Samba developers quash serious bug
Users of the open-source Samba software are being urged to patch their code following the discovery of a critical bug in the file-and-print software.
The bug is one of three vulnerabilities that were patched Monday by the Samba team in the Samba 3.0.25 release.
The flaw is considered to be particularly worrisome for two reasons: It could be remotely exploited by an attacker to run unauthorized code on the Samba server and there is no known work-around for the flaw. Samba ships with Linux and Unix operating systems and is a popular way of allowing Windows clients to print and store files using a Linux or Unix machine.
It's been a few years since Samba has had to fix this kind of vulnerability, which is due to a coding error affecting the way Samba puts data into the computer's memory, said Samba developer Jeremy Allison. "This kind of bug is rare for us," he said Monday in an e-mail interview. "That's why we're embarrassed."
Still, there is no known exploit code for the problem, and even if there were, an attacker would first have to find a way to reach a Samba server via Microsoft's Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service, which is typically blocked by the firewall.
The flaw could give attackers a way to jump from a compromised Windows computer to a Samba server, said David Endler, director of security research at 3Com's TippingPoint division, which first reported the flaw. "The real danger here is if an exploit is developed, it could be integrated into the latest botnet software," he said.
Endler added that he would be "surprised" if an exploit for the problem were not developed over the next few weeks.
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Apple growth will draw malware attacks 22 January, 2008 09:08:48
Mac OS X is safer today -- but not necessarily more secure for the long term -- than WindowsAs Apple continues to grow its worldwide market share and the company's products find their way into more business environments, attackers are certain to follow and create greater volumes of exploits aimed at vulnerabilities in the company's software, security experts contend. - +
Zenoss: New dog masters old monitoring tricks 30 November, 2007 12:50:00
Zenoss Core 2.1 impresses with object-based approach, strong device discovery, native Windows monitoring, and open source extensibilitySince the dawn of the business network, there has been a need to ensure that the network services provided to the enterprise are alive and responsive. Traditionally, in midsized businesses, this role has been filled by complex, closed source, and fantastically expensive solutions from manufacturers such as BMC, CA, HP, and IBM. And while these extravagant expenses make no customer happy, many users of these packages also complain of their complexity. Enough administrators have spent enough time wrangling with their monitoring systems to make a lot of smart people imagine that there must be a better way. - +
ARN's A-Z guide to networking 19 December, 2007 14:50:54
As business needs change, so do the requirements for the business backbone. ARN looks at networking trends and technologies and reports on predictions for 2008 and beyond.
Click here for case studies, whitepapers and other useful vendor content 
ARN Panel Sessions: Day 3The last of our panel sessions recorded live at CeBIT 2008. Today, the topic is storage. Data is growing at an enormous rate, so what does the future hold?
Weekly Tech News Update: 21st November 2008Yahoo's CEO says goodbye, Intel introduces a new processor, and robots run wild. All that news and more on this week's World Tech Update
Electronic voting in U.S. electionDoubts about voting machines are lingering in the minds of many Americans as they head to the polls.
When an IT disaster occurs, how handy it would be to push a button and start again as if nothing had happened.
Discover and learn more about CA XOSoft today.
PGP and Ponemon Institute Unveil Inaugural Australian Data Breach Study 2008 20 November, 2008 17:34:00
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Verizon Business Offers Tips to Building a Successful Unified Communications and Collaboration Plan 20 November, 2008 12:04:00
NetApp Named 2008 Citrix Ready Solution of the Year by Citrix Systems 20 November, 2008 11:33:00
Extreme Networks Ethernet Transport lowers total cost of ownership for carrier metro networks 20 November, 2008 10:21:00
NAB works with Avanade® to leverage Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 for its branch offices
In 2007, Avanade helped the National Australia Bank use Windows Server 2008 to simplify deployment, maximise the efficiency of their low-bandwidth wide area network and consolidate its IT infrastructure.
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