Oracle releases critical patch updates on a quarterly basis. This quarter they have posted their highest number of quarterly patches to date, 127. Included in these patches are 51 Java fixes. This marks the first time Oracle has updated Java with it’s other products. October’s quarterly release includes patches for: Oracle Database Oracle Fusion Middleware Oracle…

Phishers are constantly trying new bait to hook you into downloading malware. Symantec reported on October 9th a new Phishing attack aimed at Facebook users. A website offers a free Facebook app that will show you who is visiting your Facebook page. If you read my article “Facebook Dump More User Privacy” published yesterday you…

The run on food is not a sign of the new economy, but rather a sign of our dependence on IT systems. Through its acquisition of ACS, Xerox now services Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Systems in many states. On Saturday 17 of the states Xerox services experienced an outage of their EBT systems. In some…

Facebook makes another change to its privacy settings making users searchable. Facebook announced Thursday that users will lose the ability to opt out of searches. The setting “Who can look up your Timeline by name?” which allowed users’ profiles to be left out of searches will no longer be available. The option allowed your profile…

Aereo provides a service where for only $8 a month you can stream broadcast television to your PC or mobile device. Aereo uses a bunch of souped-up versions of the good old TV antenna to capture broadcast television signals and then streams those signals over the internet to its subscribers. ABC, NBC, CBS and other…

There is malware making the rounds right now veiled as a Facebook video, but hijacks web browsers and Facebook accounts The malware is sent as a link in an email claiming you have been tagged in a Facebook posting. Clicking on the link takes you to a website informing you that you must install a…

Earlier today WhatsApp, AVG and Avira had their websites hijacked by the Palestinian hacker group KDMS. As of this moment WhatApp and AVG are back online, however it seems Avira has taken its site offline. KDMS replaced the companies’ web sites with a site titled “You Got Pwned”. The site displays a map of Palestine…

McAfee Labs announced that malware signed using legitimate digital certificates to trick people into thinking the software comes from reputable vendors is a drastically growing threat. McAfee Labs found 1.2 million pieces of new signed malware in the last quarter. Most malware wielding digital signatures makes it past antivirus scans because it is whitelisted. McAfee’s…

Cisco announced that IOS XR Software version 4.3.1 contains a vulnerability that could result in a denial of service (DoS) condition if exploited. Cisco IOS XR Software version 4.3.1 does not release memory allocated by UDP packets when the queues are full. If someone were to flood the device with UDP packets it would consume…

Brad Arkin, Adobe’s Chief Security Officer, revealed yesterday that thieves penetrated Adobe’s network stealing the personal information of 2.9 million customers. The criminals stole customer names, encrypted credit or debit card numbers, expiration dates, and other information relating to customer orders. The crooks also stole Abobe source code. Among the programs whose source code was…