An old and obscure problem with the gcc compiler was recently discovered to have left a security hole in essentially every version of Linux that anyone is likely to be running. Here's what you need to know about fixing it.

Security, the experts like to tell us, is a process, not a product. With open source that can be a very good thing since when security problems are found they can be fixed quickly. That's the case over this last weekend, Feb. 9-10, when a security problem was found, and given a hot fix

Version 3.6.2, which so far is only available as a beta, fixes a critical security hole in Firefox 3.6 for Windows that was discovered some time ago

Linux security may seem daunting, but there are a host of best practices to simplify the maze. Recently, Steve Grubb of Red Hat Inc. outlined some important security principles, including minimizing admin access, the increasing sophistication of SELinux and the importance of auditing systems.

Over at the Open Sources blog, Savio Rodrigues calls attention to two critical security vulnerabilities in the Spring Framework for Java. They were discovered by security consultancy Ounce Labs, which disclosed the exploits in a detailed report. If you use Spring for critical business applications, you'll definitely want to be aware of the threats and take appropriate measures.

The FreeBSD developers have released new updates to their operating system to close three vulnerabilities. Users with restricted privileges can reportedly exploit all three holes to elevate their privileges. One of the vulnerabilities is caused by a design flaw recently also discovered and fixed in the kernel. It allows programming flaws to cause a NULL pointer dereference.

A medium-large bit of news this week is a potentially serious exploit in the shiny new freshly-released Firefox 3.5, which was released, discovered, and fixed nearly all at the same time. Another open source security success story! Except for one thing-- no one bothered to report if this dastardly flaw affects Linux.

Linux developers fix kernel security holes out in the open. Is a bug a bug, or do security-related fixes deserve special treatment?

Yet another vector of compromise found in Vista 7; new damage control and PR dissected