Ryan Naraine

Encrypted Lockbox Aims to Clean Up Password Clutter

Bruce Schneiers PasswordSafe lockbox, which provides a free utility for users to encrypt and manage multiple passwords on a computer, is ready for a new phase of open-source development. The celebrated cryptographer, who is credited with designing or co-designing several widely used encryption algorithms, announced the release of Version 2.1 of the database utility as […]

Browser Flaws Spoil Opera Tune

Alternative Web browser company Opera Software on Thursday pushed out a new version of its flagship browser to fix several cross-site scripting vulnerabilities discovered by private security researchers. The Norwegian company recommends that Windows users upgrade to Opera 8.0.1 to protect against malicious hacker attacks. In all, the Opera update addresses five different vulnerabilities and […]

Spyware Floods In Through BitTorrent

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 […]

Adobe Plugs Holes in Reader, Acrobat

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 […]

MS Patch Train Drops Off Critical IE Fix

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 […]

Sun Squashes Critical Java Bugs

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 […]

Security Patch Watch: Adobe, Macromedia, Symantec

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 […]

Smart-Phone Trojan Poses as Anti-Virus App

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 […]

Analysts: Windows Mobile 5.0 Security Falls Short

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 […]

Microsoft: Low-Rights IE 7.0 Only for Longhorn

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 […]