Vulnerabilities


Smashing the Linux Heap

MIAMI BEACH–There has been a lot of discussion and research in the last decade on exploiting heap overflows in various platforms, especially Windows. But one researcher has found that there is a heap allocator in the Linux kernel that is, as he describes it, “beautifully exploitable.” Meet SLOB.


The latest edition World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report takes a dim view of our hyper connected world. At the group’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, members wrestled with the consequences of ubiquitous Internet connectivity, concluding that groups or individuals with few resources are capable of launching attacks with devastating consequences for both commercial and geopolitical powers.

MIAMI BEACH–Researchers and attackers have had no shortage of mobile platforms and devices to sink their teeth into in recent years, thanks to the explosion of iOS and Android phones and tablets in the consumer and enterprise markets. Now, the spotlight is slowly beginning to turn in the direction of RIM, and specifically its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

The White House has launched a new initiative designed to help companies in the electric power industry measure the maturity of their security programs against a new maturity model. The program is being run in tandem with the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Energy and is meant to help the utility companies find their weak spots and where they need to improve.