News (535)

Old code in Windows is security threat

Microsoft will more quickly retire old code in its Windows operating system and other software as a result of the company's four-month-old "trustworthy computing" initiative, the company's lead bug basher said in an interview. Read more »

Linux guru argues against security liability

Alan Cox, one of the leading Linux kernel developers, has told a House of Lords hearing that neither open- nor closed-source developers should be liable for the security of the code they write. Read more »

Psst...now it's Cisco source code up for sale

The Source Code Club has opened up shop again. Read more »

Microsoft--forget PR, clean up the code

Have you noticed that Microsoft is on the offensive? After countless months of reading press clippings about the pathetic state of Windows security, the folks in Redmond have decided to fight back with one of their strongest weapons--public relations. Read more »

Microsoft fixes faulty security patch

Microsoft on Thursday in the United States issued a "hotfix" for a fault in a security patch designed to correct a flaw already being targeted by worms. Read more »

Software should defend itself: Oracle CSO

Applications will have to defend themselves from attack in the future, according to Oracle's chief security officer Mary Ann Davidson. Read more »

Patched Oracle database 'still vulnerable'

The latest update for Oracle 10g Release 2 does not plug a hole that allows published attack code to run, according to a security researcher. Read more »

Microsoft gives coders a bug finder

Web developers in need of another set of eyes to check their code for security holes should soon be able to add an application scanner to Microsoft's Visual Studio .Net. Read more »

Researcher denies Slammer worm accountability

Security researcher David Litchfield's 'proof of concept' code was probably used to build SQL Slammer, but that will not stop him publishing Read more »

Exploit code makes IE flaw more dangerous

The threat posed by a critical flaw in Internet Explorer has been ratcheted up by the release of a program designed to exploit the vulnerability, security researchers warned on Thursday. Read more »

Features (396)

Security through obscurity won't secure your code

Most applications use some form of security through obscurity, but you should avoid it when writing your apps. ZDNet Australia offers these tips on how to tighten up your code. Read more »

Make managed code work with .NET's CAS

Developers and administrators can set permission and trust levels with code access security (CAS), while allowing the code to execute effectively. Read more »

Go to jail

Have you ever written buggy code or code that is not 100 percent safe? Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Read more »

Comprehend the SAP Authorisation concept with these code samples

Whether you're a developer, a consultant, or the user of a SAP system, you'll eventually come across issues related to authorisation. This article provides some handy code samples to help you get acquainted with authorisation in SAP. Read more »

Develop applications that prevent intrusion

Designing secure applications requires developers to look beyond their own code. Accessing APIs or COM objects or establishing system privileges can result in security vulnerabilities that can be prevented. Read more »

CGI wrappers for Apache-based apps can boost security

CGI scripts represent a big potential security risk in Web development, but using CGI wrappers can help insulate your servers from attack. Here's an outline of how to create CGI wrappers to protect an Apache Web server. Read more »

Protect your ActionScript

Protecting your Flash ActionScript can be a difficult task. Australian developer Jesse Stratford details methods than can help secure your intellectual property from code thieves. Read more »

File transfers between two applets

Security restrictions can make transferring files between two applets problematic. Find out how you can employ a middleman. Read more »

Case against open source

Australian Windows developer Andrew Parsons is sick of the open source movement decrying his involvement in commercial applications. He outlines his pro-Windows argument here. Read more »

Develop secure software at the application level

Protect your application from input overflow and underflow attacks, and from other common tactics with these development techniques. Read more »

Video (2)

Tinfoil Time -- Club Builder

What does an ex-NSA scientist think about code reviews? Can Bill Gates predict the future? Will Windows 7 save Vista? All the answers in this week's Club Builder! Read more »

It's not lovely code, it's an ugly monkey

At the AusCERT 2008 conference in the Gold Coast, ex-NSA staffer Brian Snow, told ZDNet.com.au that software can be secure -- but only if vendors overhaul their development processes. Read more »

Blog (24)

Google destroys Security Through Obscurity

Chris Duckett [blogs:betaliving] -- Google Labs' new Code Search makes it easier for hackers to find database username and password details by entering strings that are commonly used within configuration files. Read more »

The 2008 Trends and Threats to Internet security

Lana Kovacevic [blogs:webanatomy] -- I recently came across the IBM Internet Security Systems X-Force 2008 Mid-Year Trend Statistics report, which outlines issues affecting internet security, including application vulnerabilities, phishing, malware and spam. Read more »

A new coat of varnish

Staff [blogs:syslog] -- This week featured plenty of coverage from the various conferences occurring around the country. All the while Builder's design gnomes were busy give the site a touch-up. Read more »

Nokia starts trolling

Staff [blogs:syslog] -- This week Builder AU is on the road at linux.conf.au 2008 in Melbourne -- but before we get into all that is happening here, there is the small matter of Trolltech. Read more »

QuickTime and Firefox combine for insecurity

Nick Gibson [blogs:byteclub] -- A vulnerability in Apple Software's QuickTime media player can be exploited to execute remote javascript code, or by tapping into Firefox's chrome engine can execute remote code of any kind. Read more »

5 reasons restricting hacking is not like gun control

Nick Gibson [blogs:byteclub] -- Let's get it out of the way: Guns don't kill people, people with guns kill people. People with hacking tools can steal your personal data, shut down your system and deface your web site -- but is that any reason to ban them? Read more »

Breaking inside out

Chris Duckett [blogs:betaliving] -- Security gets more complicated yet social engineering remains the same threat as ever. Read more »

Google to allow third party code in Gmail?

Brendon Chase [blogs:codemonkeybusiness] -- According to executives from the company, Google are preparing to open Gmail to developers outside the Googleplex labs. Read more »

Google's browser ported to Mac and Linux

Brendon Chase [blogs:codemonkeybusiness] -- While Google work on an official port of the Chrome browser another company has ported the browser for Mac and Linux users to try for free. Read more »

We don't need an eBay for security holes

Nick Gibson [blogs:byteclub] -- It's been likened to an eBay for hackers -- new security site WabiSabiLabi is a market place for auctioning security vulnerabilities. Read more »

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  • Staff Microsoft prescribes more REST

    Details have begun to emerge about the next versions of Visual Studio and Windows Server this week -- and the message from Redmond is to REST up Read more »

    -- posted by Staff

  • Chris Duckett .NET looks to REST

    With news that REST will play a big part in the next version of the .NET Framework, it is timely to take a look at ADO.NET. Read more »

    -- posted by Chris Duckett

  • Renai LeMay Spellr.us needs a new dictionary

    One of the only Australian start-ups to present at the recent round of conferences in the US was Sydney-based spellr.us, which has launched a Web-based tool to check and monitor websites for spelling mistakes. Read more »

    -- posted by Renai LeMay

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