 |
| | | January 18, 2004
|
|
|
 |
Sunday, January 18, 2004 |
|
Security flaws in VoIP
U.K.'s network security watchdog warned at the beginning of the week of several security vulnerabilities in a widely used real-time communications standard. The National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) reported it had uncovered flaws in ITU's H.323 standard, which dozens of hardware and software vendors make their devices compatible with. Products used for voice over IP (VoIP) telephony, video conferencing, text messaging and other communication purposes were found to be potentially vulnerable.
Cisco Systems and Microsoft, however, were the only companies to release security assessments and patches for their products as the story broke. In an extensive advisory, Cisco Systems announced updates for a range of software and hardware products. Microsoft released a patch for its Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000, part of the Small Business Server suite. Experts reported exploiting the flaws could result in devices freezing or rebooting, but Microsoft's case was different. The issue was discovered in a security filter and reportedly could allow an attacker to breach server security.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) released its own advisory on the matter and reported that only Microsoft and Cisco Systems had come up with workarounds. Other major vendors were reporting they had begun investigations into the matter.
More from: CNET News.com 1 2 | E-Commerce Times | eWeek | InformationWeek | InternetNews.com
U.S. authorities see trouble for Microsoft on the horizon
U.S. authorities are saying Microsoft may be running into more antitrust troubles. Massachusetts, the only U.S. state that continues to pursue its antitrust charges against the software giant, announced it is investigating claims that Microsoft is planning to launch a campaign against Internet search engines and document formats, such as Adobe's PDF, in the same fashion as the one used against Netscape's once dominant web browser.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department expressed its concerns that the company had "fallen short" to meet its requirements under a 2002 antitrust agreement, which called for providing paid licenses to use Windows communications protocols. In a filing with a U.S. district court judge, the government claimed the Microsoft Communications Protocol Program (MCPP) has not proven successful in fostering production of non-Microsoft software. Microsoft on its behalf said it is preparing to release shorter licenses for other companies and allow access to more Windows protocols.
More from: AP (via eWeek) | CNET News.com 1 2 | eWeek | Reuters | TechWeb | The Washington Post
Yahoo! will drop Google search by March
Yahoo! has officially decided to dump Google as the provider of its web search technology in favor of the company-owned Inktomi. The widely expected move which pits Yahoo! against Google was only a matter of time, analysts said. Renowned search engine expert Danny Sullivan believed the announcement was driven by the expiration of Google's contract with the Internet media giant.
Yahoo! will replace Google by the end of its first quarter of 2004, a move that will more than likely change the web search market overnight. Google currently processes close to 80 percent of all web search queries, but with Yahoo! on the scene as a rival rather than friend, Google's dominance may slip to 54 percent. Yahoo!'s Inktomi, on the other hand, will gain significant market share, by extending its technology to the leading portal. Inktomi currently provides web search to MSN and a few other lower-profile Internet sites. Analysts, however, predict Microsoft will also unveil its own web search technology by the end of the year as the service proves a shining star on the dot-com horizon.
Although being a major distribution overhaul of the market, the switch from Google to in-house Yahoo! technology will not have great effects on the targeted advertising market. Google's distribution deal with Yahoo! did not bring substantial revenue to the company, in comparison with its AdWords program. Yahoo! never carried Google advertising, sticking with Overture Services, which it acquired in 2003.
More from: CNET News.com | InternetNews.com | Wired News
In Other News...
 A U.S. federal judge in Chicago upheld a jury verdict against Microsoft in its court battle with Eolas Technologies over a browser plug-in technology patent. Microsoft has said on numerous occasions it believes Eolas' patent is invalid, while the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has launched a rare investigation into its validity, but an eventual legal loss could result in major changes of basic Internet software -- a potential move that has panicked web developers worldwide. Microsoft has declared it will appeal the ruling before a higher court.
Novell has become the latest software company to offer legal indemnification of its customers against the ongoing legal assault on the Linux operating system by The SCO Group. The program will launch after the $210-million acquisition of SuSE Linux is complete. Other Linux vendors and supporters, among which IBM, Intel, Monta Vista Software and Red Hat, have also offered similar countermeasures against SCO lawsuits.
U.K.-based Netcraft Ltd. released its annual survey on web server software usage. The company found the market share of the open-source Apache HTTP Server grew to about 67 percent, from about 62 percent a year earlier, while Microsoft's Internet Information Services (IIS) slipped to 21 percent market share from the 27 percent the same period a year ago. Microsoft, however, managed to retain its domination among the servers using Secure Socket Layers (SSL), a technology for secure transactions widely adopted by e-commerce sites.
Google is testing a technology, which could dramatically extend the reach of its AdWords keyword-based advertising program. According to sources close to the company, the Internet search giant is looking into ways to include relevant textual ads within e-mail newsletters and other messages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
