Ryan Naraine

BitTorrent, the beloved file-sharing client and protocol that provides a way around bandwidth bottlenecks, has become the newest distribution vehicle for adware/spyware bundles. Public peer-to-peer networks have always been associated with adware program distributions, but BitTorrent, the program created by Bram Cohen to offer a new approach to sharing digital files, has managed to avoid […]

Software maker Adobe Systems Inc. on Wednesday acknowledged that an information disclosure vulnerability in two of its products could be exploited by malicious hackers to hijack sensitive system information. The flaws were flagged–and fixed–in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat, two programs widely used to view and print PDF files. Affected versions include Adobe Reader 7.0 […]

Microsoft on Tuesday released 10 advisories to cover a slew of security flaws in a range of products, including a “critical” cumulative update for the Internet Explorer browser. Three of the 10 bulletins are rated “critical,” the companys highest severity rating. The IE fix, covered in MS MS05-025, corrects a remote code-execution vulnerability that exists […]

Network computing giant Sun Microsystems has rolled out patches for a pair of “highly critical” flaws in the Sun JRE (Java Runtime Environment) sandbox and the Java Web Start technology. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company said the bugs can be exploited by a malicious hacker to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems. The more serious […]

A security flaw in the installation of Adobes License Management Service has put customers at risk of privilege escalation attacks, according to a warning from the software maker. An advisory from Adobe Systems Inc. said the vulnerability affects multiple products, including the widely used Adobe Photoshop CS, Adobe Creative Suite 1.0 and Adobe Premiere Pro […]

Finnish anti-virus vendor F-Secure Corp. has issued a warning for a new strain of the “Skulls” Trojan sneaking into Symbian-based smart phones by posing as a mobile security application. The latest mutant, identified as Skulls.L, pretends to be a pirated copy of the F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus application, a sign that virus writers targeting cell-phone users […]

Microsofts Windows Mobile 5.0 is being touted as a potential “BlackBerry killer,” but major security shortcomings could derail widespread enterprise adoption, analysts warned Friday. The software giant used the Tech Ed conference this week to train the spotlight on a security-centric feature pack for the mobile operating system, promising improved data protection via a nifty […]

The “low-rights” security feature being planned for Microsofts upcoming Internet Explorer 7.0 makeover will be available only in Longhorn. “Low-rights IE” is a “defense-in-depth feature” meant to back up and support several security-related browser enhancements, but because it piggybacks on the “least privilege” feature being introduced in Longhorn, it wont be available for any other […]

Microsoft plans to ship 10 security bulletins to cover a range of potentially serious vulnerabilities in its Windows operating system. After a one-month patching respite, next Tuesdays patch barrage from Microsoft Corp. will cover seven holes in Windows, some rated “critical,” the companys highest severity rating. A “critical” rating is used to rate a vulnerability […]

Apple has released a security update to correct a dozen vulnerabilities in its flagship Mac OS X operating system, including a code execution flaw in the Apple File Protocol server. Security alerts aggregator Secunia has rated the update as “highly critical” and warns that the flaws affect Mac OS X 10.3.9 and Mac OS X […]

Internet security specialist Symantec Corp. has turned the tables on browser toolbar startup Hotbar.com Inc., filing a lawsuit to retain the right to flag Hotbar products as a potential security risk for PC users. Symantecs suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, does not seek monetary damages. Instead, it […]

ORLANDO, Fla.—Anxious to shed the companys image as having a lax attitude about software security, officials at the Microsoft Security Response Center are using the Tech Ed conference here to provide a rare glimpse at the step-by-step process used to create, test and roll out security patches. The software maker trained the spotlight on the […]