The Linux kernel gets read aloud as an art project
A radio art project broadcast the complete source code of Linux 2.4.18 as speech.
Read the full postBlog 2002
11 posts
Projects, Linux, networks, systems, finds and internet standards from 2002.
Microsoft plugs security holes in Office Web Components
In August 2002 Microsoft reported three critical holes in Office Web Components 2000 and 2002, which were part of Office, Money, Project and several server products. Via the Host() function, a prepared web page could start Office programs and execute arbitrary commands, and two further holes exposed the clipboard and local files. The patch was already included in Service Pack 2 for Office XP.
Read the full postLinux kernel 2.4.19 released
In August 2002 Marcelo Tosatti released Linux kernel 2.4.19, with better support for 64-bit processors such as Intel’s IA64, USB 2.0 and PCI hotplug. Above all, the version fixed bugs and improved drivers; Alan Cox published the variant 2.4.19-ac1 at the same time. Meanwhile the older 2.2 series and Linus Torvalds’ 2.5 development branch continued.
Read the full postNovell’s NetWare full of security holes
At Black Hat 2002, Rain Forest Puppy presented numerous holes in NetWare 5.1 and 6.0 in the talk “Novell – The Forgotten OS”. Default installations could be crashed, NDS directory data read out and Perl scripts executed with system privileges. The recommendation was to remove the NetBasic, Perl and JSP handlers from the web servers until Novell delivered patches.
Read the full postRFC 3339: Timestamps for internet protocols
RFC 3339 defines an unambiguous profile based on ISO 8601 for date and time in internet protocols. Time data needs a shared syntax and still clear semantics. Machine readability does not prevent errors caused by wrong time zone assumptions.
Read the full postRFC 3261: SIP: Setting up sessions over the internet
RFC 3261 defines SIP for locating participants and for setting up, changing and ending multimedia sessions. Signalling and media path can be operated independently. Flexible addressing runs into NAT and security boundaries in real networks.
Read the full postOpenAFS: a distributed shared file system
OpenAFS combined scalable file servers, Kerberos security and clients for several operating systems.
Read the full postIBM: Linux and open source have changed society
At LinuxWorld 2002 in New York, IBM manager William M. Zeitler declared that Linux and open source would end the era in which vendors controlled customers through proprietary platforms. Zeitler saw grid computing as the next big open technology. The internet would change from a communication platform into a platform for computing power on demand.
Read the full postIBM announces new servers specifically for Linux
In January 2002 IBM announced two servers designed specifically for Linux, including a mainframe developed in Böblingen that runs only Linux. For the first time it was not to require knowledge of classic mainframe operating systems such as z/OS. With z/VM virtualisation it was to replace between 20 and several hundred Unix or Intel servers.
Read the full postInternet Explorer has a security hole in JavaScript
In January 2002 the Bulgarian security researcher Georgi Guninski published a hole in Internet Explorer through which JavaScript could read local files and start programs. The cause was an incorrect interpretation of the GetObject() function; the patched IE 6.0 and IE 5.5 SP2 under Windows 2000 were affected. According to Guninski, Microsoft had been informed three weeks earlier and had not responded.
Read the full postLinux on the Xbox: opening a closed platform
The Xbox Linux team analyses the hardware and chain of trust of the first Xbox and shows how custom hardware and cryptographic mistakes made Linux on the console possible. Closed devices remain open to investigation when physical possession gives access to their interfaces. A security architecture is only as strong as its weakest implemented detail.
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