A Red Hat security team discovers a dangerous bug in the Linux bash shell-- "Shellshock", a flaw providing an open door for hackers to run unauthorised code on Linux servers.

The bash shell is a Unix mainstay allowing computers to interact with the OS. Exploiting the Shellshock vulnerability only requires connection to a software such as PHP or DHCP, before the application of 3 lines of code.

According to some security experts Shellshock is possibly bigger than Heartbleed-- while the earlier vulnerability only affected a specific OpenSSL version, Shellshock has been around for a long time, and thus affects old devices. Internet-of-Things devices such as security cameras are also vulnerable, as their software is built on web-enabled bash scripts.

"There's little need to rush and fix this bug," Errata Security CEO Robert Graham writes. "Your primary servers are probably not vulnerable to this bug. However, everything else probably is."

Barracuda Networks rolls out Data Protection Plus, a strategic initiative allowing customers to access, retain and share critical date from any location or device.

Also announced by the company is the acquisition of information management, email archiving and PST management provider CSC Systems, as well as several enhancements and releases across its cloud-backup, archiving and productivity solutions.

"One of IT’s biggest challenges is to ensure business applications are up and running-- promoting application availability, productivity and collaboration-- often with limited time and resources,” the company says. “Protecting the modern workplace demands a new way of thinking. Data Protection Plus enables and accelerates the use of virtualisation, cloud and mobile technologies, and represents the latest innovation across our storage product line."

Twelve organisations, including Google, Twitter, HP and a number of universities, join the IEE to form the IEEE Centre for Secure Design (CSD), a new organization with the aim to finding common software design flaws.

“The Center for Secure Design will play a key role in refocusing software security on some of the most challenging open design problems in security,” Twitter security engineer Neil Daswani says. “By putting focus on security design and not just focusing on implementation bugs in code, the CSD does even the most advanced companies in the space a huge service.”

Symantec overhauls of the Norton security portfolio as it consolidates 9 products into 1 online service customers can use across PCs and mobile devices.

Simply called "Norton Security," the single product combines Norton Antivirus and Norton Internet Security to provide antivirus, anti-malware and browser security, as well as optional cloud-based backup service based on 2008 acquisition SwapDrive.

As Symantec puts it, Norton Security aims to be an online service akin to Netflix or iTunes, if one allowing users to download security products for Windows or OS X PCs and iOS/Android devices.