| October, 2009 |  |
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New security flaws unmasked in Vista, Windows 7
Microsoft has just issued security patches
for six critical Windows flaws. It’s part of Patch Tuesday, the second Tuesday of every month, when the software
giant issues security updates for its operating software.
This comes as a researcher named Laurent Gaffie points to fresh,
unpatched flaws in Windows Vista and Windows 7. Threatpost blogger Dennis Fisher
reports
that there already is a proof of concept program circulating that would enable an attacker to remotely crash
vulnerable machines via the flaws uncovered by Gaffie.
Two of today’s patches resolve weaknesses in how Windows handles ASF and MP3 media files. It’s a simple matter for a
hacker to install a corrupted ASF or MP3 file on a legit web page. Then, “all a user would have to do is visit a
compromised Web site hosting one of these malicious files, and they would become infected,” says Ben Greenbaum,
senior research manager for Symantec Security Response. This is yet another way for hackers to circulate bad links,
as reported in this story.
Other patches released today are designed to stop hackers from sending specially crafted packets to your Windows
Vista PC or a Windows 2008 server to take over control, says Jason Miller, security and data team manager for Shavlik
Technologies.
Bottom line for home users: make sure your Windows auto-update program is enabled and install the latest patches -
and cross your fingers that cyber criminals don’t try to exploit the Vista flaw before Microsoft can come up with a
patch.
South African Amateur Radio Payload Reaches Orbit
After several delays, South Africa’s
SumbandilaSat satellite finally blasted to orbit
aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 17. The main payload is a multi-spectral imager, but the satellite also
carries an Amateur Radio component consisting of a 2 meter/70 cm FM repeater. After SumbandilaSat is fully
commissioned, the repeater will be activated with an uplink at 145.880 MHz and a downlink at 435.350 MHz;
there will also be a voice beacon at 435.300 MHz. The transponder mode will be controlled by a CTCSS tone on the
uplink frequency. The CTCSS tone frequencies have yet to be announced. SumbandilaSat was sponsored by the Department
of Science and Technology and was built at SunSpace in
cooperation with the Stellenbosch University. In addition to
the SA-AMSAT amateur module, the satellite carries Stellenbosch University’s radiation experiment and software defined
radio (SDR) project, an experiment from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and a VLF radio module from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Alpha Radio Products Now RF Concepts
On September 15, Michael Seedman, AA6DY, announced that his company,
RF Concepts, had purchased Boulder, Colorado-based
Alpha Radio Products. Seedman explained in a
press release that when he contacted
Alpha to purchase a new amplifier, he was “disappointed to learn that I would not receive it for months.” He was told
that as each amplifier is made by hand, there was not enough shelf inventory to send a new one right away. Working with
Alpha Products president Molly Hardman, W0MOM, “we created a way to capitalize the company in order to put amplifiers
in inventory for immediate availability. Customers will no longer have to wait weeks or months to add an Alpha product to
their station.” Seedman said that RF Concepts “will focus on shipping our backlog of Alpha amplifiers and building
sufficient product to ship from stock. We will honor our existing customer commitments — including warranties, customer
and technical support and repairs — and keep our extensive parts inventories to support the more than 10,000 Alpha
amplifiers in the market.” Hardman will be staying on as Vice President of Sales for RF Concepts.
Manufacturer of Texas Bug Catcher Antenna to Cease Operations
After October 31, 2009, GLA Systems — the manufacturer of the Texas Bug
Catcher antennas — will cease taking orders for new antennas; according to their Web site, all orders received
before that date will be filled. “Effective November 1, only orders for items that are in stock at the time will be
accepted. Effective December 31, 2009, the toll free line, 1-800-588-2841, will be discontinued.” No reason was given
for the closure, but on GLA’s Web site, owner Henry Allen, K5BUG, said “It has been a fun 30 years, but it is time to
hang it up. I would like to thank everyone who has made this experience possible.”
| October, 2009 | |
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