Popular software poses danger

Unpatched versions of some of the most popular software applications present a bigger threat to enterprise networks than malicious software, says US security vendor Bit9.

eWeek reports that Bit9 has released a list of 15 widely deployed applications with critical vulnerabilities and urged businesses to clamp down on out-of-date software.

The list includes older versions of several mainstream products such as Mozilla`s Firefox, Apple`s iTunes and QuickTime, Skype, Adobe Acrobat Reader and Sun`s Java Runtime Environment.

Less than a week after Microsoft confirmed its Excel spreadsheet had an unpatched vulnerability, security vendors have reported a second zero-day bug in the business application, reports Information Week.

The report says Microsoft issued a security advisory on Monday that promised a patch for the first Excel vulnerability and spelled out several steps enterprises and individuals could take to protect their systems until a fix was released.

However, security companies have since reported that proof-of-concept exploit code had gone public for yet another Excel bug, this time one in a DLL that handles hyperlinks in Excel worksheets. The vulnerability that could cause Excel to crash occurs when a user follows a long URL link contained in an Excel spreadsheet, says Symantec.

Opera Software has introduced its latest browser, which includes support for "widgets", adds a security toolbar, and integrates support for the BitTorrent file-distribution system, reports PC Mag.

Touting Opera 9 as a faster browser for the future, Opera Software says widgets can be downloaded from the company`s widgets site, where a few examples, such as a circular version of Tetris, several clocks and a built-in reader for comics sites are already available.

The new security toolbar is designed to stop phishing attacks, and is similar to the other anti-phishing plug-ins introduced by rivals, including Google. The company also says it has strengthened its pop-up blocker.

Popular online hangout, MySpace, will make it harder for strangers to send messages to younger teenagers from next week. This comes in the face of mounting pressure as the result of reports that some of its 70 million members are frequently subjected to inappropriate messages and occasionally lured into dangerous encounters, says News.Com.

MySpace is being sued for $30 million by a 14-year-old girl from Texas who says she was sexually assaulted by another MySpace user because the social networking Web site does not take sufficient steps to protect underage members.

In terms of the new measures, MySpace will stop showing advertisements for certain products like online dating sites to those under 18. The site will also restrict how users older than 18 can contact those aged 14 and 15, and allow all members to designate their profiles as private.