toggle

AAPL Stock: 562.29 ( -3.03 )

Briefly: Adobe security flaw; domain war

updated 10:45 am EDT, Fri May 18, 2007

Adobe security flaw


In brief: A security flaw has surfaced in Adobe's Version Cue software that can result in a disabled firewall, and the previous owner of babelcompany.com reports that the user who managed to obtain the domain name babelcompany.com has removed his copyrighted content as well as any misleading references to Impression. Speck is giving away a free ToughSkin to customers who order at least $20 worth of merchandise, and Aquafadas has released two new themes for Pulpmotion titled TimeMachine and Bouncing. Adobe Version Cue disables the Mac OS X personal firewall to set up certain ports that allow controlled access through the firewall service during installation on a Mac system. Unfortunately the firewall is not re-enabled once the setup is complete, according to one security tracking service, leaving certain systems open to attack.

Babelcompany.com domain war

The previous owner of babelcompany.com tells MacNN that "due to a series of unfortunate recent circumstances I've had another registrant acquire the babelcompany.com domain name from me during the domain renewal process." The user is currently working to resolve the issue with Network Solutions, and says that the new domain owner has complied with his request to remove copyrighted content from the site as well as other misleading references to Impression. The domain name, however, is no longer controlled by Impression's owner Stephen Elliott.

Speck offer, Aquafadas themes

Speck Products is giving away free ToughSkins for iPod or iPod nano to customers who purchase at least $20 worth of merchandise, enabling accessory shoppers to enter a coupon code at checkout for a free protective cover to cash in on the offer.... Aquafadas has released two new themes for Pulpmotion titled TimeMachine and Bouncing; the TimeMachine theme enables users to visualize images as well as videos in a Leopard-like manner, while Bouncing aims to "put some spring" into slideshows.


by MacNN Staff

(7)

TAGS :

 industry
toggle

Comments

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0

    Insane

    People tout that OS X has security and you need to authenticate and such, and then some installer can go in and turn off your firewall? WTF is that?

    And WTF is this installer disabling the firewall for in the first place? Probably some lame anti-copying practice to make sure people don't put the software on a couple of computers.

  1. Guest

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 1999

    0

    re:insane

    I am surprised testudo posted a comment without thinking first.

  1. burger

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Sep 2000

    0

    Adobe software

    is far to intrusive for me to like their products. They used to have great software. Now it's trying to be everything for everyone and it's BLOATED!

    Oh well, 'tis the cycle of life for software developers.

  1. suhail

    Senior User

    Joined: Nov 1999

    0

    bloatware

    Adobe is bloated, i can watch my hair grow while quitting an Adobe app

  1. hayesk

    Professional Poster

    Joined: Sep 1999

    0

    Re: insane

    "People tout that OS X has security and you need to authenticate and such, and then some installer can go in and turn off your firewall? WTF is that? "

    Uhm... I believe you do authenticate the Adobe Installer. As soon as you enter your password, it has free reign to do what it wants.

    People need to accept that using a computer has risks that cannot completely be eliminated. However, I'd be livid at Adobe if this happened to me. They should know better.

  1. crucialmac

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2006

    0

    Awsome Time Machine

    Awsome Time Machine Retrospective made with this new PulpMotion theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-gycgz7O4U

  1. LouZer

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 2000

    0

    Re: insane

    Uhm... I believe you do authenticate the Adobe Installer. As soon as you enter your password, it has free reign to do what it wants.

    People need to accept that using a computer has risks that cannot completely be eliminated. However, I'd be livid at Adobe if this happened to me. They should know better.


    But shouldn't people expect that major software publishers aren't going to do stupid things like disable firewalls, install spyware, or erase your hard drive? That's why we enter our password to use the installer in the first place, because we supposedly 'trust' the publisher.

    But to the point of entering our password giving free reign to the computer, that should NOT be the case. The firewall, as with other SYSTEM components, should be under different authentication and ownership. I give permission so they can write content to 'protected' directories, like "Applications" and "Library".

    Maybe this just shows the false sense of security apple offers with their authentication. They tell you "you need to authenticate", but all they do is tell you what app is opening, but not what they're planning on doing to your computer. How about some details?

Login Here

Not a member of the MacNN forums? Register now for free.

 
close
Photo
toggle

Network Headlines

toggle

Most Popular

MacNN Sponsor

Recent Reviews

iHome iW2 AirPlay speaker

iHome generally isn't known as a luxury brand when it comes to audio, but it is prolific -- the company's docks and speakers are every ...

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover

One of the iPad's main weaknesses has always been productivity. It's not a question of apps; while it has taken a little time for a na ...

Logitech UE Air Speaker

If maybe a little more slowly than Apple would like, AirPlay is becoming a staple of the wireless speaker market for iOS devices. The ...

toggle

Most Commented