Ripped from the EarthWebNews.com headlines, these are the stories that network administrators should know about for the week of April 12-16.
Multiple Linux Flaws Reported
Security researchers are warning of a buffer overflow security flaw in the Linux kernel that can be exploited to lead to privilege escalation attacks. According to an advisory issued by iDEFENSE, the vulnerabilities affect Linux Kernel 2.6.x; Linux Kernel 2.5.x and Linux Kernel 2.4.x.
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Covad, Qwest Enter New Line-Sharing Era
Covad has negotiated a three-year agreement with Qwest that will allow the broadband provider to deliver DSL service over the telecom’s local phone lines. It’s the first time a competitive carrier such as Covad and a Baby Bell have negotiated commercial line sharing terms since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to phase out federally mandated line sharing by October.
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As Goes VoIP, So Grows Softswitches
The market for softswitches, the platforms that connect wireline phone calls to IP networks for Voice over IP, is poised for explosive growth through 2008, after a jump of more than 42 percent in 2003, according to In-Stat MDR.
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Lindows Offers Free OS Download
What better way is there to drum up interest in your software after a shift in its brand name? If you’re Lindows CEO Michael Robertson, you give it away. At least, that’s the reasoning he gave readers of his periodic mailing list Wednesday afternoon, after he announced that Lindows, the desktop Linux distributor, was changing its name to Linspire. The change was mandated by a court ruling that said it was too close to Microsoft’s Windows trademark.
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Stanford’s Linux Supercomputers Compromised
Malicious hackers using sophisticated password-sniffing techniques have compromised multi-user Linux and Solaris computers that run academic supercomputer centers, according to an advisory issued by the Stanford University’s IT Systems and Services (ITSS) unit.
Stanford said the unknown attacker (or group) gains access to a machine by cracking or sniffing passwords and uses a variety of exploits to escalate local user accounts to root privileges.
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First SMI-S Conformant Products Announced
The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) Tuesday announced the first round of products to have passed the SNIA Conformance Testing Program (SNIA-CTP) for the Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S).
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Linksys Routers Turn into Hotspots
Commercial Linux distributors can hold their own against rival Microsoft, but won’t displace Windows’ server deployment lead over open source operating systems for the next few years, a new study says.
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MySQL Goes a Clustering
MySQL AB has unveiled its first clustering technology, designed to significantly improve the availability and performance of its open-source database for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB). During the MySQL User’s Conference & Expo in Orlando, Fla. Wednesday, the Sweden-based company announced MySQL Cluster for e-commerce and other Web-based applications that require continuous availability
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Microsoft Releases Flurry of ‘Critical’ Patches
Microsoft offered more than 30 patch updates as part of its monthly allotment of security fixes Tuesday, including patches to plug a hole in Outlook Express and service packs of IE versions. The 20 vulnerabilites it covered in the package of updates were organized into four groups for Windows versions. Three are labeled ‘critical,’ and another dubbed ‘important’ by the software giant.
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Intel Debuts Entry-Level Itaniums
Intel Monday released two new Itanium 2 processors designed to fit in entry-level systems and compete with RISC-based chips. But the 1.60 gigahertz and 1.40GHz — both with 3MB or L3-cache — also mark another step in the company’s plans to blur the lines between Itanium and Xeon. Intel’s two server architectures make up some 85 percent of the server market, according to IDC statistics. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip making giant said the Itanium ‘Madison’ chips are designed primarily for front-end applications and to sit in front of existing Itanium 2-based systems in large scale deployments such as high-performance clusters.
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Beware of Browser-based Attacks
Browser-based attacks are increasing and “may pose the next significant security threat to IT operations,” a new survey from the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) warns.
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BEA Embraces Utility Computing from VERITAS
VERITAS Software and BEA Systems have formed a global strategic alliance that will provide BEA infrastructure software with VERITAS’ utility computing software. As part of the deal, announced Monday, the companies said they would provide integrated technology and conduct joint development, sales and marketing activities.
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