Linux

Researcher to demonstrate chip-specific attack code

Paul Mah — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:52:08 -0400

Security researcher Kris Kaspersky plans to demonstrate how processor bugs can be leveraged to remotely attack a computer with nothing more than JavaScript or TCP/IP packets. The scary thing here is that these attacks can succeed regardless of the operating system that the target computer is running. Scheduled to take place at the Hack In The Box (HITB) Security Conference, to be held in Kuala Lumpur in October, the demonstration will take place against fully patched operating systems ranging from the various Windows variant to Linux and even BSD. In addition, Kaspersky noted that the possibility exists with the Mac OS as well.

To read up more on this new hardware specific attack vector:
- check out this InfoWorld article

Alcatel-Lucent adds support for laptop disk-encryption appliance

Paul Mah — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:19:56 -0400

Alcatel-Lucent has released a new version of its OmniAccess 3500 Nonstop Laptop Guardian, which now works with full hard-disk applications from other vendors. The 3500 is a PCMCIA card with its own processor that runs Linux. Equipped with an integrated 3G modem, GPS, as well as an on-board battery, it must be present for a secured laptop to be used. The independent hardware allows the laptop to be wirelessly tracked and for remote administration to be done from afar, much like a BlackBerry or properly-configured Windows Mobile smartphone. For example, in the event of a stolen laptop, the enterprise IT group is able to remotely wake up the laptop and wipe the disk.

For more about the report:
- check out this Network World article

Wine version 1.0 released

Paul Mah — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:24:14 -0400

More than a decade in the making, and two full years after version 0.9.9, Wine 1.0 has finally been released. Wine is the free Windows API emulation layer that allows various Windows software applications to run on the Linux operating system. For those not in the know, Wine is an acronym which stands for "Wine is not an emulator."

With the help of Wine, it is possible to run a number of Microsoft office applications on a Linux desktop. Many games such as World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike, Half-Life 2, and even applications such as Adobe Photoshop CS2 will run on Wine. You can check out the list of Wine-compatible applications here.

For more about Wine version 1.0:
- check out this ZDNet News blog

HP open sources 64-bit Unix file system

Paul Mah — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:23:20 -0400

In a bold move, Hewlett Packard has made its Tru64 Unix Advanced File Sharing (AdvFS) System available to open source developers under the General Public License (GPL) Version 2. AdvFS was designed to fully leverage the benefits of a 64-bit file system and comes with features such as a robust transaction journaling system that allows file recovery in mere seconds regardless of file system size. It also includes volume configuration that can scale to multiple disks.

Releasing the source code behind AdvFS will go a long way in allowing coders to enhance the file system performance of an enterprise Linux system in the context of both uptime and data security. The AdvFS system has been in use for some 16 years and the corresponding design documents, test suites, and various engineering resources will all be released to open-source developers.

To read up more on HP's AdvFS:
- check out this BetaNews article

Google announces first release of Google Gadgets for Linux

Paul Mah — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:13:13 -0400

Linux users who are fans of Google Gadget can start rejoicing now--Google has announced the first release of Google Gadgets for Linux. Long available for both Windows and Mac operating systems, Google gadgets are mini-applications that can be positioned in any way on the desktop. Explaining the delay, Jim Zhuang from Google's software-engineer team noted, "Gadget support is not just a single feature, but rather an entire platform for miniature applications. It's a complex undertaking, but we're now putting the finishing touches on the product." The good news is that Gadgets written for Windows, and even those on iGoogle, are compatible with Google Gadgets for Linux. In the spirit of the open-source movement, developers are welcome to view the source code of the project.

For more on Google Gadgets for Linux:
- check out this ZDNet News article

Firefox 3 RC1 now available

Paul Mah — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:13:51 -0400

Release candidate 1 of Firefox 3 was made available late last week to the public. RC1 purportedly offers significant improvements in the area of performance, memory usage and stability over earlier versions. Some nifty features include the ability to resume downloads, offline support for tailored web applications, and full page zoom from both view menu and keyboard shortcuts. There also is an improved download manager that makes it easier to locate downloaded files, and better password management that allows users to save passwords via an information bar after a successful login. No final ship dates have been given for Firefox 3, though sources in the Linux community say final copies are promised by June.

For more on the release candidate of Firefox 3:
- check out the official release notes here

Google and IBM have a cloud deal

Mon, 12 May 2008 06:59:59 -0400

IBM and Google are teaming up to create what they hope will be the primary IT delivery model of the future--cloud computing. In the next year, the two companies intend to make available a network of servers for consumers and businesses to tap everything from online soccer schedules to advanced engineering applications.

The IBM-Google cloud runs on Linux-based machines using Xen virtualization and Apache Hadoop, an open source implementation of the Google File System. The companies see high business value, and their efforts are bound to be attractive to many CIOs. IBM is focusing on small and midsize companies around the world, which it says represent a $500 billion IT market.

Google and IBM could potentially supply business computer users with hosted offerings ranging from word processing software to management and security tools.

To read more about the future:
- see this InformationWeek article

Parallels adds Leopard Server support

Mehan Jayasuriya — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:47:38 -0400

Virtualization has led to huge energy and hardware savings in a number of large enterprises and that includes Mac shops as well. After all, OS X applications like Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion have brought the benefits of virtualization into the home, so it's not surprising that Macs are seeing a lot of virtualization action, as of late. The latest news on this front is that Parallels has just released a new beta of Parallels Server that allows a single Xserve machine to run multiple copies of Leopard Server, alongside Windows and Linux. While Leopard Server VMs were removed from previous versions of Parallels Server, the company was forced to briefly remove support because of performance issues. "We worked out the technical issues, optimized performance and stability and now we're ready for our community to take a look at us and help to make it perfect," Parallels' Ben Rudolph told Ars Technica.

For more on Parallels Server:
- see this Ars Technica article

ExpressCard device locks down laptops

Mehan Jayasuriya — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:52:19 -0400

Here's a novel idea: why not route all of your network traffic through a second computer before it gets to your primary machine, thereby protecting your beloved desktop from all of the nastiness that lives online? Well, because running a separate PC just to handle security would be cumbersome and anything but energy efficient. And that's completely overlooking the fact that many professionals now use laptops as their primary machine. Yoggie Security Systems, however, cooked up a creative solution to these problems: they've created a miniature computer that plugs into your laptop via its ExpressCard slot. Once there, the Linux-based Gatekeeper Card Pro acts a a go-between between your Windows PC and the network, intercepting and analyzing "all traffic, acting as the first line of defense against all incoming hazards, including crud that's embedded in email or trying to hit your system via a Web page or Web-based download." The company claims that this method keeps your PC secure while allowing it to perform at its absolute best, free from the burden of running security apps in the background. The Gatekeeper Card Pro will be available soon for $199.

For more on the Gatekeeper Card Pro:
- see this PC World article

Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron released

Mehan Jayasuriya — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:48:01 -0400

Just because they release early and often doesn't mean that you shouldn't still get excited: the good folks at Canonical have just unleashed version 8.04 of their beloved Linux distro Ubuntu and the update brings a number of new features to the table. "Hardy Heron," as it's called in alliterative Ubuntu creature-speak, runs GNOME 2.22 and Firefox 3 Beta 5 (which we raved about a few weeks ago) and also supports Wubi, which will allow you to easily install and uninstall Ubuntu on the same partition as Windows, if you so desire. If Ubuntu happens to be your cup of open-source tea, hit up their website for the full download.

For more on Hardy Heron:
- visit the Ubuntu website