12.15.2008

IT News for 2008-12-15

Internet Explorer suffers from zero-day vulnerability

Recent patches from Microsoft have failed to protect against a zero-day vulnerability.

http://www.scmagazineuk.com/Internet-Explorer-suffers-from-zero-day-vulnerability/article/122772/


Microsoft acknowledges IE 7 zero-day attacks

The exploit was mistakenly released by a Chinese security team.

http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci1342135,00.html


IE7 Exploit Also Affects IE5, IE6 and IE8! More Users In Trouble

I’m sure you’ve heard about the Microsoft IE7 Exploit that allows Remote Code Execution on XP & Vista, it turns out it’s actually much worse than first expected.

The exploit also affects IE5.01, IE6 and IE8 on all OS versions! That’s a pretty worrying turn of events for MS especially as they are seemingly leaving it unpatched.

http://www.darknet.org.uk/2008/12/ie7-exploit-also-affects-ie5-ie6-and-ie8-more-users-in-trouble/


Zero day exploit for Internet Explorer is spreading

According the security firms, more and more servers are being compromised so that seemingly trustworthy sites launch the particularly dangerous attacks on Internet Explorer

http://www.heise-online.co.uk/security/Zero-day-exploit-for-Internet-Explorer-is-spreading--/news/112251


Social networking dominates Google searches in 2008

Popular social networking website Facebook was the most searched item on Google in the UK in 2008.

http://www.scmagazineuk.com/Social-networking-dominates-Google-searches-in-2008/article/122770/


Symantec security update

A flawed driver in Symantec's anti-virus products can be exploited to crash a PC

http://www.heise-online.co.uk/security/Symantec-security-update--/news/112253


Google Chrome bottom in Password Security

Password management in major browsers is still somewhat insecure and according to a security expert, Google Chrome and Safari 3.2 for Windows are the worst offenders

http://www.heise-online.co.uk/security/Google-Chrome-bottom-in-Password-Security--/news/112248


From Fake Banking to Regionally Targeted Malware

From fake online banking to regionally targeted celeb porn - that’s just two days in the life of a “FormSpy” (a.k.a. “Infostealer”) malware campaign. In the past few days a spam run started to promote a fake “Bank of America” web site, announcing a change of the online banking’s interface to its “customers.”


http://www.avertlabs.com/research/blog/index.php/2008/12/11/from-fake-banking-to-regionally-targeted-malware/


Identity Theft, Organized Retail Crime On The Rise

Security managers should consider doing more information sharing, nonprofit group says

http://www.darkreading.com/security/cybercrime/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=L2T1OKXZWM5VGQSNDLPCKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=212500159


Test Center preview: Windows Azure Services Platform gives wings to .Net

Microsoft intends its new Windows Azure Services Platform to be a serious cloud computing platform for a broad range of developers and scenarios, from lone developers starting up a new Web-based company on a shoestring to large teams of enterprise developers looking for high-performance, highly available, and scalable Web sites, computing, and storage.

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/infoworld/20081215/tc_infoworld/120189


Delta to offer Wi-Fi on Shuttle Flights

Delta Airlines is teaming up with in-flight communication company Aircell to provide Wi-Fi Internet access on shuttle flights between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Midmarket/Delta-to-offer-WiFi-on-Shuttle-Flights/?kc=rss


Intel, Qualcomm Grow Chip Revenue but Semiconductor Industry Sinks in 2008
The world’s semiconductor makers watched their revenues fall by more than 4 percent in 2008 as the ongoing financial crisis continues to have a major impact on IT companies and technology vendors.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/Gartner-Intel-Qualcomm-Grow-Chip-Revenue-but-Semiconductor-Industry-Sinks-in-2008/?kc=rss


Aptana Releases PHP Development Tool

Aptana releases Aptana PHP 1.0, its integrated development environment for PHP development. Aptana PHP extends the functionality of the company's Aptana Studio tools suite, which is an Eclipse-based IDE for AJAX and Web development.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Application-Development/Aptana-Releases-PHP-Development-Tool/?kc=rss


Windows Vista SP2 Beta Preview

Is Microsoft finally getting Vista right? The recent release of the Service Pack 2 beta is a step in the right direction. This update not only installs cumulative security and compatibility fixes, but also adds a few goodies like simplified wireless network setup, Bluetooth 2.1 support, and the ability to burn Blu-ray discs.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2336802,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532


Brazilian hackers blamed for aiding Amazon deforestation

Malicious hackers have been charged with all manner of misdeeds, from mounting the biggest military hack ever to sending Viagra to Bill Gates to crashing sewerage systems. On Friday, Greenpeace accused cybercrooks of conspiring to allow actions that threaten the balance of nature by helping to destroy the Amazon rainforest.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/12/brazil_hackers_deforestation/


AT&T, T-Mobile Fined For Voice-Mail Security

After a string of high-profile hacks, the Los Angeles district attorney has filed an injunction against the carriers for overstating the security of their voice-mail systems.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212500153&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All


Poor Computer Security Putting Immigrant Data At Risk

Vulnerabilities are common where money transfers, check cashing, bill payment, travel services, auto insurance, or notary services are provided, a research firm found.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/client/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212500122&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All


Chip Industry Revenues Drop By $12 Billion

To weather the economic slowdown, Garter said semiconductor companies would have to focus on preserving cash and managing inventory.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/processors/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212500113&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All


Ad-Aware gets an antivirus cousin

Lavasoft on Monday unveiled a new antivirus application it hopes will do as well as its runaway hit Ad-Aware.

http://www.download.com/8301-2007_4-10122608-12.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20


Mahalo expands human-powered search with paid Answers service

Jason Calacanis is adding another human-powered angle to the Mahalo curated search page service he launched in May 2007. Mahalo Answers, launching Monday, lets users ask specific questions of the Mahalo audience, and, of course, answer other users' questions as well. The twist on this standard model (see also: Yahoo answers) is financial.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10122762-2.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20


RadioShack to sell Acer netbook for $99 - with 2-year contract

RadioShack will put an Acer Aspire One 3G Netbook on sale Sunday for $99. But there's a catch. You also have to buy a two-year AT&T DataConnect contract.

http://news.zdnet.com/2424-9595_22-255502.html


Sun exec OK with rant by MySQL co-founder

Michael "Monty" Widenius, the original developer of the MySQL open-source database, put a damper on Sun Microsystems Inc.'s recent release of MySQL 5.1 by sharply criticizing the decision to make the update generally available.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=331311&source=rss_news


Spam levels rise again after McColo fallout fades

Spam volumes are creeping up again after plummeting four weeks ago when a rogue hosting company was yanked off of the Internet.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=331300&source=rss_news


Microsoft update leaves some bugs unpatched

Microsoft Corp. last week acknowledged that its massive December security update didn't include patches for potentially critical vulnerabilities in Windows and Internet Explorer.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=331278&source=rss_news


WiMax market set to slide next year

The market for WiMax is set to decline in 2009, as mobile WiMax is hit both by the economic squeeze and competition from the LTE standard, according to an analyst report.

http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=108404


Attack of the quarter-ton, 'fridge-sized' killer jellyfish

The US government has warned that enormous swarms of killer jellyfish - some the size of fridges and weighing up to a quarter of a ton - are ravaging the world's oceans. Particularly aggressive specimens are said to be capable of causing serious damage to ships, and have even managed to knacker nuclear power plants.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/15/jellyfish_gone_wild/


Five Best Sites for Finding Deals Online

Did your holiday gift budget shrink considerably this year? Your friends and family need never be the wiser: You just need to know where to find the best deals

http://lifehacker.com/5109289/five-best-sites-for-finding-deals-online

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