CrossOver Office 1.3.1 released, secures against KLEZ virus

Keywords: Match:

Nov. 04, 2002

Philadelphia, PA -- (press release excerpt) -- CodeWeavers, Inc. today announced the release of CrossOver Office 1.3.1, featuring a reliable defense for the KLEZ virus that has the potential to infect WINE users. The announcement was made at LISA, a leading industry conference and exposition for IT systems administrators (Booth #721).

Immediately available from the CodeWeavers website, CrossOver Office 1.3.1 includes many enhancements to its currently supported set of Windows applications, as well as support for the recently-released RedHat 8.0, Mandrake 9.0, and SuSE 8.1 Linux distributions. Perhaps most important to end-users, though, is CrossOver's ability to stop KLEZ and other viruses by automatically detecting any .EXE file attempting to run from WINE's /tmp directory, and then notifying the user in time to stop the infection.

CrossOver Office -- CodeWeavers' popular Windows-to-Linux product based on WINE -- ends that potential frustration. Whenever KLEZ attempts to run its .EXE file from the TMP directory, CrossOver Office 1.3.1 spawns a message to the user warning them that they may launching an application that could potentially harm their computer. The new fix protects CrossOver users not only from KLEZ, but also from any virus or worm propagated by means of an executable file attachment.

Said Jeremy White, CodeWeavers founder and CEO. "The emergence of the KLEZ virus is a reminder that no application or environment-even in Linux-is immune from infection. As the leading corporate keeper of The WINE Project, we felt it was important for us to respond quickly to this threat with a reliable fix that protects CrossOver users from KLEZ as well as all attachment-borne viruses."

White noted that this should be seen as yet another indication of the responsiveness of the open-source software community. "The ability to run KLEZ under Wine was first reported on October 23 on www.slashdot.org , and we had a fix within days, even though it required fundamental changes to the CrossOver platform," White says. "That's the sort of turnaround that open-source companies can offer to their customers. We're smaller, we're nimbler, and our livelihood is directly dependent on our ability to serve customer needs, rather than being derived from a monopolistic position. That's an important point to continue making -- real competition in the marketplace benefits consumers."

Even if a user's Linux desktop becomes infected by KLEZ via WINE, CodeWeavers officials say clean-up is easy -- far easier than with Windows OS-based systems. WINE typically establishes a 'false' Windows drive to run Windows applications such as Microsoft Office; the user's work files created by the applications are usually stored elsewhere on the computer's hard drive and are immune to the attack.

In the worst case scenario -- one in which the user was forced to wipe clean the 'false' Windows drive to cleanse the PC -- the process consists of nothing more than erasing the 'false' drive in the Linux file system and then re-installing CrossOver Office. Total time needed to complete the task is generally a few minutes, with no critical files permanently lost.

CodeWeavers is also demonstrating its new CrossOver Office Server Edition 1.0. scheduled for for release on November 19th.

Related stories:

(Click here for further information)

Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.

Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.

Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.

Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.

Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.

Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.

Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.

Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.

Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.

Got a HOT tip? please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Resource Library

• Unix, Linux Uptime and Reliability Increase: Patch Management Woes Plague Windows Yankee Group survey finds IBM AIX Unix is highest in ...
• Scalable, Fault-Tolerant NAS for Oracle - The Next Generation For several years NAS has been evolving as a storage ...
• Managing Software Intellectual Property in an Open Source World This whitepaper draws on the experiences of the Black Duck ...
• Open Source Security Myths Dispelled Is it risky to trust mission-critical infrastructure to open source ...
• Bringing IT Operations Management to Open Source & Beyond Download this IDC analyst report to learn how open source ...

Popular recent stories: • Linux an equal Flash player • Linux, netbooks threaten Microsoft's fat profits • gOS 3.0 goes gold • Browser swallows OS • Lenovo denies ditching Linux • Lightweight, Linux-compatible browser evolves • GNOME 2.24 gains "Empathy" IM • Review: Pardus Linux • Ubuntu to fund Linux development • Ubuntu "Intrepid Ibex" available All-time Classics: • Choosing a desktop Linux distro • Banshee -- the next best thing to Linux iTunes • Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu • A simple Linux backup method • The Best Free Desktop Linux . . . and how to make it better • Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives • The well-tempered Debian desktop • Lenovo launches a netbook • What's the best Linux for beginners? • Getting to know Puppy Linux • Xandros 4: The best desktop Linux for Windows users • VirtualBox: The best virtualization program you've never heard of Linux-Watch headlines: • Opinion: Absolutism hurting Debian • Linux patent program finances "defensive publications" • Linux Foundation announces TAB electees • Mistah SCO -- he dead • Worst security blooper ever? • Novell offers RHEL, CentOS support • Windows 7 no threat to netbook Linux • Microsoft breaks HotMail for Linux users? • Torvalds: Real quality means taking it personally • Opinion: open source value transcends tough times Join our Desktop Linux discussion forums: • Moving to Linux • Linux/Windows debate! • Linux Q&A . . . and more	Visit the...

BREAKING NEWS

• Vietnam mandates open source for gov't servers, desktops
• A peek at Phoenix HyperSpace
• Linux desktop gains kid-friendly browser
• OpenSUSE Community Manager discusses 11.1 release
• "...and I'm Linux" video contest approaches
• OpenSUSE rev's license, build system
• Linux gains fresh "AIR"
• Video-call software boasts HD quality
• Sun rev's "open source" desktop VM manager
• Open source music player rev's up
• Fedora 10 dubbed a "solid" chapeau
• HP preinstalls Linux on SMB desktop
• Linux Foundation announces TAB winners
• Netflix coming to Linux desktops?
• Which is the best Linux office suite?

Linux Netbooks

Linux smartphones!

news feed

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.