Experts Available to Discuss Study Claiming Hackers Find Targets Outside of Microsoft.

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TOPIC: The SANS Institute and a team of experts from industry and government uncovered more than 600 new Internet security vulnerabilities in the first quarter of 2005 and that hackers have increasingly targeted antivirus software and media players, according to an article by Reuters. Experts believe hackers are focusing on software programs, other than Microsoft's, because many Windows users have opted for the automatic security upgrades and assume their computers are always updated. The hackers penetrate security holes to distribute spam and to steal credit card information from the computer user.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

Alan Paller is co-founder and director of research at the SANS Institute, the cooperative research and education organization whose 45,000 alumni are responsible for securing computer networks and systems in organizations throughout the world. SANS also operates the Internet Storm Center, the Internet's early warning system, and compiles the definitive weekly, quarterly, and annual lists of the most critical security vulnerabilities that must be fixed. As an Internet leader, Alan has been called to the White House, Congress, and courts of law as an expert and authority. In 2001 he was appointed by the President to the US National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), and in 2005, the Federal CIO Council selected him as the Industry Leader of the Year, recognizing "vision and outstanding service to the federal information technology community." Alan has degrees from Cornell University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

David Perry is Trend Micro's media- and story-savvy spokesperson on viruses and anti-virus strategy. He is an invaluable and highly objective source who has a range of entertaining and informative perspectives on a variety of security topics: computer viruses, taxonomy, terminology, lifecycle and trends in viruses and other malware, cybersecurity and the current state of the industry, the recent proliferation of computer viruses and denial-of-service attacks against computer systems, the future of anti-virus, what will future computer viruses look like and how will they behave? He can discuss Trend Micro's unique approach to anti-virus. The company recognizes the fact that no one can ever prevent all viruses, so their approach is to alleviate the costs associated with security by focusing on the most expensive piece of the lifecycle and minimizing outbreaks and reducing assessment and cleanup costs after an attack. Recognized as a leading authority on computer virus prevention, Perry has more than 25 years of experience in the technology sector, which includes working with industry-leading antivirus vendors and educating the public about virus prevention. He speaks regularly at security events and with the media, and has co-chaired a conference at the White House on the topic of public education and critical system security. At Trend Micro, Perry works to educate network administrators, computer users and the public at large about computer viruses and how to protect against them.

Alan Simpkins is the practice director of security at Equant. In this role, he is responsible for Practice Director of Security. Alan has more than eight years of experience in network design, network security, policy definition, intrusion detection, and information security. This experience transverses the civilian and military marketplace. Beginning his career at the U.S. Defense Department and the U.S. Navy, Alan spent six years performing a variety of military duties. These include serving as a terminal area security officer and maintaining secure databases for the U.S. Navy Radiation Health Program at the U.S. Naval Units in Oakland, Calif., and Annapolis, Md. Alan began his civilian employment at Data Systems Marketing, where he served as a senior systems engineer. This was followed by employment with two consulting startups, where provided a variety of billable services to customers and served as a valued contributor to the product development teams. In these positions, Alan led numerous security initiatives, ranging from designing a multinational network for a large U.S. Stock Exchange to developing security policies for companies in a variety of markets. Alan has formulated tools and operational consulting procedures for use in the security policy, firewall pre-deployment, security auditing, and Internet scanning spaces. In addition, he has designed firewall architectures for companies in a number of market sectors, including financial, manufacturing, research, and government.

Glenn Watt, President and CEO of Backbone Security, is a board-certified, 25-year veteran of cyber warfare who received numerous awards from the Department of Defense for his leadership in defending our nation's computer networks. Watt is an accredited Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) as well as a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). A leader in the computer security industry, he has published dozens of information assurance articles, and is currently authoring a textbook on security engineering. Backbone Security conducts thorough vulnerability assessments of computer networks including penetrations testing and scanning. The company acts as an attacker to locate any potential threats within the system. In this way, their clients can be properly protected against hackers and cyber crime. Backbone Security also specializes in secure communications and helps prevent sensitive internal information from escaping. Backbone Security is one of only seven companies in the nation recognized by the National Security Agency (NSA) to facilitate the transfer of government-developed INFOSEC Assessment Methodologies (IAM) into the private sector. The NSA has specialized knowledge in providing information systems security assessments and training computer professionals in comprehensive computer security methodology and practices. Backbone Security also specializes in computer security products.

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