From: InfoSec News (alertsinfosecnews.org)
Date: Thu Sep 14 2006 - 01:07:30 CDT

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=== CONTENTS ===================================================

IN FOCUS: Transceiver Fingerprinting Improves Wireless Security

NEWS AND FEATURES
   - New Unpatched Vulnerability Affects Microsoft Word 2000
   - Cisco and Microsoft Team Up on Network Access Control
   - BrowserShield Defends Browsers at Network Borders
   - Recent Security Vulnerabilities

GIVE AND TAKE
   - Security Matters Blog: Browzar Bashing--Is It Warranted?
   - FAQ: 64-Bit Version of Group Policy Management Console
   - From the Forum: NTFS Permission in an Education Environment
   - Share Your Security Tips

PRODUCTS
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   - Wanted: Your Reviews of Products

RESOURCES AND EVENTS

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=== IN FOCUS: Transceiver Fingerprinting Improves Wireless Security
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, News Editor, mark at ntsecurity / net

If you operate wireless networks, you know that media access control
(MAC) address filtering is an unreliable way to prevent unwanted
network access. The reasons are that it's relatively simple to spoof
any MAC address and to collect MAC addresses from the airwaves.

One technique used to improve on MAC filtering is to develop a
fingerprint of the wireless network driver, which can help identify the
wireless hardware by manufacturer. This approach works because each
manufacturer develops its own driver behavior. The characteristics of
that behavior can be tracked, identified, stored, and later matched
when a wireless device is detected by an intrusion detection system
(IDS) or authentication system. Other techniques involve actively or
passively discovering wireless device model numbers, chipset model
numbers, and OS versions.

Jeyanthi Hall has explored a way to take wireless device fingerprinting
even further. In her research, Hall discovered that each wireless
network device has a unique frequency signal profile, which can be
discovered as the device transmits over the airwaves. This holds true
even for identical card models from the same manufacturer and even when
those cards use exactly the same chipset.

Therefore, a fingerprint can be developed that will match one specific
physical device. Hall thinks that, based on her research, the only way
such a fingerprint can be spoofed is to physically recreate all the
characteristics of the circuits in the original device. In order to
accomplish that task, the original device would be required, which
implies that someone must first steal it. But in the case of a stolen
device, the fingerprint could be blocked, hopefully before someone
replicates the exact circuitry.

In practical use, transceiver fingerprint identification could be used
in wireless intrusion detection and prevention systems and in
authentication systems. What's more, transceiver fingerprinting isn't
limited to Wi-Fi devices. Since Bluetooth technology is also based on
radio transmissions, similar techniques could be used to guard
Bluetooth connectivity.

According to Hall's research (as published to date), transceiver
fingerprinting is about 95 percent accurate. So there is room for
error, which means that additional methods of protection might be
necessary in some situations.

One important issue to keep in mind about any radio transmitter is that
as a device ages, its radio signal profile changes. Therefore, in order
to maintain fingerprint accuracy, the fingerprint must be updated
continually. This of course creates processing overhead and could pose
significant hurdles in large wireless network installations.
Regardless, the hurdles aren't insurmountable.

Hall has published two detailed white papers (one that covers Wi-Fi and
one that covers Bluetooth) that describe her research and its potential
applications. If you're interested in this technology, which very well
might make its way into wireless security solutions, then be sure to
read the papers. They're available at the first two URLs below in PDF
format. If you're interested in other wireless security-related work
published by Hall, then visit her site at Carleton University at the
third URL below.
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=38397:7EB890
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=== SECURITY NEWS AND FEATURES =================================

New Unpatched Vulnerability Affects Microsoft Word 2000
   Symantec reported the discovery of a new unpatched vulnerability
that affects Microsoft Word 2000. The vulnerability could allow a
remote intruder to install a Trojan horse that opens a back door on an
affected system when a malicious document is opened. Exploits that take
advantage of the vulnerability have been discovered circulating on the
Internet.
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=38393:7EB890

Cisco and Microsoft Team Up on Network Access Control
   Cisco and Microsoft announced that their respective technologies,
Cisco Network Admission Control (NAC) and Microsoft Network Access
Protection (NAP), will be interoperable. Both technologies are designed
to prevent computers from accessing a network unless they meet specific
"health" checks.
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=38392:7EB890

BrowserShield Defends Browsers at Network Borders
   Microsoft developed a prototype defense tool, BrowserShield, that
can defend unpatched browsers by filtering and rewriting incoming Web
content at network borders.
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=38394:7EB890

Recent Security Vulnerabilities
   If you subscribe to this newsletter, you also receive Security
Alerts, which inform you about recently discovered security
vulnerabilities. You can also find information about these
discoveries at
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=== GIVE AND TAKE ==============================================

SECURITY MATTERS BLOG: Browzar Bashing--Is It Warranted?
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=3839E:7EB890

There's a lot of Browzar bashing going on, and most of it overlooks the
obvious. Read my perspective on the bashing in this blog article
   http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=38395:7EB890

FAQ: 64-Bit Version of Group Policy Management Console
   by John Savill, http://list.windowsitpro.com/t?ctl=3839B:7EB890

Q: Where can I get the 64-bit version of Group Policy Management
Console (GPMC)?

Find the answer at
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FROM THE FORUM: NTFS Permission in an Education Environment
   A forum participant is working on creating a way for teachers and
students to share info while controlling what the students can see and
do. He's running a Windows Server 2003 Release 2 (R2) domain and is
aware of access-based enumeration. He's having difficulty getting the
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