Microsoft Fixes HTTP Bug That Crashes Skype Chat Client

Today’s topics include an emergency patch for Skype, a new leadership team at Cisco, a glimpse of new PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s that run Windows 10, and a Web dashboard from Google that helps people control their personal information.

Microsoft issued an emergency patch on June 3, acknowledging reports that a simple eight-character string could crash the program on certain platforms.

On June 2, Skype users on the product’s community forums reported that sending a simple string—http://:—could crash the Skype video chat client on Windows and Android platforms.

The issue resulted from the improper handling of a malformed Web address, according to one user. When the Skype client attempts to process the message, the act crashes the program, users reported.

Cisco Systems’ CEO-to-be Chuck Robbins is continuing to quickly remake the networking giant’s executive team. He named 10 people to new positions while letting go of such well-known company leaders as Padmasree Warrior and Edzard Overbeek.

The appointment of Cisco’s new management team comes in the wake of the resignations this week of Presidents Rob Lloyd and Gary Moore, and more than seven weeks before Robbins takes the reins from longtime CEO John Chambers. The bulk of Cisco’s new leaders come from within the company.

Windows 10 won’t ship until July 29, but the public can already get a glimpse of the PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s that will run the operating system.

At the Computex conference in Taiwan, Microsoft and its original equipment manufacturer partners announced a bevy of new devices designed to run the company’s updated operating system.

Notably, Microsoft and Japanese electronics giant Toshiba used the event to announce a new Internet of things alliance. Its aim is to “build next-generation Windows- and Azure-powered IoT solutions,” said Microsoft in a June 3 announcement.

Google has launched a new Web dashboard that makes it easier for users to control the personal information that the search and cloud services giant gathers about them.

The dashboard is called My Account, and it basically offers users a single location for managing log-in and privacy settings for all their Google accounts. My Account allows users to set and reset passwords and access data privacy settings for their Google accounts.