Patches Address Critical Security Vulnerabilities
- By Peter Varhol
- 07/10/2007
Microsoft today released
six
security updates for July, to patch issues with Windows, Office and the
.NET Framework.
Three of these issues were rated critical; they addressed flaws that enabled
remote code execution in those products. Two other issues were rated important,
and were also the result of issues surrounding remote code execution. These
patches fix issues with Office Publisher and Windows XP Professional.
The last patch, rated moderate, deals with the potential for inappropriate
information disclosure, and patches Windows Vista.
Google To Acquire Web Security Company
Web search leader Google has agreed
to purchase Postini, a privately held provider of Web security, for $625
million.
Postini protects customers from spam, viruses, phishing and other nefarious
e-mail and instant messaging attacks. Google intends for this acquisition to
be used to improve the security of its hosted application business, including
Google Docs, Gmail, Calendar and Spreadsheets.
According to Google, the use of a security offering in conjunction with its
Google Apps should improve acceptance among larger enterprises. While the company
claims over a thousand small businesses have adopted these online applications,
enterprise penetration is still slow.
Do you use Gmail or any of the Google Apps? What do you think of Software as
a Service? Let me know at [email protected].
Borland Integrates SilkCentral Test Manager With VMware
Borland yesterday announced that it's working
with virtualization leader VMware to integrate its SilkCentral Test Manager
2007 with VMware Lab Manager version 2.5.
The purpose of the integration is to let functional testers work seamlessly
with virtual machines in testing software against different system configurations.
From SilkCentral Test Manager, testers can configure the loading and running
of tests on multiple VMs, providing a fully automated test environment that
enables testing of many different configurations with the push of a button.
Do you develop and test software using virtualization? Tell me about your experiences
at [email protected].
Apple iPhone Hacks Proliferate
In the days since the introduction of the iPhone, the device has been purchased
by a number of people who are less interested in its features than its insides.
Most recently, Jon Lech Johansen has published
in his blog a method of activating an iPhone without subscribing to the
AT&T phone service. While it won't function as a phone, you can still use
its music player and Wi-Fi capabilities.
In addition, other hacks are available for specific features. Some say it's
only a matter of time before hackers offer the ability to activate the phone
yourself and use it on another provider's network.
Are you interested in what's inside the iPhone? If you can shed some light,
tell me at [email protected].
About the Author
Peter Varhol is the executive editor,
reviews of Redmond magazine and has more than 20 years of experience as a software
developer, software product manager and technology writer. He has graduate degrees
in computer science and mathematics, and has taught both subjects at the university
level.