Devoted to hardware, software, IT issues, and information technology management

As usual, The Register is a regular fount of knowledge when it comes to all things IT.  I was reading an article and learned that the SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security) Institute, reportedly one of the largest sources for information security training and certification in the world, also maintains a site called the Internet Storm Center (ISC):

"The ISC was created in 2001 following the successful detection, analysis, and widespread warning of the Li0n worm.  Today, the ISC provides a free analysis and warning service to thousands of Internet users and organizations, and is actively working with Internet Service Providers to fight back against the most malicious attackers."

The site provides real-time Internet threat level information.  The site also lists the volunteer handler on duty and that handler's diary on current threats, how to address/avoid them.  The ISC also provides the following resources related to information security:

• Presentations on current and past threats
• Reports on attacks (Top Ports, Top Sources, AS Reports, Country Reports, Survival Time, Trends, Daily Data Volume (Submissions/day)
• Top 10 ports that are being attacked and the top 10 IP addresses where these attacks originate (so you can block them)

The diary information is particularly interesting and provides some valuable instruction on dealing with threats.  Just one more tool in the arsenal against hackers.