Google's latest member in its massive collection of search tools lets users forage through US patents, as the search giant launched the beta version of Google Patent Search late yesterday.
Microsoft has released a flurry of security updates to fix several critical vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player and Adobe Flash Player. Exploit code for some of the vulnerabilities had already been released to the Internet. The code could have crashed or allowed hackers to take control of vulnerable computers.
Social security numbers and other personal information from over 800,000 students and faculty members at UCLA were accessed from a hacker that went in and out of the school's database for over a year, causing what security experts say is the largest-encompassing case of data theft at a North American university.
Microsoft today opened a private beta of its new enterprise voice communications server, Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, to 2,500 IT professionals.
Hackers have posted up code that exploits a critical bug in Windows Media Player. The bug is in how Media Player opens an .ASX playlist and affects Media Player versions 9 and 10. Exploiting the bug could allow someone to take control of the computer.
Microsoft and third-party security sites are warning of a new "extremely critical" Microsoft Word vulnerability. Specially crafted Word documents could corrupt a computer's memory and allow attackers to gain system access. Both Windows and Macintosh computers are affected.
Santa Clara (CA) - Intel has announced that it built its first WiMAX baseband chip for laptops. The WiMAX Connect 2300 chip, combined with a radio antenna, could be a long-range replacement for 802.11 Wi-Fi and cellular networks by providing multi-megabit speeds over several kilometers. Intel has also incorporated multiple antennas to increase speed and signal strength.
Adobe is saying that its Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Acrobat programs contain code vulnerabilities which could crash or even allow hackers to gain control of computers. The vulnerabilities affect ActiveX control inside of Internet Explorer when a computer is running Adobe. Adobe rates the vulnerability as critical and says hackers could gain complete control of the system.
A running shoe sensor that transmits details of a user's performance to an iPod could also be used to covertly track their movements, researchers claim.
Computer Associates (CA) has announced a new anti-malware suite for the Windows Vista operating system. The software protects against both spyware and virus attacks and has been in beta since June.
Chicago (IL) - Public records of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) indicate that Intel has received clearance for its wireless component of its upcoming "Santa Rosa" platform. Scheduled for launch in Q2 of next year, Santa Rosa will include the main chipset "Crestline" and the Wi-Fi link "Kedron," Intel's first 802.11n capable network chip.
