http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/24/week_of_oracle_bugs/
By John Leyden
24th November 2006
Security researchers irked at Oracle's tardiness at releasing patches
for security bugs plan to name a different vulnerability in Oracle's
enterprise software every day for a week in December.
Oracle's quarterly security bulletins typically produce scores of bugs
but yet more known bugs lay dormant and unfixed, according to Cesar
Cerrudo, founder and chief exec of the Argeniss Security Research Team.
Argeniss plans to release a bug a day involving Oracle databases next
month in what's been dubbed "The Week of Oracle Database Bugs"(WoODB).
Cerrudo said the effort, styled after Metasploit developer H. D. Moore's
Month of Browser Bugs project last July, is designed to push Oracle into
releasing fixes more quickly. He rejects suggestions that publicising
unpatched flaws might put Oracle shops at greater risk of hacking
attacks.
"I think Oracle users' security will be helped since users will realize
the real threat they are facing running Oracle flawed software and they
will start to put pressure on Oracle asking for responses, improvements
in security, etc," Cerrudo told internetnews.com, adding that knowing
more about flaws in Oracle's software will help users to take steps to
limit the impact of possible attacks.
The time taken by Oracle to release patches has been criticised in the
past by database security experts such as NGS Software. Oracle revamped
its patch program in October to give more easily digestible information
on the fixes it releases every three months. The move doesn't nearly go
far enough for Cerrudo who said that the central problem of Oracle
failing to patch its flaws in a timely fashion remains.
Argeniss knows of unpatched flaws in the database software of other
vendors but reckons Oracle been particularly remiss in dealing with bugs
in its software. Cerrudo claimed he could stage a "Year of Oracle
Database Bugs" but said a week was enough time to make his point.
Received on Mon Nov 27 01:29:37 2006