“One many pronged advantage of open source software like WordPress is monitoring and alertness that sponsors put into protecting the community. Update @9:45PM PST: About an hour before posting this we alerted the official WP repository admins about this issue. Looks like [WordPress has] now yanked the affected plugin until the vulnerability is fixed, so the link below to the plugin will be a dead link until the author fixes the issue.
There is currently a zero day SQL injection vulnerability in the WordPress Video Gallery plugin. The exploit is potential still out there in this form. Our researchers are seeing exploits in the wild for this and the exploits claim the vendor has been notified on the 9th of February.” The experts say that the there are really only 25 techniques that bad actors use to create the thousands of exploits that threaten Net users. The lasso seems drawn on this one. At least no new sites will be compromised because the plugin is removed.
Zero Day Exploit Crushed
The fact is that lots of great tools are developed and released with minimal test. While this is a great advantage as long as the creator/developer works intensely with the product the backing of a strong alert community is the best way that safety for uses is insured. Here are some other advantages to Open Source software
- Lower software costs—Open source solutions generally require no licensing fees. The logical extension is no maintenance fees. The only expenditures are for media, documentation, and support, if required.
- Simplified license management—Obtain the software once and install it as many times and in as many locations as you need. There’s no need to count, track, or monitor for license compliance. From <http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=376255>
- Open source is not dependent [a single] company or author that originally created it. Even if the company fails, the code continues to exist and be developed by its users. Also, it uses open standards accessible to everyone; thus, it does not have the problem of incompatible formats that exist in proprietary software. From <http://cloudtweaks.com/2012/08/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-open-source/>
Neither Triad Skycam nor Tekmar uses the gallery plugin noted in this article. It is important that all system users, that is users of the Internet, take 100% responsibility for their systems. That leaves Zero Day Exploits Crushed. The impacts they have on the world wide community that relies on the Net is extensive. We are not all involved in the production of plugins or in gallery promotion business, but many of us rely on these technologies. Let’s stamp out the bad actors large and small.
We encourage any users of WordPress or other technologies to stay alert. We offer third party monitoring, threat protection and backup of all internet connected resources. Fill out the form below for a free no obligation assessment.
Learn more about Open Source from http://www.entrepreneurhandbook.co.uk/open-source-software/
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