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40 Windows apps affected by critical security flaw, researcher claims

Publié: août 19, 2010, 11:43pm CEST par Ed Oswald

By Ed Oswald, Betanews

A Texas-based researcher claimed he had discovered that about 40 different Windows apps, including the Windows shell, suffer from a critical vulnerability that could open up users to attacks by hackers. The flaw was originally discovered in iTunes for Windows, and was patched by Apple four months ago with iTunes 9.1.
Rapid7 chief security officer HD Moore detailed his findings to Computerworld in an interview on Wednesday. He said a wide range of applications are affected, and it was found while looking into another flaw involving Windows shortcuts, which Microsoft patched in an emergency update.
The flaw exists in how the programs handle malformed DLLs. While the methods to trigger the hole differ slightly from application to application, execution causes the hole to open which allows the hacker to execute arbitrary code and/or install malware on the infected machine.
Apple said at the time that the issue only affected Windows versions of iTunes, and not the Mac. Since Mac OS X does not use DLL files, the attack does not work on that operating system. There is no reason to believe that a similar flaw exists on that platform, either.
A single patch from Microsoft will not fix the problem: Moore said that each application would have to be patched on its own. He also would not disclose the names of those applications affected in order to prevent any attacks from occurring.
Users concerned with this vulnerability should block outbound TCP ports 139 and 445, as well as disabling the WebDAV client. This was a similar suggestion given to users as a workaround if they could not install the update to patch the shortcut vulnerability.
It is not immediately clear why the issue affects so many applications, or what these applications may share in terms of development that could give clues to its origin. So far, those working on the flaw have stayed quiet, leaving only speculation as to what may be the cause.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Apple - Microsoft - iTunes - Windows - Operating system
Toshiba's hard drive breakthough could herald mega-capacity drives

Publié: août 19, 2010, 9:31pm CEST par Ed Oswald

By Ed Oswald, Betanews

Toshiba said Wednesday that it had made a breakthrough in hard disk design that will allow hard drives to have much higher capacities than what is currently possible today. The research is in something called bit-patterned media, a magnetic storage technology.
The recording surface is broken up into tiny magnetic bits, each of which can hold a single bit of data. The bits are made up of several grains, which are organized in rows. This organization is what makes it possible for data to be found easily.
Current technologies require the data to be spread across a broader section of the disk, requiring hundreds of magnetic grains to store bits of data. However this technology is reaching its upper limits, requiring drive manufacturers to look for new ways to store data.
Bit-patterned drives could hold some 2.5 terabits of data on every square inch of recordable space. Contrast this with the highest densities that Toshiba has currently been able to squeeze out of current technologies -- 541 gigabits -- and the company's breakthrough seems even more stunning.
Such a breakthrough would mean a current standard 3.5-inch HDD could hold at least 8 terabytes of data, far above the current limits of 2 and 3 terabytes. The technology is still a good ways off though: Toshiba doesn't expect the drives to hit the market until 2013.
A lot of work still remains. The company has yet to be able to read or write data to the prototype drives it has made, although it has been able to detect a track. That track detection is important though: it is the first step towards making the technology usable.
The announcement was made at the Magnetic Recording Conference, underway this week in San Diego. While Toshiba's competitors, such as Seagate and Western Digital, are working on bit-patterned drives, they claim the technology is far from becoming a standard.
Instead, those companies are working on competing technologies, such as single magnetic recording and heat-assisted magnetic recording -- despite the fact that there too questions remain as to their viability and cost-effectiveness.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

San Diego - Hard disk drive - MagneticStorage - Toshiba - Storage
LightSquared initiates L-band spectrum shift critical to new 4G LTE/Satellite network

Publié: août 19, 2010, 9:02pm CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

LightSquared, the company responsible for the first wholesale hybrid Satellite/Cellular network that many expect will power the 4G services of at least one of the four major wireless carriers in the U.S., announced Wednesday the beginning of the wireless spectrum shift that will ultimately make its network possible.
In a December 2007 agreement, SkyTerra (now LightSquared) and mobile satellite service provider Inmarsat arranged a system that would allow the L-band spectrum to be re-banded for use in both MSS (satellite) and ATC (terrestrial) services.
On Wednesday, LightSquared delivered notice to Inmarsat to begin the first phase of this agreement. The first phase will be an 18-month transition period for Inmarsat where it switches to a modified spectrum plan, and LightSquared begins making its annual payments for the L-band spectrum the new plan frees up. During this phase, LightSquared is expected to pay $337.5 million to Inmarsat.
"Implementation of this agreement represents a significant milestone in LightSquared's plan to build the nation's first wholesale only 4G-LTE wireless broadband network," said Sanjiv Ahuja, chairman and chief executive officer of LightSquared. "Triggering this agreement will now give us the contiguous spectrum we need to support additional network capacity to meet the growing demand for wireless data."
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Satellite - Inmarsat - Sanjiv Ahuja - Business - United States
RIAA, music industry step into net neutrality debate once again

Publié: août 19, 2010, 8:05pm CEST par Ed Oswald

By Ed Oswald, Betanews

In a letter to Google chief Eric Schmidt, RIAA and 12 other music industry groups asked that any proposal on the issue of net neutrality be specific in taking steps to combat copyright infringement and child pornography. The inclusion of pornography in the industry's request is somewhat unusual considering none of the groups listed are active participants in any anti-pornography efforts.
The groups feel that any proposal should permit ISPs to take action against these issues. While the proposal put forth by Google and Verizon does address 'unlawful content,' it is not specific as to what that may entail.
"We all share the goal of a robust Internet that is highly accessible, secure and safe for individuals and commerce," the letter reads. "An Internet predicated on order, rather than chaos, facilitates achievement of this goal."
Asking for some type of provision over copyright protection is nothing new to the industry: executives pushed for a similar statement in the FCC's National Broadband Plan, and they have asked for a distinction in previous net neutrality discussions. However, this is the first time the industry is doing so in a public matter.
RIAA's moves could be due to the failure of the industry to get control of piracy through legal channels. A review of tax documents from 2006 to 2008 indicate that while RIAA spent over $58 million in lawyer fees, it only managed to recover about $1.4 million in restitution.
That failure may be the reason why the music industry is now turning to ISPs themselves to curb so-called "unlawful" traffic in an effort to fight pirates in a much more cost-effective way.
"The current legal and regulatory regime is not working for America's creators," the groups continue. "Our businesses are being undermined, as are the dreams and careers of songwriters, artists, musicians, studio technicians, and other professionals."
Such a move likely will not be popular with net neutrality proponents, who have already pushed back on efforts to define what is lawful and what is not when it comes to Internet traffic. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has said it believes such proposals could be used to limit free speech, noting that the industry had tried a similar tact last year.
In working on its own proposal for net neutrality, the FCC included a provision that allowed the ISPs to block content in an effort to prevent copyright infringment from occurring.
"Neutrality regulations should not excuse ISPs that discriminate against or block innocent content just because they claim it was done to protect copyrights or cater to law enforcement," EFF senior staff attorney Fred von Lohmann said in January.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Google - Electronic Frontier Foundation - Network neutrality - Eric Schmidt - Law
Is Facebook stifling innovation?

Publié: août 19, 2010, 7:16pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews

The answer could prevent startups like foursquare from ever coming to be.
I predict that social geotagging service "Places" will be Facebook's TCP/IP moment. During the 1990s, Microsoft started to aggressively integrate previously standalone features into Windows, with TCP/IP and disk compression being notable. The features' integration made products from smaller companies -- many of them startups -- redundant. Microsoft didn't necessarily offer something better, but something free and easily accessible as part of Windows.
Particularly during the late 1990s, it seemed like anyone developing anything would ask whether or not Microsoft would move into their market. The day's hot startup could be tomorrow's roadkill if Microsoft chose to suck some new capability into Windows. Critics, and later the US government, charged Microsoft with stifling innovation, particularly as Windows' popularity increased. Facebook is starting to look eerily similar.
The companies aren't just similar, so are their platforms, which is reason enough to ask the "stifling innovation" question. As I explained in September 2007 post "Microsoft's Facebook in the Mirror," the social networking service shares surprising similarities with Windows:
Like Windows, Facebook is an enclosed platform, and one where people can install applications, post and share digital content and communicate with friends, families or others in ways they might do with Windows on PCs.
Facebook is also a lot more like Microsoft than it resembles Google, because it's so-called openness is more of a one-way street. Information goes in, but it doesn't easily come out. Developers write applications for the one platform, which is different from, say, tapping into Google APIs (application programming interfaces) for use elsewhere. Facebook and Google both take platform approaches, but Facebook's way is more like Windows than Web 2.0.
I've repeatedly called Facebook "Windows in the cloud." The platforms simply reside in different places: The cloud data center rather than the local PC. Microsoft's integration approach arguably stifled software competition on the PC. Facebook can do something similar for social services served up from the cloud to mobile devices. Microsoft's integration approach also put it in direct competition with its Windows development partners. Facebook's position is similar.
Facebook announced Places at 8 pm ET yesterday, much to the chagrin of East Coast journalists (I read complaints on Twitter). Facebook put on a good face, seemingly making the Places launch a happy place. Major competitors like foursquare and Gowalla joined Facebook for the announcement. It was all huggy and kissy, but really the kiss of death. Standalone social geotagging services, where people checkin to let friends know their location, are endangered species.
"Oh, yeah?" you ask. I can recall countess events where Microsoft competitors put on the happy face during similar past announcements. They received the kiss of death and died. That's how business is done. What other choice do foursquare and Gowalla have? They run little shops, and Walmart just opened a Super Center down the block. Competition is brutal, baby. Take a look at Facebook's Places logo. Is that a 4 in a square? Get it?
That said, the competing business models are different. Microsoft vanquished products that consumers or businesses paid for. Facebook is potentially killing competitors even before they have clear revenue streams in place. The competitive chilling effects could be much more severe. Many startups are nearly or wholly reliant on venture capital funding. When their founders are asked about future Facebook competition, how can they answer -- particularly if the social media service will be given away for free at first and monetized later? Investors may be harder to come by, fearing they could lose their wad before the startup ever has a chance to succeed. Someone's good idea today becomes their death by Facebook integration tomorrow.
I'll close by asking a question for which I encourage readers to answer in comments: Could Twitter have been funded in 2006 if Facebook was as big then as it is today? You can guess my answer, particularly considering how many times the question is asked today about Twitter's future.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Facebook - Microsoft - Google - Gowalla - Twitter
Intel seeks to change cybersecurity with $7.6B McAfee acquisition

Publié: août 19, 2010, 4:44pm CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Intel Corporation Thursday morning announced that it will acquire security software and management company McAfee Inc. for $7.68 billion in cash. Intel says the move reflects the changing security climate as more non-PC devices connect to the Internet, like cars, TVs, and medical equipment.
"With the rapid expansion of growth across a vast array of Internet-connected devices, more and more of the elements of our lives have moved online," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "In the past, energy-efficient performance and connectivity have defined computing requirements. Looking forward, security will join those as a third pillar of what people demand from all computing experiences." Intel says there needs to be "a fundamentally new approach involving software, hardware and services," for the increasingly connected world.
McAfee shared that sentiment in a statement to investors on Thursday:
"The current cybersecurity model isn't extensible across the proliferating spectrum of devices -- providing protection to a heterogeneous world of connected devices requires a fundamentally new approach to security. Frankly, the industry needed a paradigm shift -- incremental improvements simply couldn't bridge the opportunity gap. McAfee and Intel Corporation are joining forces to tackle this next generation cybersecurity issue which impacts everyone and anything connecting to the Internet."
While it sounds like the companies are planning a major change to the current security model, it is still unclear what it will mean to McAfee's portfolio of intellectual property after it becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Intel.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

McAfee - Paul Otellini - Intel Corporation - Subsidiary - Security
Facebook adds check-in feature with "Places," teams up with likely competitors

Publié: août 19, 2010, 3:35am CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Leading social network Facebook Wednesday announced Facebook Places, a service which adds location awareness to the service's mobile experience.
The service launches tonight in the United States as a part of the Facebook application for iPhone, and on the HTML5 touch.facebook.com, and users will have the ability to "check in" to their locations similar to the way users on Foursquare, Gowalla, and Brightkite can, and likewise they can find out who and what is available around them.
When users log into their mobile app, a list of "Nearby Places" will be listed, where they can check in, tag their friends (with their approval, of course), and post a text update which will appear in their friends' feeds. Users will also be able to see a list of other Facebook users nearby under "People Here Now."
Though this is a move to make Facebook more competitive in the burgeoning location-based services class, the social network made its Places API available to the services that would otherwise have been its biggest competitors. Foursquare, Gowalla Booyah (the company responsible for location-based game MyTown,) and Yelp were all present at Facebook's launch announcement Wednesday. Places data goes live tomorrow for partner applications.
The service will not feature any advertising, and users can opt out of the service entirely and turn off the ability for others to check them in. Underage users of the service will also lack "Here Now" visibility to anyone but their friends.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Facebook - Social network - Gowalla - Foursquare - Facebook Places