RealONE Player security flaws; millions at risk
WinInfo | at | by Mike
Maybe I'll just start reporting every non-Microsoft security flaw to make a point. No, that would get tiring. Or maybe I'll write about how Apple only patches security flaws in its monthly security updates to OS X, often leaving well-known UNIX flaws open for weeks at a time. Nah. Instead, this week I'll present my "Non-Microsoft Security Flaw of the Week," (passing fancy or start of a trend, who can say?) a wonderful little dollop of insecurity in an insecure world, brought to us by RealNetworks (which, incidentally, is run by an ex-Microsoft executive. Hmm...). It seems that RealNetworks' RealONE and RealPlayer 8 software include three security flaws, which the company attempted to fix last week. But the fix... well, the fix doesn't quite fix anything. And hackers privy to the problem can make just subtle modifications to pre-existing attacks and use the flaws to take control of people's computers. Now that's the kind of power I only expect from Microsoft security vulnerabilities. Go Real!