Tag Archives: Security+

Cisco to acquire malware prevention company

ThreatGRID will enhance products Cisco obtained in last year’s Sourcefire acquisition

Cisco this week announced its intent to acquire ThreatGrid, a New York-based maker of malware analysis and threat intelligence technology. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

ThreatGrid’s products will enhance the malware protection portfolio obtained from Cisco’s acquisition of Sourcefire in 2013, the company says. ThreatGrid makes products for both on-premises and cloud-based security.

[ Find out what topics and issues affect tech’s biggest names and news makers in the IDGE Insider CEO interview series. | Read Bill Snyder’s Tech’s Bottom Line blog for what the key business trends mean to you. ]

On-premises products are designed for internal data retention. The Sourcefire sourced products address network to endpoint capabilities, including malware detection and blocking, analysis and retrospective remediation of advanced threats.

The combination of Sourcefire and ThreatGrid will allow Cisco customers to aggregate and correlate data to identify cyber threats, Cisco says.

Cisco expects the acquisition to close in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year 2014.

ThreatGrid adds malware sandboxing capabilities for public and private clouds to the Sourcefire FireAMP (advanced malware protection) product line, says Derek Idemoto, vice president of corporate development at Cisco.

“Sourcefire’s been aware of ThreatGrid for years,” Idemoto said at this week’s Cisco Live conference. “We asked them, ‘What is the next thing we should be doing?'”

Acquiring ThreatGrid’s 25 engineers is apparently what the Sourcefire team recommended.

There is no product overlap with the FireAMP portfolio, Idemoto said.

Jim Duffy has been covering technology for over 28 years, 23 at Network World. He also writes The Cisco Connection blog and can be reached on Twitter @Jim_Duffy.

Read more about wide area network in Network World’s Wide Area Network section.


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9 employee insiders who breached security

 

These disgruntled employees show what can happen when an employer wrongs them.

Security admins used to have to worry about keeping the bad guys out of the network, but there have been many documented cases where the devil you know is sitting right next to you. A review of recent FBI cyber investigations revealed victim businesses incur significant costs ranging from $5,000 to $3 million due to cyber incidents involving disgruntled or former employees, according to AlgoSec. Here are just a few over the years of insiders trying to take down their employer’s network.

Terry Childs, the former network administrator for the City of San Francisco, held the city’s systems hostage for a time. He refused to surrender passwords because he felt his supervisors were incompetent. Childs was convicted of violating California’s computer crime laws in April 2010.

In June 2012, Ricky Joe Mitchell of Charleston, W.Va., a former network engineer for oil and gas company EnerVest, was sentenced to prison for sabotaging the company’s systems. He found out he was going to be fired and decided to reset the company’s servers to their original factory settings.

It was discovered in 2007 that database administrator William Sullivan had stolen 3.2 million customer records including credit card, banking and personal information from Fidelity National Information Services. Sullivan agreed to plead guilty to federal fraud charges and was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison and ordered to pay a $3.2 million fine.

Flowers Hospital had an insider data breach that occurred from June 2013 to February 2014 when one of its employees stole forms containing patient information and possibly used the stolen information to file fraudulent income tax returns.

According to Techworld.com, 34-year-old Sam Chihlung Yin created a fake VPN token in the name of a non-existent employee which he tricked Gucci IT staff into activating after he was fired in May 2010.

Army Private First Class Bradley Manning released sensitive military documents to WikiLeaks in 2009. Manning, now known as Chelsea Manning, was given a sentence of 35 years in prison.

Back in 2002, Timothy Lloyd was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for planting a software time bomb after he became disgruntled with his employer Omega. The result of the software sabotage was the loss of millions of dollars to the company and the loss of 80 jobs.

Earlier this year, NRAD Medical Associates discovered that an employee radiologist had accessed and acquired protected health information from NRAD’s billing systems without authorization. The breach was estimated to be 97,000 records of patient names and addresses, dates of birth, Social Security information, health insurance, and diagnosis information.

And of course there is the most famous whistleblower of all time: Edward Snowden. Before fleeing the country, he released sensitive NSA documents that became a blowup about government surveillance.


 

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Windows XP hack resurrects patches for retired OS

But security researcher who tried the hack isn’t sure the fixes will actually keep exploits at bay

A simple hack of Windows XP tricks Microsoft’s update service into delivering patches intended for a close cousin of the aged OS, potentially extending support for some components until 2019, a security researcher confirmed today.

What’s unclear is whether those patches actually protect a Windows XP PC against cyber criminals’ exploits.

The hack, which has circulated since last week — first on a German-language discussion forum, then elsewhere as word spread — fools Microsoft’s Windows Update service into believing that the PC is actually running a close relation of XP, called “Windows Embedded POSReady 2009.”

Unlike Windows XP, which was retired from security support April 8 and no longer receives patches, Embedded POSReady 2009 is due patches until April 9, 2019.

As its name implies, POSReady 2009 is used as the OS for devices such as cash registers — aka point-of-sale systems — and ATMs. Because it’s based on Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), the last supported version of the 13-year-old OS, its security patches are a superset of those that would have been shipped to XP users if support was still in place. Many of POSReady 2009’s patches are similar, if not identical, to those still offered to enterprises and governments that have paid Microsoft for post-retirement XP support.

Jerome Segura, a senior security researcher at Malwarebytes, an anti-malware software vendor, tried out the hack and came away impressed.

“The system is stable, no crashes, no blue screens,” Segura said in an interview, talking about the Windows XP virtual machine whose updates he resurrected with the hack. “I saw no warnings or error messages when I applied patches for .Net and Internet Explorer 8.”

The Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) update Segura applied appeared to be the same one Microsoft released May 13 for other versions of Windows, including POSReady 2009, but did not deliver to Windows XP.

But although he has run the hacked XP for several days now without any noticeable problems, he wasn’t willing to give the trick a passing grade.

“[POSReady 2009] is not Windows XP, so we don’t know if its patches fully protect XP customers,” Segura said. “From an exploit point of view, when those vulnerabilities are exploited in the wild, will this patch protect PCs or will they be infected? That would be the ultimate proof.”

Microsoft, not surprisingly, took a dim view of the hack.

“We recently became aware of a hack that purportedly aims to provide security updates to Windows XP customers,” a company spokesperson said in an email. “The security updates that could be installed are intended for Windows Embedded and Windows Server 2003 customers and do not fully protect Windows XP customers. Windows XP customers also run a significant risk of functionality issues with their machines if they install these updates, as they are not tested against Windows XP.”


 

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The 5 worst mobile threats of 2012

New types of mobile malware make headlines every day, but what are the most prevalent threats out there? The team at Nominum decided to find out by analyzing Domain Name System (DNS) data of approximately half a million users from various countries.

Most malware uses the DNS to communicate and our technology processes about 30% of the worlds’ DNS traffic, so we were able to identify the top five mobile-only malware threats.

We defined greatest threat as the most widespread malware that meets a baseline level of risk to the end user — for example, malware that attempts to steal a person’s identity and/or money. What follows is a summary of the current mobile malware landscape and a short description of each malware threat, along with some thoughts on what can be done to protect end users.
But how bad is it, really?

The mobile malware threat is real with a significant number of infections in existence today that are capable of stealing mobile phone users’ identity, and this number is growing everyday. Our research shows that Android remains the top target of malware writers.

Despite that finding, our data was not extensive enough to prove just how prevalent threats were in the U.S. specifically, but recent research has shown that malicious links within text continue to be the biggest concern for mobile device users in the U.S. with 4 in 10 American users likely to click on an unsafe link.

Although Androids topped the list of mobile malware targets, there are still major regional differences in mobile malware prevalence. For instance, “Notcompatible” has a much higher infection rate in Latin America, while “SMSPACEM” and “Netisend” are much more prevalent in the Asia Pacific regions.

These regional differences may be explained by end users’ personal networks. Like a cold or virus in the real world, once someone in a community gets infected with a mobile malware, they are more likely to spread it to others in that community — instead of a sneeze, it is through SMS. As the mobile malware area is less mature than its fixed counterpart, it may take more time for mobile threats to “jump” networks; this will change soon, though, as malware threats get more sophisticated.

Mobile malware writers are leveraging many of the same social engineering techniques (e.g., spreading through end users’ contact lists) and technical capabilities (e.g., rootkits) to spread and make money they’ve used on the Fixed side for years. As the proliferation of smartphones continues and the mobile ad market matures, the incentive of higher profit possibilities will encourage malware writers to write more sophisticated malware.

With multiple mobile operating systems and a vast array of devices, device-based anti-malware software alone isn’t a scalable solution to the problem. The DNS enables a network-based approach for preventing malware that works regardless of what type of device is infected.

The DNS is primarily thought of as a functional technology to navigate the Web, as its original role was to facilitate ease of use of the Internet. DNS eliminates the need to type in long strings of numbers (IP addresses) to access content and translates the numbers into words. Due to its history, DNS has become an often-overlooked layer but it is essential to the network running. As network activity has advanced (think the proliferation of applications, mobile banking, etc.), the DNS layer has evolved into an efficient network infrastructure tool that guides high-performance transactions.

In the case of mobile malware threats, the DNS layer can be analyzed to detect and mitigate suspicious activity. Accordingly, solutions have been invented that enable mobile carriers to layer security applications upon their pre-existing DNS network. These applications can conduct a number of roles from detecting and thwarting hackers’ efforts to alerting users of potentially dangerous mobile websites.

Compared to other solutions, utilizing the DNS layer allows for a faster response time and cost-effective options — both important benefits to a mobile carrier and its subscribers. The DNS’s ability to secure networks should be a part of the modern mobile operator’s security playbook because the mobile malware problem is only going to get worse before it gets better.

Here are the top threats that we’re up against:

* NOTCOMPATIBLE — The worst of all malware created in 2012 is a drive-by Trojan which can infect Android phones via their mobile Web browsers. When a browser’s download is completed, it will ask for user permission to install as depicted below. After infection, the Android phone can work as a proxy. It is widespread and growing every day. [Also see: “For the first time, hacked websites deliver Android malware”]

* SMSPACEM — This is the second-most widespread malware for Android phones in 2012. It will change a phone’s wallpaper and send anti-Christian jokes by SMS to all the user’s contacts. Here is an example: “Looks like Jesus is a no-show, maybe Judaism was on to something Cannot talk right now, the world is about to end Just saw the four horsemen of the apocalypse and man did they have the worst case of road rage Prepare to meet thy maker, make sure to hedge your bet just in case the Muslims were right.”

* LENA — This Android-based malware is capable of taking over a user’s phone without asking permission by using an exploit such as gingerbreak or appearing as a VPN app. Once gaining root access, LENA can start to communicate with its command an control site, download additional components and update installed binaries.

* NETISEND — An information stealer on Android phones, it can retrieve information like IMEI, IMSI, model information and installed applications. After downloading, the malware will ask permission to connect to the Internet and open a backdoor with its C&C domain site.

* BASEBRIDGE — It can get an Android phone root access by exploiting netlink message validation local privilege escalation vulnerability. Once infected, Basebridge can disable installed AV software, download additional malware components and open a backdoor with its C&C site. It will steal IMSI, manufacture and model info. It can also send SMS messages, delete SMS messages from inbox and dial phone numbers.

These five mobile malware threats are just the tip of the iceberg. New types of mobile malware are designed everyday by ill-intentioned individuals, and hardware-based security is just a temporary Band-Aid to defend against sophisticated mobile threats. Staying aware of what is out there and abreast of the latest threats is the first step in protecting yourself, but a joint effort is necessary and carriers will soon need to start arming their networks with security layers for their customers’ sake too.

Nominum is the worldwide leading provider of integrated subscriber, network and security solutions for network operators. Nominum is the provider of the N2 Platform that leverages more than 1 trillion DNS queries daily and enables the rapid development and seamless integration of applications that leverage DNS data. These applications are generated by the Nominum IDEAL ecosystem, an open ecosystem of application providers. The combined value of the N2 Platform and the IDEAL ecosystem provides network operators with the ability to deliver a differentiated subscriber experience with cost efficiency and agility. Nominum is a global organization headquartered in Redwood City, Calif.


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Microsoft a decade ahead of Apple on security, We’re not so sure

In a recent interview, Kaspersky Lab founder and CEO Eugene Kaspersky claimed that Apple is “10 years” behind Microsoft on security, as evidenced by the recent malware attacks affecting Mac OS X

There’s been a lot of chatter lately that the recent Flashback and Flashfake malware infestations plaguing Apple’s Max OS X are a sign that the Mac is not nearly as secure as Apple and its devout fans would like you to believe.
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Eugene Kaspersky, however, founder and CEO of Kaspersky Lab—a leading producer of security software—claims things are much worse. He says that Apple is in a potentially dire position and must change its approach to patches and updates, much in the same way Microsoft did year ago to more quickly and efficiently address vulnerabilities in Windows.

In a recent interview with CBR Online, Kaspersky said,

“I think they are ten years behind Microsoft in terms of security. For many years I’ve been saying that from a security point of view there is no big difference between Mac and Windows. It’s always been possible to develop Mac malware, but this one was a bit different. For example it was asking questions about being installed on the system and, using vulnerabilities, it was able to get to the user mode without any alarms.”

Of course it’s possible to develop malware for OSX. Malware could be developed for any OS. As far as malware exploiting vulnerabilities, is that what’s been happening on Windows systems for ages?

Before we go on, we should point out what we believe to be a serious flaw in that statement. When Kaspersky says “there is no big difference between Mac and Windows,” that may be true on some level because they are both consumer operating systems, but the underlying technologies in OS X and Windows are fundamentally different. OS X is based on UNIX, which is decades more mature than Windows. And with that maturity also comes strong security.

Kaspersky goes on to say, “They will understand very soon that they have the same problems Microsoft had ten or 12 years ago. They will have to make changes in terms of the cycle of updates and so on and will be forced to invest more into their security audits for the software.”

This may or may not be the case. Kaspersky asserts that the success of Flashback / Flashfake will result in more malware being released for OS X. We’re not so sure. Most malware producers are in it to make a quick buck, not for notoriety. And the success of one piece of malware, doesn’t guarantee more will follow. Flashback / Flashfake may be getting some attention now, but targeting the Mac just doesn’t make as much financial sense as targeting Windows.

The fact of the matter is, even with relatively strong Mac sales, Windows-based systems far outsell the Mac and malware producers are always going to more aggressively target the largest install base. At least that’s our opinion. What say you?

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Review: Android-based Wi-Fi stumblers

Four easy-to-use wireless management and security tools that cost under $2

Wi-Fi stumblers are handy when checking for channel usage, signal strength, security status, and detecting rogue access points, in situations where enterprise-level tools aren’t necessary. We recently reviewed stumblers for your PC or laptop. Here’s a look at a few Wi-Fi stumblers for your Android smartphone or tablet, which makes it even more convenient for quick and simple wireless checks. Read a story version of this.

Meraki WiFi Stumbler (Free)
This is one of the most basic Wi-Fi stumblers, but can still be useful for simple channel and signal checks for access points in the 2.4GHz band. Once you open it, you’ll find a small bar graph showing how many access points are detected per channel (1 – 11 only), which can quickly help you identify possible channel overlapping. It also displays in numerical values how many SSIDs and access points are detected. You’ll also find a SSID list, displaying the channel(s), signal (RSSI in dB), security type, and any detected access point vendor.

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Meraki WiFi Stumbler
On the bottom of the app you’ll find a convenient Email Results button. Tap it and it will automatically summarize the scan results in the body of a message and also attach a CSV document, which includes the relevant details and the GPS coordinates as well.

Wifi Analyzer (Free)
This is a more advanced Wi-Fi stumbler, giving you multiple ways to view the access point details. In addition to the common 2.4-GHz band, it also supports the 5-GHz band on supported devices. Though by default it’s AD-supported, you can actually hide the ADs for a week at a time via the Settings.

Though by default it only shows WPA or WPA2, you can make it show full security methods via the Settings. Then you can distinguish between the PSK and EAP modes of WPA/WPA2 and the TKIP and CCMP encryption types. If you’re connected to an access point, you’ll also see the details (SSID, MAC, and IP) on top of the AP list screen.

The time graph screen shows a line graph displaying the access point signals over time in negative dBm values, which you can also filter to show only selected access points. The channel rating screen gives you recommendations on channel usage, basically showing which ones have the least signals. The signal meter screen can help you find a selected access point with a visual signal meter and sound effect.

Wifi Tracker ($1.56)
Designed for larger wireless surveys, audits, or war drives, this stumbler logs the Wi-Fi details and GPS location info for you to export a variety of ways. It can produce and send a KML file for Google Earth viewing, CVS file for Kismet or spreadsheet viewing, and can even upload real-time to WiGLE.net or your own web server.

WLANController WiFi Scanner ($0.99)
This Wi-Fi stumbler is designed for larger wireless surveys, audits, war drives, and basic rogue AP detection of the 2.4 GHz and (on supported devices) 5 GHz bands. The app serves as a sensor/client for a cloud-based distributed Wi-Fi scanning solution, so no results are shown on the device itself. You must sign up for their free or paid service to view the scan results online.

MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-640, 70-642, 70-643, 70-647):

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Can I Get appointed to this Dream job

Can I Get appointed to this Dream job

Server and Network Engineer
Job Title: Server and Network Engineer
Location: Miami
Job Type: Permanent
Salary: $155000.00 – $1440000.00 per annum

Job Description:
We are looking for an experienced Server and Network Engineer who is capable of
managing and maintaining an IT department.

– Management of all IT related aspects of the department’s IT systems including
support and maintenance of the current server and network infrastructure.
· Definition, and ongoing management, of processes to cover all aspects of
operation including the following:
o Data management; including capacity planning and backup configuration
o Disaster recovery testing
o Licensing and software administration; tracking of all software and associated
licensing requirements including liaison with Software Licensing manager where
required.
o Management of user accounts and access control across the department’s IT
environment; including firewall  access, domain accounts, etc.
o Setup and maintenance of a structured environment for projects, covering data
storage areas and development  software environments.
· Generation of client datasets as required.
· Assist with system upgrades and designs.
· Maintaining system documentation.
· Processing incidents & problems escalated from the Helpdesk within clearly
defined processes aligned to ITIL  best practice.
· Liaison with other support teams to ensure that incidents are escalated and
resolved within the Service Level  Agreements.
· Flexibility to work occasional overtime and on-call may be required from
time-to-time
· Flexibility to work at other locations may be required from time to time.

The Individual
· Extensive experience of server operations and support. Further experience
could be substituted for  educational qualifications; ideally further
professional qualifications
· MCSE 2003, IT or numerate discipline degree as a minimum
· Experience of supporting common server applications and operating systems
including software and hardware configuration.
· Methodical self starter able to meet objectives in a timely and effective
manner.
· The ability to quickly assimilate new technologies and to solve complex
problems is a must.
· Excellent communication and customer facing skills.
· Calm under pressure with well developed prioritization skills.
· A willingness to take on ownership of problems to resolution.
· MCSE would be beneficial but is not essential.

Key technologies:
Hardware
· HP ProLiant Servers
· HP StorageWorks SAN
· Cisco networking equipment
· Nokia firewalls running Check Point Firewall-1

Software
· Windows Server 2003, including Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, etc.
· Symantec Backup Exec
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The New Microsoft IT Pro Certifications and Exams

The New Microsoft IT Pro Certifications and Exams

Introduction
f you have been in the IT field for any length of time, you are more than
aware of the plethora of certification providers and their certifications.
Trying to fathom what each certifications means; the worth of a certification,
and how a certification from one vendor compares to a certification from other
vendor (where applicable, ofcourse – having a certification on MS SQL cannot
readily compare to having a certification with Juniper Networks). One question
that is asked repeatedly by both employers and IT pros is whether there is value
or worth in obtaining a certification. This question comes from a number of
different quarters. To answer the question succinctly: yes, certifications are
valuable, to both employers and for IT pros. This white paper will address why
certifications are valuable. It will also cover the new Microsoft certifications
in general and the MCSA/MCSE Windows
Server 2003 to MCTS/MCITP Windows
Server 2008 upgrade path specifically



Microsoft Certifications
Reasons Why You Should Get Certified
There are a number of valid reasons why an individual should certify, and
why companies should encourage their employees to become certified and hire
certified individuals. Several studies show that companies that hire certified
individuals and encourage their employees to earn certifications do prosper
better than companies that don’t.


Top Ten Reasons To Hire a Microsoft Certified Profession (MCP)

1. Improve Project Deployments
Independent research1 has shown that organizations with a majority of their
teams certified by Microsoft reported significant improvements in delivering
projects on time and within budget.

2. Increase Customer Satisfaction
Certified staff help to increase customer satisfaction through improved
service, higher productivity, and greater self-sufficiency.

3. Improve Support Costs
Independent research2 has shown that organizations with certified staff
experience less network downtime and lower dependency on unplanned support.


4. Validate Vendor Qualifications
When outsourcing projects, certification provides assurance of vendors’
technical qualifications.

5. Gain a Competitive Advantage
Employees who hold Microsoft certifications bring more advanced skill sets
to provide higher levels of service and productivity, giving your business a
competitive advantage.

6. Benefit by Investing in Your Staff
Organizations that invest in certifying internal technicians generally
attain successful revenue results 3. 7. Increase Employee Satisfaction Employee
satisfaction and retention are higher when management facilitates employees’
career goals.

8. Objectively Benchmark Your Staff’s Talent
Certification serves as a reliable benchmark for hiring and promoting staff
employees, and ensures your organization is built on top-quality technical
talent.

9. Reward Employee Expertise
Certification recognizes and rewards productive employees by validating
their expertise. Certification also provides re-training opportunities so
existing employees can work more effectively with new technologies.

10. See Objective Results of Your Training Investments
Certification provides an excellent return on training and certification
investments by providing a standard method of determining training needs and
measuring results.

A November 2006 IDC study found that team performance increases when each new
team member becomes certified—every time.
• For each new team member who becomes a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP),
team performance increases every time.
• The skill level of a team is directly responsible for how an organization
performs in several key IT functional areas.
• When you increase the concentration of Microsoft certified team members on a
team, you directly affect team performance.
• On average, MCPs make up 40 percent to 55 percent of top performing teams.
• Seventy-five percent of managers believe that certifications are important to
team performance.
• Sixty-six percent of managers believe that certifications improve the level of
service and support offered to customers.
• "…for each additional member of a team certified, team performance increases.
Whether the increase is
from 37 percent to 38 percent of the team being certified or from 60 percent to
61 percent of the team, the team performance increases overall." IDC, Value of
Certification: Team Certification and Organizational Performance, November 2009



MCITP Online Training
MCITP Online Certification
MCITP Online Exams

What you need to know about Windows Server 2008 certifications

What you need to know about Windows Server 2008 certifications

As you have probably heard for some time now, Microsoft is transitioning away
from the MCP/MCSA/MCSE certifications to the new
MCTS (Technology Specialist) and MCITP
(IT Professional) certifications and exams. The first question you will probably
have is: "Does that mean that my current MCP/MCSA/MCSE certifications are no
longer going to be valid?" and the answer is no. Your current certifications
will still be valid and will not expire. If you are currently job hunting, the
older certifications are still highly valued, as most hiring managers are used
to sorting resumes by the old certifications and it will take them some time for
them to catch on to the new line of certifications.


Why did Microsoft move to an entirely new line of certifications?
They were trying to get away from
the "one title fits all" mentality of the MCP/MCSA/MCSE tracks. For example, I
could pass the 70-270 Windows XP exam and achieve the MCP certification. You
could take the 70-291 2003 Network Infrastructure exam, a much more difficult
exam and also achieve the MCP certification. When sorting through resumes, how
does a hiring manager know that your MCP achieved through a more difficult exam
is worth more than my MCP achieved through an easier exam? They don’t – hence
the change to the new line of certifications.

The MCTS (Technology Specialist) designation is technology specific, so for
example, a MCTS in Windows Vista Configuration can be easily distinguished from
a MCTS in Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure Configuration. The MCTS
credential expires when Microsoft technical support for that product expires,
whereas there is no expiration for a MCP certification (because it is so
generic).

The MCITP (IT Professional) designation is role specific. For example, a
MCITP Sever 2008 Administrator is
distinguished from a MCITP Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator as a role that
is more akin to a junior level administrator. The MCITP certifications don’t
expire but will have continuing certification requirements to stay current.

So What is gold membership



The Complete package
will allow you to download whatever exam files you need, at any time. Unlimited
Lifetime Access. Unlimited downloads and updates to all current exams.


After Purchasing this package you can
have access to all the exams files, unlimited access package. You will also have
access to all future exams added and all updates. Which Included all the product
available in Certkingdom.com and also future products also.

Our Gold Level Members get….
1. Life time membership
2. Unlimited access to all exams material
3. Instant downloads
4. Unlimited updated for life
5. Get hand on the every new study material
6. 24/7 customer support

So where do you get started with the Windows Server 2008 certification
process?

That depends on whether or not you are currently certified as a Windows
Server 2003 MCSA/MCSE (MCP doesn’t count). If you are already 2003 MCSA/MCSE
certified, there is a direct upgrade path to Server 2008 MCTS/MCITP. If you are
not Windows 2003 MCSA/MCSE certified, then you will have to take all the core
and required Server 2008 exams. Here’s a table that breaks it down for you:

Exams required to achieve MCTS & MCITP Certifications

  Current Windows 2003 Certification
MCTS Certification MCSA MCSE None
MCTS AD Configuration 70-648 70-649 70-640
MCTS Network
Infrastructure Configuration
70-648 70-649 70-642
MCTS Application
Platform Configuration
70-648 70-649 70-643
MCITP Server 2008
Administrator
70-646 70-647
Plus a client exam
(70-620 or 70-624)
MCITP Server 2008
Enterprise Administrator
  70-646
Not required to pass 70-620, 70-624, 70-647
70-647
Plus 70-620 or 70-624
Not required to pass 70-646

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the table, the 70-648 and 70-649 exams will only upgrade
you to a MCTS designation, and you have to take additional exams to achieve
MCITP. The 70-648 exam is taken in lieu of 70-640 and 70-642 but you must
already be a Windows Server 2003 MCSA. The 70-649 exam is taken in lieu of
70-640, 70-642, and 70-643 but you must already be a Windows Server 2003 MCSE.

  • There are no upgrade paths for those who hold a Messaging or Security
    specialization in Windows Server 2003.
  • There is no upgrade path from Windows Server 2000 certifications – another
    reason to finish out the Windows Server 2003 track if you are already on it.
  • Server 2008 Upgrade
    Takes you from a Windows 2003 MCSA/MCSE to a Windows Server 2008 MCTS/MCITP.
    If you are Windows 2003 MCSA certified, you need to pass 2 exams (70-648,
    70-646) to achieve MCITP Server 2008 Administrator and if you are a Windows
    2003 MCSE you need to pass 3 exams (70-649, 70-647, 70-620) to achieve MCITP
    Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator.
     
  • MCSE 2008
    Takes you from Windows NT4/2000/no certifications to a Windows Server 2008
    MCTS/MCITP. You will need to pass 3 exams (70-640, 70-642,70-646) to achieve
    MCITP Server 2008 Administrator and 5 exams (70-640, 70-642, 70-643, 70-647,
    70-620) to achieve MCITP Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator. 70-646 is not
    required but you can optionally take it.

It has taken Microsoft five years to get to a new round of certifications.
There is a plethora of Windows 2000/2003 certified MCPs/MCSAs/MCSEs out there
competing for jobs. Achieving the 2008 certification early on will help
distinguish you from all of the other currently certified professionals. I
expect our classes will fill quickly as Certkingdom alumni finally have a new
Microsoft certification to achieve.

I look forward to seeing you in class and helping you achieve your Windows
Server 2008 certifications.