MSBlast, for example, which rolled through the Internet this August and onto thousands of machines, is still pervasive, and a new Windows-based PC that's not been patched can be infected just seconds after it's jacked into a broadband modem.
The first thing a user of a new Windows XP machine should do, Belthoff said, is to engage the operating system's built-in firewall to protect the machine while it downloads the necessary security patches from the Microsoft Web site.
"It's not the best firewall in the world, but it's an additional level of protection," he said.
Microsoft, which seconds Belthoff's recommendation, offers instructions on its 'Protect your PC' Web site that details the steps needed to turn on the firewall, which is disabled by default. (Microsoft has said its Windows XP Service Pack 2, or SP2, will come with the firewall already engaged, but SP2, while just released into beta testing, won't officially debut until sometime in the first half of 2004.) Users who have purchased a non-Windows XP PC should buy and install a personal firewall before they do anything else.
Once that's taken care of, the next steps are to visit the WindowsUpdate Web site to download and install all the recommended patches, then acquire an anti-virus program, or if one comes pre-installed on the machine, immediately update its virus definitions.
To realize the benefits of cloud-native software, an application must actually be cloud-native—designed to run in the cloud, interacting with disaggregated cloud services, fully manageable as code—to deliver the expected benefits.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
