Microsoft have published a Security Bulletin Advance Notification for December 2010. 17 updates are planned for 14th December including two "critical" and 14 "important" severity updates.
The patches address remote code execution, elevation of privilege and denial of service vulnerabilities within Windows, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Sharepoint and Microsoft Exchange.
Full details here.
Cyber Monday, the official start of the online holiday shopping season, is here. Two thirds of computer users plan to shop and / or research online this holiday season. There's little wonder why cyber thieves go into high gear this time of year - they simply follow the money to make the most profits. Surrounded by the comforts of your home, it's easy to lose sights of this.
Critical vulnerabilities have been identified in Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Solaris, and Adobe Flash Player 10.1.95.1 for Android. These vulnerabilities, including CVE-2010-3654 referenced in Security Advisory APSA10-05, could cause the application to crash and could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.
Full Adobe advisory info here.
Affected software includes:
Microsoft has released a security advisory concerning a vulnerability affecting Internet Explorer versions 6, 7 and 8. This vulnerability may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code. Full details here.
Visit Microsoft's page here to get full instructions. You can find the workarounds under the "Suggested Actions" twisty.
Mozilla have published an update for their Firefox browser that fixes a critical security issue that could potentially allow remote code execution.
Users are strongly recommended to update to the latest version. To update manually, select 'Check for Updates' from the Help menu then clicking on "CHeck for Updates"
More information about the updates is available here.
Fast turnaround on the fix, Mozilla - well done.
From the Mozilla blog:
Issue:
Mozilla is aware of a critical vulnerability affecting Firefox 3.5 and Firefox 3.6 users. We have received reports from several security research firms that exploit code leveraging this vulnerability has been detected in the wild.
Windows is an attractive platform for the malware writers, in part, because of the sheer number of users. As Microsoft creep towards making their offerings more secure, applications are increasingly becoming the focus for vulnerability exploitation.
Like Windows, Adobe products are a default software choice for most users. The bad guys know this and realise that its profitable to scrutinise their applications for exploitable vulnerabilities and create malware to take advantage of the fact.
Firefox 3.6.11 and Thunderbird 3.15 have been released which include security updates for several critical vulnerabilities that can be exploited to run malicious code. Users are advised to update these applications.
Full details about the updates here:
Firefox
Thunderbird
Its a good idea to set these applications to check for updates automatically.
In a recent article by CBC News more security and privacy concerns for companies, and possibly individuals, have been highlighted.
The problem centers around your disused photocopier. Since modern photocopiers contain hard drives for storing the information they scan this information is available long after you have forgotten all about it.
So, you’ve just bought a new PC or installed a fresh version of Windows. The simple fact is it's not as secure as it could be.
It doesn’t take much to tighten up your PC’s defenses - even if your computer has been up and running for a while, it’s not too late to carry out a security audit on your machine.
You probably wouldn’t leave your house without checking the windows are closed and the doors are locked. Why would you do that? Well, to stop someone breaking in and stealing your stuff or to prevent people just walking in and spray painting the walls.
Microsoft have released a number of patches to fix recently reported vulnerabilities within Windows, Office and Internet Explorer. These vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to gain control of your computer or cause it to crash.
More information about what has been patched is available from Microsoft's 10th October Security Bulletin here: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-oct.mspx
If you don't have automatic updates enabled, install the updates by visiting https://www.update.microsoft.com
Tips on how to protect your privacy while using location-based services.
A few weeks ago, Facebook launched its new location-based service called Facebook Places. The feature lets users check in to different locations, via smartphones, and to share their location with their Facebook friends. It also gives users the option to “tag” friends who are with them at that same location.
Just as any location-based service would, this raises a multitude of security and privacy issues.
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