TechBlog

The H-Online: The latest version of Firefox, version 16, has returned to Mozilla’s servers with the release of Firefox 16.0.1 after the discovery of vulnerabilities caused the organization to remove the just-released open source web browser from circulation. Mozilla’s security blog post described the problem as just that of a malicious web site being able to potentially determine the URLs and parameters used and suggested downgrading to Firefox 15.0.1, despite the numerous critical bugs fixed in Firefox 16. ...

The h-online: Following the recent Firefox 16 release, Mozilla has now detailed all of the security fixes in the new version of its open source web browser as well as in the Thunderbird news and email client. Version 2.13 of the SeaMonkey “all-in-one internet application suite” has also received fixes. In addition to adding new features, version 16.0 of Firefox closes a total of 14 security holes, 11 of which are rated as “Critical” by the project. ...

TheTelegraph: Internet Explorer users might want to consider upgrading or switching to another browser after a massive security hole was discovered in Windows’ native web browser. According to security forum, Rapid7 , Internet Explorer 7, 8 and 9 operating on Windows XP, Vista and Seven contains what is known as a “zero day exploit” which allows attackers to gain access to your personal data while you browse. The forum claimed the exploit would give cyber criminals “the same privileges as the current user”. ...

h-online: On its September Patch Tuesday, Microsoft released two security updates that are rated as important and which close holes in Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010 (TFS) and Systems Management Server 2003 and 2007. Both updates fix cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the web interfaces that allow attackers to execute arbitrary code in the victim’s browser. As the holes enable an attacker to access the web interfaces at the user’s privilege level, Microsoft has classified them as privilege escalation vulnerabilities. The company notes that, to its knowledge, neither of the holes is being actively exploited for attacks. ...

h-Online: On the same day as Microsoft’s September Patch Tuesday, Adobe released an update for ColdFusion to close a security hole in its rapid web application development software. The hotfix for ColdFusion addresses a vulnerability (CVE-2012-2048), which the company rates as important, that could be exploited by a remote attacker to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition. According to Adobe, the unspecified error affects versions 8.0, 8.0.1, 9.0 to 9.0.2, and 10 of ColdFusion for Windows, Mac OS X and UNIX. Installing the provided hotfix corrects the problem; download links and installation instructions for each affected version are provided on the APSB12-21 technote page. All users are advised to download and apply the hotfix. Adobe credits UK developer David Boyer for finding and reporting the problem. ...

h-online: Microsoft has confirmed that it will deliver a security update for the bundled version of Flash Player used by Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) sooner than previously planned. In a statement sent to ZDNet, Yunsun Wee, Trustworthy Computing Director at Microsoft, said that the company is working closely with Adobe on an updated version of the Flash plugin which “will be available shortly”. The forthcoming Windows 8 comes with Internet Explorer 10, which, in turn, includes its own version of Flash Player. This arrangement relies on Microsoft’s automatic updates system, Windows Update, for updating the version of Flash included in the web browser. ...

This is what we read in latest post from VirusTotal in their blog: Our goal is simple: to help keep you safe on the web. And we’ve worked hard to ensure that the services we offer continually improve. But as a small, resource-constrained company, that can sometimes be challenging. So we’re delighted that Google, a long-time partner, has acquired VirusTotal. This is great news for you, and bad news for malware generators, because: ...

BetaNews: Symantec has released brand new versions of its Norton security packages for Windows, Norton Anti-Virus 2013, Norton Internet Security 2013 and Norton 360 2013. It’s the first time all three packages have been updated simultaneously, while the branding has also been amended to remove all references to a date, simply naming each Norton Anti-Virus, Norton Internet Security and Norton 360, respectively. The 2013 versions come with what Symantec describes as “five layers of patented protection”, which include stronger social networking and anti-scam protection. There’s also full, certified support for Windows 8 and the promise of better performance on multi-core CPUs. ...

h-Online: According to Symantec’s 2012 Norton Cybercrime Report, worldwide, private individuals have suffered approximately $100 billion (more than £69 billion at the current exchange rate) in financial losses as a result of cybercrime. In the period from July 2011 to July 2012, losses averaged $197 (£124) per victim. A total of 556 million adults are reported to have fallen victim to malware, phishing or similar virtual crimes. The report claims that there are 1.5 million victims of cybercrime each day, or about 18 per second. The security specialist’s report also states that two-thirds of internet users have been caught out by cybercriminals at some point in their lives, and almost half (46%) were victims during the period covered by the report. The results reveal that many of those affected are victims of their own carelessness. Around 40% of people don’t use complex passwords or don’t change their passwords regularly. ...

According to the AntiSec hacker group, they claim to hold more than 12 million Apple iOS Unique Device IDs, in addition to other personal information from device owners. As a move to back up such a claim, the AntiSec hacker group is said to have released slightly more than a million Apple Device IDs to the masses. This particular expose was unveiled on Pastebin, which is said to hold a detailed description of the method that the hacking group were said to have obtained the IDs from the FBI. ...