Linux News: Bugs

Does Wine Make Linux Too Loose?
November 05, 2009

Following the Karmic Koala's joyful reception last week, sentiments toward the FOSSy marsupial have become distinctly less enthusiastic in recent days -- at least for some. "Early adopters bloodied by Ubuntu's Karmic Koala" was the headline on a piece that ran in The Register on Tuesday, which chronicled multiple cases of frustration among some users upgrading to the new version.

Firefox Locks Out Microsoft's App Dev Tech
October 19, 2009

Microsoft technology used to program applications that can be accessed through a browser continued to be blocked for Firefox users Monday. Mozilla had been blocking two Microsoft plug-ins after the discovery that Microsoft's .Net 3.5 SP1 install silently adds a plug-in to Firefox allowing the surreptitious launch of a malicious AML browser application that could take over infected machines.

Android Security Flaws Nipped in the Bud
October 13, 2009

Two security flaws recently uncovered in Android 1.5 could have enabled malicious denial of service attacks on users of the mobile platform, according to an advisory released last week by the Open Source Computer Emergency Response Team. The first of the flaws could have allowed a malformed SMS message to disconnect the mobile phone from the cellular network.

On Bugs, Viruses, Malware and Linux
August 10, 2009

Among all the reasons geeks choose Linux, security is often near the top of the list. And no wonder -- personal preferences aside on all the other many relevant issues, there's plenty of evidence to suggest our favorite operating system really is more impervious.

Taking FOSS Security Seriously
August 07, 2009

Code hunters are spotting with greater frequency defective coding that could open security holes in open source software. The Open Source Report 2008 and the Architecture Library Report, conducted by Coverity for the U.S. Department Homeland Security Cybersecurity Open Source Hardening Project, shows more than 10,000 defects fixed since project launch in March 2006.

Apple Seals iPhone's SMS Security Leak
July 31, 2009

Could something as simple as an SMS text message turn your own smartphone against you, allowing a hacker to listen in on your private conversations or direct you to a malicious Web site? It can be done, according to security experts presenting their findings Thursday at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas.

Mozilla Fixes Firefox JavaScript Glitch
July 17, 2009

Thursday marked yet another chapter in the short, rocky history of Mozilla's Firefox 3.5 browser, as the foundation released a security update a little more than two weeks after unveiling it. Firefox 3.5.1 fixes a JavaScript vulnerability in version 3.5 that exposed users to so-called drive-by attacks.

Report: Firefox Security Superiority a Myth
March 06, 2009

Secunia has debunked a myth held dear by Linux devotees and anti-Microsoft grousers: that Firefox is safer than Internet Explorer. There were 115 reported security vulnerabilities in Firefox last year -- almost twice as many as Internet Explorer and Apple's Safari browser combined, according to a new report by the security researcher.

10 Newbie Mistakes, and What's Broken in Linux?
December 08, 2008

There's nothing like the approaching dawn of a new year to make a person sit down and take stock of things. Apparently the folks over at Infoweek were feeling a similar urge last week, if their article titled "Fixing Linux: What's Broken and What To Do About It" is anything to go by.

Sharing Platforms, Sharing Flaws: Does Interoperable Mean Vulnerable?
July 30, 2008

Interoperability is fast becoming a key watchword in business computing circles. Open source products continue to gain enterprise acceptance. With that acceptance comes an increase in users who demand that data produced with one application to work with data produced for another application -- or even another operating system.

Does Linux Need a Little Tough Love?
July 28, 2008

Well, last week started out with a bang thanks to Monday's announcement of the new, Debian-powered CherryPal PC. That the low-power machine runs Linux is, of course, good news. The twist is that users won't even see it, because the entire user interface is presented through Firefox. Slashdot and LXer immediately picked up the news.

Researcher Spills Beans on DNS Flaw Specs
July 22, 2008

Details about the massive Domain Name System flaw revealed less than two weeks ago were made public on the Internet Monday. Halvar Flake, a reverse engineering expert, posted a hypothetical theory about the vulnerability on his blog. A few hours later, a researcher at Matasano Security who knew the specifics about the bug posted a response to Flake's blog, confirming his hypothesis.

Study: OSS Communities Are Often Slackers in Security
July 21, 2008

The most widely used open source software packages for the enterprise are exposing users to significant and unnecessary business risks, according to an open source security study from security firm Fortify Software. The study, released Monday, concludes that open source software development communities have yet to adopt a secure development process and often leave dangerous vulnerabilities unaddressed.

Patched Flaw Could Have Broken Internet Backbone
July 09, 2008

This week, system administrators across the globe are rushing to fix an Internet-wide security flaw. The issue, discovered in the domain name system, would allow a hacker to gain access to domain name records and redirect traffic to an alternate location. That would mean trying to access something like your bank's Web site could take you instead to a malicious page designed to steal your information.

Coverity's David Maxwell on Quality Issues in Open Source Software
June 26, 2008

Open source software just keeps getting better, according to a new report from Coverity, a San Francisco-based maker of source code analysis tools. Specifically, Coverity's Scan Report on Open Source Software 2008 found a 16 percent reduction in static analysis defect density in the open source software it analyzed over the past two years, reflecting the elimination of more than 8,500 individual defects.

Ode to Summer With Wine and OpenSuse
June 23, 2008

Well, summer has officially arrived, and what better way to celebrate than by enjoying some fine Wine? Yes, for those who stopped paying attention over the last 15 or so years, Wine 1.0 is here! Time to get those Windows apps running on Linux at last! The excitement could be felt all across the Linux blogs -- particularly on Slashdot, where more than 600 comments had appeared by Friday.