Security researchers have discovered a new vulnerability in open source software that attackers could exploit to launch malware attacks. Developers have since released a patch for the bug in the GnuTLS cryptographic code library, which could place Linux and other open source software users at risk for problems such as buffer overflow attacks. GnuTLS is an open-source implementation of Internet encryption protocols including Secure Sockets Layer; Transport Layer Security; and Datagram Transport Layer Security, used in various Linux distributions. An infected server could exploit the vulnerability during the handshake between the Secure Sockets Layer and Transport Layer Security, culminating in the crash of vulnerable clients. It could also allow attackers to execute code on the system. The vulnerability was reported by Joonas Kuorilehto, a principal systems engineer at Codenomicon, the same vendor of vulnerability-testing tools responsible for finding the Heartbleed flaw in the OpenSSL Internet-security protocol earlier this year. (Ars Technica)(PC World)(Red Hat Bug Tracker)
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Friday, December 20, 2013
Open Source Project Tackles Secure Password Storage
A newly launched open source project aims to help users safely store their online security credentials, particularly long, complex passwords. The project aims to combine hardware and software to solve the problems caused by users selecting insecure passwords, according to Mathieu Stephan, an electronics engineer at encryption vendor ID Quantique who will head the as-yet-unnamed project. The goal is to help users generate long, complex random passwords for the different websites they regularly access, which helps protect the user’s information from being compromised. Recent analysis of stolen passwords shows people are not good at selecting their own passwords, which makes them vulnerable to data or identity theft. The project seeks community input throughout the development of the device. As planned, the new technology will include a smart card and a device—able to store Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-256-encrypted passwords and keys to help users secure their online credentials—that users can connect to a computer via USB. (SlashDot)(Hackaday)(IEEE Computer News Feed – December 2, 2013)
Monday, September 3, 2012
Math formula leads researchers to source of pollution
Presenting their research June 26, in IOP Publishing's journal Inverse Problems, the researchers, from Université de Technologie de Compiègne, believe their work could aid efforts to avoid environmental catastrophes by identifying the exact location where pollutants have been leaked as early as possible.
In the event of an oil spill across a region of the sea, researchers could collect samples of pollutants along certain sections of the body of water and then feed this information into their algorithm.
The algorithm is then able to determine two things: the rate at which the pollutant entered the body of water and where the pollutant came from.
This isn't the first time that mathematical algorithms have been used to solve this problem; however, this new approach is unique in that it could allow researchers to 'track' the source of a pollutant if it is moving or changing in strength.
Co-author of the study, Mr Mike Andrle, said: "In the unfortunate event of a pollutant spill, either by purposeful introduction into our waters or atmosphere, or by purely accidental fate, collaboration with scientists and engineers and application of this work may save precious moments to avert more environmental damage."
The algorithm itself is modelled on the general transport of a pollutant and takes three phenomena into account: diffusion, convection and reaction.
Diffusion is where the pollutant flows naturally from high concentrations to low concentrations and convection is where other factors cause the pollutant to displace, such as a current in the sea. A pollutant may also react with other materials in the water or settle on a seabed or lake floor: this is classified as 'reaction'.
The researchers add that other terms could also be added into the algorithm to account for the properties of different pollutants; for example, oil may not dissolve entirely in water and may form droplets, in which case the buoyancy and settling would need to be accounted for.
Their theoretical results have already shown that the result is unique; that is, the solution found is the only possible one given the observable data. The results were also shown to be very robust, which is extremely important in practice where such measurements often have relatively large errors associated with them.
Mr Andrle continued: "Growing up on Lake Erie, I heard of the previous shape it had been in where industry resulted in much of the lake being declared dead at one time. Though I was not alive to see it at its worst, I did witness how lots of legislation and new policies had turned its fate around.
"I saw a chance to contribute to research that may help mitigate causes of similar future events. We hope that the results of this work are substantially circulated so that those involved in pollution spill localisation and clean-up are aware of this solution."
The paper's second author, Professor Abdellatif El-Badia, said: "Inverse problems are very important in science, engineering and bioengineering. It is very interesting that we've been able to apply this topic to the very big problem of pollution."
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Institute of Physics, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
M Andrle and A El Badia. Identification of multiple moving pollution sources in surface waters or atmospheric media with boundary observations. Inverse Problems, 2012 DOI: 10.1088/0266-5611/28/7/075009Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Math formula leads researchers to source of pollution
Presenting their research June 26, in IOP Publishing's journal Inverse Problems, the researchers, from Université de Technologie de Compiègne, believe their work could aid efforts to avoid environmental catastrophes by identifying the exact location where pollutants have been leaked as early as possible.
In the event of an oil spill across a region of the sea, researchers could collect samples of pollutants along certain sections of the body of water and then feed this information into their algorithm.
The algorithm is then able to determine two things: the rate at which the pollutant entered the body of water and where the pollutant came from.
This isn't the first time that mathematical algorithms have been used to solve this problem; however, this new approach is unique in that it could allow researchers to 'track' the source of a pollutant if it is moving or changing in strength.
Co-author of the study, Mr Mike Andrle, said: "In the unfortunate event of a pollutant spill, either by purposeful introduction into our waters or atmosphere, or by purely accidental fate, collaboration with scientists and engineers and application of this work may save precious moments to avert more environmental damage."
The algorithm itself is modelled on the general transport of a pollutant and takes three phenomena into account: diffusion, convection and reaction.
Diffusion is where the pollutant flows naturally from high concentrations to low concentrations and convection is where other factors cause the pollutant to displace, such as a current in the sea. A pollutant may also react with other materials in the water or settle on a seabed or lake floor: this is classified as 'reaction'.
The researchers add that other terms could also be added into the algorithm to account for the properties of different pollutants; for example, oil may not dissolve entirely in water and may form droplets, in which case the buoyancy and settling would need to be accounted for.
Their theoretical results have already shown that the result is unique; that is, the solution found is the only possible one given the observable data. The results were also shown to be very robust, which is extremely important in practice where such measurements often have relatively large errors associated with them.
Mr Andrle continued: "Growing up on Lake Erie, I heard of the previous shape it had been in where industry resulted in much of the lake being declared dead at one time. Though I was not alive to see it at its worst, I did witness how lots of legislation and new policies had turned its fate around.
"I saw a chance to contribute to research that may help mitigate causes of similar future events. We hope that the results of this work are substantially circulated so that those involved in pollution spill localisation and clean-up are aware of this solution."
The paper's second author, Professor Abdellatif El-Badia, said: "Inverse problems are very important in science, engineering and bioengineering. It is very interesting that we've been able to apply this topic to the very big problem of pollution."
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Institute of Physics, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
M Andrle and A El Badia. Identification of multiple moving pollution sources in surface waters or atmospheric media with boundary observations. Inverse Problems, 2012 DOI: 10.1088/0266-5611/28/7/075009Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.