In-brief: The security firm Qualys is warning of a serious and remotely exploitable vulnerability in a function of the GNU C Library (glibc) known as gethostbyname. The security hole raises more questions about dangers lurking in legacy, open source software.
Search Results for "Heartbleed"
Android in the Coal Mine: Open Source, Patching and Internet of Things
In brief: Google’s decision not to patch a security hole in versions of Android used by hundreds of millions of consumers is a bad omen for the Internet of Things and will likely push some Android users to alternative versions of the operating system.
Big Data, Security Drive Dell In Post-PC Future
If you consider how the Internet of Things is transforming the technology industry, one of the most interesting and thought-provoking areas to pay attention to is what we might consider technology “majors” – firms like HP and IBM and Cisco that made their mark (and their hundreds of billions) serving the needs of an earlier generation of technology consumers. How these established technology firms are pivoting to address the myriad challenges posed by the “Internet of Things” tells us a lot about how the IoT market is likely to shake out for consumers and – more pressingly- the enterprise.
Surprise: Branding a Bug is just as Hard as Branding Anything Else!
ZDNet’s @violetblue has a nice piece on the new fad for naming vulnerabilities – seen most recently with the OpenSSL Heartbleed vulnerability and the “Shellshock” vulnerability in Linux’s common BASH utility. As Blue notes, the desire to “brand” bugs “changes the way we talk about security” – in part by giving complex, technical flaws down a common referent. But does giving a bug a logo make it frivolous? As she notes: the penchant for naming vulnerabilities may stem not from a desire to trivialize them – but a very practical response to the need to keep track of so many security holes in software. Regardless, Heartbleed – and the marketing by the firm Codenomicon that surrounde it – was the bug that launched a thousand ships, including Shellshock, Sandworm, and more. Read more coverage of Heartbleed here. But, as with . As security research and incident response are becoming more lucrative, expect the masonry […]
US Postal Service Suspends Telecommuting Following Massive Data Breach
Following a publicized breach at the US Postal Service, that organization is discontinuing virtual private network (VPN) connections into its network, according to reports. The Postal Service took the unusual step after acknowledging, earlier this week, that a breach of their network security exposed data on 800,000 employees and 2.9 million customers. According to a statement from a USPS spokesman to the online publication Dark Reading, the virtual private network (VPN) service for postal employees was taken down this weekend and will not be brought back up until a version with more “robust security features can be installed.” “As a result, telecommuting has been suspended until further notice,” he said. Remote access tools including VPNs and remote desktop applications like Citrix are a frequent source of compromises of corporate networks. Most recently, compromised employee systems are believed to be the source of an attack on JP Morgan’s network. VPN software that was vulnerable to the […]
