* LATEST SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY COLUMN:

Vulnerability assessment
Hackers attack systems by throwing their bag of tricks at a network device and sneaking in through any cracks they find. But they don’t just attack computers any more; they’re targeting anything with an IP address, such as routers, printers, Network Attached Storage units, wireless access points and backup appliances. Their motto is simple: have IP address, hack IP address.

Jesper Jurcenoks, CTO for NetVigilance, anchored the “Security 2008: What You Need Now” panel of experts during the Chicago ITEC conference. His company specializes in vulnerability assessment, the practice of checking company networks for holes that hackers could use to attack your systems. If NetVigilance helps you fix your network first, hackers can't get a foothold, or that’s the pitch.

To read Gaskin's column in its entirety, please click here.

* LATEST SMB NEWS NOTES:

Comparing Leopard and Vista
Continuing their strong Leopard coverage, PCWorld now has Vista vs. Leopard: Battle of the new Features on their Web site. Does Microsoft's new Search match Apple's Spotlight? Does Safari set a new browser bar or will Mac users flock to Firefox? Take a look at the comparison and make your own decisions.

Leopard Spotted
PCWorld has a good early review about the fifth major update to Mac OS X called Leopard. Regardless of operating system features, Another article from MacWorld talks about ten of the overlooked gems in the new operating system.

More RAM
"More RAM" says almost every computer support tech when asked how to get better performance from a computer. That's one of the two standard answers. Problem? Reboot. Slow? More RAM.

Editor's note: Starting the week of Nov. 12, subscribers to the HTML version of this newsletter will notice some enhancements to the layout that will provide you with easier and clearer access to a wider range of resources at Network World. We hope you enjoy the enhancements and we thank you for reading Network World newsletters.

James Gaskin writes books (16 so far), articles and jokes about technology and real life from his home office in the Dallas area.