Week 2- Credible Sources

Not all web sites on the Internet are a credible source of information when it comes to threats, vulnerabilities, updates, and security news.  You can’t believe everything you read, watch, or hear on the Internet.  When there is a conflict within a source the best way to check it is to weight it against known reliable sources.  If the sources list vulnerabilities within specific software, the best way to check the source is to visit the venders’ web page.  This is true for patches as well.  In order to stay on the safe side I would recommend using governmental, libraries, known organizations, and universities as sources for information.  Vender sites are usually very helpful at providing credible information about securities issues associated with their products.  The following is a list of sites that consider to be credible sources because they are from professional organizations or have proven over the years to be credible sources for information.

·         Security Week  http://www.securityweek.com/virus-threats

·         CNET  http://news.cnet.com/security/

·         SC Magazine  http://www.scmagazine.com/

·         NIST  http://www.nist.org/news.php

·         NBC News  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3033077/ns/technology_and_science-security

·         SANS  http://www.sans.org/

·         Bit Defender  http://www.bitdefender.com/security/

The sites listed above are just a few of the many sites that I think are credible sources.  If you stick to sites such as the ones listed above the information you receive should be reliable.  If you are unsure about a source you can also do some research on the author and check any references that he/she may have used in their article or document.