Microsoft has been busy issuing security patches (also known as security bulletins) in a fast and furious way over the last few days, with security patches also coming from Adobe and Apple.

Microsoft sent out ten alerts which covered 34 separate vulnerabilities and these came together with a number of other updates and additional fixes. Only three of these security patches were ‘critical’ and they affected media decompression, ActiveX and their web browser, Internet Explorer.

Adobe has recently had to fix a long line of weaknesses with security patches in their product line-up and the latest was uncovered in the Flash Player. This effects multiple platforms and will also create impacts on the Adobe Reader and version Nine of the Acrobat. Although a fix has been issued, not all elements are covered and some platforms will have to wait for help.

Security patch experts say that the older versions of the PDF handling software are safe from the problems. Those users of Reader and Acrobat are being told they can work around the problem, but they have to make inoperative, delete, or rename the component called ‘authplay.dll.’ This provides the Flash function within the PDF documents.

As well as Microsoft and Adobe, Apple has also had its fair share of security patch problem fixing. They have had some problems with their latest version of the Safari browser which is said to have numerous issues inherited from older versions. Not least is a long-discovered weakness which enables malicious sites to harvest history data from the Safari browser.

Computer security officials are again warning computer users to accept security patches sent by the creator of the software in order to protect themselves against all manner of malware programmes.

And they stress that only those security patches from reputable, known companies should be downloaded. A common tactic is to trick computer users into thinking that they need a patch, only to find that it is in effect a malicious programme.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

News agency Reuters is reporting that the FBI has started an investigation into the recent security breach of the iPad which resulted in the leak of personal information about AT&T customers.

And the names leaked included a number of senior US Government officials, celebrities and businessman.

The attack on the iPad was first announced by the website Gawker. It reported that a group going by the name of Goatse Security had succeeded into hacking into AT&T’s subscriber data, obtaining the sensitive details from about 100,000 email addresses.

AT&T admitted the attack and said that the flaw had been corrected and what’s more, that only those email addresses which had a security weakness had been exposed by the hackers. AT&T didn’t comment on the role of the FBI.

A less shy FBI spokesman said: "The FBI is aware of these possible computer intrusions and has opened an investigation to address the potential cyber threat.”

Observers see this as a passing embarrassment for AT&T and by no means a crippling blow. The general feeling was amongst security professionals that the breach was not catastrophic and that it had little to do with the iPad’s basic set-up. Furthermore, others pointed out that whenever Government and VIP addresses get hacked, the Feds usually get a call and have to be seen to be pro-active.

AT&T has the exclusive US rights to carry the iPad and the iPhone. This exclusivity hasn’t won it many friends in certain quarters of a jealous industry. There are also subscribers who complain about the quality of the AT&T network.

This won’t dent the incredible success already experienced by the iPad, already selling over two million units worldwide since its launch in April. And the iPad is being seen as Apple’s major battering ram to enforce its international growth strategy. Last month Apple over took its rival Microsoft to become the world’s most valuable technology stock.

Rival models to the iPad are expected soon from Dell and Hewlett Packard, although experts see them playing a game of catch-up.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Computer security experts are worried that the advances in smartphone technology, such as achieved by the Apple iPhone 3G S will lead to an increased threat of malware.

Basically, as the ability to mobile surf becomes the norm, mobile phones will become just as vulnerable to attack from malware as desktops and laptops.

And what’s more, the popularity of the App Store makes the chance of malware infiltration far higher than before. Experts say that the problems being encountered by PC users now on a daily basis (spam, viruses and identity theft), could become commonplace on mobile phones.

The experts are worried that smartphones, effectively complex multimedia devices which have a number of ways of communicating, and which are updated on a very regular basis, are leaving the security industry trying to play catch up.

So the best solution, claim the experts, is rather than the onus being on the mobile user protecting themselves, is to get the network operators to take control of the situation. They should introduce sophisticated security techniques including anti-flooding technology, anti-spam and virus filtering software, and, blacklisting programmes.

Whether the network operators agree that one of their roles is to act as policemen against malware threats remains to be seen. But if someone doesn’t get a grip on developments soon, warn the security companies, then the situation will get out of hand and mobile surfers will become a happy hunting ground for the cyber criminals.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

McAfee is being kept busy through the global downturn with individuals and companies continuing to see sense and value in protecting their computer systems, and is developing a number of key products for Apple.

McAfee, which is the world’s number two security software company in the world, has also just told investors that business, whilst hard during the start of the year, has actually improved over the last two months.

The McAfee CEO was in an upbeat mood as he revealed that the company had experienced a virtual freeze in January and February 2009, but added that March was better, with April better still and that currently, things had virtually returned to normal spending levels.

And McAfee is also developing products for the design-led computer group Apple. A comprehensive security suite was currently in development for both Mac computers and the iPhone family.

In particular, McAfee believes that as more and more applications become available for the iPhone, from thousands of software developers, so the threat to security will increase dramatically. Avoiding identity theft and data loss will become big worries for the iPhone user. It has been reported that since its launch in July, 2008, over one billion programmes have been downloaded from the Apple App Store.

Although confirming that such an Apple security suite was in development, McAfee didn’t let on when it would be released.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Users of Mac computers have by and large been free of the internet-born viruses, but now bot herders are going after Apple owners as well.

By the way, in case you were wondering, a bot herder is a cracker which automatically scans a network to discover a vulnerable system. A computer without a current internet patch is such a system and they exploit the hole by installing their own particular bot programme. The machine, now infected, is regarded as a zombie. A number of zombies make-up a botnet and this infiltrated network is then controlled by the bot herder. And one of the best techniques for controlling such a botnet is via an internet relay chat channel.

So, there we are, and with computers becoming increasingly popular, and the percentage of Macs in use also going up, they have now become a viable target for cyber criminals. And the Achilles heal for Mac users is pirated software.

In the frame is the well-known, peer-to-peer site BitTorrent, which Mac fans use to share large files. It’s thought by computer security experts that doing the rounds has been a number of examples of pirated Apple software, including Adobe Photoshop and iWork. The programmes might work, but the sting in the tail is that they are infected with a trojan called OSXIservice.

This trojan infiltrates the Mac by installing remote control software. Once installed, it contacts other computers within the network with the aim of destroying websites, or web servers, with a denial-of-service attack. Such an attack is a form of extortion. The trojan shuts down a website and the hackers approach the owners and demand money for the key to get it back working. Although it’s hard to get figures on how often this happens – website owners who have been affected are naturally coy when admitting they have to pay ransom demands for their own website back – the problem is getting worse.

And whereas Mac users were not of the number for the hackers to be bothered with, their recent success has ironically led to some unwanted attention.

So, Mac users, beware of pirates bearing gifts it could cost you dear in the end.

Guest Article by Neil Camp