The News Review:
- Anti-theft software could create security hole
- Apple Releases Software Shoring Up IPhone Weakness
- Following the Money: Rogue Anti-virus Software
- ‘Last Lecture’ prof’s program to be updated
- House committee chairman plans bill to ban peer-to-peer software …
Anti-theft software could create security hole
The Associated Press
The “Computrace” software made by Vancouver-based Absolute Software Corp. is part of a subscription service that’s used to find lost or stolen computers. Many people don’t know it’s on their machines but it’s included in computers from the biggest PC makers. The software is built into computers at the factory because that embeds it so deeply that even the extreme act of uninstalling the operating software won’t delete it.
Related from Guanxithebook: Researchers find Zero Day security hole in Windows 7
Apple Releases Software Shoring Up IPhone Weakness
Wall Street Journal
) NEW YRK (Dow Jones)–Apple Inc. (AAPL) early Friday released a software update the company said would protect iPhones from hackers seeking to exploit a vulnerability found in text messages. Hackers could theoretically use a special kind of text message to disable or hijack an iPhone.
Following the Money: Rogue Anti-virus Software
Washington Post
The warnings usually mimic Microsoft software or the operating system itself and persist until the victim figures out how to remove it or pays for a license to the software. “The product names have changed from one to another but that innovagest2000. com domain has been associated with the rogue [software] families since it was registered in 2005″ including rogue anti-virus programs said Patrick Jordan a senior spyware researcher for Clearwater Fla.
‘Last Lecture’ prof’s program to be updated
The Associated Press
The Alice software overseen by late computer science professor Randy Pausch (PWSCH) is expected to debut next week. Pausch died last July 10 months after giving his “last lecture” on life lessons that became an Internet sensation and led to him write his best-selling book. The software allows users to create 3D animations by selecting character objects and scenes from the popular video game “The Sims” to make and control virtual worlds. University officials say hundreds of colleges and numerous middle- and high schools use the software to teach programming skills.
House committee chairman plans bill to ban peer-to-peer software …
FCW.com
Edolphus Towns (D-N. ) said he plans to introduce a bill thatwould ban the use of peer-to-peer software on all government and contractorcomputers and networks. Towns chairman of the versight andGovernment Reform Committee held a hearing July 30 about the securityissues associated with peer-to-peer software. Possibleinformation leaks about the electronics for the president?s Marine nehelicopters and financial information belonging to Supreme CourtJustice Stephen Breyer onto the peer-to-peer network LimeWire makesuch a ban necessary Towns said. ?LimeWire does not deny thosereports but claims that recent changes to the software preventinadvertent file sharing? Towns said. To investigate LimeWire?s assertions Towns? committee staff members downloaded and explored Lime Wire’s software he said.