Ryan Naraine

As the debate over the responsible handling of vulnerability warnings continues to grow, the Organization for Internet Safety (OIS) is proposing the use of binding arbitration to resolve conflicts and deadlocks between vendors and researchers. The OIS, a consortium of software vendors, security researchers and consultancies, issued a preliminary draft of best practices for reporting […]

For the third time this year, Microsoft has issued a cumulative patch to fix security holes in its flagship Internet Explorer (IE) browser, warning that the flaws affect versions 5.01 through 6.0, including IE 6.0 for Windows Server 2003. The software giant tagged a “critical” rating on the vulnerability, which was detected by researchers at […]

Anti-virus security firms on Monday increased the alert level for the latest variant of the SoBig e-mail worm after it spread rapidly over the weekend, targeting machines in about 84 countries. The mass-mailing virus, which masquerades as an e-mail from bill@microsoft.com, is similar to former variants of the SoBig worm family. But a new network […]

The PHP Group on Friday issued a new version of the general-purpose scripting language to fix several potentially serious security vulnerabilities. The open-source PHP, a project of the Apache Software Foundation (ASF), described version 4.3.2 as a strongly recommended upgrade for all users because of the “hazardous integer and buffer overflows” that have been fixed. […]

Online security consultancy Spi Dynamics has sparked a new debate over the responsible handling of vulnerability warnings with the release of an alert for multiple security holes in the Sun ONE Application Server 7.0. The Atlanta-based Spi Dynamics issued the warning without the availability of a patch or workaround from Sun Microsystems . A spokesperson […]

IBM on Thursday announced plans to introduce a format-agnostic Digital Media Delivery Solution (DMDS) for enterprise customers. With Microsoft and RealNetworks hogging the spotlight in the digital media distribution space, IBM’s announcement of its own “superstructure” signals the entry of another big-name player to the lucrative business market for streaming media technology. The new DMDS, […]

Microsoft on Wednesday slapped an “important” rating on a cumulative patch that fixes four new security holes found in its Internet Information Server (IIS) versions 4.0 through 5.1. A security alert from the Redmond, Wash.-based company said the cumulative patch should be applied immediately by customers hosting Web servers using Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 […]

As part of a deliberate effort to be proactive about security updates, the Apache Software Foundation on Wednesday released a new version open-source Apache 2.0 HTTP Server to fix two potentially serious denial-of-service vulnerabilities. The Foundation, which was burned in the past when a high-risk exploit was released on security mailing lists before a patch […]

Microsoft late Tuesday withdrew a Windows XP software update after thousands of users complained the patch was blocking Internet connectivity. The Windows XP update, first posted on May 21, was issued to enhance the functionality of the Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) and Internet Protocol security (IPSec) on PCs running Windows XP or Windows 2000. […]

RealNetworks on Wednesday raised the stakes in the digital music wars, announcing a major price cut for CD-burning on the Listen.com Rhapsody service. One month after its $36 million acquisition of Listen.com, RealNetworks announced the launch of the co-branded RealOne Rhapsody fee-based service with song burns at 79 cents per track, 20 cents cheaper than […]

Long distance giant AT&T on Tuesday announced a pact to resell cell phone service from its AT&T Wireless spin-off in order to compete with hard-charging rivals offering similar bundles. The agreement to wrap wireline and wireless services in one phone bill between the two companies had been rumored for weeks, followed by discussion among analysts […]

NEW YORK — Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Kathy Abernathy has poured cold water on the hot hopes of wireless carriers for yet another delay in implementing Local Number Portability (LNP). Speaking at the Global Wireless Summit here Thursday, Abernathy said it was “wishful thinking” on the part of wireless carriers to expect an eleventh hour […]