We are a bunch of tech geeks, coders and designers. Autodesk Design Review DWF Viewer Vulnerability »
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Secunia is reporting a vulnerability with Autodesk’s Design Review DWF Viewer which can lead to a compromised PC.
The vulnerability stems from a flaw in the ActiveX control including the insecure “SaveAs()” method. If exploited, arbitrary files on the compromised computer can be overwritten.
This vulnerability was originally discovered by “bruiser” from Nine Situations Group and outlined here. Bruiser tested the vulnerability using Internet Explorer 6 along with Revit Architecture 2009 SP2 and Autodesk Design Review 2009.
DWF is a very popular file format for quickly and easily sending drawing files through email, among other things. Many CAD users prefer DWF because of its vector based capabilities, small file size and the ability for people to view drawing files without having AutoCad installed. I previously posted on the benefits of DWF for CAD users.
Microsoft Pro Tools Photography Software »
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For all you travelers out there with a bazillion pictures from the hundreds of trips you have taken, here is a pretty cool piece of software that will allow you to Geotag your photos with ease.
Microsoft Pro Photo Tools allows photographers to easily geotag photos, assign GPS coordinates, edit a picture’s meta data and lots more. These types of functions will make it really easy to integrate your photos into Web2.0 mapping software.
There are dozens of programs out there that will do this type of thing and many of them are even open-source, but if you want a set of tools geared toward the professional photographer, this one has some powerful functionality and is priced right at $0.00.
To install Pro Photo Tools, you will need the .Net 3.0 framework in place. You can get that here.
Sony Recalls Vaio Laptops »
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Well, it has been a while since there was a significant laptop recall, but you knew it would happen again.
Sony has issued a voluntary recall of 438,000 Vaio laptop computer due to the possibility of overheating that could potentially burn the user.
According to the statement by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Sony gotten 15 reports of laptops overheating and one of those resulted in the owner receiving a minor burn. Here are the Sony Vaio laptops included in the voluntary recall:
- VGN-TZ100
- VGN-TZ200
- VGN-TZ300
- VGN-TZ2000
The laptops can possibly short circuit and overheat due to what the CPSC states is an “irregularly positioned wires near the computer’s hinge and/or dislodged screw inside the hinge”.
Shares of Sony are down about 30 percent this year, so this information probably will not help. If you have one of these laptops, contact Sony toll-free at (888) 526-6219 anytime, or visit Sony’s Web site.
Windows Vista Makes Big Strides »
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Last month, the VP of Windows Vista marketing Brad Brooks openly acknowledged that Microsoft has felt the pressure from the negative publicity surrounding Windows Vista.
“We broke a lot of things. We know that, and we know it caused you a lot of pain.”
At the center of the negative publicity stood Apple with the “I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” commercials and Brooks said the company has plans to address the naysayers with an expensive advertising campaign (reportedly paying Jerry Seinfeld $10 Million for an endorsement).
In addition, Microsoft has launched two websites that are designed to help answer consumers’ questions regarding migrating to Vista. The Windows Vista Small Business Assurance website is specifically geared to the small business owner who cannot afford to have downtime due to a software upgrade and can’t afford to have to purchase all new equipment for their office due to a software upgrade. It has some pretty good information and does a great job of answering questions.
The second site is the Windows Vista Compatibility Center website. This site allows you to search to see if your particular hardware or software is supported by Windows Vista before you actually make the switch. I did a post over a year ago about Windows Vista incompatibility with many software and hardware, but I have not done a post updating the major strides Microsoft has done in the compatibility arena (my bad). Vista supports LOTS of things now, the number being somewhere around 77,000 and it now supports nearly all business apps.
Further, Microsoft is offering free Vista phone tech support through October 31, 2008 for any small business that makes the switch before September 30. That is another nice touch.
Overall, nice job Microsoft. Almost all of our hardware is now supported and much of our software too. Maybe its time for that upgrade…
Internet Security Suites »
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Most new computers these days come preloaded with some form of Internet Security, usually McAfee or, *gasp*, Norton. These are usually in the form of a trial version for up to 15 months with the hopes that, when the trial period is expired you will be so intimidated by the thought of installing a different one that you will just chose to renew.
Granted, it can be a royal pain switching from one Anti-virus / Spyware protection service to another, but sometimes that is exactly what you should do. If you are not dead-set on continuing to use what was preloaded for you by your PC manufacturer, here are a few other Internet Security Suites that you would do well to at least consider:
- TrustPort – Virtual disk encryption utility and included tools to securely shred your deleted data files. $55/yr. 1 PC.
- ZoneAlarm – Firewall, privacy controls, anti-virus and parental controls. $59.95/yr. 3 PCs.
- BitDefender – Lots of tools and power scanners, plus 2 year online data backup. $79.95/yr. 3 PCs.
Don’t feel that you have to stick with McAffee or Norton just because that is what your PC came loaded with. You can switch and you might find something better. All of the products listed above have a fully functional trial so you can test before you buy.
