Archive for December, 2009
An article posted today on Yahoo! Tech News details some recent hacks to popular websites running the popular open-source ad server system OpenX. Among the affected were King Features (a popular comics site), Ain’t it Cool News and Adobe.
The two prong hack features two common techniques in releasing viruses these days: a “SQL injection” attack to the OpenX ad server which essentially forces an entry into the ad database, followed by a “iFrame” attack which loads a new page within the same window in your browser, enabling the hacker to fire a number of different pieces of code from the new “framed” page.
An iFrame attack can be avoided by using any decent anti-virus software to block the source, however a “SQL injection” is another matter. I’ve recommended that any of my clients using the OpenX software upgrade to the latest version and attempt to hide any publicly available database config info.
Speaking as a person who’s used a SQL Injection technique in a non-malicious way (as part of a plugin), the best route is to always make sure you keep your password hidden and up-to-date.
Kimberly Jonas.com
Part of a slew of web launches this week, KimberlyJonas.com is finally unveiled! Kimberly Jonas is an entrepreneur, yoga instructor, and writer who focuses on personal growth.
Kimberly Jonas.com was developed to market Kimberly’s unique style, expertise and focus on personal growth. Working with an existing unique Illustrator design from Kimberly’s designer, a custom theme for the WordPress platform was developed to enable her to have a large amount of control over her content while simultaneously getting the exact branded look and feel she desired.
This theme utilizes her unique brand, provided designs and features a number of custom plugins to accomplish the final product.
Lookin’ sharp!
mental_floss
A long time subscriber to the knowledge oriented magazine, mental_floss, my girlfriend Kelly showed me a wicked cool ap from Zinio that comes with her subscription. Using a combination of Flash and Contentguard (for rights management), Zinio has made itself a very neat ap for view magazines and books digitally on your computer.
With a very short download for both the magazine/book and the ap (maybe only necessary to download the desktop version if you have Flash and only want to read your periodical in a browser), you essentially get the entire printed version of whatever magazine/book you want. A very well defined user interface allows you to navigate and scale to any article.
More and more its going to be key for publication companies to continue to offer these user-friendly digital alternatives to their books. I find this one to be an excellent solution as it doesn’t detract from the original printed version- both can exist and look and feel nearly the same.