ARIN Is Running out of IPv4 Addresses

The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) has officially invokes its "Policy for Unmet Requests," which means organizations requesting IPv4 address blocks will receive a block size smaller than they qualify for, or, they have the option to go on a waiting list for unmet requests.

IPv4 address depletion has been predicted for years. Technologies such as DHCP and private address ranges have delayed the final days, but the end is near for new IPv4 addresses. ARIN's announcement should add still more attention to the need for Internet users to become familiar with IPv6.

According to ARIN Chief Information Officer Richard Jimmerson, 21 organizations were on the waiting list as of July 20, and ARIN expects the number to grow quickly.

New Adobe Flash Problem

Researchers at FireEye have uncovered yet another attack affecting the Adobe Flash Player plugin. The zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2015-3113) is apparently already being used in phishing attacks, with attackers sending spam email containing links that trigger the exploit.

Adobe has released emergency patches, and all users are advised to install the patches as soon as possible. According to Adobe, the attack is a high-priority problem for Windows and OS X systems. The risk is lower with Linux; however, Linux systems are not immune.

This latest problem is part of a long list of recent exploits involving the Flash Player. Some experts are venturing out beyond the usual "install the patch" advice and are indicating that it might be time to learn to live without Adobe Flash.

Linux Foundation and Docker Announce Open Container Project

Docker and the Linux Foundation have joined forces to create a new organization for developing and maintaining container standards. The Open Container Project (OCP) will "promote and promulgate a set of common, minimal industry standards around container technology."

The OCP will attempt to bring container vendors into a common standards process, to prevent fragmentation and build a community emphasis into the quest for better container tools and technologies. The Linux Foundation will play host to the group. To jump-start the project, Docker will donate draft specifications and "existing code around an image format and container runtime."

A broad coalition of partners have also signed up to be part of the effort, including Amazon Web Services, Cisco, CoreOS, EMC, Google, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Red Hat, VMware, and several other vendors.