO: majordomo@purdue.edu
SUBJECT: (leave blank)
BODY OF MESSAGE: SUBSCRIBE CISACA-L-DIGEST
You
will receive an acknowledgment and instructions on how to
unsubscribe by email.
RISKANAL Mailing List
"RISKANAL is a discussion list focused on risk analysis. RISKANAL is affiliated with the
Society for Risk Analysis, a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, scholarly, international
society that provides an open forum for all those who are interested in risk analysis. Risk
analysis is broadly defined to include risk assessment, risk characterization, risk communication,
risk management and policy relating to risk, in the context of risks of concern to individuals,
to public and private sector organizations, and to society as a local, regional, national, or
global level."
Computer
Security Group - Yahoo Groups
"Discussion of all aspects of computer and technical
security including: encryption, intrusion detection systems,
technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM), public key
infrastructure, authentication methods, software security
and virus's. Information concerning software piracy or cracking
is forbidden as is the flaming of others. This is a self
help group where members share their knowledge and experience
with others since no single person can have all the answers."
Pen-Test
Mailing List - Security Focus
"The penetration testing list is designed to allow
people to converse about professional penetration testing
and general network auditing. While lists like Vuln-Dev
and Bugtraq deal with exploits and flaws in systems there
are few interactive forums to discuss actual penetration
testing and network auditing. As a result this area has
become a difficult topic to learn about outside of print
media (books etc.) Given that this is the case, this list
hopes to dispel some of the confusion and allow for intelligent
discourse on the topic. The list is not OS specific and
will cater to discussion on all and any networkable devices
people wish to discuss."
To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to pen-test-digest-subscribe@securityfocus.com.
Reply to the confirmation e-mail sent to you shortly afterwards.
Bugtraq
Mailing List - Security Focus
"BugTraq is a full disclosure moderated mailing
list for the *detailed* discussion and announcement of computer
security vulnerabilities: what they are, how to exploit
them, and how to fix them." Learn about the latest
security vulnerabilities, before they become advisories.
Send
a blank e-mail to bugtraq-digest-subscribe@securityfocus.com.
Reply to the confirmation e-mail sent to you shortly afterwards.
Infocon
Mailing List - IWS
"This mailing list is devoted to all aspects of information
operations, including offensive and defensive information
warfare, information assurance, psychological operations,
electronic warfare, etc. INFOCON (which stands for Information
Condition) is a major IWS research project, which should
rapidly grow over the next few months."
ISN: INFOSEC News Mailing List
"InfoSec News is a privately run, medium traffic list
that caters to distribution of information security news
articles. These articles will come from newspapers, magazines,
online resources, and more."
Risks
Digest Mailing List
The risks digest is a mix of articles and member commentary.
It is well regarded.
Full-Disclosure
Mailing List
Full Disclosure is a high volume mailing list dedicated
to the discussion of security topics. I recommend subscribing
to the digest format.
Firewalls
Mailing List - Security Focus
"Firewalls is a moderated mailing list for *detailed*
technical discussion of the how-tos and why-tos relating
to all aspects of firewall systems: configuration, auditing,
securing and performance, etc. This list is meant as an
aid to network and systems administrators and security professionals
who are responsible for implementing, reviewing and maintaining
effective firewalls. The list is not OS specific and will
cater to discussion on all and any network able devices
people wish to discuss."
To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to firewalls-digest-subscribe@securityfocus.com.
Reply to the confirmation e-mail sent to you shortly afterwards.
Firewall
Wizards Mailing List
"The purpose of the list is to provide you with
a moderated firewall and security related list that is more
like a journal than a public soapbox. Firewall-Wizards will
not cluttered with spam, flames or other non-list related
traffic."
V. RSS Feeds
If you have not already, consider using RSS to keep up with INFOSEC news and technology developments. RSS is a powerful way to search multiple sources of information (e.g. search for "insider threat" in 30 IT and security sites at once). RSS feeds also contain links to articles. It is possible to be up and running with RSS in about 5 minutes. Start by clicking on one of the "RSS Feed" links below. RSS functionality is included in Microsoft Internet Explorer version 7 and greater. Google Reader is another option for viewing RSS feeds.
INFOSEC News
Astalavista.com Security News: RSS Feed / Website
Computerworld Security News: RSS Feed / Website
Darknet - The Darkside: RSS Feed / Website
Dark Reading - All Stories: RSS Feed / Website
Dark Reading - Security News: RSS Feed / Website
eWEEK Security: RSS Feed / Website
Information Security Today: RSS Feed / Website
(IN)SECURE Magazine Notifications: RSS Feed / Website
[ISN] InfoSec News Mailing List: RSS Feed / Website
Latest articles for News from SC Magazine US: RSS Feed / Website
Network World on Security: RSS Feed / Website
Payments News - from Glenbrook Partners: RSS Feed / Website
Rootsecure.net: RSS Feed / Website
SANS Internet Storm Center: RSS Feed / Website
SANS NewsBites: RSS Feed / Website
SANS Security Alerts: RSS Feed / Website
Schneier on Security: RSS Feed / Website
SearchSecurity - Security Wire Daily News: RSS Feed / Website
Security Fix: RSS Feed / Website
Security Now!: RSS Feed / Website
SecurityFocus News: RSS Feed / Website
Sophos security news: RSS Feed / Website
The Register - Security: RSS Feed / Website
Yahoo! News - Computer Security & Viruses: RSS Feed / Website
Technical News
E-Commerce Times: RSS Feed / Website
PopularMechanics.com: RSS Feed / Website
Slashdot: RSS Feed / Website
TechNewsWorld: RSS Feed / Website
The Data Center Journal: RSS Feed / Website
PCI
Ask About PCI: RSS Feed / Website
Payment Systems Blog: RSS Feed / Website
Payments News - from Glenbrook Partners: RSS Feed / Website
PCI Blog - Compliance Demystified: RSS Feed / Website
PCI DSS Compliance Blog: RSS Feed / Website
Storefrontbacktalk: RSS Feed / Website
Visa: Data Security Alerts RSS Feed / Website
Visa: Data Security Bulletins RSS Feed / Website
Visa: Data Security Webinars RSS Feed / Website
Visa: Merchants PCI DSS Compliance Update Highlights RSS Feed / Website
Visa: Visa List of PABP Validated Payment Applications RSS Feed / Website
Visa: Global List of PCI DSS Validated Service Providers RSS Feed / Website
Visa: Training RSS Feed / Website
Visa: Data Security Resources RSS Feed / Website
Visa: Select All RSS Feed / Website
In
General…
Seek
out and subscribe to the security newsletters for every
operating system and software in your enterprise.