The H Roundup - Kali Linux, openSUSE 12.3 and VP8

Welcome to The H Roundup, your rapid review of the week with the most read news on The H, the security alerts and open source releases, and the essential feature articles – all in one quick-to-scan news item. This week, Kali Linux is the new BackTrack, a backdoor in TP-Link routers, VP8 could become an MPEG standard, two new official Ubuntu derivatives, open source at CeBIT, and openSUSE 12.3 reviewed.

Top News

Offensive Security has released a business-ready version of BackTrack Linux called Kali, TP-Link's routers were found to contain a serious backdoor, and F-Secure says 96% of all new mobile malware runs on Android.

• Kali Linux arrives as enterprise-ready version of BackTrack
• Treacherous backdoor found in TP-Link routers
• Report: Android is home to 96% of new mobile malware

With Google inking a deal with the MPEG LA, VP8 could soon become an MPEG standard. Readers interested in the latest goings-on in the world of silicon can find a summary of events around the CeBIT conference in Hanover in The H's Processor Whispers.

• VP8 could become MPEG standard
• Processor Whispers: Of devils and frostbite

Intel released an installation program to update graphics drivers on Linux and Qualcomm Atheros released open source firmware for two of its wireless chips.

• Intel's graphics driver installation program for Linux
• Atheros open sources firmware for two wireless chips

Ubuntu gained two additional official flavours, CentOS released its clone of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4, and a new version of the ownCloud private cloud computing toolkit brought a refreshed user interface.

• GNOME and Kylin become official Ubuntu flavours
• Red Hat clone CentOS 6.4 replicated and released
• A new look for private cloud ownCloud 5.0

Featured Articles

This week, Christopher von Eitzen gives an overview of the open source area of the CeBIT trade show in Hanover, Dj Walker-Morgan asks the question whether fragmentation in the Linux ecosystem is necessarily a bad thing, and Oliver Diedrich reviews the recently released version 12.3 of openSUSE.

• Open Source at CeBIT 2013
• Comment: Fragments of win
• What's new in openSUSE 12.3

Open Source Releases

Open source releases over the last week included a new major version of the Ardour digital audio workstation (DAW) and new versions of Node.js, openSUSE 12.3, and Trisquel Linux.

• The Ardour 3.0 digital audio workstation is ready for the MIDI studio
• Node.js 0.10 reworks streams in new stable version
• Apache Solr and Lucene 4.2 update default codec again
• Shiva provides a RESTful API for private music collections
• A new ESB and messaging platform join Red Hat's middleware
• OpenSUSE 12.3 puts finishing touches on its desktop offering
• Trisquel to focus on LTS versions with Trisquel 6.0 release
• Puppet updates close security holes

On the development side of things, the Mageia project released its third beta of Mageia 3 and most Ubuntu derivatives have arrived with their beta 1 milestone.

• The delayed Mageia 3 Beta 3 arrives for testing
• Ubuntu development hits 13.04 beta 1 milestone

Security Alerts

US-CERT is warning of a backdoor in some of HP's LaserJet printers, Adobe has closed critical holes in Flash Player, and Microsoft has also fixed critical problems on its monthly Patch Tuesday.

• US-CERT warns of HP LaserJet printer backdoor
• Adobe closes more critical holes in Flash Player
• Microsoft Patch Tuesday brings four critical updates

For everything The H has published in the last week, check out the last seven days of news. To keep up with The H, subscribe to the RSS feed, or follow honlinenews on Twitter. You can follow The H's own tweeting on Twitter as honline.

(fab)