Plus: EMC overtakes HP in external disk-based storage; Court orders new trial in Microsoft Web-browser patent case; two senators propose tax breaks for safe computer recycling.
Computer Associates last week issued a warning about security holes in its software tool designed to help customers manage software licenses. The holes are in CA License software versions 1.53 through 1.61.8 for a number of platforms, which include Microsoft’s Windows, Sun’s Solaris, Apple’s OS X, Unix and Linux.
The server component is disabled by default when it is shipped, but the License Client is enabled by default on most CA software. This increases the chances for successful attacks. Security firms eEye Digital Security and iDefense discovered many serious flaws, including buffer-overflow vulnerabilities, which could let remote attackers run malicious code on servers or clients that run the license software.
In some cases, firewall software can be used to block attacks targeting the vulnerabilities. However, customers need to apply License software patches for affected versions of the License Server or License Client. Alternatively, customers can upgrade from affected software versions to CA License Version 1.61.9, which does not contain the holes, according to CA.
EMC overtook HP to become the top seller of external disk-based storage systems in 2004, according to IDC. With just less than $3 billion in revenue, up 18.4% from 2003, EMC had 21.1% of the market when measured by revenue. HP’s sales were $2.6 billion, down 6.3% year-over-year, giving it an 18.7% share of the market. “This is the first time since HP acquired Compaq that EMC has come back to overtake external storage,” says Brad Nisbet, a program manager at IDC. “EMC is firing on all cylinders.”
IBM and Hitachi Data Systems were ranked third and fourth for the year, with sales of $1.8 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively. Dell, ranked fifth, was the fastest-growing vendor of external storage systems for the year. Dell’s revenue was $994 million, up 18.7% from its 2003 total. Overall, sales of external disk-based storage systems were up 4.7% for the year, totaling $14.2 billion, but that growth slowed to less than 1% during the fourth quarter.
An appeals court last week threw out a $520.6 million patent infringement judgment against Microsoft and ordered a new trial in the dispute brought by Eolas Technologies. The ruling has both sides claiming victory. The appeals court ordered a lower court to hold a new trial concerning the validity of the patent involved in the case, but upheld the lower court’s finding that Microsoft infringed upon the patent and upheld the damages, according to the University of California, which joined Eolas in the lawsuit.
In the case, Eolas and the university accused Microsoft of improperly including technology in the Internet Explorer Web browser that allows interactive content to be embedded in a Web site, a common practice on the Internet. A jury in August 2003 ruled against Microsoft. The ruling triggered an outcry from experts, who argued that the patent should be invalid because of prior art, or examples of the technology’s use before the patent was issued.
Two U.S. senators last week introduced legislation that would give tax breaks to individuals and businesses that safely dispose of computers and other worn-out electronic devices. The Electronic Waste Recycling and Promotion and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 would create incentives for a nationwide recycling infrastructure for computers, monitors and television sets, said senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jim Talent (R-Mo.).
The e-waste recycling bill would establish an $8-per-piece tax credit for companies that recycle at least 5,000 monitors or computer units per year. Individuals who use qualified recyclers to dispose of computers or TV sets would receive a $15 tax credit. The bill also would prohibit the disposal in a municipal solid waste landfill of any electronic equipment containing a display screen greater than 4 inches or any computer system, beginning three years after the bill is passed.
The prohibition would take effect only if the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency finds that a majority of U.S. households have reasonable access to e-waste recycling.
