According to a German IT service provider, users running 1&1 servers with openSUSE 11 as their distribution should check the version number of their Linux kernel. In order to guarantee full support for the hardware it uses, for openSUSE, 1&1 installs its own homemade kernel. Unfortunately this kernel disables the YAST auto-update function, with the result that, despite regular updates, the kernel (2.6.27.21) remains several months old . Users relying on auto-updates could be in for an unpleasant surprise. At present it is not confirmed that this is also problem with 1&1 servers running English language versions of openSUSE, although it seems likely that it is. IT services provider Markus Manze stumbled on the problem when compiling an overview of Linux distributions and the null pointer dereference bugs they contain. According to Manke's German language report on the problem, in view of the availability of exploits, an unpatched kernel turns security vulnerabilities in other applications, such as web servers, PHP applications and other network services, into potentially system-compromising vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the mmap_min_addr system variable, which is able to frustrate NPD exploits, is set to 0 in openSUSE 11.0. The link for this article located at H Security is no longer available. . OpenSUSE users hosting on 1&1 platforms could encounter vulnerabilities due to old kernels and inactive updates. Act promptly!. openSUSE, Kernel Update, Security Risks, 1&1 Server. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Makers of some of the most popular extension software used by the Firefox browser are not doing enough to secure their software, a security researcher said Wednesday. . The problem is that many widely used Firefox extensions, including toolbars from Google, Yahoo, and AOL, do not use secure connections to update themselves, according to Christopher Soghoian, a security researcher who blogged about the issue on Wednesday. The link for this article located at Network World is no longer available. . Numerous widely-used Chrome plugins show deficiencies in safe updating mechanisms, prompting worries regarding user security as per an analysis by a cybersecurity specialist.. Firefox Extensions, Security Risks, Toolbar Software. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
DNS servers across the Internet running BIND are not up to date with security patches and software updates. As a result, a significant fraction of the Internet's DNS servers is vulnerable to compromise, subversion, denial of service, and general misuse. Considering that DNS is the lynchpin of the corporate enterprise, the impact of these vulnerabilities is significant and a successful attack could bring down any online business.. . .. DNS servers across the Internet running BIND are not up to date with security patches and software updates. As a result, a significant fraction of the Internet's DNS servers is vulnerable to compromise, subversion, denial of service, and general misuse. Considering that DNS is the lynchpin of the corporate enterprise, the impact of these vulnerabilities is significant and a successful attack could bring down any online business. Abstract This Research Report presents an overview of the current security posture of DNS servers found across the Internet. The report also covers the following: A summary of some of the finer points of the DNS protocol A discussion of why DNS is such a key component in the infrastructure of the Internet A summary of the BIND software, the most widely used DNS implementation available A presentation of empirical data that underscores the past and present state of security in BIND servers, including correlating the meteoric increase in size of the code-base with the number of publicly-reported vulnerabilities Introduction The Domain Name System (DNS) is the protocol that makes up the Internet's distributed name and address database. Originally implemented to make the Internet user-friendly, DNS quickly became the lynchpin in the intricate engine under the hood of the Internet. To understand why, we must first understand a bit about how the Internet is put together at the network level. The link for this article located at Mike Schiffman is no longer available. . BIND DNS servers are vital to internet infrastructure but are vulnerable tothreats like DNS amplification and cache poisoning. Outdated patches can lead to significant risks, affecting trust and data integrity.. DNS Security, BIND Software, Internet Integrity, Server Risks, Network Security. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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