News Archive for 05/07/25

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iTunes vulnerabilities could let attackers in

07/25, 3:10pm

iTunes vulnerable

A survey by the non-profit SANS Institute found new security holes in widely used software and the Cybersecurity research organization mentioned that over 422 significant new Internet security vulnerabilities emerged in the second quarter of 2005, an increase of eleven percent over the first quarter according to this report from Reuters. While backup software and other desktop applications seem to be the latest targets, flaws in media players like Apple's iTunes and RealNetworks RealPlayer could allow malicious persons to access a user's computer via a corrupted MP3 file.

Sony to pay 10 million and halt "pay-to-play" service

07/25, 1:50pm

Sony stops pay-to-play

Today New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced that Sony has agreed to pay $10 million and halt its "pay-to-play" service in order to resolve a state investigation of payola in the music industry. Spitzer stated, "our investigation shows that, contrary to listener expectations that songs are selected for airplay based on artistic merit and popularity, air time is often determined by undisclosed payoffs to radio stations and their employees." according to the report. Sony acknowledged it engaged in "improper conduct" according to a statement issued today by Spitzer's office. Radio station advertising is expected to drop less than one percent this year due to satellite-radio and iPods hurting prices for traditional advertisements, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

Rogue Amoeba Software releases Nicecast 1.8

07/25, 12:30pm

Nicecast 1.8 released

Rogue Amoeba Software has released Nicecast 1.8 for ($40 - free demo available). This live music broadcasting tool for Mac OS X 10.3 features stream password protection, listener kicking, UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), NAT-PMP router support to ease the configuration process and free updates for registered users. More recent hardware models from Apple, Netgear and LinkSys support UPnP and NAT-PMP (Network Address Translation Port Mapping Protocol). The developers claim this version automatically stops search engine bots from tuning in, too.

Apple lacks "economic ecosystem" for iPod

07/25, 11:05am

MP3 \"economic ecosystem\"

Apple will inevitably lose its hold on the digital music player market, as competitors slowly bring their features up to par with the iPod, and leverage their "economic ecosystem," says FastCompany. While the iPod, like most Apple products, is a "closed" platform, Apple's competitors are "a set of companies, cooperating and competing at once, that together deliver a product or service by providing different components that share some critical capabilities." The iPod "has not changed much since its debut four years ago," and "no one can improve on an iPod except Apple." A so-called ecosystem is better than a single product "because its collective of competitors can explore and invest in many more ideas than any single company can muster," the article explains.