text:
US 20020114491 A1 Abstract Steganographic calibration signals (sometimes termed "orientation signals," "marker signals," reference signals," "grid signals," etc.) are sometimes included with digital watermarking signals so that subsequent distortion of the object thereby marked (e.g., a digital image file, audio clip, document, etc.) can later be discerned and compensated-for. Digital watermark detection systems sometimes fail if the object encompasses several separately-watermarked components (e.g., a scanned magazine page with several different images, or photocopy data resulting from scanning while several documents are on the photocopier platen). Each component may include its own calibration signal, confusing the detection system. In accordance with certain embodiments, this problem is addressed by a proximity-based approach, and/or a multiple grid-based approach. In accordance with other embodiments, the calibration signal can—itself—convey watermark information, so it serves both a calibration and a payload-conveyance function.
Claims(11) 1. A method of decoding watermark data from digital data representing a content object, the object including first and second parts conveying first and second different watermarks, the method comprising:
segregating the digital data into more than two portions; selecting a first group of proximate portions and combining same into a first excerpt; selecting a second group of proximate portions and combining same into a second excerpt; and separately decoding the first and second excerpts to decode the first and second different watermarks therefrom. 2. A method of decoding watermark data from digital data representing a content object, the object including plural parts conveying plural different watermarks, each of the watermarks including embedded information to facilitate decoding even if the content object is subject to at least one form of affine transformation, the method comprising:
generating from the digital data a set of data having the embedded information from said watermarks expressed therein; discerning first and second transformation information from said set of data, said transformation information related to affine transformations of first and second watermarks; processing a portion of the digital data in accordance with the first transformation information to decode the first watermark; processing a portion of the digital data in accordance with the second transformation information to decode the second watermark. 3. The method of
4. The method of
5. The method of
6. A method of decoding watermark data from digital data representing a content object, the object including plural parts each conveying a different watermark, each of the watermarks including a characteristic pattern evident in the Fourier transform domain by which affine transformation of the corresponding part can be discerned, the method comprising:
providing blocks of the digital data in the Fourier domain; accumulating Fourier magnitude data across plural of said blocks; remapping the accumulated data into a log-polar domain; providing a summed-grid template representing a summation of Fourier magnitude data corresponding to said plural characteristic patterns, represented in said log-polar domain; analyzing the remapped accumulated data in accordance with said summed-grid template to discern candidate affine states; for at least some of said candidate affine states, determining the characteristic pattern to which each corresponds; and attempting to decode a watermark from a portion of the digital data in accordance with a first of said candidate affine states and a characteristic pattern determined to correspond thereto. 7. The method of
8. The method of
9. A method of encoding a digital content object with a watermark that represents both payload data and calibration data, comprising:
defining a grid signal comprising a plurality of components in the Fourier domain; setting the polarities of said components in accordance with payload data to be represented thereby; and combining said grid signal with the digital content object to digitally watermark same; wherein affine transformation of the digital content object can be discerned from affine transformation of the grid signal, and the payload can be discerned from the polarities of the grid signal components. 10. The method of
11. The method of
Description [0001] This application claims priority benefit to copending provisional application 60/257,924, filed Dec. 21, 2000. [0002] The present invention relates to digital watermark technology, and particularly concerns situations in which several digitally watermarked objects are presented to a watermark detector. [0003] Digital watermarking systems are known in the art, and are shown, e.g., in copending application Ser. Nos. 09/503,881 and 09/452,023. [0004] Steganographic calibration signals (sometimes termed "orientation signals," "marker signals," reference signals," "grid signals," etc.) are sometimes included with digital watermarking signals so that subsequent distortion of the object thereby marked (e.g., a digital image file, audio clip, document, etc.) can later be discerned and compensated-for. Such arrangements are detailed in the cited applications. [0005] Systems for detecting watermarks from marked objects sometimes fail if the image object encompasses several separately-watermarked components (e.g., a scanned magazine page with several different images, or photocopy data resulting from scanning while several documents are on the photocopier platen, as shown in FIG. 1). Each component may include its own calibration signal, confusing the detection system. [0006] In accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention, this problem is addressed by a proximity-based approach, and/or a multiple grids-based approach. [0007] In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, the calibration signal can—itself—convey the watermark information, so it serves both a calibration and a payload-conveyance function. [0008] The foregoing and additional features and advantage of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. [0009]FIG. 1 shows several documents as they may be positioned on the platen of a photocopier. [0010]FIG. 2 is a flow chart detailing one embodiment of a multiple-grid detection approach. [0011]FIG. 3 is a flow chart further detailing the embodiment of FIG. 2. [0012] For expository convenience, the following discussion focuses on the context of processing image data resulting from scanning several documents on the same photocopier platen. It should be recognized, however, that the invention is not so limited, but finds application, e.g., in contexts involving audio, video and other content objects. [0013] Proximity Approach [0014] The proximity approach is based on selecting and clubbing together image blocks that are in close proximity to each other. For two watermarked documents in an image, this approach would ideally give two clusters of blocks, one for each watermark. This approach requires modification to the methodology described in the '881 application. The prior methodology calculated the variance and edges in each block and used these to compute a metric for the block. Blocks were ranked based on their metric, and the top M blocks are selected to perform grid detection. The proximity approach, in contrast, takes into account the spatial locations of the blocks, and/or their distances to each other, for division into one or more clusters. [0015] Such a proximity approach has several advantages. These include: [0016] Separate block clusters can be treated as independent sets of data for grid detection and further decoding. [0017] Except for the block clustering and proximity determination, prior art techniques (e.g., as in the '881 application) can remain unchanged. [0018] Although the proximity-based approach overcomes many of the shortcomings of the prior art, it has attributes that may render it poorly suited for certain applications. For example: [0019] The proximity approach may result in blocks from a single watermarked document being divided into more than one cluster. [0020] The proximity approach may fail for multiple watermarked documents that are either overlapped or in close proximity to each other. [0021] The extensibility of this approach to situations where the number of watermarked components is more than two or three is uncertain. [0022] These shortcomings are generally obviated by the multiple grids approach. [0023] Multiple Grids Approach [0024] The multiple grids approach tackles the problem by searching for multiple grids during grid detection. The approach is based on the notion that if there is more than one watermarked component, the accumulated Fourier magnitude should contain a grid signal corresponding to each watermark. The presence of multiple grids generates multiple strong peaks both at the log-polar correlation and Fourier magnitude correlation steps in the process. Each peak corresponds to the rotation and scale of the corresponding grid. [0025] The multiple grids approach can include certain of the steps detailed in FIGS. 2 and 3, which include the following: [0026] Segment the image into blocks; [0027] Apply a non-linear prefilter that estimates the image data (from the image+watermark input data) and subtracts its from the input data. (Estimation can be performed using the host signal estimation technique disclosed in application Ser. No. 09/278,049.) [0028] Compute the detection value corresponding to each of the N (e.g., 2-16) candidates in the Fourier Magnitude Correlation (FMC) step. [0029] Select the M candidates that surpass the two-step rejection criterion. [0030] Try refining scale/rotation on these M candidates to obtain refined rotation and scale as well as differential scale and shear (i.e., a 4D refinement vector). [0031] Loop through the M 4D vector sets and perform translation determination and read (decode) operations for each, using all available blocks. [0032] Buffer the decoded watermark information from each of the M candidates (i.e., read or not read, if read what type of watermark, and so on). [0033] Either return this information to the calling program, or select the watermark to return to the calling program based upon a predetermined priority ranking of the various possible watermarks. [0034] This approach works as long as there is sufficient signal strength corresponding to each potential grid in the accumulated Fourier magnitude. Also note that this approach assumes that all the watermarks in the image have the same grid. Experiments using this approach have yielded promising results and shown that this approach is feasible. [0035] Such an approach has various advantages, including: [0036] It enables detection of multiple watermarks even if the multiple watermarked documents are overlapped or in close proximity to each other. [0037] It does not affect the performance (speed) of the grid detection stage. [0038] Most of the methodology parallels prior art techniques; the sequence of operations after the grid detection stage need to be repeated for each detected grid. [0039] It is possible to extend this approach to situations where there are more than two or three watermarked components in an image. [0040] A few shortcomings persist: [0041] If the multiple watermarks are weak, it may be difficult to detect them in the accumulated Fourier magnitude. [0042] One challenge in this approach arises if the multiple grids have almost the same rotation and scale. This limitation arises because the peak finding algorithm cannot resolve closely located peaks in the GMF correlation plane. [0043] The two-step rejection criteria noted above is more particularly detailed in application Ser. No. 09/526,982. [0044] An exemplary grid signal is one with the following characteristics: [0045] It comprises a collection of impulse or delta functions in the Fourier magnitude domain. [0046] The impulse functions have pseudo random phase (i.e. the phase is random, yet known so that translation (its X and Y origin) of the watermark can be computed by correlating the phase information of the calibration signal with the watermarked signal) [0047] The impulse functions are typically distributed in the mid-frequency range so as to survive distortion yet not be perceptible [0048] In other embodiments, different grid signals can be used in differently-watermarked excerpts of the content. FIGS. 2 and 3 more particularly detail a detection process useful in this context. [0049] As before, the image is segmented into blocks, pre-filtered, the converted into the Fourier domain. The Fourier representation for all the component blocks are accumulated, filtered, and remapped into the log-polar domain. [0050] In contrast to the multiple-same grid context, the multiple-different grid context process proceeds by correlating the log-polar representation obtained above, with a log-polar remapping of the Fourier magnitude representation of each of the component grid signals, summed together (a summed-grid template). This correlation yields several peaks, each indicating a candidate scale/rotation state of one of the component watermarked elements. But the peaks do not indicate the particular grid signals with which they correlated, since the correlation was based on a summed-grid template. Accordingly, the method proceeds by checking each discerned scale/rotation state (correlation peak) of the data against the Fourier magnitude spectrum of the different grid signals, to determine which grid signal should be used in decoding a given scale/rotation state of the data. Once this association between scale/rotation states of data, and applicable grid signal, has been determined, decoding of each can proceed as above (and in the cited applications). [0051] Of course, for any single grid signal, there may be several objects represented in the data set—each with a different scale or rotation. [0052] In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the impulse functions can be modulated to carry auxiliary information as follows: [0053] Encode: [0054] a. create message (e.g., binary bit string) [0055] b. error correction encode and/or spread spectrum modulate the string [0056] c. map elements of resulting message signal to fourier magnitude impulse function locations [0057] d. encode 1 as positive impulse function and encode 0 as negative impulse function (or other predetermined relation) [0058] Detect and decode message: [0059] a. detect impulses to determine whether a watermark is present; [0060] b. if detected, then go back and check for the presence at predetermined Fourier Magnitude impulse function locations; [0061] c. perform inverse of spread spectrum modulation and error correction coding to recover original message [0062] Note that there are many possible applications: The calibration signal can carry protocol information to tell the decoder how to interpret the message payload of another watermark signal. [0063] In systems in which the "grid" signal conveys the message, there is no need for separate "grid" and "message" signals. [0064] For additional information on the use of the grid signal to convey payload information, see pending application Ser. No. 09/618,948. [0065] Having described and illustrated the principles of our inventive work with reference to specific embodiments, it will be recognized that the principles thereof can be implemented in other, different, forms. [0066] For example, while the disclosure focused on image data, the same techniques are applicable in other watermarking contexts, including audio and video. [0067] Moreover, while the invention was illustrated in the context of the present assignee's preferred forms of watermarking, it should be recognized that the invention's applicability is not so limited. For example, such techniques also find utility in combination with the teachings of watermarking U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,949,055, 6,044,182, etc. [0068] It should be recognized that the particular combinations of elements and features in the above-detailed embodiments are exemplary only; the interchanging and substitution of these teachings with other teachings in this and the incorporated-by-reference patents/applications are also contemplated. [0069] As is familiar to those skilled in the arts, all of the foregoing methods may be performed using dedicated hardware components/systems for the various devices, and/or through use of processors programmed in accordance with firmware or software, etc. In the latter case the processors may each include a CPU and associated memory, together with appropriate input and output devices/facilities. The software can be resident on a physical storage media such as disks, and can be loaded into the processors' memory for execution. The software includes instructions causing the CPU to perform the various processes detailed above. [0070] To provide a comprehensive disclosure without unduly lengthening this specification, the patents and applications cited above are incorporated herein by reference. [0071] In view of the wide variety of embodiments to which the principles of our inventive work can be applied, it should be recognized that the detailed embodiments are illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. Rather, we claim as our invention all such embodiments as may come within the scope and spirit of the following claims, and equivalents thereof. Referenced by
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1. Gentoo Linux Security Advisory
Version Information
Related bugreports: #347621, #356223, #368863, #374201, #374623, #390753
Multiple vulnerabilities have been found in BIND, the worst of which allowing to cause remote Denial of Service.
2. Impact Information
BIND is the Berkeley Internet Name Domain Server.
Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in BIND. Please review the CVE identifiers referenced below for details.
The vulnerabilities allow remote attackers to cause a Denial of Service (daemon crash) via a DNS query, to bypass intended access restrictions, to incorrectly cache a ncache entry and a rrsig for the same type and to incorrectly mark zone data as insecure.
3. Resolution Information
There is no known workaround at this time.
All bind users should upgrade to the latest version:
Code Listing 3.1: Resolution
# emerge --sync # emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=net-dns/bind-9.7.4_p1"
NOTE: This is a legacy GLSA. Updates for all affected architectures are available since December 22, 2011. It is likely that your system is already no longer affected by this issue.
4. References
Page updated June 02, 2012
Summary: This is a Gentoo Linux Security Advisory
Security Team Contact Address
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
SC state parks schedule archaeology conference
Archaeologists are sharing some of their recent findings from state parks in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
A conference is scheduled for Saturday at Charles Towne Landing in Charleston, the site where the Carolina Colony was founded. State park archaeologists from Charles Towne Landing, Colonial Dorchester and Hampton Plantation state parks are participating in the third annual Charles Towne Landing Archaeology Conference.
A slave badge is one of the artifacts found at Charles Towne Landing during the past year. The small metal badges were used during the era of slavery when slave owners would rent out their slaves to others to do particular tasks.


text:
Tags: prospecting for aggregate
Prospecting with Geological Maps
The search for potential aggregate sources begins with the proper framework.
By Bill Langer
When I was studying geology in college, one of my professors had us prepare a geologic map of a rather small area near campus. The main goal was ... Read More...
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text:
Weird things your body does, and you wonder if it happens to others too?
(694 Posts)I know Im not the only one.
I cant even be arsed to name change, here goes.
Nervous fanny.
You know when someone falls - hard and cracks their chin or elbow or whatever, my stomach drops, I get a shot of anxiety that shoots through the pit of my stomach down to my fanny. Right in the middle of my fanny I get a horrible feeling of anxiety.
Its only started in the last few years, its really unpleasant. Its like a bolt of aniexty, and I ONLY get it when someone hurts themselves. Wtf is that all about?
Anyway, what weird shit does your body do? Confess.
Not me, but I had a b/f who used to kind of 'spray' from some kind of gland under his tongue when he yawned
Oh just remembered this. Last year I woke up in the middle of a hysterical laugh. I actually laughed out loud and it was the best feeling ever but annoyingly I had no recollection of the dream , just that I knew it was really really funny. My DH was scared to death, it really freaked him out but i felt great and lay there waiting to get back to sleep with a big smile on my face. Not happened since.
Reading this old thread has been the best laugh i've had for ages( maybe I need to get out more..) Javelin arse stories have had me in stitches. Me and my sister get them when due on and we've always called them bum stabs! They quite literally make me stand on my tip toes and make a face like someone has hooked one of my nostrils for a few seconds until it passes. Thought it was just us!
Yes to flashy light in corner of eye when rubbing it, twitchy eye lid, water collecting fanny, pains/itches on opposite parts of body that make me jump, jerks when dropping off to sleep, hot wet feeling on thighs, weird itch between ear and throat that i scratch by making a weird noise.
It's been like therapy reading it all. Should be compulsory reading for all women.
Whoever bumped this is a genius.
I get the Alice one, but it is when I am mid argument or have had a row with someone [doesn't happen often] or when I am angry and try to sleep that day.
Itchy but triggers somewhere else, due to nerves being connected in the body I suppose.
And not mentioned:
When I lie down on my left side, I get the burps. I also get this no matter if my body is face up or down, but if my head is to the left, I get burps. I burp and burp and it comes from right down in my stomach. I cannot stop this. Unless I turn over. I asked a doctor once about it and she said 'OOh [waving her hands about] we are all different aren't we'. Well, thanks for that love.
Going deaf when stretching-check
Sleep falling-check
Rush of saliva means throwing up is imminent-check
If I scratch my back the itch moves and continues to do so after each bit is scratched-quite satisfying this one!
Please can I have the orgasm after weeing one
oh and sometimes I feel like I'm in a daze when walking around, like nothing feels real... I sometimes feel a sense of urgency and the need to rush around even when I don't need to.
Queefing after 'doing it' from behind. WHY does this happen. Most embarrassing thing EVER lmao.
Whenever I drink alcohol, about 5 minutes after my first sip I get a cramping pain in my shoulders...it only lasts about 5-10 minutes but it freaks me out! It happens every time! Any one else experience this?!
When I'm nearly asleep, loud or sudden noises register as flashes of light.
Also, holding partly-used batteries makes my fingers ache!
Whenever I eat cheese my eyebrows sweat.
I can also smell bogies sometimes.
I shake when I'm even moderately excited.
if I'm watching a tense film my teeth can chatter I'll shake that much. I work in a public role, if I'm faced with an angry client I'm more than happy to deal with it and don't feel nervous but I'll shake and sometimes can't even write because I'm shaking so much. I hate it because I hate the thought of them thinking I'm scared of them.
I just remembered a lot more
my knees go cold when I breastfeed but only if I lie down
I feel dizzy and sick if I hit my shin, ankle bones or knees. not if I hurt any other parts
I'm allergic to kiwis (don't know anyone else)
I hear electric humming and high piched whistling & noises others don't seem to. Some of it can cause a panic attack. If the tv is on mute downstairs but switched on I can hear it's on while in a different room, with doors closed, even if I'm upstairs. I have hyperacusis.
my sister can burp on demand. proper ones not just the air swallow types.
my DS2 has that thing a pp mentioned about everything suddenly looking tiny/far away. no trigger seemingly, it just happens, lasts for a few minutes then goes.
when I paint my nails they feel heavy. if I put two coats of nail varnish on they feel heavier than with just one coat.
when kids have fever I can tell within +/- 0.5C degree accuracy of how hot they are just by touching the back of their neck. most of the time I'm spot on.
I also have migraines with aura. it starts with a flashing spot that grows bigger. it blocks my vision. as it gets smaller the headache starts. got one right now
I can smell in the air when it's about to snow.
I can see tiny flashing spots everywhere not long before a storm breaks out
oh and when I use earbuds in my left ear it makes me cough. right ear - nothing.
some of my kids are the same.
if I cry a lot my eye colour changes slightly from grey-blue to green-blue.
Some rooms feel comfortable/uncomfortable, safe/unsafe, happy/sad, calm/angry etc even without people in it. I can't even explain what I mean by that.
I also have a feeling of what is the "safest" area/direction in any room or place and prefer to sit with that behind my back. if I can't I feel unsafe.
equally I prefer to sleep "upright" with my head towards North. I'm ok sleeping "sideways", with my head towards East or West (in that order) but I can not sleep "upside down", head pointing towards South. even the thought makes me feel panicky, like I'd fall down.
I can wake myself up from a bad dream by forcing myself to shake my head while still in the dream.
However I'm incapable of holding in a fart. I don't know how others "suck it back" so it doesn't happen.
I also smell cigarette smoke sometimes hours or days before I have a seizure or severe migraine.
I have buzzing fanny syndrome. It does feel as if a mobile is on vibrate, it only happens once in awhile but it is a very odd, not unpleasant sensation.
Loud noises enrage me. When I rule the world motorbikes and jackhammers will be banned.
I have sleepgasms and wake up pissed to find no actual sex taking place.
When I'm really cross I feel kind of dizzy when I talk, like when you're drunk and the room turns. I assume it is an adrenalin rush or something, but I only have it when I'm about to say something in an argument. One of the reasons I hate confrontations!
Squeaky eye.
When I'm about 2 days from a cold, if I rub my eyes they squeak. They sound like the sponge on a car squeak. Quite hilarious, I keep doing it until dp says ugh stop it! Lol
Echo farts. They are new. Apparently when you have a Brazilian there's more room for air to rattle around down there.
Yes, I get the nervous fanny too, when I'm really scared or freaked out.
I'm so glad you posted this, as I thought it was an odd reaction!
Oh and if you push on my belly button I get this sensation to pee LOL
I have this tick that happens only when I'm itchy. When I'm itchy, my ear makes this weird vibrating noise. It's so hard to explain. Does anyone else have this? I've asked my friends and family about this and they all say they don't have it. Also, sometimes there's an itch underneath my skin and I can't reach it. What's that about? lol
I have hypermobile joint syndrome so all my joints do freaky things. The most obvious are my knees when I'm standing up - they bend backwards and if I stand with straight legs it feels like I'm bending them
I sit so my legs make a w shape.
Yes to nervous fanny and the fanny daggers.
The first few days of breastfeeding I feel really sad/nervous every time baby latches on but then this goes away after a while - guess its hormones.
I hate having my belly button poked and DS loves to poke it.
When I have a fright, I get a prickly sensation in my armpits.
I haven't had it for ages, but when I was underweight I had it a lot... The feeling of someone suddenly sat on your chest/ribs and you cannot move, I always feel "stuck".
I can't stand having my belly button poked, it feels like my organs are being stroked. Makes me feel sick.
Random pains - permanent long term pain in the outer part of the boob (just one). No idea what it is. Docs weren't interested in checking it out. Very noisy (sometimes painful) jaw - I can hear it move/grind and it's loud! Sounds like sand! Lastly on the pain front - feet. Does anyone else's feet spasm if they over stretch? I have to be very very careful when attempting box split, and a few other sports (may out me cos they're very niche) but includes swimming - pretty dangerous but induces swearing fit and unbearable pain.
I don't get the "alice in wonderland" sydrome but I do get the swimming vortex type thing when I'm falling into sleep. Must e similar I guess. I love the radiating warmth when I get into bed - my legs will automatically heat up the bed to a lovely temp without really doing anything, I get a radiating sensation. Also when I'm ill I tend to hallucinate - the room turns inside out and everything looks weirdly sharp and vulgar. And sort of fast. Like I'm slower than everything else but my eyes are moving quickly. It's horrible. No one else I know gets this but I can't be the only one.
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text:
Here's a question that will surely be asked incessantly until the next presidential election: Will American Jews desert the Democratic Party and throw some of their electoral weight and considerable financial clout to Republicans in 2012? Already, there have been claims and counter-claims, polls that seem to be no more than political advertisements and occasional level-handed analysis, such as a solid piece of reporting done by the Forward's Nathan Guttman a few weeks ago.
Since I wonder whether this is simply a preoccupation of our tribe and of little interest to anyone else, I find myself searching for smart political reporters outside the Jewish world who can bring some neutrality and perspective to the debate. So I was especially glad to read Dick Polman's column yesterday in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Polman, a former colleague of mine, has one of the clearest voices in the jumbled cacophony of political reporting, and I find him unafraid to cut through the babbling and use plain facts and historical perspective to write what he sees.
And how does he answer the question? "(D)octors will cure the common cold before most Jews vote GOP," he writes, and then he backs up his claim with data and analysis. It's an important read.
The Jewish Daily Forward welcomes reader comments in order to promote thoughtful discussion on issues of importance to the Jewish community. In the interest of maintaining a civil forum, The Jewish Daily Forwardrequires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward our writers, other commenters and the subjects of the articles. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not. While we generally do not seek to edit or actively moderate comments, our spam filter prevents most links and certain key words from being posted and The Jewish Daily Forward reserves the right to remove comments for any reason.


text: wealth management MONITOR Volume 3 Edition 4 | April 29, 2011 economic theme: Monetary Policy: "Who do you believe, me or your eyes?" The quote, "Who do you believe, me or your eyes?" is attributed to the comedian Groucho Marx. We are not familiar with what context Groucho used the phrase. So, you might ask, what is the connection between the quote and monetary policy? Well, it may qualify as a Bikram (the Yoga teacher) stretch, but Federal Reserve officials seem to have turned a blind eye to reality when it comes to inflation. That's because the Fed focuses on core inflation which excludes food and energy. As anyone who owns a car can attest, inflation is a reality at the pump. The Fed's narrow focus has important monetary policy implications because, James nesci alan D. Segars if the spike in oil and other commodity prices is not "transitory" as Fed Senior Vice President Vice President Chairman Bernanke suggested in his recent press conference, then the Chief Wealth Management Officer Investment Management Officer Fed will likely fall behind the curve in combating possible secondary We believe the decline in corporate spreads (corporate yields less inflation effects. With this risk as a backdrop, let's examine the likely Treasury yields), which is bullish for risky asset prices, will be halted. Bond course of monetary policy based on the Fed's core definition of inflation. yields could be biased upwards as major support for escalating Treasury The Federal Reserve has two mandates affecting policy decisions: supply is removed; inflationary expectations rise; and foreign central 1) inflation; and 2) full employment. Conveniently, we can forecast the banks, such as China, continue dollar diversification efforts. path of monetary policy based on our expectations of core CPI and the On the subject of inflationary expectations, the increase in oil and unemployment rate. When we went through this exercise in mid-2010, gasoline prices has exceeded our targets and may be more persistent as our model suggested that the Fed funds rate should be a negative 2% well. At a recent $3.88 average price per gallon, petrol prices have based on an unemployment rate of 9.6% and a year-over-year core CPI outstripped the jump in oil. This may be primarily due to two factors: gain of 1%. This analysis suggested to us (rightly so) that the Fed would 1) increased purchases of higher-priced foreign oil by US refineries; and not tighten policy until late 2011 or early 2012, especially as the funds 2) rising refinery margins reflecting increased market uncertainty. Given rate forecast would have to climb out of negative territory first. Our Middle East/North Africa conflicts and geopolitical tensions, these updated forecast is based on expectations of an 8% unemployment rate factors could be in play for a while. Adding fuel to the fire, Russia, the and a core CPI gain of 1.5%. Clearly, labor market conditions have world's largest oil producer, increased petrol export prices effective improved, and the inflation rate is accelerating. By the end of this year, May 1 to combat internal oil shortages. the funds rate should be at about 0.25% versus the Fed's current target of 0.0%-0.25%. Consequently, Fed tightening could be a reality by the Bottom line, the spike in energy and other commodity prices could be first quarter of 2012. Fed funds options and futures data indicate that the more than transitory and could produce secondary inflation effects most likely funds rate will be 0.0% through March 2012. Thus, the timing across a broader spectrum of consumer goods and services, ultimately of tightening could be somewhat of a surprise to the market. The influencing wage rates. Assuming economic growth is slowed but not accompanying chart shows the fit between forecast results and actual aborted by this event, the Fed would be forced to acknowledge a Fed funds in our model. greater inflation threat and act accordingly with eyes wide open. Given that the Fed has employed unconventional strategies, such as asset purchases, during this easing phase, the tightening phase or exit strategy will also have unconventional components. Bernanke suggested in the press conference that the initial move could be not reinvesting securities repayments. Other possibilities include selling securities from the Fed's portfolio; increasing the rate of interest paid to banks on reserves; and traditional hiking of the Fed funds rate. Bernanke also confirmed an end to QE2 on June 30. This so-called Quantitative Easing program absorbed about 70% of Treasury bond issuance since late last year. The program has been successful in elevating risky asset (stocks, commodities, etc.) prices and keeping bond yields stable. While its demise appears certain, the impact on the capital markets is less so. ASSET ALLOCATION RECOMMENDATION On April 13 we adapted a neutral weighting for domestic and international equities, which were previously 3% overweight versus the Provident Target Asset Allocation Benchmark. As indicated above, the liquidity-induced positive environment for risky assets will likely be muted by monetary constraints compounded by fiscal measures. Corporate bond spreads, typically bullish for risky assets, have probably bottomed in our opinion. Upside earnings surprises have recently taken broader market indexes to multi-year highs. Our valuation price targets have been met, and we have no reason to raise them. The 6% in cash raised from the equity reduction was used to increase exposure to short-term credit (CSJ), domestic real return bonds (IPE) and a new asset class, REITs (VNQ). We remain underweight domestic bonds and overweight alternative investments. MARKET CLOSES S&P 500 Index: 1,363.61 Dow Jones Industrial Average: 12,810.5 10-Year Treasury Yield: 3.29% (973) 822-0019 • www.ProvidentNJ.com This commentary has been prepared by the Wealth Management Group of The Provident Bank for informational purposes. Nothing contained herein should be construed as (i) an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security or (ii) a recommendation as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling any security or pursuing a particular investment strategy. Any opinions expressed herein reflect our best judgment as of the date of this publication and are subject to change. Certain of the statements contained herein are statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management's current views and assumptions and may involve general market risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. The opinions, views, and information expressed in this commentary regarding portfolio holdings are subject to change without notice. The information provided regarding portfolio holdings is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Portfolio holdings are fluid and are subject to change based on market conditions and other factors. Investors should consider their individual circumstances, investment goals, and risk tolerance prior to making an investment decision. THE PROVIDENT BANK WEALTH MANAGEMENT GROUP PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: NOT FDIC INSURED • MAY GO DOWN IN VALUE • NOT FINANCIAL INSTITUTION GUARANTEED • NOT A DEPOSIT • NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY


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A women's interest channel generally refers to either a television station, network or specialty channel that targets women as its main demographic; offering programs that will appeal to the female population.
There are two types of female interest channels: general interest and niche interest.
In journalism, a human interest story is a feature story that discusses a person or people in an emotional way. It presents people and their problems, concerns, or achievements in a way that brings about interest, sympathy or motivation in the reader or viewer.
Human interest stories may be "the story behind the story" about an event, organization, or otherwise faceless historical happening, such as about the life of an individual soldier during wartime, an interview with a survivor of a natural disaster, a random act of kindness or profile of someone known for a career achievement.
Marvel News: Kevin Feige Says Timing Is Key For Female Superhero Movie, Will It happen Anytime Soon? [VIDEO]
DIRTY DANCING & ANNIE to be Featured on Lifetime's THE BALANCING ACT
What's on TV Tuesday
Lifetime Announces The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story TV Movie
Editorial: If Marvel "Doesn't Have Time" For a Female Super Hero Movie, They Wouldn't Be Actively Looking For the Right Story


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FearBlandness – Second #AtheistCon Video Blog
Filed Under: Current Events, Media, Religion and Spirituality 1 Comment
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About Kylie Sturgess
Kylie Sturgess is a Philosophy teacher, media and psychology student, blogger at Patheos and podcaster at Token Skeptic. She has conducted over a hundred interviews including artists, scientists, politicians and activists, worldwide.
She's the author of the 'Curiouser and Curiouser' column at the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry website and travels internationally lecturing on feminism, skepticism, and science.
- http://givingnottaking.wordpress.com/ Andrew
I was unable to attend the convention, so it's been great to see all the reviews that have followed in the various blogs etc, it almost feels like I did attend. Thanks Kylie and the whole atheist community in spreading the word.


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Effie Eunice Woods born July 17 1918 Arkansas died Jan 22 1954 Temple, Bell TX burial Jan 23 1954 Peron Arkansas Cemetery: Walnut Bottom father Noah Louallen mother Eltie Rickard she was divorced, and a waitress death: Struck by vehicle. Multiple Skull Fractures Cerebral Lacerations and Contusions Info from the free site; Lds Labs, Record search A volunteer, Shelley Notify Administrator about this message?
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26 Hottest Kim Kardashian Bikini Photos
Kim Kardashian loves to pose in a bikini... and we love to post photos of Kim Kardashian posing in a bikini!
Click through this slideshow of the reality star and try not to drool all over your keyboard, fellas. The pictures are H-A-W-T.
Around the Web
Looking at beautiful Kim Kardashian photos is a delightful way to start the day after drinking a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice! hahehahe
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Kim Kardashian Biography
- Born
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- Los Angeles, California
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- Kimberly Noel Kardashian
Kim Kardashian Quotes
So far, designing is the most exciting thing I've done... I have a vision of what I want [the clothes] to look like in my mind and it's fun to see it come alive on paper.
Kim Kardashian
- Permalink: So far, designing is the most exciting thing I've done... I h...
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He just seemed very firm about the change, and that's, like, his motto.
Kim Kardashian [on Barack Obama]
- Permalink: He just seemed very firm about the change, and that's, like, ...
- Added:


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Hersey added to its impressive season on Saturday by making it into the championship bracket for the first time at the Glenbrook South boys water polo tournament, finishing third overall.
Among their victories in pool play, the Huskies topped upcoming Mid-Suburban League championship game foe Palatine 16-11 as George Vladimirov had 6 goals and Jack Carroll 5. Kristiyan Kalev led Palatine with 5 goals and Omar El Hoffi and Wally Kleinfeldt had 3 goals each.
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The Huskies also edged New Trier 8-7 and lost to Glenbrook South (8-7) and Naperville North (16-7) in championship bracket action.


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- RV Business - http://www.rvbusiness.com -
Winnebago to Debut Versatile 'InTable' in Tampa
Posted By RVBusiness On January 14, 2013 @ 2:47 pm In Breaking News | No Comments
Forest City, Iowa-based Winnebago Industries Inc. will introduce the new Winnebago Sightseer and Itasca Sunova 35G floorplan to the retail market at the 2013 Florida RV SuperShow scheduled for Jan. 16-20 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.
According to a press release, the gas-powered Sightseer and Sunova Class A motorhomes offer four full-featured floorplans, including the all-new 35G. With three spacious slideouts, the 35G features a unique extendable U-shaped sectional sofa/sleeper and the exclusive "InTable," designed to function as an end table, dining table, island and desk. The "InTable" also has flip-up ends to expand its working surface, offers storage and is mobile so that it can be used throughout the front living area of the motorhome.
In addition, a full complement of Winnebago motorhomes and towable products will be on display at the show, including:
• Winnebago Tour and Itasca Ellipse 42GD with four slideouts, a unique forward galley, 55-inch LCD TV mid-coach with great lounge seating in an L-shaped extendable sectional sofa, a spacious bathroom and extendable dining table.
• Winnebago Vista and Itasca Sunstar 26HE, a value-loaded floorplan that is ideal for RV enthusiasts of all ages.
• Winnebago Journey and Itasca Meridian 34B, a new floorplan that brings an extendable sectional comfort sofa sleeper and three slideouts.
• Winnebago Ultralite, a new entry into the lightweight travel trailer market that features a blend of Amish craftsmanship with 21st century styling. At less than 6,000 pounds, the Ultralite can be towed with most of today's smaller tow vehicles.
Article printed from RV Business: http://www.rvbusiness.com
URL to article: http://www.rvbusiness.com/2013/01/winnebago-to-debut-versatile-intable-in-tampa/
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Stir Fry Recipes
Looking for stir fry recipes? Find stir fry recipes including chicken stir fry recipes, beef stir fry recipes, and more stir fry recipes.
Recipe Spotlight
Asian Veggie Glass Noodles
My mom immigrated from the Philippines, so we would often eat Filipino Pancit, a well-known noodle dish. I took her version and added my own touches to make it easier and a little healthier. —Jasmin Baron, Livonia, New York
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US 20050154733 A1 Abstract A system for conducting continuous, real-time vulnerability detection of computer networks. The system includes a user interface, a scan engine and a database for obtaining and storing information concerning a network in general and devices and services that may interact with the network. The system provides continuous scanning of the network, each scan being compared with a predetermined baseline network configuration to determine if a change to the network has occurred. If a change has occurred, the system issues an alert informing a network administrator of the where and how the network has changed so appropriate action may be taken by the network administrator.
Claims(74) 1. A method of assessing network change comprising:
receiving data traffic from a network; establishing a baseline configuration for the network; scanning the data traffic for the network in a continuous manner; and comparing the scanned data traffic with the baseline configuration to determine if a change to the network has occurred. 2. The method of
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14. A computer based medium, comprising an application being executable by a computer, wherein the computer executes the steps of:
receiving data traffic from a network; establishing a baseline configuration for the network; scanning the data traffic for the network in a continuous manner; and comparing the scanned data traffic with the baseline configuration to determine if a change to the network has occurred. 15. The computer based medium of
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a computer system including a processor for executing computer code; and an application for execution on the computer system, wherein the computer system, when executing the application receives data traffic from a network, establishes a baseline configuration for the network, scans the data traffic for the network in a continuous manner, and compares the scanned data traffic with the baseline configuration to determine if a change to the network has occurred. 28. The system of
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means for receiving data traffic from a network; means for establishing a baseline configuration for the network; means for scanning the data traffic for the network in a continuous manner; and means for comparing the scanned data traffic with the baseline configuration to determine if a change to the network has occurred. 52. A heuristics engine comprising:
an IP layer component for monitoring at least one port of a network; an application services component for monitoring at least one application running on the network; and a web services component for monitoring at least one web service running on the network. 53. The engine of
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receiving network traffic from a network; setting a baseline network configuration based on the network traffic received; and scanning the network in a continuous manner to determine if a change has occurred to the network, wherein the scanning of the network is limited by a bandwidth setting which establishes a maximum usable bandwidth for a scan engine during the scan. 67. The computer based medium of
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Description This application claims priority to, and incorporates by reference, U.S. Application No. 60/527,542 entitled �CHANGE AND VULNERABILITY DETECTION OF NETWORK SYSTEMS� filed on Dec. 5, 2003, and U.S. Application No. 60/535,890 entitled �CHANGE AND VULNERABILITY DETECTION OF NETWORK SYSTEMS� filed on Jan. 12, 2004. 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to security for a computer network. The present invention provides a method, system and computer program that affords continuous, real-time detection of network changes, vulnerabilities, and an inventory of the computer network. 2. Description of the Related Art Currently, network security solutions include host and network-based solutions as well as vulnerability assessment and intrusion detection solutions. Most of the vulnerability assessment, intrusion detection solutions and network security solutions are audit based. Thus, any assessment of the network is periodic and subject to attack during the interim between assessments. With such solutions implemented for protecting a network, it is extremely difficult for an information technology (IT) department to keep pace with changes occurring on a daily basis for a given network. Therefore, critical data is exposed and subject to theft from sophisticated intruders who use automated tools to gain entry into a vulnerable network. With the advent of self-propagating worms and viruses these vulnerabilities are subject to even greater exploitation by hackers, thereby costing companies a great deal of money and resources. Accordingly, there is a need and desire for a more timely recognition of changes and vulnerabilities associated with a given network. The present invention provides for a continuous, real-time detection of changes, vulnerabilities and inventory for a given network. In an exemplary embodiment, a method and system are implemented to provide continuous monitoring of networks, to determine whether the network has acquired new systems or services, or whether current systems or services on the network have been altered. A user may instruct the system to monitor certain sub-systems and devices within a given network through a user interface. If the system determines that the network has been altered, the system issues an alert to the user of what type of change has occurred. In a second exemplary embodiment, the system may be implemented using a single management server, a single graphical user interface (GUI) and a single scan engine. The foregoing and other advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which is shown by way of illustration of specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and that structural, logical and programming changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. System 100 utilizes a scan engine 110 for monitoring the network. Upon a first interaction with a network, scan engine 110 actively probes devices, systems and services using standard network communication protocols, for example, transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), to create a baseline for the current state of the network. The scan engine 110 then compares the baseline network information with information returned after any subsequent scan of the network. Scan engine 110 can detect changes at various layers of the network stack, for example, a web services layer. The management server 130 manages the transfer of commands and information between scan engine 110, user console 120 and database 140. Management server 130 also relates information between clients and the network or between the clients themselves. The user console 120 utilizes a port profile wizard which allows a user to specify which transmission control protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) ports should be monitored by the system 100. Using the port profile wizard, the user may specify an individual port or a range of sequential ports in a port profile, and may also specify whether a protocol for the port is TCP or UDP. The user may also assign a name to the port range and assign a criticality level to a particular port found on a particular device. Multiple port profiles may be created by the user for the network. The user may additionally use the user console 120 to modify network profiles, such as an internet protocol (IP) address, an IP address range, subnet or domain name server (DNS) hostname, to be monitored by system 100. Each host in the network may be assigned a unique identifier as well as a criticality level associated with addition or removal of the host from the network. Using the user console 120, a user may create a vulnerability profile using a vulnerability scanner profile wizard. Using the vulnerability scanner profile wizard, the user may specify which external vulnerability scanner will be launched (used) for a particular device when a change has been detected on the network. Once the user completes a vulnerability scanner profile, the system 100 creates a script for use by the management server 130. The management server 130 subsequently implements a vulnerability scan of the network using system 100. A vulnerability scanner profile may be assigned to each port profile to specify conditions which will trigger an external scan of the network by system 100. The user console 120 also allows a user to employ application layer differential checks. Application layer differential checks are used to obtain specific information from a set of hosts or assets. For example, an application layer differential check may be used to obtain specific files on a file system, or to obtain a specific registry key. Application layer differential checks may be added to system 100 using, for example, a software application programming interface (API) or using a wizard. When using the wizard, the user may enter strings that should be sent to a new application or service upon connection. Subsequently, regular expressions may be parsed by the application or service to determine information about the application or service. The information returned from the application or service allows a heuristics engine to determine if a change has occurred between checks of the application or service. The application layer differential checks may be applied to one or more application or service ports and may be enabled on a per-network profile basis. The user console 120 also allows the user to set network bandwidth shaping configurations for system 100. By setting a network bandwidth, the user sets the maximum bandwidth that may be used by system 100 in communications with other devices over the network. Thus, the bandwidth shaping configuration sets a maximum throughput for a given network profile. The bandwidth shaping configuration may also set a maximum throughput for an aggregate of all network profiles. In addition, the user console 120 allows the user to review information regarding a device inventory for a network in real-time. Depending on the configuration of system 100 and the type of device connected to the network, the user may review information concerning services running on the device, software installed on the device, the configuration of the device and up-to-date vulnerabilities that exist for the device. The user may also view alerts that have been generated by the scan engine 110. An alert is a notification to the user that a change to the network has occurred; for example, a device is added to a web server on the network. Information included with an alert may be information regarding an IP address associated with a cause for the alert, a timestamp, a hostname, a short name, and a description of what type of change has occurred. A reporting system is also associated with the user console 120. The reporting system organizes information stored in the database 140 to produce a report of information desired by the user. The user may obtain these reports in a variety of formats, for example, Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF or other printable formats. Reports produced by the reporting system may include, for example, a summary of vulnerabilities on a per host basis, details of vulnerabilities and changes detected within the network, reports of software installed on a per host basis and network configuration information. The user console 120 may also employ a graphical user interface. The database 140 stores configuration information for the network in various formats, for example, Extensible Markup Language (XML). The database 140 also stores baseline network information for comparison with network information retrieved from a network scan by the scan engine 110. Database 140 may be a relational database, for example, Microsoft Access�, or a set of text files in, for example, an XML format. The relational portion of database 140 may include a number of tables which are used to store configuration information as well as information retrieved from the network, and results associated with the network subsequent to a scan of the network. The database 140 stores XML settings that contain up to date configuration information for the system 100. The configuration information is created at start-up by the system 100 if such information does not already exist. The configuration information may contain user preferences and other system specific-settings desired by the user. During operation, the management server 130 receives commands and information from the user console 120 and the scan engine 110. A system manager process/thread is central to the management server 130 and handles an establishment of initial communication from the scan engine 110 or the user console 120. If the system manager 210 detects a request for communications establishment from the scan engine 110, the system manager 210 spawns a scan manager process thread for the particular scan engine 110 that exists, which is used for the duration of the session. If the system manager 210 detects a request for communications establishment from the user console 120, the system manager 210 spawns a console handler process thread. Communications established for either request is conducted over an encrypted socket protocol over TCP/IP. The system manager 210 also accepts shutdown events and distributes them to the other processes within the network, so the network �shuts down� smoothly. The system manager 210 receives a socket listener signal from the user console 120 and the scan engine 110. The socket listener searches for new connections from the scan engine 110 or user console 120. If the socket listener detects a new connection request from the scan engine 110, the socket listener forwards the connection request to the scan manager 210. If the socket listener detects a new connection request from the user console 120, the socket listener forwards the connection request to the console manager 206. The engine manager 202 handles communications between the scan engine(s) 110 and the management server 130. The engine manager 202 also authenticates the validity of a particular scan engine 110, and verifies with the license manager 222 that a customer is allowed to use the particular scan engine 110 requested. The license manager 222 also verifies whether the number of assets (devices on a user's network that are monitored by the system 100, for example, host computers, switches, routers and servers) is valid. The scan manager 204 establishes a scan manager process for every scan engine 110 communicating with the management server 130. The scan manager 204 is responsible for initiating scans and monitoring assets. Some requests for the use of the scan manager 204 may arrive via the user console 120. The console handler 206 receives a console handler process created by the system manager 210 for every scan engine 110 communicating with the management server 130. The console handler 206 also authenticates a user console 120, and verifies that a customer is allowed access to the management server 130 using the license manager 222. Any information obtained during a scan is processed by business logic 208. Business logic 208 employs a variety of mechanisms, for example, heuristics engine logic, criticality calculation logic, environmental logic and various algorithms, to process the information received from scan engine 110 via engine manager 202. The heuristics engine logic performs the following tasks: (1) maintaining scan and network status information, (2) managing 3rd party vulnerability scanners and data, (3) managing advanced scan modules (ASM)/Plug-in's and (4) performing baseline management and adherence for assets, asset groups and meta-assets. The criticality calculation logic performs criticality calculations on a per asset basis to determine a threat score and a criticality score for an associated service or device residing on the network. The environmental logic performs exposure matching and asset updating. The O/R mapper database abstraction 212 is a database gateway that provides an object to a relational mapper for database 140 and provides a database abstraction layer. O/R mapper database abstraction 212 allows an application, for example, business logic 208, to access data from the database 140. The database abstraction layer provided by the O/R mapper database abstraction 212 may also validate all structured query language (SQL) required to access the database 140. In addition, O/R mapper database abstraction 212 verifies that a requester has appropriate permissions to access data. The alert manager 214 establishes an alert manager process for providing external alerts via, for example, Email, SNMP or Command level access. The alert manager 214 receives events from the business logic 208 and applies alerting rules in order to format and generate appropriate external alerts. Real-time events manager 216 is similar to the alert manager 214, but acts as an event queue which is used by the user console 120. The event queue is a first in first out (FIFO) queue which stores messages and alerts. The event queue also dispatches these alerts to the user console 120, thereby allowing a user to view the latest alerts that have occurred prior to signing-on to the system 100. The environmental feed service 218 polls the environmental server 280 periodically, for example, once every 15 minutes, to determine if the environmental feed service 218 detects the availability of new environmental data from environmental service 280. If new environmental data is available, the environmental feed service 218 will download the new data and post it to the database 140. Software update service 220 polls the update server 290 periodically, for example, once every 15 minutes, to determine if the software update service 220 detects the availability of a new software update from update server 290. If new updates are available, the software update service 220 will download the new update and notify system 100 administrators that an update is available. The software update service 220 also distributes updates to the appropriate areas of system 100, for example, the scan engine 110 and the user console 120. The license manager 222 confirms that system 100 is validly licensed to a user based on a number of assets and advanced scan modules. The license manager 222 also tracks evaluation licenses and maintenance. The scan engine 110 begins operation when it receives a command from the user console 120. Once the scan engine 110 receives a command, it obtains network baseline information from the database 140. The scan engine 110 also receives information concerning which IP addresses should be monitored and what type of monitoring should be employed. A port profile associated with a network profile informs the scan engine 110 which TCP ports 362 and UDP ports 362 should be monitored. A vulnerability scan profile which is associated with a network profile informs the scan engine 110 of any external vulnerability scanners that should be launched if the scan engine 110 detects any changes to the network. The scan engine 110 may operate in a continuous loop on a per-network basis. In addition, multiple network profiles may be monitored simultaneously by scan engine 110. When the scan engine 110 initially performs a scan of the network using a new network profile, the scan engine 110 obtains baseline information about systems and services on the network and stores the information in the database 140. Each subsequent scan by the scan engine 110 for the various systems and services on the network is compared to the initial baseline scan to detect whether or not the network has been altered. Any deviations from the baseline may cause an alert to be generated depending on settings within the alert manager 214 ( The scan engine 110 uses a variety of algorithms to scan the network depending on the particular device, service or level on the network stack for the network the scan engine 110 is operating. If the scan engine 110 is operating at a lower layer of the network stack, the scan engine 110 may identify a host of an IP address using an ICMP block 356. In such a situation, passive scanning engine 350 will issue an ICMP echo request message via the ICMP block 356. As an alternative to using the ICMP block 356 to identify a host, passive scanning engine 350 could send a TCP packet having a synchronization (SYN) flag. If a TCP packet is received having a correct SYN and acknowledge (ACK) flag, the host is correctly identified. Farther up the network stack, the scan engine 110 may connect to available services on multiple occasions to identify static information returned by the service. The scan engine 110 uses known information about the service for running static checks to obtain the characteristics of the service. Any static information received from the service is parsed by the scan engine 110 to create a change detection check. Each time the scan engine 110 scans the service, the static information is parsed to determine if the static information has changed. If a change is detected, an alert may be issued indicating that a change has been detected. For example, a banner check on a port (80) may be performed. The banner check would run periodically and would inform a connecting application about the service. The results of the banner check are subsequently used to detect changes within the service. The scan engine 110 provides detection scanning capabilities for a web services layer. The scan engine 110 uses a web crawler which is a specialized differential check to identify links in a web page and follow the links in order to build an internal tree representation of a web server on the network. The scan engine 110 may monitor an individual web page or a set of web pages for deviations. In addition, web services may be monitored by scan engine 110. A simple object access protocol (SOAP) schema analyzer, which is a specialized differential check, may be employed for collecting baseline information about an existing SOAP and monitoring the SOAP for changes. The scan engine 110 contains a plug-in/advanced scan module (ASM) architecture which allows an external dynamic link library to be loaded at scan run-time and tightly integrated with the scan engine 110. The management server 130 determines which plug-in/ASM will run on the scan engine 110. The management server 130 subsequently downloads the plug-in/ASM for use by the scan engine 110. Multiple plug-ins or ASMs may be used by the scan engine 110. Each plug-in/ASM connected to scan engine 110 is launched when a specific service or device is detected on the network, and the device or service is determined to be relevant to the particular plug-in/ASM; for example, launching a Microsoft Exchange plug-in when the scan engine 110 encounters a Microsoft Exchange server on the network. While a plug-in/ASM is operating, the plug-in/ASM temporarily takes control of scan engine 110. Thus, the plug-in/ASM may communicate with the device or service causing the plug-in/ASM to determine if a change has occurred. Since the plug-in/ASM has more in depth knowledge regarding a particular device or service, the level of deviation detection increases. If a deviation is detected, the plug-in/ASM will notify the scan engine 110 to issue an alert. Multiple plug-ins/ASM may be used for an individual device, service or network profile. The scan engine 110 may include a built-in packet delivery scheduler which restricts the rate of data output according to bandwidth restrictions set by the user. These bandwidth shaping polices are stored in the database 140. In cases where the scan engine 110 must use an external library to communicate with the network, the scan engine 110 uses a built-in estimation of the bandwidth required to communicate with the external library. The bandwidth estimation is subsequently used to limit the rate at which the scan engine 110 communicates with the external library. At step 514, the scanning loop executes the task received from currenttasks. If a task returns a false value during its execution, the task has not finished. Because the task has not yet completed, a timeout value is returned at step 516. The timeout value is added to the total time requested by all tasks in currenttasks. Once completed, the task is removed from currenttasks at step 518. At step 520, the scanning loop waits on a timer within the scan engine 110 which is set for an inter check. The delay in the scanning loop is, for example, 0 milliseconds (default) to a of maximum 20 milliseconds. At step 522, the scanning loop uses a timer within the scan engine 110 to smooth a scan performed by the scan engine 110 across the time allocated to the scan. For example, if a user sets the scan engine 110 to a single scan cycle running once every 20 minutes, and after 10 minutes more than 50% of the scan tasks have completed by the scan engine 110, the scan engine 110 will decrease the number of checks to utilize the entire 20 minutes. At step 524, a timer within the scan engine 110 is set based on the results from step 522. At step 526, once every task in currenttasks has been executed, the scan engine 110 will delay for an amount of time equal to the total time requested by the tasks before retuning to add another batch of tasks at step 504. If tasks exist that have not been completed, the scanning loop returns to step 510. When utilizing the bandwidth shaping feature of system 100, the user, using a GUI residing on the user console 120 ( Using the bandwidth shaping GUI, the user may set an option for skip host detection 602. Setting the option for skip host detection 602 allows the scan engine 110 to perform port scans using active host detection. By performing port scans without using active host detection, a scan of the desired network devices and services is slow because all hosts in the network profile are scanned; including IP addresses which may not be in use. If enabled, skip host detection 602 causes the task enumerator ( If skip host detection 602 is disabled, the task enumerator begins by pinging every host in a network profile address range. As soon as a host responds to the ICMP echo request, the task enumerator commences scanning the required ports on that host and sends a �host found� message to the management server 130. The skip host detection 602 feature operates during an initialization portion of the task enumerator ( The user may set an option for scanning at high speed (610). Using this setting allows the scan engine 110 to perform scans at very fast speeds because a monitoring speed option default 604 is overridden. By overriding the monitoring speed option default 604, output data packets are injected into a scan by the scan engine 110 are removed. Thus, the delay slows the scan engine's 110 ability to cycle through all the assets and all the ports on a user network. The user may set as an option �hide scan results from message� (612). Using this setting limits the amount of messages displayed on the user console 120 during a scan to only those messages which indicate a change to the network or an alert. The user may set an option for a monitoring speed (604). Using this setting causes the scan engine 110 to limit the rate of port and new host scans. Depending on the results scan engine 110 will cause delays in scanning to ensure that the average bandwidth used for the scan is not above the configured maximum. Delay times may, for example, be the following:
The user may set an option for an amount of bandwidth to be used during a scan (614). Using this setting, along with selecting a limit maximum bandwidth option 606, limits the maximum amount of bandwidth used by scan engine 110 during a scan by measuring the amount of traffic over the network. Each time the scan engine 110 sends network traffic, it notifies a bandwidth limiter (not shown). The bandwidth limiter may be implemented as a singleton object. The bandwidth limiter monitors network bandwidth regardless of the number of ongoing scans. The bandwidth limiter tracks the amount of used bandwidth through a bandwidth logger (not shown). The bandwidth logger also determines if a scan should be delayed based on bandwidth limitations. The bandwidth logger stores bytes used in chains. One storage chain may be used to store a global limit. Another storage chain may be used to store each profile limit. Each link of a chain includes a time stamp and the number of bytes used. Each time the bandwidth logger logs bandwidth usage, it adds up the number of bytes sent over the network in a given period of time, for example, one second. Once a link is reached that contains information more than one second old, the chain is truncated. In addition, the total number of bytes sent in the past second is divided by 1024 to determine the number of kilobytes transmitted. A per-profile or global limit is subsequently subtracted from the total. If final total is greater than zero, the bandwidth used by the scan engine 110 in the past second is too high and should be delayed. The delay time is calculated by dividing the final total by the profile limit, and multiplying by 1000. Thus, a rate of delay for bandwidth use may be the following:
This calculation is performed for each profile and for a global profile. The amount of delay time is the maximum of the profile and global value. For example, if 4096 bytes have been sent in the past second and there is a 2 kilobit per second (Kbps) limit, the delay will be one second. After one second has elapsed, the average bandwidth used will be 2 Kbps over 2 seconds. Other bandwidth limiters may entail using time-based configured bandwidth maximums. Using such a limiter would allow a finer-grained control, such as allowing different limits depending on the time of the day. For example, an administrator may desire limiting the bandwidth of network scans during work hours in order to avoid network lag for employees, but allow unlimited bandwidth to be used at night and on weekends when fewer people are in the office. Another bandwidth limiter used may be a traffic-based automatic bandwidth maximum. An algorithm could be used to determine the bandwidth to be used based on port scan timings. For example, if ICMP echo replies are returned more slowly than normal due network lag, the scan engine 110 could automatically adjust the amount of delay it inserts into a scan to diminish interference with network traffic. The user may set an option to limit scan frequency 608. Using this setting limits the number of scans within a given time interval by allowing for a configured time period to elapse before performing another scan. The scan engine 110 will first calculate the percent of time used in light of the configured time allotted for a scan, or the percent of time allotted that has been consumed. The scan engine 110 will then calculate the percentage of the scan completed, which is calculated by dividing the number of ports that have been completely scanned by the total number of ports to scan. If the percent of time consumed is less than the percent of scan complete, a thread may wait 1 second and then perform the calculation again. The scan engine 110 will repeat this process until the scan complete percentage is equal to or greater than the time consumed percentage. The following algorithm may be used to ensure that the scan is evenly spaced over the time allotted:
In addition, by separating the new host scans from the port scans, an independent time cycle for new host scans may be set. By allowing fine-grained control over the amount of time spent scanning for new hosts or new ports vs. doing deep-dive (Differential Checks, ASM's, etc), an administrator is able to tailor the scanning of the network according to their own requirements and performance expectations. Within business logic 208 ( The IP layer of the heuristics engine is the first component that operates. Each time a new service is detected at a particular layer of the heuristics engine, the application services layer of the heuristics engine is launched. Once launched, the application services layer targets any service detected to gather more data about the service and how it could potentially change. If a particular service is identified as a web service, the web services layer of the heuristics engine is launched to provide web-specific data gathering for that component. The output of each of these components is transferred to the management server 130 for storage in the database 140. The IP layer of the heuristics engine is configured with ranges of IP addresses known as network profiles. Each network profile is assigned a port range profile. The port range profile specifies the ranges of TCP and UDP ports to be monitored for activity. A criticality value may be assigned to the ports being monitored. After an initial baseline probe, the engine generates an alert to indicate a change has occurred to the previous or baseline state. If a change is detected, the application services layer of the heuristics engine may be launched to further interrogate the service. The IP layer of the heuristics engine provides a continuous probe of IP addresses, TCP ports, and UDP ports. During probes, the IP layer searches the network for the appearance of new hosts and services. New hosts may be detected on the network either directly by probing the ICMP, or indirectly through identifying services on the device. Once a new service has been detected, the service is logged by the heuristics engine. The heuristics engine subsequently determines which checks to perform based on the service identification. If the service identification is a known service to the heuristics engine, the heuristics engine will have a set of defined checks for the service. The heuristics engine also detects the removal of a service from the network, and will issue an alert to the user via the user console 120 indicating which service has been removed. When probing the ICMP, an ICMP echo request message is sent across the network in an attempt to identify a host. If the host does not issue an ICMP echo reply verifying its existence, as in the case of a host with an intermediary firewall filtering such packets, the presence of one or more services running on the device indirectly indicates the existence of the host. The operation of TCP ports may be verified by delivering a TCP packet with the SYN flag set, and waiting for a reply of a TCP packet with the SYN and ACK flags set. Application services of a network are identified and monitored for changes by the application services layer of the heuristics engine. The application services layer of the heuristics engine attempts to interrogate a particular service for static data points. During an interrogation, if the service returns different information than the information received from a previous interrogation, a change in the service has most likely occurred and further investigation may be needed. The application services layer of the heuristics engine operates using regular expression checks to parse the output of a TCP or UDP level service. Checks may either be generated by the user, or automatically generated by the heuristics engine. In the case of user generated checks, the user has several options for creating the check. Checks which are available to the user may be the following: (1) banner, (2) challenge/response, and (3) secure shell (SSH). A banner check connects to a service and reviews the output of the service without sending any data to the service. A challenge/response check connects to a service and sends data to the service, and subsequently inspects the output returned from the service. An SSH check connects to a service, authenticates itself to the service through the SSH, sends data to the service, and inspects the output returned from the service. Each type of check may parse the output of the service in one of the following manners: simple, parsed, or time-stamped. Using a simple parse stores the output from the service and identifies any change to the entire output of the service. Using a parsed option passes the output from the check through a regular expression parser. The regular expression parser may modify the output of a check. If the output from the regular expression changes, a change is deemed to have occurred. When using a time-stamped parse, any recognizable date or time string in the output of the system is eliminated, and if any other data in the output from the service has changed, a change is deemed to have occurred. Thus, the likelihood of issuing a false alert is decreased because the check ignores the constantly changing date and time. Although users may create their own checks, the heuristics engine has the ability to generate the same checks automatically. Automatic check generation may occur when a new service is initially detected on an asset. The heuristics engine may connect to a service several times in succession to determine if particular aspects of the data returned by the service may be associated with one of the check types supported by the heuristics engine. For example, if a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) service is discovered on an asset, over the course of several seconds the heuristics engine will connect to the SMTP service. Subsequently, the heuristics engine may receive a return string containing three key data points: (1) a name for a server, (2) a version of software the server is running and (3) the current time on the server. The heuristics engine will identify the time as a changing data point each time it connects to the service, while the server name and software version are static components. A timestamp check will then be created in the asset for that service on the asset, and each time the IP layer of the heuristics engine discovers the service operating, the application service layer of the heuristics engine is launched. The application service layer will inspect the service to determine if the service is returning the same server name and software version, while ignoring the timestamp. The web services layer of the heuristics engine allows a user to detect changes in web services and files hosted on a web server. A web service may be any service that is accessed by a GET or POST on a Web server, including a standard file, a common gateway interface (CGI) script, or a SOAP service. Services may be monitored by writing specific checks which look for a particular service, or through a web crawler which searches through links of web pages to build a directory of files. Checks may be written having a pathname or filename for a web service and are used to identify the web service on a web server. The check identifies the service using either a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) GET or POST, along with a set of parameters passed to the service. A check may be mapped to a particular directory on a web server, or each directory found on the web server may be queried for the existence of the service. A check may identify a change that has occurred either upon the existence of the web service, a change in output to a request for the web service, or a change in output to a request for the web service initially passed through a user-specified regular expression. Web services utilizing a SOAP protocol will also have the SOAP schema queried and parsed to determine if the SOAP schema has changed. Individual files residing on a web server may also be monitored for a change. A GUI representation of a web server directory tree is displayed for the user in the user console 120. The user may then specify individual files that should be monitored on the web server, and may designate criticality levels associated with a change in the file. The web services layer of the heuristics engine will determine if the file returns a static result. If a static result is returned, the file is suitable for change monitoring. However, if the file is a dynamic page, it may not provide useful output for change monitoring. If the scan engine 110 detects any changes to the network, the scan engine 110 may launch a variety of external scanners, for example ISS Internet Scanner. In order to coordinate the launch of external scanners by the scan engine 110, the system 100 employs a scripting language. The scripting language has two main components, comments and commands. Comments are enclosed in square braces ([ ]), and can span multiple lines. Any information within the square brackets is removed from the input stream when the script is executed. Commands are terminated by the end of a line (\r\n). Blank lines or lines consisting only of white-space are ignored. A command may have the following form:
Thus, a command is a conditional expression, followed by the colon character, followed by a scanner that is desired to be launched. The top-level of a conditional expression is a function call, which may use multiple arguments that are separated by white-space and may take the following form:
Arguments in the function may be integers (a string of digits), strings (�double-quoted string values� with double-quotes and backslashes escaped using \), or an embedded function call, which may assume various arguments. A return value of the top-level function is evaluated as a boolean expression. The evaluation determines whether or not the particular scanner following the colon in the command should be launched. When evaluating values for functions that accept booleans as parameters, a false value results from either an integer being 0 or an empty string; all other values are assigned a true value. The scanner portion of the command may have the following form:
Scanner id may be an integer indicating which scanner to launch. The optional argument may be a string value (enclosed in quotes), which is scanner-specific. Typically, the optional argument is the name of a pre-configured profile used to read the scanner settings. When the scan engine 110 executes a scan, the heuristics engine determines which scanner profile, if any, is associated with the network profile being scanned. The script for the particular profile is then evaluated for each open host in the scan to obtain a list of scanners that may run on the host. Each time the script is evaluated, an interpreter reads each logical command from top to bottom. Each conditional portion that evaluates as true results in the corresponding scanner being added to the list. An ID script may also be employed by the system 100 to coordinate the ID's of the various scanners, web checks and application checks which reside in the network. Because users may not want to look up the values of each ID in the database 140, an �Insert Statement� dialog box is available in the user console 120 GUI. The script for the scan engine 110 may run a 3rd party scanner such as an Internet Security Systems Scanner Rules (ISS) Scanner (Nessus) any time a new web check appears, and may also run Nessus if any other changes are detected. Finally, it may utilize an imaginary scanner �hostchecker� if no other scanner has been launched. The hostchecker is a virtual script created via the user console 120 for use by the scan engine 110 on a specific asset/host after specific circumstances have been detected. An exemplary script may be the following:
Functions that may be used in the scan engine script may include the following:
Another exemplary script implementation may be a script that launches an ISS scanner whenever a new TCP port opens, but launches a Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) if a new application differential has been launched and an ISS scanner has not previously been launched. The following may be included in the script:
The system 902 interacts with a system update server 904 to receive updates and patches for the system 902 and also receives live vulnerability information from the system update server 904. The system 902 interacts with a vulnerability scanner 912 which is connected to the network. During operation, the system 902 and the vulnerability scanner 912 exchange network scanning instructions and subsequent scan results. The system 902 also interacts with an asset database 906, a trouble ticket system 908, network management tools 910, an auditing system 914, patch management systems 916, network assets 918, an executive management system 920 and Security Information Management (SIM)/Dashboard products 922. Thus, the system 902 has the ability to provide reports about the network to various segments and receive various instructions and notifications from various segments within the system 900. While the invention has been described in detail in connection with exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the above-disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alternations, substitutions, or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. In particular, the specific embodiments of the real-time change detection system described should be taken as exemplary and not limiting. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the foregoing description or drawings, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims. Referenced by
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Company Overview of Passport Capital, LLC
Executive Profile
John Howard Burbank IIIChief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager, Passport Capital, LLC |
Age | Total Calculated Compensation | This person is connected to 5 Board Members in 5 different organizations across 7 different industries. See Board Relationships |
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Mr. John Howard Burbank, III is the Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager at Passport Capital, LLC. Mr. Burbank focuses on sub-prime mortgage CDS at the firm. He founded the firm in August 2000. Mr. Burbank also serves as the Founder, Chief Investment Officer, and Director of Passport Management, LLC. Prior to this, he served as an Equity Analyst and Consultant at JMG Triton Offshore from 1999 to 2000. Mr. Burbank held various investment research positions with ...
Corporate Headquarters30 Hotaling Place Phone: 415-321-4600San Francisco, California 94111 United States Fax: 415-321-4620 Board Members MembershipsFormer Director Director Founder, Chief Investment Officer, and Director Director Director 1999-Present Director
EducationMBA 1992 Stanford Graduate School of Business BA 1987 Duke University
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Involvement:Expert (understands the inner workings) - Ownership:1 day to 1 week
Pros:It's a really funny game to play with friends or family. The levels of shock is a great alternative to play with kids or young people. The option to give a shock to the last one in press the button or give the shock to the last three is funny too.
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