Staying on top of the latest in software/hardware security research, vulnerabilities, threats and computer attacks.
Ryan Naraine is a journalist and social media enthusiast specializing in Internet and computer security issues.
Dancho Danchev is an independent security consultant and cyber threats analyst, with extensive experience in open source intelligence gathering, malware and cybercrime incident response.
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.
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 .
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.
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.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a Windows kernel vulnerability that was reported to Microsoft on October 22, 2004 and remained unpatched for more than two years. This is a bug I've been following closely since last November when Cesar Cerrudo, the hacker who found it, got tired of waiting for a fix from Microsoft and published details during the MoKB (Month of Kernel Bugs) project.
The official Web site of Asustek Computer has been hijacked and used to serve up exploit code for the recently-patched animated cursor (.ani) vulnerability.
Microsoft plans to issue five bulletins next Tuesday, four affecting the Windows operating system. The highest maximum severity rating for the Windows bugs is "critical." Don't look for fixes for known (and under attack) Office bugs.
The virus, named Podloso, does not pose a real threat but signals an intent by malware authors to move beyond computers and smart phones.
The flaw "allows for remote execution of arbitrary code with minimal user interaction" and and affects Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows 2003.
Mozilla is considering a "workaround" to block the attack vector that puts Firefox users at risk of attacks exploiting the Windows animated cursor (.ani) vulnerability.