Heightened Security: OpenSSL 1.0.0 Beta 1
OpenSSL is approaching version 1.0: the first beta provides a few enhancements and the project is calling for tests.
No April Fool's joke, the first beta version of OpenSSL has been released. The toolkit has been around under Linux for years, although the project so far has been very conservative in its versioning. OpenSSL developers are now asking the community to test the 1.0.0 first beta and send patches and bugs to openssl-bugs@openssl.org.
Per changelog, numerous changes occurred in the libraries since version 0.9.8. Digest and cipher names no longer require the dgst and cipher keywords on the command line. The hash format for certificate directory links was improved and now uses the SHA1 instead of MD5 algorithm. Changes sponsored by Google are showing up related to certificate revocation lists (CRLs). The changelog accompanies the source code and has further details.
OpenSSL is a free implementation of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) v2/v3 and Transport Layer Security (TLS) v1, further based on the SSLeay library developed by Eric A. Young and Tim J. Hudson. It generates and manages certificates and creates keys. Sources for OpenSSL are available on the project's download page.
Issue 172/2015
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
Old Vulnerabilities Are Kept Alive Through Bad Configuration
HP's annual Cyber Risk report offers a bleak look at the state of IT.
-
Linus Torvalds Announces Linux 4.0
But what do the big numbers really mean?
-
Microsoft Frees CoreCLR
.NET Core execution engine is the basis for cross-platform .NET implementations.
-
New Trojan Attacks Linux Servers
The Xnote trojan hides itself on the target system and will launch a variety of attacks on command.
-
Cisco Releases Annual Security Report
Spammers go low-volume, and 90% of IE browsers are unpatched.
-
Zero Day Exploits Target Flash
Adobe scrambles to release patches for vulnerable Flash Player.
-
Intel Unveils Compute Stick
Four-inch-long computer on a stick lets you boot a full Linux system from any HDMI display device.
-
Obama Proposes Personal Data Notification Law
New statute would require companies to report break-ins to consumers.
-
TGXf Project Warns of File Transfer through Screen Pixels
Weird data transfer technique avoids all standard security measures.
-
Industry Giants Announce a Fix for the Password Mess
FIDO alliance declares the beginning of the end for old-style login authentication.