Tuesday, June 15

Last week ActionTec announced support for Linux with a broad array of products. It's also worth mentioning that the company's new PCI card modem is hardware-based, so it will work with non-Windows operating systems. (Most PCI modems are software-based modems which require Windows.)

FlashNet has joined the ranks of companies giving away free PCs. FlashNet's offer is unique because customers don't have to provide extensive demographic information, and because they don't have to view ads while online. Also, the computer is not new. Customers get a refurbished Pentium computer and unlimited Internet access for $21.95 per month for a two-year contract, or $19.95 per month for a three-year contract. There are some caveats, though. There is a $25 setup fee and a $49.95 shipping fee. You must be a FlashNet subscriber in order to take advantage of the offer, but the offer is only good while supplies last, so you aren't guaranteed a computer if you subscribe.

Enchilada is offering a 350 MHz AMD K6-2 computer with three years of unlimited Internet access for $399. A 15 inch monitor is $149 extra.

CERT has updated its ExploreZip worm warning with additional information.

Cable modems and TV

Matt Stump of Cable World looks at a poll of digital cable and cable modem users, and suggests that cable modem companies may have already gotten their early adopters and should look for a more mainstream audience.

MSNBC reports that Microsoft subsidiary WebTV is making deals with cable companies to become a player in the cable modem and interactive services market.

Also this week, Microsoft purchased a $30 million stake in Wink, whose interactive TV technology will be included in upcoming DirecTV set-top boxes, and potentially in WebTV units.

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Friday, June 18

Tony Petri notes that ModemExpress is charging $25 to upgrade Hayes modems to V.90. ModemExpress bought the Hayes.com web site after Hayes went bankrupt. The upgrade was free prior to Hayes' bankruptcy, and is still available at no charge from Windrivers.com.

ZyXEL has introduced an ADSL router, the ZyXEL Prestige 641, with G. Lite support, auto-switching 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, Network Address Translation (NAT) and Port Address Translation (PAT).

The Divx videodisc format is officially dead. Divx, a sort of proprietary version of DVD, required viewing fees when viewed more than 48 hours after the initial viewing. A modem and phone line provided authorization and billing. The authorization and billing service will be dismantled after June 30, 2001, at which point Divx will join the ranks of dead media. Divx units will still be able to play DVD titles, however.

Microsoft bites

CERT has issued a security advisory concerning a vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) 4.0:

A buffer overflow vulnerability affecting Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0 has been discovered in the ISM.DLL library. According to Microsoft, ISM.DLL is the "filter DLL that processes .HTR files. HTR files enable remote administration of user passwords."

A tool to exploit this vulnerability has been publicly released.

This vulnerability allows remote intruders to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the IIS server. Additionally, intruders can use this vulnerability to crash vulnerable IIS processes.

No they don't

Microsoft has posted a workaround for the IIS buffer overflow problem, and has criticized the company that discovered the vulnerability for publicizing it before a patch was available, and posting a program on their web site to demonstrate the problem.

This guy says they do

Meanwhile, Java co-author James Gosling is being quoted in InfoWorld as saying that Windows by its very nature is more susceptible to viruses and other exploits.

Weekend update

Microsoft has issued an updated bulletin and a security patch for the IIS buffer overflow problem described on Friday.

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