Universe’s Tech Blog

Malware writers have used a Wikipedia article and special storage features to attempt to plant malicious code on unsuspecting users’ systems, the online encyclopedia’s organisers have confirmed.

The incident took advantage of Wikipedia’s policy of openness, which allows anyone to create and modify articles. The attackers created a Wikipedia page that promised a Windows security update for a supposedly new version of the Lovesan/W32.Blaster worm, and pointed to an external site with the seemingly authentic domain wikipedia-download.org.

Wikipedia editors quickly identified and deleted the article, according to a report from German news organisation Heise. However, the attackers had used a Wikipedia feature that archives all previous versions of articles when changes have been made.

The malicious page thus continued to exist in the archive, and the attackers were able to point to it in mass emails, according to Heise.

The emails used Wikipedia’s logo, and explained that Microsoft had asked Wikipedia to assist with hosting the patch during a supposed Lovesan/W32.Blaster outbreak.

Wikipedia confirmed it has now deleted the archived versions of the malicious article. Wikipedia-download.org also leads to a dead end.

In August, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, addressing the Wikimania conference, acknowledged growing problems for the encyclopedia around accuracy and malicious edits, and promised to improve quality. The English version of Wikipedia passed 1 million entries this year.

The WSJ is reporting that Microsoft and Novell are teaming up — and just me look outside to see if the sky is falling — to support Linux.

In a webscast today from San Francisco with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian, Ballmer acknowledged that Linux plays an important role in the operations of many companies, alongside Microsoft’s products.

The deal between the two companies sounds more like a coldwar stalemate than innovative business interest — according to the WSJ, the deal hinges around Microsoft agreeing not to file patent infringements against users of Novell’s SuSE Linux, and Novell to not sue users of Windows, and with with Microsoft offering sales support for SuSE Linux.

The agreement also includes the creation of a joint research facility for both companies to test interoperability of their software, which includes further developing virtualisation technologies to better allow one operating system to run on top of the other.

It’s doable now, of course, but a tighter integration can only be a good thing.

Finally Microsoft would, when asked which distribution of Linux works best with Microsoft software, recommend Novell’s SuSE Linux. “We definitely want customers who chose to run both Windows and Linux to choose Novell,” Mr. Ballmer was quoted as saying.

In fact for Ballmer the new agreement “bridges the divide between open source and proprietary software”. Well, as long as you’re Microsoft and Novell — somehow, I don’t think we’re going to see a revolution in Microsoft opening up its proprietary formats and to work with all open source developers.

All up it’s interesting news, but I think the hype is more impressive than the reality — Microsoft’s only responsibility is to serve its own interests.

Regardless, it’s a step forward for open source in the sense of its validation by the biggest commercial software vendor in the world, and even though Microsoft will be sticking closely to Novell for its foray into the open source pool (lets be honest here — ‘Shared Source’ is a farce), it none the less validates Linux and open-source as pillar for todays businesses.

And a far cry from the days when Microsoft first said Linux was inconsequential, then a ‘virus’ on the software world, then less secure than Windows and now decides that it’s so good it not only wants to interopate with it, but promote and sell it as well.

The sky isn’t falling, but it is does seem rather overcast today…

Christmas came a tad bit early for employees of Apple Computer this year, each of which will receive a shiny second-generation iPod shuffle digital music player with the company’s compliments.

The “morale booster,” as some call it, extends from corporate all the way down to the company’s retail division, several employees told AppleInsider.

In January of 2005, the Cupertino, Calif.-based iPod maker commissioned a similar move when it offered staff members a complimentary version of the first-generation iPod shuffle a couple of weeks after the player was unveiled at Macworld Expo.

The $79 second-generation iPod shuffle was first unveiled by Apple during a September 12th media event. It comes with a built-in clip and 1GB of storage, good for storing approximately 240 songs.

Apple has scheduled a worldwide retail launch of the new players for tomorrow, friday November 3rd.

In an email sent out this week, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs reportedly told employees to expect their new iPods by the end of the month.