dobe Systems, whose software is used by millions of people to read documents sent over the internet, said some of its programs contain a flaw that makes personal computers vulnerable to attack. In an 5 October posting on its website, Adobe said the “critical” flaw is incorporated into versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat software, and could allow malicious programs to get on to a PC without the user knowing about it.
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Hack attacks targeting US utilities have almost doubled this year, a security firm warned today. Managed security services company SecureWorks estimated that it blocked an average of 49 attacks per utility client every day from January to April 2007. But this increased to an average of 93 per day between May and September.
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A hacker broke into an eBay server on Friday and temporarily suspended the accounts of a “very small” number of members, the company has admitted. “We were able to block the fraudster quickly before any permanent damage had been done. At no point did the fraudster get any access to financial information or other sensitive information,” eBay spokeswoman Nichola Sharpe claimed via e-mail.
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Microsoft is to allow users of Windows XP to download Internet Explorer 7 without having to gain Windows Genuine Advantage authentication. Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) is part of Microsoft’s Genuine Software Initiative. It is intended to help prevent the distribution and use of unauthorised versions of Windows. Previously, to download Internet Explorer 7, users had to authenticate to WGA.
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A feature on YouTube that enables users to share videos with friends is being exploited by spammers to deliver junk mail, security experts have warned. “YouTube users have a facility where they can invite their friends to view videos that they are looking at or have posted,” said Bradley Anstis, director of product management of email security firm Marshal. “This effectively allows them to email to any address from their YouTube account. This is the functionality that the spammers are exploiting.”
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Adobe disclosed a vulnerability in its Reader and Acrobat products that can be exploited by remote attackers using malicious PDF documents. The flaw, acknowledged on Friday by Adobe, exists in Adobe Reader version 8.1 and earlier versions, Acrobat Standard, Professional and Elements 8.1 and earlier and Acrobat 3D on PCs running Windows XP with Internet Explorer 7 installed, according to a company advisory.
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Questions are mounting over how Israeli planes were able to sneak past Syria’s defences and bomb a “strategic target” in the country last month. Israeli F-15s and F-16s bombed a military construction site on 6 September. Earlier reports of the attack were confirmed this week when Israeli Army radio said Israeli planes had attacked a military target “deep inside Syria”, quoting the military censor.
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Microsoft has announced plans to issue seven patches on Tuesday, including four that will repair “critical” vulnerabilities. Three of the four critical fixes, which correct holes that could be remotely exploited, impact a particular component on Windows. One affects Outlook Express and Windows Mail, another impacts Internet Explorer and a third affects Office.
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Apple released a security update for its QuickTime media player on Wednesday, patching a flaw that allows remote users to execute arbitrary code onto Windows PCs. Security Update for QuickTime 7.2 for Windows patches the flaw on PCs running Vista and XP operating systems. An attacker can take advantage of the flaw on unpatched machines by enticing the user to view a specially crafted QTL file, which can lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Have you jumped on the VoIP bandwagon? Secure? Think again as US hacker is jailed for 2 years after breaching security at 15 separate telcos with âincredible easeâ
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