A.SMART BLOG

Engineering Equation Solver (EES) has been added to the ME computer lab (II-106), as well as the ME remote desktop server.  We have a department license which allows MNE students to install this software on their own machines.  I’ve placed an install folder on the class drive under M:\EES.

 Code Warrior 5 Freescale edition (used for Dragon Board development) has been added to the II-214 lab.

 Xilinx Webpack ISE 10.1 is planned to be installed in II-214 over spring break.  Xilinx runs significantly slower when your project resides on a network drive (Z:).  Xilinx ISE will perform much better if you copy your project to the C: drive, for example c:\temp\myproject.

New Security bulletins:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS10-feb.mspx
February updates for Microsoft products

*note, the update for MS10-015 has been pulled.  It was an NT kernel update which addressed the 16bit compatibility subsystem security hole discovered last month.  Machines already infected with particular backdoors blue screen after updating.  Details here:  http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2010/02/17/update-restart-issues-after-installing-ms10-015-and-the-alureon-rootkit.aspx

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-06.html
updates for Adobe Flash & Air

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-07.html
update for Adobe Reader

latest plugins are:

Flash: 10.0.45.2
Java RE: 1.6.0_18
Reader: 9.3.1.0
Air: 1.5.3.9130
Shockwave: 11.5.6.606

Cyber Security Bulletin SB10-046:
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/bulletins/SB10-046.html

Unpatched vulnerabilities are being exploited now.  Take cover.

Microsoft MSDOS subsystem for 16bit applications vulnerable to privilege escalation in all 32 bit Windows NT based OSes (NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 2003, 2008, 7).  Workaround is to disable 16bit application support.  This can be pushed out via a group policy setting.

details:
Microsoft Windows NT #GP Trap Handler Allows Users to Switch Kernel Stack
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/979682.mspx

Unpatched vulnerability in MS IE 6,7,8 is being exploited in recent attacks.  Microsoft will be releasing an out of sequence  (non-patch Tuesday) update to address.  Until then consider disabling Active Scripting or using a different browser.

details:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/979352.mspx

 New Security bulletins:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS10-jan.mspx
January updates for Microsoft products

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-02.html
Acrobat 9.3 released, patches a previously announced security hole.

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-03.html
An updated Shockwave plugin, patches a previously announced security hole.

latest plugins are:

Flash: 10.0.42.34
Java RE: 1.6.0_18
Reader: 9.3.0.0
Air: 1.5.3.9120
Shockwave: 11.5.6.606

Cyber Security Bulletin SB10-018:
Vulnerability Summary for the Week of January 11, 2010

A new exploit was found in the Javascript parsing used by Adobe Acrobat and Reader.  The exploit code is public and being actively used in browser hijacks.  An infected .pdf document viewed in your browser tends to redirect you to one of those bogus Antivirus extortion sites. Workaround is to disable Javascript support.  Adobe plans an update by January 10th(!!). 

As a value-added bonus, Adobe’s security bulletin site loves to peg my IE CPU usage at %100.

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa09-07.html

New Security bulletins:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS09-dec.mspx
Includes a couple of patches for remote code exploits, but only if you are running particular servies. And of course the required monthly ie updates.

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-19.html
Updates for Adobe Flash and Air.  At least this time the fix is out before the exploits went main stream.

latest plugins are:

Flash: 10.0.42.34
Java RE: 1.6.0_17
Reader: 9.2.0.0
Air: 1.5.3.9120
Shockwave: 11.5.2.602

Cyber Security Bulletin SB09-341:
Vulnerability Summary for the Week of November 30, 2009

Update: It’s got a name: the ‘Hail Mary Cloud’
dictionary attacks on SSH ports

112.78.124.159 115.168.35.219 115.168.70.200 118.102.160.142 118.212.186.59 119.62.128.24 119.62.128.29 119.62.128.41 12.174.15.209 120.195.80.139 121.162.22.216 123.147.128.3 123.235.40.5 125.71.206.102 147.52.242.39 164.77.130.195 187.4.9.95 189.112.76.5 189.53.181.13 190.10.19.66 190.12.86.132 190.144.6.182 190.25.132.95 190.69.241.106 190.96.169.145 194.181.135.110 195.137.79.172 195.157.156.51 195.242.89.99 195.56.79.83 196.15.186.75 200.102.77.173 200.111.13.242 200.111.188.178 200.146.104.143 200.162.9.91 200.203.91.218 200.241.61.130 200.249.245.2 200.40.48.14 200.41.65.4 200.50.167.22 200.71.236.131 200.75.138.10 201.232.10.58 201.34.32.242 201.40.123.5 201.82.225.140 202.102.245.109 202.107.85.254 202.153.229.228 202.97.0.76 203.160.81.20 208.124.171.196 209.196.48.20 209.203.36.67 212.108.228.199 212.175.47.29 212.57.145.150 213.144.228.190 213.246.205.150 213.60.231.7 213.97.122.126 217.128.184.31 217.129.13.117 217.136.232.11 217.197.121.61 217.86.188.168 218.249.195.165 218.30.57.219 218.69.27.138 219.234.95.164 220.233.71.177 220.249.103.18 221.13.79.28 221.13.79.29 221.204.237.41 221.3.232.201 222.128.36.60 24.123.34.157 41.250.253.202 58.251.59.9 58.26.82.165 58.60.106.199 58.62.239.150 60.240.249.92 60.250.129.103 60.30.26.190 61.107.16.33 61.166.150.245 62.198.65.2 62.221.52.4 62.245.244.233 62.56.130.1 64.51.76.14 64.76.3.82 65.33.2.11 66.178.48.195 68.157.239.147 69.159.224.208 74.218.172.158 74.92.201.19 74.95.221.229 75.1.218.106 75.127.64.121 75.149.75.118 76.65.241.45 78.43.153.131 78.43.171.159 79.124.12.33 79.28.224.10 80.152.136.83 80.219.209.135 81.199.47.11 82.207.106.77 82.76.170.45 82.77.53.9 83.103.96.33 84.255.197.212 84.74.21.119 85.186.35.217 86.35.93.36 86.59.24.108 87.216.177.35 87.230.78.78 87.66.3.158 88.79.117.254 89.215.7.151 89.96.140.154 89.97.228.190 90.182.107.194 90.185.238.69 91.187.45.168 92.61.193.138 98.112.184.59 99.63.133.121

New Security bulletins:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-nov.mspx
 nasty remotely exploitable hole in Windows 2k
 local privilege escalation potential in all Windows versions

https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1548.html
patches kernel to 2.6.18-164.6.1, published exploit code in the wild

http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-66-270474-1
Java updates, too many fixes to list.

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-16.html
does anyone use shockwave anymore?

latest plugins are:

Flash: 10.0.32.18
Java RE: 1.6.0_17
Reader: 9.2.0.0
Air: 1.5.2.8870
Shockwave: 11.5.2.602

Cyber Security Bulletin SB09-313:
Vulnerability Summary for the Week of November 2, 2009

If you are a CPE, ELE or MNE major (and a UMass Dartmouth student), send an e-mail to asmart@umassd.edu to request an MSDN-aa account.  Please send this request from your umassd account, anything else will be ignored.  With this account you’ll have access to developer and operating system software from Microsoft.  Details here. Other majors should inquire within their own departments.

Microsoft’s DreamSpark is another avenue for Microsoft software and is available to all students.

Finally, there is a promotion for Windows 7 for students for $29.99 at: http://www.win741.com/

New Security bulletins:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS09-oct.mspx

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb09-15.html

Also, keep those plugins up to date, latest are:

Flash: 10.0.32.18
Java RE: 1.6.0_16
Reader: 9.2.0.0
Air: 1.5.2.8870
Shockwave: 11.5.1.601