Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Security

Submission + - Critical .mdb flaw Found - Microsoft may Never fix (beskerming.com) 4

Submitted by
SkiifGeek
SkiifGeek writes: "When independent security researcher cocoruder found a critical bug with the JET engine, via the .mdb (Access) file format, he reported it to Microsoft, but Microsoft's response came as a surprise to him — it appears that Microsoft are not inclined to fix a critical arbitrary code execution vulnerability with a data technology that is at the heart of a large number of essential business and hobby applications.

Where should vendors be required to draw the line when supporting deprecated file formats and technology? In this case, leaving a serious vulnerability active in a deprecated technology could have serious effects if an exploit were to target it, but it is a matter of finding the right balance of security and usability such that Microsoft's users are not exposed to too great a danger for continuing to use Microsoft products."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft Demands Patent for Saying 'Goodbye' 7

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "Demonstrating its commitment to high-quality U.S. patents, Microsoft has submitted a just-published patent application to the USPTO for Automatic Goodbye Messages. By automatically sending messages like 'Have a great afternoon!', 'Sorry, I have got to go!', 'Have a terrific day!', 'Ciao, Harry!', or even a simple 'Bye!' at the end of an IM session, Microsoft explains, one avoids insulting a converser with whom a conversation is ended. Hopefully the USPTO will give this one the quick buh-bye it deserves."
Internet Explorer

Submission + - AntiVirus Products fail to find Simple IE malware (beskerming.com) 4

Submitted by
SkiifGeek
SkiifGeek writes: "Didier Stevens recently took a closer look at some Internet Explorer malware that he had uncovered and found that most antivirus products that it was tested against (courtesy of VirusTotals) failed to identify the malware through one of the most basic and straight forward obfuscation techniques — the null-byte. With enough null-bytes between each character of code, it is possible to fool all antivirus products (though additional software will trap it), yet Internet Explorer was quite happy to render the code.

Whose responsibility is it to fix this behaviour? Both the antivirus / antimalware companies and Microsoft's IE team have something to answer for."
PC Games (Games)

Submission + - Crysis to Turn PC Gaming On Its End (pcper.com)

Submitted by
Vigile
Vigile writes: "Pretty much anyone that plays PC games has been hearing about the upcoming Crysis title for some time and yesterday the single player PC demo was finally released! After being just about a month late, you can grab the 1.7GB at all the popular file hosting sites and gamers can get their hands on the most anticipated title of the year. It was expected that Crysis would set a new benchmark for image quality but the initial performance preview over at PC Perspective indicates it might be even more of a system crippler than initially thought. Even the best-in-class 8800 GTX has trouble at common resolutions like 1600x1200!!"
Patents

Submission + - UK Government rejects copyright term extension (culture.gov.uk) 1

Submitted by
e6003
e6003 writes: "The UK Government has responded to a report from the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee which (inter alia) had backed the extension of phonographic performance copyright from its present 50 years. The Government response [PDF document] notes (in response to paragraph 28 on page 15 of the PDF) that the Gowers Report considered the call for a term extension on economic and moral grounds but rejected all the arguments in favour of term extension, as did an EU Commission report. The Response concludes, "Taking account of the findings of these reports, which carefully considered the impact on the economy as a whole, and without further substantive evidence to the contrary, it does not seem appropriate for the Government to press the [European] Commission for action at this stage." Pleasingly, the Response also notes "The Government will undertake a public consultation this Autumn about making an exception to copyright legislation to allow format-shifting for private use." It's technically an infringement of copyright in the UK to rip CDs to your iPod and even the music industry has agreed something needs to be done about this."
Digital

Submission + - Burned by DRM and MLB (kousenit.com)

Submitted by
kousen
kousen writes: "Back in late 2004, I purchased and downloaded several Major League Baseball game files from mlb.com. The files all have a "wmv" extension. The first time they are played in Windows Media Player (the only media player supported at the time), they are supposed to access a site at MLB.com and acquire a license.

As you may have guessed, I recently tried to play one of those files, and the license site no longer exists. My "backup" of the licenses, acquired at the time, is on an old system I no longer use.

I tried calling the toll free number at MLB. Eventually a manager there told me I need to access their digital download service. He also admitted the service is not only not available, it has not been available all year. Even worse, he wasn't even sure whether or not it will ever be available again, though he suggested I keep checking.

So basically, I'm out of luck, unless someone here has any ideas how I can get around this idiotic DRM issue. Can anyone help me?"

Slashdot Top Deals

If all else fails, lower your standards.

Close