InfoWorld.com articles from February 2007

InfoWorld.com archives from February 2007

Vista hole opens door to 'shout hacking'; Security honeymoon ends with warning on speech recognition.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Paul F. Roberts The honeymoon ended early for Microsoft's Vista operating system, after word spread Wednesday about a flaw that could allow remote attackers to take advantage of the new operating system's speech recognition...

Hackers target hole in BrightStor; Exploit code hits Windows XP and Windows 2000 systems.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Paul F. Roberts Anti-virus firm Symantec warned today that exploit code is circulating for a known security hole in Computer Associates' BrightStor ARCServe Backup software, which provides data backup and restore for a variety of...

Mindreef eyes automated Web service tests; SOAPscope platform to be expanded to allow for automation and new features such as load testing.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill Mindreef plans to expand its Web services testing capabilities in the second quarter of this year to automate test scenarios based on WSDL contracts. Load testing for Web services also is a focus for the company,...

Novell, Honeywell team on physical-IT security; Companies to tap government market for linked building, network access.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Paul F. Roberts Novell and Honeywell are planning to announce the fruits of a project to link physical and logical access products from the two companies, offering government agencies and large enterprises a way to tie building and...

Unisys, Oracle hone in on Linux conversions; Companies target mainframe, Unix users.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill On Tuesday, Unisys plans to announce an expansion of its relationship with Oracle to move mainframe and Unix deployments over to Linux and SOA. Unisys and Oracle have partnered before, but the new arrangement...

Analysis: Cisco's transformation still a work in progress; NACs a tough sell, enterprise demands cooperation.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Paul F. Roberts Cisco Systems used the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco to trumpet its transformation from "packet pusher" to "infrastructure" company, unveiling a string of product updates that unify its diverse security...

Java IDE shines on Ruby; Ruby on Rails creator applauds IntelliJ Idea backing.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill JetBrains is now accommodating Ruby developers with the company's IntelliJ Idea Java IDE. A beta plug-in released Feb. 1 enables the product to serve as an IDE for developing Ruby and Ruby on Rails applications, the...

Baich: Data theft problem no easy fix; Former ChoicePoint CISO says organizational, societal changes come first in trying to stave off personal information theft.
February 7, 2007... Byline: Paul F. Roberts Rich Baich knows about data theft. Back in 2005, Baich was where he is now: at the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco, a published author and star in the tight-knit community of information security experts....

Microsoft to put Office in Win Mobile 6; Mobile OS also includes true push email.
February 7, 2007... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz For business users who want Microsoft Office on their cell phones, Windows Mobile 6, the upcoming version of Redmond's mobile operating system to be unveiled next week, will be a must-have upgrade. Mobile 6...

Microsoft offering SaaS guidance; Sample application is featured to illustrate the underlying architecture.
February 8, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill Microsoft will release architectural guidance for organizations looking to offer SaaS (software as a service) on Thursday. A sample application that is designed to illustrate what Microsoft categorizes as key...

Sun pairs Unix with open-source stack; Linux would be replaced in Solaris + AMP.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill You've heard of LAMP, the popular open-source infrastructure stack featuring the Linux operating system, the Apache Web server, MySQL's database, and the Perl, Python and PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) scripting languages....

Borland smoothing out Silk apps testing line; Eclipse integrations added to streamline the testing process.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill Borland Software on Tuesday will refresh the Silk application testing product line it acquired last year. Available now, the R 2006 Release 2 versions of the Silk products include: SilkCentral Test Manager, which is...

Zend touts PHP app server; Three editions are offered in order to target different needs.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill Eyeing organizations that run business-critical Web applications on the PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) platform, Zend Technologies will offer its Zend Platform 3.0 PHP application server on Monday. Zend Platform...

Reports: Open source gathers steam; Impacts, growth cited in separate studies.
February 15, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill Separate reports from The 451 Group and Evans Data this week confirm what seems obvious: open-source software is impacting commercial software companies and continues to gain adoption worldwide. In a report entitled,...

Software AG offering SOA policy control; Plug-in works with repository.
February 15, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill Software AG on Thursday plans to announce its Active Governance Framework (AGF), which features a policy editor for SOA. With AGF, developers can edit and enforce business and technical policies. Alerts are sent to...

Microsoft sharpens interoperability focus; Four target areas cited by executives.
February 16, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill Microsoft says it will focus on four key areas to improve interoperability between its own software and other vendors' products. Senior Microsoft representatives met with InfoWorld on Thursday to highlight identity...

AirMagnet to offer analyzer for Cisco APs; Tool can troubleshoot remotely and monitor for regulatory compliance.
February 21, 2007... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz On Tuesday, AirMagnet launched Enterprise Analyzer for Cisco, a troubleshooting and analysis software tool for Cisco's line of switch or controller-based, lightweight APs. The software works with Cisco...

Cisco backtracks on open source promise; Product integration, not CTA, focus of NAC efforts.
February 21, 2007... Byline: Paul F. Roberts After promising to turn the client software for its CTA (Cisco Trust Agent) into an open-source application, Bob Gleichauf, CTO of Cisco's Security Technology Group, said that the company has not made up its mind...

Google patches serious Desktop flaw; Hole could give outsiders access to end-users' machines, potentially exposing businesses to data theft.
February 21, 2007... Byline: Matt Hines Google quickly patched what security researchers identified Wednesday was a potentially serious cross-site scripting flaw in its popular desktop search and widget application that could leave users vulnerable to outside...

Avaya to add VoIP to Google Apps; Collaboration will focus on voice, presence.
February 22, 2007... Byline: Paul F. Roberts Avaya said on Thursday that it will develop communications solutions for small business that combine Google's updated Apps Premier Edition suite of Web applications with its own IP telephony technology. Avaya...

Browser vulnerabilities and attacks will continue to mount; Even as software makers add more sophisticated security features to their browsers and rush to patch documented flaws more quickly, experts maintain that holes in the programs will continue to allow for widespread malware attacks.
February 23, 2007... Byline: Matt Hines Window Snyder, chief security officer at open source browser maker Mozilla, is caught in the crosshairs of the raging browser vulnerability battle. On one hand, her company launched an upgrade to its Firefox browser...

Microsoft ponders Ruby language; Company also plans Expression line expansion.
February 23, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill Microsoft is "very interested" in the Ruby programming language and also plans to expand its Expression design tools line, a Microsoft official said this week. During an Internet chat with InfoWorld, Forest Key,...

Google Apps aims beyond Microsoft Office; News analysis: Google has more than Microsoft in its sights, with Apps poised to be platform for everything.
February 23, 2007... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz Following Google's announcement on Thursday that it would offer an enhanced version of its Google Apps, dubbed Google Apps Premier Edition, the company left no doubt about the direction in which it was heading. ...

New laws target data security problem; Retailer TJX's breach presents a chilling lesson on the dangers of shortchanging data security.
February 23, 2007... Byline: Matt Hines As more details emerge about the recently disclosed security breach at TJX Companies, lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering new laws that would put the onus for paying for such breaches on retailers and merchants,...

Interview: Bechtolsheim hails open-source moves; Sun co-founder also expresses regrets that company was slow to embrace x86 chips.
February 26, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill Andreas, or simply, Andy, Bechtolsheim holds the distinction of having employee badge #1 among the thousands of people who have worked at Sun Microsystems in its 25 years of existence. Perhaps best known as the inventor...

Battle brewing over RFID chip-hacking demo; Card maker HID calls foul over Black Hat presentation.
February 26, 2007... Byline: Paul F. Roberts Secure card maker HID Corp. is objecting to a demonstration of a hacking tool at this week's Black Hat Federal security conference in Washington, D.C. that could make it easy to clone a wide range of so-called...

Tech heavyweights tackle datacenter power shortage; Green Grid to promote ways to curb power consumption.
February 26, 2007... Byline: Ted Samson The IT industry's thirst for energy is growing exponentially, far outpacing the supply of reliable, clean power. Now a group of leading IT firms has banded together to try to head off an impending energy crisis in the...

Microsoft jumps into medical search via acquisition; Company announces plans to purchase Medstory, a health care data search engine, and details several other initiatives attempts to increase its footprint in the medical sector.
February 26, 2007... Byline: Matt Hines Microsoft announced plans to acquire health care search engine Medstory on Feb. 26, positioning the deal as a strategic move into the consumer health market. The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker, best known for...

Sun at 25: Where are the founders now? InfoWorld catches up with some key figures from the first 25 years of Sun Microsystems.
February 26, 2007... Byline: InfoWorld Staff Sun Microsystems is still around. But what about the four men who gave it life? InfoWorld went on the hunt for Sun's founding fathers: Andy Bechtolsheim, Vinod Khosla, Bill Joy, and Scott McNealy. Here's what we...

Sun shines on silver anniversary; Despite recent troubles, the company remains a technological force with independent streak.(Company overview)
February 26, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill Oct. 18, 2000, might go unnoticed in the long history of Sun Microsystems, but it marked a critical moment in the history of a company that celebrates its 25th anniversary this week. On that day, an upbeat Scott...

Dell to Linux users: Not so fast; Despite consumer demand, company isn't ready to commit to selling laptops with Linux pre-installed.
February 27, 2007... Byline: Todd R. Weiss, Computerworld If you're looking for a new Linux-equipped Dell laptop or desktop from the PC vendor, you may be waiting a while. Despite obvious support for the idea last week from thousands of visitors on its new...

Lawsuits, patent claims silence Black Hat talk; RFID hacking demo pulled after HID threatens legal action.
February 27, 2007... Byline: Paul F. Roberts A planned talk on RFID security by a security researcher has been pulled from this week's Black Hat Federal security conference after secure card maker HID claimed the talk violated the company's patent rights and...

OpenMake frees up Mojo for process automation; Application lifecycle tool to be released as free Eclipse plug-in.
February 27, 2007... Byline: Paul Krill OpenMake Software plans next week to offer process automation software free for software development teams. The company will provide process automation components from its OpenMake build-to-release management product...

Parallels Desktop for Mac set for release; The software that enables Intel-chipped Macs to run Windows without rebooting first has emerged from public beta testing.
February 27, 2007... Byline: Peter Cohen, Macworld The newest version of Parallels Desktop for Mac — the software that enables Intel-based Macs to run Windows without having to reboot first — will be released on Tuesday. The software has undergone...

Salesforce puts Bloomberg in its sights with Wealth Management Edition; Will SaaS crush the last bastion of proprietary technology?
February 27, 2007... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz Claiming Bloomberg and the Bloomberg Terminal lock customers in with a proprietary workstation and software accessed on an archaic keyboard, and that Bloomberg offers a deep but very narrow selection of financial...

Researchers: Worms not heading underground; New variants of the Storm Worm prove that the time-honored malware delivery model hasn't faded as attackers find new ways propagate threats.
February 27, 2007... Byline: Paul F. Roberts During the past two years, security experts and software vendors have downplayed the threat of so-called worm viruses, but new evidence suggests that the attacks are still as dangerous, if not more so, than ever....

Black Hat dispute stirs RFID security awareness; DHS will investigate vulnerabilities in proximity cards.
February 28, 2007... Byline: Paul F. Roberts The widely reported dispute between security firm IOActive and secure card maker HID has raised awareness about the risks associated with RFID proximity cards and may prompt DHS warnings to government agencies about...

Lawmakers working to ban hacked RFID door cards; U.S. lawmakers say the debate over the use of RFID technologies is far from over.
February 28, 2007... Byline: Matt Hines There's already an RFID security brouhaha brewing in Washington, and if some people have their way, it won't be the last legal fight waged in the nation's capital over use of the wireless technology. The IT security...

Symantec offers mixed grades for Vista security; The security software maker has issued a set of Vista security assessments highlighting improvements but also noting ongoing weak points.
February 28, 2007... Byline: Matt Hines Symantec published a series of four research reports on Feb 28 that critique various security elements of Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system, including the software's ability to ward off existing malware...