Free Republic

Abstract. We describe the use of formal methods in the development of IRONSIDES, an implementation of DNS with superior performance to both BIND and Windows, the two most common DNS servers on the Internet. More importantly, unlike BIND and Windows, IRONSIDES is impervious to all single-packet denial of service attacks and all forms of remote code execution. Introduction DNS is a protocol essential to the proper functioning of the Internet. The two most common implementations of DNS are the free software version BIND and the implementations that come bundled with various versions of Windows. Unfortunately, despite their ubiquity and...

It is hard to see how President Obama in particular and the Democrats in general can offer a real deficit reduction plan based on spending cuts alone without fatally alienating their base. That base, after all, consists of the very interests that have been driving the federal budget towards the cliff for decades. That leaves them basically two options in the current political climate.They can play with numbers, such as talking about spending reductions—as yet largely unspecified—over 12 years. As everyone who follows federal budget matters knows, budget outlooks come in 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year varieties. So when President Obama...

A celebrated Goldman Sachs partner, Gus Levy, coined the maxim that long defined the bank, the savviest and most influential firm on Wall Street: “Greedy, but long-term greedy.” But these days that old dictum is being truncated to just “greedy” by some Goldman critics. While many ordinary Americans are still waiting for an economic recovery, Goldman and its employees are enjoying one of the richest periods in the bank’s 140-year history. Goldman executives are perplexed by the resentment directed at their bank and contend the criticism is unjustified. But they find themselves in the uncomfortable position of defending Goldman’s blowout...

SACRAMENTO - For the fourth year in a row, Assemblyman John J. Benoit, R-Palm Desert, has introduced a bill to overturn a 2002 law restricting school districts' ability to hire private companies for busing and other services. The measure is part of a package of bills presented Wednesday that Assembly Republicans want reflected in any legislation asking voters to approve borrowing billions for new roads, schools and other public-works infrastructure. But Benoit and other Assembly Republicans left open the possibility that they would support bond legislation even if it lacks their proposals. Benoit said his bill, AB 2024, would help...

BTK Suspect Charged With 10 Murder Counts By DAVID TWIDDY, Associated Press Writer WICHITA, Kan. - Dennis Rader, the churchgoing family man and Cub Scout leader accused of leading a double life as the BTK serial killer, was charged Tuesday with 10 counts of first-degree murder. Rader made his first court appearance since his Friday arrest by videoconference from his cell at the Sedgwick County detention center. During the brief hearing, Rader sat with his hands folded behind a small desk. The BTK killer, whose nickname stands for "Bind, Torture, Kill," was suspected of eight deaths beginning in 1974, but...

WICHITA, Kan. -- For about 15 years, it was the job of the man police have accused of being the BTK serial killer to help keep people safe. Before he started as a city code enforcer in suburban Park City, Dennis L. Rader was an employee at an ADT Security Services branch office in Wichita, holding several positions that allowed him access to customers' homes. He worked for the home security company between 1974 and 1988 -- the same time as a majority of the killings. Police have not disclosed any evidence suggesting Rader worked at the homes of the...

Internet vulnerabilities caught in BIND By Patrick Gray ZDNet Australia March 5, 2003, 7:24 AM PT Confusion is rife about potential vulnerabilities in BIND, the most commonly used domain name server on the Internet, and experts are calling on the makers of the software to clarify the issue. Domain name servers are used to match domain names to numerical IP addresses, with the vast majority of these running BIND; the software essentially runs the Internet. The Internet Software Consortium (ISC), the group responsible for maintaining the software, released a new version of BIND on Monday, with their Web site billing...