Summary: Proprietary software and its harms - news headlines

● Windows DLL flaw will be a big headache for end users

● Microsoft Releases Security Advisory on Windows Application Bugs

"When the application loads one of its required or optional libraries, the vulnerable application may attempt to load the library from the remote network location," Microsoft explained in its advisory. "If the attacker provides a specially crafted library at this location, the attacker may succeed at executing arbitrary code on the user's machine." Remote binary planting bugs "can be exploited over network file systems such as ... WebDAV and SMB."

To prevent these kinds of attacks, Microsoft has issued guidance for developers working with .DLL files. The company also released an "optional mitigation tool that helps customers address the risk of the remote attack vendor through a per-application and global configuration setting."

● Web scam hits iTunes and Paypal users

Experts told the BBC that victims had most likely fallen for an e-mail scam, rather than being targeted via a flaw in iTunes or Apple servers.

"I just got hacked for $1,000 worth of software, videos and music," tweeted one victim.

Another told the technology blog TechCrunch: "My account was charged over $4,700. I called security at Paypal and was told a large number of iTunes stores accounts were compromised."