1. Information Security Research Tapping the Blogosphere Michael R. Farnum, CISSP, GSEC, DSB http://infosecplace.com/blog http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/farnum m1a1vet@infosecplace.com

2. Who is my Audience? Security managers / administrators Security consultants CSO / CISO Security analysts Others interested in security

3. INFORMATION JUNKIES Who is my Audience?

4. Information Security Research What is the goal? Better security

5. Traditional Forms of Research Trade magazines (online and print) Trade analyst services / Security researchers Security vendors Friends / colleagues

6. Pros and Cons Trade magazines (online and print) Pros Often free (if you qualify) Fairly current Technology comparisons Cons Tech reviews often driven by vendors who pay Information is scattered (online is getting better with RSS)

7. Pros and Cons Trade analyst services / Security researchers Pros Detailed Covers wide array of technologies and issues Cons Can be VERY expensive

8. Pros and Cons Security Vendor Pros Should know their part of the market very well Should be able to provide comparative documents Cons Biased

9. Pros and Cons Friends / Colleagues Pros Real world experience May be able to show instead of just tell Cons Environment may not be similar enough Solution bias may turn into religious argument

10. Types of Blogs Trade magazines (online) Trade analyst services / Security researchers Security vendors Friends / colleagues Anything look familiar?

11. So Whats the Difference? VOLUME Availability Current

12. Volume As of April 17, 2007 Technorati says it is tracking 75.2 million blogs (http://technorati.com/about/)http://technorati.com/about/ 6,469 blogs using security as a tag 826 blogs using information security as a tag 511 blogs using network security as a tag 220 blogs using data security as a tag

13. Availability FREE

14. Organization RSS - Really Simple Syndication Exciting! Boring…

15. RSS – Not Just for Blogs! Vlogs Podcasts News

16. RSS Aggregators Web-based aggregators These are sites that aggregate feeds for reading in a browser. 24bytesSimple Blog RSS/Atom aggregator24bytes 24x7 News24x7 Medical News Aggregator24x7 News 24eyesWeb 2.0 RSS aggregator24eyes AggregatoTag-based RSS/Atom aggregator (R)Aggregato Alesti Feed ReaderWeb 2.0 RSS readerAlesti Feed Reader AlmondRocksSimple aggregatorAlmondRocks Attensa Onlineis a free AJAX RSS reader that works like a dedicated RSS reader application.Attensa Online BeanRocketSocial aggregator (R)BeanRocket BlogLinesFolder style aggregator (R)BlogLines Blox0rSimple news aggregatorBlox0r ClickBioClickBio Biological News AggregatorClickBio Chrysanth NETime Channel Online RSS/Atom aggregator and RSS/Atom preview (R)Chrysanth NETime Channel Editaste Aggregator, also enables creating feeds comprised of arbitrary items (free)Editaste FeedBucket RSS/Atom aggregator with River-of-News or individual feedsFeedBucket FeedFeeds RSS/Atom aggregator that also features FeedTVFeedFeedsFeedTV FeedLounge Commercial aggregator (N)FeedLounge FeedReader.net Your personal web XML/RSS news readerFeedReader.net FeedShow.com RSS feeds reader / includes RSS monetizationFeedShow.com

17. More RSS Aggregators FeedZilla Dutch online RSS aggregator (N)FeedZilla FlipSkipper River-of-news style web based aggregatorFlipSkipper Freepress An political-news weblog aggregator with a set list of feeds, grouped by political partyFreepress Google Reader Google's Atom/RSS aggregator (R)Google Reader Grabline.com India News Aggregator (English and Hindi). Aggregates Deals as well.Grabline.com Greensboro101.com Community aggregator for Greensboro, North Carolina (S)Greensboro101.com HyperSuper Personalized news aggregatorHyperSuper Inform Advanced news aggregator (R)Inform IndiaNews India News Aggregator(R)IndiaNews Kinja Kinja, the weblog guide (R)Kinja metaRSS News aggregator and meta RSS producer (R)metaRSS monitor Greek blog aggregator.monitor MyNewsbot News aggregator with a twistMyNewsbot My Yahoo! Most used online RSS aggregatorMy Yahoo! Netvibes Highly DHTML-oriented aggregatorNetvibes NewsAlloy News aggregator (still in beta, as of 3 Feb 06, but very usable).NewsAlloy NewsBurst CNET's news aggregator (R)NewsBurst NewsGator News aggregator (R)NewsGator NewsIsFree Folder style news aggregatorNewsIsFree NewsOnFeeds Categorized news aggregatorNewsOnFeeds NewsNow UK's oldest news aggregator. International news in several languages, organised into various topicsNewsNow Pluck Also includes bookmark management (R)Pluck Pressrank News Aggregator Comparative tool to assess which sources are covering which storiesPressrank News Aggregator Protopage Allows for web based RSS feeds right on your desktop.Protopage Poets101.com Exclusively for poetry bloggers. (S)Poets101.com Rezzibo Beautifully designed RSS/Atom aggregator, Spanish with English translation forthcoming (R)Rezzibo Rocket RSS Reader Folder style aggregator (R)Rocket RSS Reader Rojo Tag-based news aggregatorRojo RSS2GIF enables you to convert RSS feeds to GIF files.RSS2GIF RssPress.it Italian free RSS/Atom news aggregatorRssPress.it RSSA Folder style aggregatorRSSA Sabkuch Newsan RSS/Atom News aggregator for various categories with archives.Sabkuch News slashgeo Community-driven ad-free slash-based News aggregator for GIS, RS and everything geospatial.slashgeo Sofomo Simplified news aggregatorSofomo Steven's News Service Fast easy-to-use RSS/Atom aggregator (R)Steven's News Service We Do The Ping Web based aggregatorWe Do The Ping YodPod A free web-based aggregator. Optional registration.YodPod Yuva News Aggregator India News Aggregator.Yuva News Aggregator

18. Even More RSS Aggregators Desktop news aggregators These can be downloaded and installed on a computer. Cross-platform AmphetaDesk was an open source syndicated news aggregator. Although once cutting-edge, in early Morbus Iff moved on to other projects. (Mac, Windows, Linux)AmphetaDesk BlogBridge is a free, open source reader which runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux. The free BlogBridge service syncs your feed list between desktops.BlogBridge RSSOwl is an open source Java RSS news reader.RSSOwl RSS2PDF enables you to view RSS feeds as PDF files.RSS2PDF AgileRSS is a java aggregator that runs on Windows, Unix, linux and MacOsX.AgileRSS Macintosh endo. 21 day trial, US$18. By the makers of ecto.endoecto News Reader is an RSS widget for Dashboard.News Reader NetNewsWire NewsAccess NewsFire Pheeder A extensible RSS / XML reader.Pheeder Postino shrookShrook users cooperate to monitor feeds.shrookcooperate to monitor feeds Vienna supports RSS and Atom feeds (open source hence free).Vienna Microsoft Windows Marcel (imum.info net-reader) feed reader (RSS/Atom/LS1), original and ultra-simplified. One feed in one page, no popup. (Free, english/french, for Windows).Marcel (imum.info net-reader) Alertbear offers a river of news style view via a stack of feed items, instead of the usual email style view of other readers.Alertbear Awasu - monitoring information from any source.Awasu Newsplorer is a fully skinnable news reader application that integrates with the online bookmarking service del.icio.usNewsplorer Companion Desktop Companion Desktop is the latest configurable news reader with preconfigured categories.Companion Desktop Twins WebNews Twins WebNews is an RSS and ATOM news reader, that works like an e-mail client.Twins WebNews RSS Xpress is a free Atom/RSS reader (requires.NET Framework v1.1).RSS Xpress FeedTray is a tiny RSS/Atom/podcast news reader that quietly sits in your task tray and monitors any number of news feeds (requires.NET Framework v2).FeedTray Feedreader is a lightweight open-source aggregator that supports RSS and ATOM formats. It works under Windows 95 and later versions.Feedreader BitsCast is a free rich media RSS reader/aggregator integrating Microsoft JET database engine with rich media (news | audio (podcast) | video (vlog) | software delivery | BitTorrent attachment) download/search/playback.BitsCast

19. Just a Few More RSS Aggregators SharpReader SharpReader is an RSS/Atom Aggregator.SharpReader BlogBridge BlogBridge is an RSS/Atom Aggregator that supports Reading Lists (requires Java).BlogBridge Awasu is a fully-featured news reader with both free and commercial versions.Awasu CITA RSS Aggregator is a free Windows aggregator that also supports podcasts, BitTorrents and secure feeds (requires.NET Framework v2).CITA RSS Aggregator FeedDemon is a hybrid online/offline RSS reader.FeedDemon FeedExplorer Freeware, Outlook 2003 look and feel.FeedExplorer Fuzzy Duck is a freeware RSS, Atom and RDF news reader.Fuzzy Duck GreatNews is a powerful RSS reader emphasising on usability.GreatNews News Bobbin is a freeware that scrolls the latest customizable headlines on the bottom of your desktop.News Bobbin Nutshell Freeware, multi-window skinnable RSS reader with optional Ticker bar.Nutshell RSSBandit is an RSS/Atom aggregator written with the.NET Framework.RSSBandit Snarfer is a freeware state of the art lightning fast RSS/Atom/XML reader.Snarfer wTicker RSS reader. Many Features.wTicker FeedAmasser A Light Weight RSS Feed Reader.FeedAmasser WinRSS A freeware RSS/Atom aggregator for Windows, which uses your browser to display the news, and also balloon tooltips.WinRSS KlipFolio Is a small, smart and very configurable RSS Dashboard. KlipFolio can be used to monitor anything you want online--like weather, stocks, Hotmail, news, RSS feeds and even auctions.KlipFolio Feed'n Read Feed'n Read (FnR) is a free Java based open source newsfeed reader. It is powered by the Sun ROME syndication framework and therefore supports all current formats.Feed'n Read Touchstone Touchstone is a heads-up-display that treats RSS less like news and more like an alerts/updates mechanism. Stay up-to-date with web-based apps (Web 2.0?) while you work without having to bury your head in a news reader.Touchstone Investor Vista Webfeed aggregator designed specifically for investors. Unique system which generates Stock + Feed News charts.Investor Vista Linux akregator is a KDE news feed aggregator.akregator blam is a GNOME RSS aggregator written in C#.blam liferea is a GTK/GNOME-based news aggregator.liferea raggle is a console RSS aggregator written in Ruby.raggle rawdog is the RSS Aggregator Without Delusions Of Grandeur.rawdog straw is another GNOME aggregator.straw Ticker is a GNUstep news aggregator for Atom and RSS feeds.Ticker

20. Holy Crap thats a lot of RSS Aggregators Built-in aggregators Web browsers, plugins and other software with built-in aggregators. Attensa Toolbar for Internet Explorer Detect, preview and read RSS feeds and articles from a IE toolbar.Attensa Toolbar for Internet Explorer Chrysanth NETime Channel is a free software that transforms your IE (Internet Explorer) into a powerful RSS aggregator, thus enabling you to view any RSS, RDF or ATOM feeds directly inside your web browser as a nicely formatted web page.Chrysanth NETime Channel eDIY Web Hosting CMS Software Built in aggregration plugin for CMS websites.eDIY Web Hosting CMS Software Internet Explorer 7 currently in beta. Reads Atom and RSS.Internet Explorer 7 Madicon RSS Reader, an RSS/Atom reader for the groupware platform IBM Lotus Notes/Domino 6.x (or higher).Madicon RSS Reader Mozilla Firefox is a free-software web browser that can display feeds as bookmark folders. Mozilla Thunderbird is a free-software email and newsgroup client that can also read RSS and Atom feeds. My RSS Toolbar is toolbar for Internet Explorer. Contains pre-defined list of feeds combined into categories.My RSS Toolbar Built-in RSS Client its a Internet Explorer plug-in for handling with RSS feeds.Built-in RSS Client Opera web browser detects RSS links and integrates it with its email client functionality. While technically not an aggregator, the RSS Visualizer Quartz screen saver that comes with Mac OS X will display the ten most recent updates to any given RSS feed that you select in System Preferences. Safari, is a Mac OS X browser from Apple, comes with built-in support for RSS aggregation. Yoono A social bookmarking application with integrated news reader. (Microsoft Windows) Firefox extensions Aggreg8, an open source Mozilla/Firefox extension licensed under the Mozilla Public License. The developer stopped working on it in 2004 and now recommends the use of Habari Xenu.Aggreg8 Attensa RSS Firefox Extension Detect, preview and read RSS feeds and articles from the Firefox toolbar.Attensa RSS Firefox Extension Habari Xenu was a project originally based on Aggreg8 and is also an extension for Mozilla and Mozilla Firefox.Habari Xenu NewsMonster is an RSS aggregator that runs inside a Mozilla-based web browser.NewsMonster Pluck Also available for Internet Explorer. includes bookmark management.Pluck Sage is a lightweight RSS and Atom feed aggregator extension for Mozilla Firefox.Sage Wizz RSS is a Firefox extension that supports all versions of RSS, Atom 0.3, Atom 1.0, GZIP compression, Podcast feeds and the feed: URI scheme. Also works as a Gmail notifier and can be used to publish feeds on any web site.Wizz RSS Outlook extensions Attensa for Outlook is a news reader that delivers newsfeeds directly into folders in Microsoft Outlook. It includes browser toolbars (for IE and Firefox) that make it easy to add and manage subscriptions. It supports attachments including Podcast audio files. Does not work with other than english Outlook versions.Attensa for Outlook intraVnews is an RSS/Atom aggregator that runs in Outlook. Feeds are delivered into Outlook folders where they can be read alongside email. Does not work with Outlook 2000 (requires Outlook XP or 2003).intraVnews NewsGator is a news aggregator that runs in Microsoft Outlook. It allows you to subscribe to various syndicated news feeds (such as weblogs, news sites, and so on) and have news from these sites be delivered right into your Outlook folders. RSS Popper is a news aggregator add-in for Outlook. News items delivered directly to Outlook as e-mails. No need to use a separate program for reading RSS anymore. All RSS/RDF/Atom formats are supported.RSS Popper

21. Does this friggin list ever end? Email based aggregators These are sites that aggregate feeds and email them. Blog Alert Feed2Imap (uploads items as mails on an IMAP server)Feed2Imap FeedBlitz.com Feednation Queoo (email and IM)Queoo RssFwd R-mail Squeet.com (100% FREE) Yahoo! Alerts RSS alerts delivered via email, IM, and SMSYahoo! Alerts Command Line based aggregators These allow feed to be read in a command line without graphical user interface Centericq - instant messenger client that allows feed readingCentericq snownews - is a simple, open source, aggregator for the command linesnownews raggle - an open source ruby/ncurses based news readerraggle theyoke - an ultra-simple, polite aggregrator designed for use on the command linetheyoke Aggregators that require web server installation Feed on Feeds (PHP and MySQL required)Feed on Feeds Gregarius Can be themed and supports plugins (PHP and a database like MySQL or SQLite required)Gregarius Lylina MetaPlanet (PHP required and SQLite required)MetaPlanet Newspipe Heavily customizable email-based news reader (Python required)Newspipe Planet Planet (Python required)Planet Python Desktop Server (Python required)Python Desktop Server reBlog (aggregator with ability to republish to your weblog)reBlog Online RSS Viewer (PHP required)Online RSS Viewer Rippy The Aggregator (PHP required)Rippy The Aggregator Rnews (PHP and MySQL required)Rnews Urchin (Perl and MySQL required)Urchin rawdog an RSS Aggregator Without Delusions Of Grandeur (Python required)rawdog

22. FINALLY! Aggregators for mobile devices Newstouch Fast and customizable RSS reader for Symbian and Java phones. Feeds and images are compressed by a remote server. Articles are stored on the phone for offline viewing.Newstouch FreeRange Communications Advanced RSS News and Blog Reader for mobile phones and PDAs. Supports off-line reading, built-in text browser, email. Works on nearly all phones - Java, Symbian, Blackberry, Palm, Windows Mobile.FreeRange Communications Go Mobile Solutions RSSToGo is an easy-to-use RSS reader for the Windows Mobile PlatformGo Mobile Solutions Attensa Mobile RSS reader for phones and PDAs synchronizes with Attensa for Outlook and Attensa OnlineAttensa MobileAttensa for OutlookAttensa Online News Lite Free RSS reader for flash-enabled devicesNews Lite Resco News RSS/Atom aggregator for Symbian S60 phonesResco News Yahoo! Mobile allows you to read RSS feeds from your My Yahoo pageYahoo! Mobile ZapTXT Uses SMS messages to send updates from RSS feeds you specifyZapTXT FeederReader FeederReader is a full-featured RSS Aggregator with podcast listening and enclosure support, running on Windows MobileFeederReader NomadReader List came from: http://www.newsonfeeds.com/faq/aggregators

23. Some Popular Aggregators Bloglines (Online) BlogBridge (Application) NewsGator (Online and Application) My Yahoo! (Online) Rojo (Online) Firefox browser (Application via Live Bookmarks feature) Netvibes (Online)

24. Example of an Aggregator

25. Current Security Alert Blogs Bugs, Patches, etc. Security News Sites Big security events as they happen Security Practitioner Sites http://www.bloglines.com/public/m1a1vet

26. Some Recommended Reading http://www.bloglines.com/public/m1a1vet

27. Special Guests Martin McKeay Army StillSecure / Cobia Product Evangelist http://www.mckeay.net http://www.computerworld.com/blogs.mckeay Cutaway (you can ask him his real name) Marines Security Ripcord Blog - http://www.cutawaysecurity.com/blog/ http://www.cutawaysecurity.com/blog/