WEEKEND VULNERABILITY AND PATCH REPORT

May 26, 2013

The following software vulnerabilities and updates were announced by Citadel Information Group.  They strongly recommend that readers update their computers and take other action as indicated.  This is from an e-mail received from Stan Stahl, Ph.D. [www.citadel-information.com] and posted with his approval.

Important Security Updates

Apple QuickTime: Apple has released version 7.7.4 of QuickTime to fix at least 12 vulnerabilities, some of which are highly critical.  Updates are available from within the program or Apple's website. 

Google Chrome: Google has released version 27.0.1453.93 of Chrome. Updates are available through the browser or Google's website. See unpatched vulnerabilities below in versions prior to 27.0.1453.93.

Current Software Versions

Adobe Flash 11.7.700.202 [Windows 7: IE9, Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape, Opera]

Adobe Flash 11.7.700.202 [Windows 8: IE]

Adobe Flash 11.7.700.202 [Macintosh OS X: Firefox, Opera, Safari]

Adobe Reader 11.0.03

Dropbox 1.6.11 [Citadel warns against relying on Dropbox security. We recommend files containing sensitive information be independently encrypted with a program like Axcrypt; encryption keys be at least 15 characters long; and the Dropbox password be at least 15 characters long and different from other passwords.]

Firefox 21 [Windows]

Google Chrome 27.0.1453.93

Internet Explorer 10.0.9200.16521 [Windows 7: IE]

Internet Explorer 10.0.9200.16519 [Windows 8: IE]

Java SE 7 Update 21 [Citadel recommends removing or disabling Java from your browser. Java is a major source of cyber criminal exploits. It is not needed for most internet browsing. If you have particular web sites that requires Java, Citadel recommends using a two-browser approach to minimize risk. If you normally browse the Web with Firefox, for example, disable the Java plugin in Firefox and use an alternative browser - such as Chrome, IE9, Safari, etc - with Java enabled to browse only the sites that require it.]

QuickTime 7.7.4

Safari 5.1.7  [Windows]

Safari 6.0.4 [Mac OS X]

Skype 6.3.0.105

Newly Announced Unpatched Vulnerabilities

Google Chrome: Secunia reports at least 27 highly critical unpatched vulnerabilities in versions prior to 27.0.1453.93 of Google's Chrome. No patches are available at this time. Update to version 27.0.1453.93 of Chrome. 

For an updated list of previously announced Unpatched Vulnerabilities, please see the resources section of Citadel's website.

If you are responsible for the security of your computer, Citadel's Weekend Vulnerability and Patch Report is for you. We strongly urge you to take action to keep your workstation patched and updated.

If someone else is responsible for the security of your computer, forward our Weekend Vulnerability and Patch Report to them and follow up to make sure your computer has been patched and updated.

Vulnerability management is a key element of cyber security management. Cyber criminals take over user computers by writing computer programs that "exploit" vulnerabilities in operating systems (Windows, Apple OS, etc) and application programs (Adobe Acrobat, Office, Flash, Java, etc). When software companies find a vulnerability, they usually issue an update patch to fix the code running in their customer's computers.

Citadel publishes our Weekend Vulnerability and Patch Report to alert readers to some of the week's important updates and vulnerabilities. Our focus is on software typically found in the small or home office (SOHO) or that users are likely to have on their home computer. The report is not intended to be a thorough listing of updates and vulnerabilities.

Copyright © 2013 Citadel Information Group. All rights reserved.