Zero Day

How's this for a new twist on the old responsible disclosure debate:  Hackers are taking advantage of information released in Microsoft's pre-patch security advisories to create exploits for zero-day vulnerabilities.The latest zero-day flaw in the Windows DNS Server RPC interface implementation is a perfect example of the tug-o-war within the MSRC (Microsoft Security Response Center) about how much information should be included in the pre-patch advisory.

April 16, 2007 by Ryan Naraine

13 Comments Vote

In an advisory issued earlier today, Microsoft issued several workarounds/mitigations for the Windows DNS server service zero-day attacks, including a recommendation that network admins completely disable remote management of RPC capability for DNS Servers.The recommendation included instructions on registry key edits but if you're in charge of a large-scale Windows shop with numerous domain controllers, Microsoft only gave you the switch but no way to automate the registry changes.

April 13, 2007 by Ryan Naraine

2 Comments Vote

The crime ring behind the latest Storm Worm-related malware attack (Techmeme discussion) is using new tactics to slip malicious executables past anti-virus defenses, serving up another black eye to an industry that already uses questionable tactics to find new customers.Arbor Networks researcher Jose Nazario flagged the poor anti-virus detections of the Storm Worm Trojan in a blog entry that noted the use of password-protected ZIP files to hide .

April 13, 2007 by Ryan Naraine

8 Comments Vote

An zero-day vulnerability in the DNS server service in Windows is under attack, Microsoft warned in a security advisory.The "limited attacks" are exploiting a stack overflow error in the Windows Domain Name System (DNS) Server's RPC interface implementation when processing malformed requests sent to a port between 1024 and 5000.

April 13, 2007 by Ryan Naraine

7 Comments Vote

Microsoft is urging Windows users to be very careful when opening ".hlp" attachments.

April 11, 2007 by Ryan Naraine

79 Comments Vote

A new version of the Opera browser has been released with patches for a range of security vulnerabilities. The new Opera 9.

April 11, 2007 by Ryan Naraine

28 Comments Vote

The carefully crafted image of Windows Vista as the most secure operating system of all time is beginning to take a beating.For the second time this month, Microsoft has shipped a security bulletin with patches for a "critical" Vista vulnerability that puts millions of users at risk of code execution attacks.

April 10, 2007 by Ryan Naraine

132 Comments Vote

Microsoft just can't seem to keep pace with hackers finding serious flaws in Office applications.Several new security bugs in the desktop productivity suite have been found and released to the public, including proof-of-concept Word 2007 .

April 10, 2007 by Ryan Naraine

15 Comments Vote

Apple has rolled out a firmware update to fix a pair of security vulnerabilities in the Airport Extreme Base Station.The most serious of the two -- a weakness in the way the default configuration of Airport Extreme handles IPv6 connections -- could allow remote hackers to bypass certain access restrictions.

April 9, 2007 by Ryan Naraine

12 Comments Vote

At the height of the animated cursor(.ani) attacks last week, there were two different groups using different motives to hit a different set of targets.

April 9, 2007 by Ryan Naraine

8 Comments Vote