Free Republic

A security hole in the XDR Library provided to a number of vendors by Sun Microsystems Inc. could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on an affected system or cause a denial of service, according to an advisory from the CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC). The flaw also affects the widely used Kerberos authentication software that allows users to securely log on to remote systems. The vulnerability exists in XDR (External Data Representation) libraries derived from SunRPC (remote procedure call) used in products from Sun, as well as from Apple Computer Inc., IBM and a number of Linux and Unix...

Security researchers have warned of a flaw in communications software that could allow attackers to take over computers running Windows, Unix-based operating systems and Mac OS X, as well as Kerberos authentication systems. The problem is widespread because it affects some implementations of XDR (external data representation) libraries, used by many applications as a way of sending data from one system process to another, regardless of the system's architecture. The affected libraries are derived from Sun Microsystems' SunRPC remote procedure call technology, which has been taken up by many vendors. The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), a security network...

<p>SEATTLE -- When investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein began making the switch to the Linux computer operating system in 1999, it did so to save money.</p> <p>The Germany-based bank sought a less-costly way to calculate risks associated with its portfolio of investments. So it replaced 32 computer servers, based on the time-tested Unix operating systems, at an average cost of $50,000 each, with 40 Linux servers, at $3,000 a pop.</p>

WASHINGTON--Hewlett Packard has found a new club to use to pound researchers who unearth flaws in the company's software: the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Invoking both the controversial 1998 DMCA and computer crime laws, HP has threatened to sue a team of researchers who publicized a vulnerability in the company's Tru64 Unix operating system. In a letter sent on Monday, an HP vice president warned SnoSoft, a loosely organized research collective, that its members "could be fined up to $500,000 and imprisoned for up to five years" for its role in publishing information on a bug that lets an intruder...

Steve Jobs and the History of Cocoa, Part Two by Simson Garfinkel and Michael Mahoney 05/10/2002 Editor's note: In Part One, Simson Garfinkel and Michael Mahoney explain why Cocoa and Mac OS X aren't nearly as revolutionary as they are evolutionary, beginning with Apple's genesis in the 1970s. Now they pick up the story with the Star Trek project and bring you to the current iteration of Mac OS X. Star Trek, Be, and a New Hope NeXT wasn’t the only burgeoning operating system company to have its hopes dashed. Another such company was Apple itself. In the summer...

Steve Jobs and the History of Cocoa, Part One by Simson Garfinkel and Michael Mahoney 05/03/2002 Editor's note: In this first part of a two-part series, Simson Garfinkel and Michael Mahoney explain why Cocoa and Mac OS X aren't nearly as revolutionary as they are evolutionary -- and still in the process of refinement. The story begins with Apple's genesis in the 1970s and takes you through key events up through 1993, when NeXTSTEP began to flounder. In Part Two (Friday, May 10), Simson and Michael pick up the story with the Star Trek project and bring you to...

I'm embarrassed to admit that I have forgotten most of what I knew about Unix, so maybe some of you guys can help. I have a client running a manufacturing process with SCO Unix. (Don't ask why.) They had a hard disk crash on the primary disk last week. They have installed the new disk and reinstalled SCO and their application. Some critical data still exists on the secondary drive. They need to mount the drive so they can access the data. I recall that there is a Unix "mount" command, but I don't recall the syntax or even if...