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InfoQ Homepage News Collaboration Tools Free - But Vulnerable

Collaboration Tools Free - But Vulnerable

For the classic Extreme Programming team, developers and their customer all work daily in the same room. But other methodologies are less stringent, and even XP teams sometimes need to find compromises when organizations exist across multiple campuses, or continents. Enter collaborative technologies - where they are allowed.

Many organizations are nervous about user-installed software, and publish rules banning unapproved installation. Some actually block non-sanctioned installation, and perhaps justifiably: Bit9, Inc., whose technology solves the problem of unwanted software on the desktop has compiled a list of the top applications with known security vulnerabilities, including applications frequently downloaded by individuals (and thus perhaps not sanctioned by the enterprise) and not classified as malicious. Each has at least one critical vulnerability, and relies on the end user, not the corporate IT department, to manually patch or upgrade to fix bugs.

Collaborative software commonly used by Agile teams, either with their customers or with distant team members, do appear on the list:

Number
3.   Skype 1.4
7.   AOL Instant Messenger 5.5
8.   Microsoft Windows/MSN Messenger 5.0
9.   Yahoo Instant Messenger 6.0
15. ICQ 2003a

View the full list on Bit9.com's site. 

Hmmm.  What's on your desktop?

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