Microsoft is not the enemy

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June 15, 2001

Author: JT Smith

ZDNet Linux Center columnist Henry Kingman has the following commment on Microsoft’s attacks on Linux, Open Source, and the GPL: “Nothing confirms arrival quite so much as hatred, and nothing confers respect as much as the complaining we all do about those in power.”

OpenBSD 2.9,2.8 local root compromise

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June 15, 2001

Author: JT Smith

From Net-security.org:
There is local root compromise in OpenBSD 2.9, 2.8 due to
a race probably in the kernel. This is quite similar to
the Linux kernel race several months ago.

Category:

Linux

Immunix security advisory for fetchmail

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June 15, 2001

Author: JT Smith

From LWN.net: Fetchmail, as shipped with Immunix OS 6.2 and 7.0, contains a buffer
overflow in the handling of headers. StackGuard will prevent exploits
from granting privileges; however, denial of service attacks are
possible.

Category:

Linux

Private life: CryptoBox

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June 15, 2001

Author: JT Smith

NewScientist has a feature on the CrypotoBox anonymous IM project hosted on SourceForge. The project “could allow the automatic encryption of email and instant messages, as well
as throwing up a smoke screen of fake data.”

Category:

Programming

Trustix update to Apache Web server

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June 15, 2001

Author: JT Smith

From LWN.net
: The default installation could lead to mod_negotiation
and mod_dir/mod_autoindex displaying a directory listing instead of
the index.html.* files, if a very long path was created artificially
by using many slashes. Now a 403 FORBIDDEN is returned.

Category:

Linux

Bastille Linux 1.2 released

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June 15, 2001

Author: JT Smith

http://www.bastille-linux.org/ — June 15, 2001 — The Bastille Linux
development team today announced the release of Bastille Linux 1.2, a
hardening script for multiple Linux distributions. With this release,
Bastille Linux delivers on the full promise of simplified, automated
security administration for Linux systems.

“Version 1.2 of Bastille’s usability and intelligence has made it
a joy to use. MandrakeSoft’s focus on usability has improved the
Bastille front end tremendously,” says Jay Beale, lead developer for
the Bastille Linux Project.

New Features of Bastille Linux 1.2

Bastille Linux now provides support for Red Hat Linux
versions 6.0 through 7.1 and Mandrake Linux versions 6.0
through 8.0.

A new X Windows-based configuration GUI simplifies
installation of Bastille Linux for new users.

Support for iptables firewalling permits use of the new
Linux 2.4 kernel and offers expanded firewalling capability.

Goals for future versions of Bastille Linux include

Additional security subsystem modules

Improved configuration management architecture

Improved Linux distribution support

Extension of Bastille to run on non-Linux platforms

The Bastille Linux project is receiving assistance from Hewlett-Packard Company in developing Bastille functionality for HP-UX.

About Bastille Linux

The Bastille Linux Project, founded in April 1999, is dedicated to
simplifying security administration on Linux systems. The Bastille Linux software package is available for free under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and is an open source project with an open development list. The core Bastille Linux development team is:

Jay Beale – Lead Developer
Jon Lasser – Lead Coordinator
Sweth Chandramouli – Tools developer
Mike Rash – Port Scan Detector developer
Peter Watkins – Firewall Development

The project is indebted to Affinity Internet Inc. and MandrakeSoft for
the time of Jon Lasser and Jay Beale, respectively. Contributions of
time and talent from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
(UMBC), the SANS institute, and VA Linux have been crucial to the
success of the Bastille Linux Project.

The Bastille Linux software is available from the project’s web site, at http://www.bastille-linux.org/.

Contact: Jon Lasser
Bastille Linux Lead Coordinator
410-558-2787
jon@lasser.org

GNOME Board meeting minutes

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June 15, 2001

Author: JT Smith

LWN.net has the minutes of the June 12 meeting. The board addressed concerns about the way to get a stable Gnome-2.0
in a reasonable time frame.

Microsoft before the earthquake

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June 15, 2001

Author: JT Smith

Linuxuser.co.uk has an analysis of the recent Microsoft campaign against Open Source and Free Software. “The situation for Microsoft is growing serious. Increasingly hyperbolic rhetoric is not by itself a good public
relations strategy. In the weeks preceding the release of an opinion by the United States Court of Appeals in
Washington on Microsoft’s appeal of the order breaking it up for antitrust violations, aggressive and violent
rhetoric directed against a competitor has some serious costs, to say nothing of what Microsoft loses by
appearing ridiculous.”

Category:

Migration

SuSE Linux 7.2 ships

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June 15, 2001

Author: JT Smith

From Mozillaquest.com: “Looks as though the Linux desktop is live and well.” SuSE Linux 7.2 includes both the GNOME 1.4 and KDE . . . 2.1.2 windows-like desktops.” “The new KDE 2.1.2 desktop features an improved Konqueror browser and file manager. And for you Mozilla fans, SuSE Linux 7.2 ships with Mozilla 0.8.1. SuSE Linux 7.2 ships with the new Linux 2.4 kernel. You can buy the shiny, shrink-wrapped package at retail stores or directly from SuSE now. It should be available for downloading on the SuSE FTP site and mirrors in about two to three weeks … “

Category:

Linux

Linux is infected by Microsoft

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June 15, 2001

Author: JT Smith

Derrick Rose writes, “Today I ran across somthing that no child nor Linux user should ever see in their lif time. Another M$ product has turned up calling itself MS Linux. M$ has infected linux, so many viruses out these days and there all infecting the Microsoft Windows platform, Linux just became infected with this new product from Microsoft.

“We are now offering the MS Linux Introductory CD at a special introductory price of only $249.99 (plus shipping and handling), if you order before it ships.” says on the Web site.

For more information about this infection that will spread visit http://www.mslinux.org/.” Editor’s note: It’s an old hoax.