Denial of Service Attack on Apache Server can become imminent

According to the recent article on Fast Company entitled "Apache Killer Is The Biggest Little Internet Threat" by Kit Easto, there is a vulnerability in the latest version (as of 8/28/2011) of Apache Server which is susceptible for DoS attack. 

According to Kit Easto, The vulnerability goes like this:

"When your browser asks for website code from an Apache server, the system listens to the request, then sends the relevant HTML files off to you. But your computer can also, of course, download other files from a web server--and as part of the complicated digital chat that goes on between your PC and the Apache server there's a variable named "range" that gets sent from your PC to the server. It basically says "if the file I'm asking for is really big, say a gigabyte, then please break it up into smaller chunks." Apache Killer is a simple code that pings a server, and basically says to the server to break up even a small file into a vast number of tiny chunks, using this "range" variable. The server tries to comply with the request, but it's technically impossible...and so it runs out of memory swiftly, or encounters any number of other errors, and then will typically crash. Taking the server offline, along with any websites it's hosting."

For a potential mitigation, please visit


http://blog.spiderlabs.com/2011/08/mitigation-of-apache-range-header-dos-attack.html

Will iCloud be the next target for hackers?

With Apple's announcement of iCloud at WWDC on Monday, the migration
of data and assets to the cloud space seems to be accelerating and
irreversible.
iCloud's massive online storage system allows users to access their
data from any decive connected to the Internet. You can access your
music library, documents, photos, and all contents from any iOS
device, from anywhere. In an era where everyone juggles multiple
devices, iCloud answers the hassles of keeping all your devices in
sync.

With recent security breaches in RSA, Sony, L3 and other big name companies, can AAPL be the next target?

Personally, I believe that AAPL should leverage two factor authentication and encrypt data with FIPS 140-2 Approved algorithm.  At this point, only apple ID is used for the authentication. This could be a brute force target for the hackers.

Also, AAPL should evaluate a good Identity and Access Management solution to provision the user and provide attribute based and fine grained access control. With the cash from its line of business, it is not too late for AAPL make good investment in the cloud security before AAPL become the front page of Washington Post due to security problems.

iCloud Paves Way to Glory Days in China - Paul Denlinger - China At The Crossroads - Forbes

iCloud will be a successful story in China

Please see the following article

http://blogs.forbes.com/pauldenlinger/2011/06/06/icloud-paves-way-to-glory-days-in-china/?partner=asia_newsletter

Obama's CTO eyes cloud, mobile options Aneesh Chopra, the first U.S. CTO, tells InfoWorld about his ambitious plans to modernize IT, address Internet privacy, and increase transparency

Infoworld published an article today about federal government bullish
trends on cloud and mobile computing to supplement the legacy
computing needs. More details, see below:

http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/obamas-cto-eyes-cloud-mobile-options-684

BMO Financial Group selects CGI cloud computing services to launch a comprehensive social media hub

The following press release can also be found at:
http://www.cgi.com/en/BMO-Financial-Group-selects-CGI-cloud-computing-services-launch-comprehensive-social-media-hub

CGI Group Inc. (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), a leading provider of
information technology and business process services, today announced
that BMO Financial Group has chosen CGI's cloud computing services to
help launch a comprehensive social media Hub.

The site will feature a comprehensive set of multimedia tools such as
blogs, games and YouTube integration, a content management system for
quickly and easily updating content on the site, customer relationship
management tools, including e-mail registration and updates, and the
capacity to rapidly activate new services.

In addition, CGI is providing BMO Financial Group with cloud services
to support the launch of new mobile applications for its customers.

"Working with CGI, we developed the BMO SmartSteps for Parents, an
interactive, online hub to help parents educate children about money
management. The resource is free and available to all Canadians and
part of our commitment to Making money make sense®," said Bal
Sahjpaul, Head of eChannel, BMO Financial Group. "We're excited about
our move to the cloud and how it will help us deliver exciting new
services to our customers faster."

"As a leading cloud computing provider, CGI delivers enterprise cloud
solutions that address the performance, security and governance
challenges large organizations face," said Eva Maglis, President,
Global Infrastructure Services, CGI. "Our value is in integrating
cloud computing capabilities with more traditional services to provide
clients with robust solutions customized to meet their specific
business needs and enhance their business performance," added Doug
McCuaig, President, Canada, CGI.

The online community is available at www.bmo.com/smartparents.

CGI's end-to-end cloud computing offerings include cloud consulting
services that create a strategy based on client-specific priorities
and opportunities. CGI helps clients evaluate options including public
clouds, private clouds, hybrid clouds, IaaS, Platform as a Service
(PaaS) and SaaS offerings. Designed to meet the most demanding
commercial and government requirements, CGI's cloud computing
offerings drive innovation, flexibility and savings, while providing
for the security, availability and performance its clients need.

About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is one of the largest independent
information technology and business process services firms in the
world. CGI and its affiliated companies employ approximately 31,000
professionals. CGI provides end-to-end IT and business process
services to clients worldwide from offices and centres of excellence
in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia Pacific. As at March 31,
CGI's annualized revenue was approximately C$4.5 billion and its order
backlog was approximately C$12.6 billion. CGI shares are listed on the
TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB) and are included in both the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Index. Website: www.cgi.com.

HIPAA, HITECH Compliance Not Improving Health Care Data Security: Survey - Security - News & Reviews - eWeek.com - eWeek Mobile

Another post in compliance < > Security

http://mobile.eweek.com/c/a/Security/HIPAA-HITECH-Compliance-Not-Improving-Health-Care-Data-Security-Survey-895411/

iPhone 4 Encryption Remains Uncracked, but Password Keys Easy to Obtain - Security - News & Reviews - eWeek.com - eWeek Mobile

http://mobile.eweek.com/c/a/Security/iPhone-4-Encryption-Remains-Uncracked-But-Password-Keys-Easy-to-Obtain-686228/