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OpenX Source v2.8.8 released for download

November 5, 2011 By

Users of OpenX Source started receiving notifications about the release of a new version of the software earlier today, when they log in as a system administrator. It is the generic message that’s always used to announce new versions, but the message says specifically:

It is highly recommended to install this update as soon as possible, because it contains a number of security fixes.

There is no news about this new release on the OpenX community forums or blog, as of yet. The readme file that comes with the downloaded file does not contain any specific information as to the nature of the security issues that have been fixed. However, a quick comparison of the source code of version 2.8.7 and version 2.8.8 reveals that there are multiple changes in the API, which seems to match reports about the origins of many hacking incidents that occurred these past few months.

You can download OpenX Source version 2.8.8 from the OpenX website.

Update November 8, 2011: Since many people are asking me for tips on how to upgrade their OpenX Source software, I’d like to point to an blog post I published in November, 2010: How to upgrade OpenX Source Ad Server software.

Update December 2nd, 2011: Yesterday, a post has been added to the OpenX official company blog, officially announcing this security fix release. It also specifically mentions that the security fixes relate to issues found in OpenX Source version 2.8.7, which indicates that versions 2.8.6 and earlier are not affected. However, it is always a good idea to upgrade to the most recent version available. Read the post “Security matters” on the OpenX blog for more information.

Filed Under: News, Upgrading Tagged With: , , ,

What happened to OpenX 3.0?

December 17, 2010 By

One year ago, on December 16, 2009, I met with OpenX CTO John Linden and OpenX Vice President of Enterprise Sales Mike Downey, during their stay in The Netherlands. They were visiting several countries and companies in Europe that week and I had the opportunity to sit down with them in a cafe in the center of Amsterdam for almost 2 hours.
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Filed Under: General, News, OpenX Community Hosted, OpenX Enterprise Hosted Tagged With: ,

How to: Upgrade OpenX Ad Server

November 14, 2010 By

A few years ago, I published an article on this blog, describing the procedure I was using at the time for upgrading an existing OpenX installation. Over time, I’ve made small changes to this process based on experience. The article below describes how I currently do these upgrades.

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Filed Under: Upgrading Tagged With: , ,

OpenX Ad Server v2.8.7 released

September 16, 2010 By

OpenX Ad Server v2.8.7 released for download

A new version of the OpenX Ad Server software has been released. This version 2.8.7 fixes a very serious security issue. According to the announcement on the OpenX blog:

there is a vulnerability in the 2.8 downloadable version of OpenX that can result in a server running the downloaded version of OpenX being compromised.

The issue stems from the Video Ads plugin for OpenX, which in turn uses an open source third party component called Open Flash Charts (OFC) to display graphs about video ad performance. There was a security issue with OFC which has now been fixed.

In addition, the upgrade notification inside the OpenX management pages has this information:

If you recently upgraded to version 2.8.6, you can simply install an upgraded video ad plug-in available [here] or remove the following file: admin/plugins/videoReport/lib/ofc2/ofc_upload_image.php from your installation.

This is the second update in less than 1 week, which might sound alarming. On the other hand, there will always be bugs and security vulnerabilities in software, and it’s better to have those fixed.

Besides this fix for the security issue that was uncovered, there is also a seemingly small functional change in this new version:

For users in the UK, all market interfaces now reflect your participation in Orange Ad Market, and all Orange Ad Market market monetary values are in GBP.

Since both the OpenX main website and the OpenX blog appear to be down at the time I’m writing this, I can’t give you any more information than what I included above.

What does still seem to work at the moment is the download link at http://download.openx.org/openx-2.8.7.zip.

Filed Under: News, Upgrading Tagged With: , , ,

OpenX Statistics as Graphs plugin updated (v1.0.3)

September 13, 2010 By

The team at AdserverPlugins.com is releasing an update of the free Statistics as Graphs plugin for the OpenX Ad Server. This version 1.0.3 is available for download right now.

This is a security fix release that takes care of one issue:

  • A vulnerability has been discovered in the third-party open source graphing component Open Flash Charts that is used by this plugin to draw the graphs.

As always with security fix releases, it is crucial to upgrade to the newest version as soon as possible.

Filed Under: News, OpenX plugins Tagged With: , ,

OpenX Ad Server v2.8.6 released (or not?)

September 9, 2010 By

Note: this is a cross-post from my contribution at OpenXtips.com yesterday.

OpenX Ad Server v2.8.6 released for download

OpenX Ad Server v2.8.6 released for download

Just like in March 2010, a new version of the OpenX software has been released recently, but not a single byte of publicity has been devoted to it. No mention on the OpenX blog or on Twitter, nothing. Judging from the dates on the files in the download archive, the new release was completed on September 2nd of 2010, so almost a week ago.

This new version 2.8.6 seems to be mostly about the security issue that was found and fixed a few weeks ago. Back then, on August 12, a somewhat cryptic announcement was posted on the OpenX forums, informing people how to fix the security problem. That post also hinted at a new release that would be out soon.

The release notes file in the 2.8.6 archive points to the OpenX Developer site for more details, but the issue tracker for version 2.8.6 is still open and most issues in it are still marked as unresolved. And the version check inside the OpenX software doesn’t give any notifications about upgrade availability.

Altogether, this is a pretty strange situation. Obviously, it’s smart to upgrade to a new version as soon as it’s released, especially if the upgrade is about fixing security issues. On the other hand, what should we think about a release that is not announced in any way, shape or form?

Download the OpenX Community edition v2.8.6.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , ,

OpenX Ad Server v2.8.5 released for download

March 13, 2010 By
OpenX Ad Server v2.8.5 released for download

OpenX Ad Server v2.8.5 has been released for download, but I don't recommend upgrading (yet).

Without any form of publicity, OpenX.org have released version 2.8.5 of the OpenX Ad Server. There are a few strange things about this release, which makes me hesitant about recommending an upgrade.

  • First of all, I wonder what the official status of this release is, since it hasn’t been formally announced like all previous releases. At the time of this writing, it’s been offered on the site for at least 10 days.
  • Secondly, if you look at the OpenX Developer site, this version isn’t marked as ‘completed’, symbolized by the wrapper about the package icon of all previous versions.
  • Thirdly, looking at all of the issues that are listed for version 2.8.5, a few of them still show a status of ‘unresolved’.
  • And finally, work is already under way for the development of version 2.8.6, which must mean that version 2.8.5 has a few known bugs that require fixing.

Since it’s been so quiet about the release of version 2.8.5, I haven’t really had time yet to give it a good test drive. For the time being, it is my recommendation to stay with version 2.8.3.

Filed Under: News, Upgrading Tagged With: ,

OpenX Ad Server v2.8.4 announced

January 23, 2010 By
OpenX Ad Server version 2.8.4 announced

OpenX Ad Server version 2.8.4 announced

On Friday, January 22, as one of the last things before the start of the weekend, OpenX.org announced the upcoming release of version 2.8.4 of the OpenX Ad Server. According to the blog post, the free service OpenX Community Hosted has already been upgraded, and the new version will be available for download ‘later in the week’ (which is a bit odd, because at the time of posting the week was effectively over).

More focus on OpenX Market

The announcement on the blog focuses primarily on the many changes and new features for using the OpenX Market. That’s not surprising, because OpenX Market is the main source of revenue for the company. Making it easier for more OpenX publishers to participate in this market was a move that was to be expected.

Bug fixes and improvements

The blog post doesn’t mention it, but this new release also fixes dozens of bugs and long standing issues. The Issue Tracker on the OpenX Developer site lists a total of 144 issues. A little bit surprising, perhaps, is that only 115 of these have been labeled as ‘fixed’.

Version 2.8.4 includes the security fix that was rushed out just before Christmas with the emergency release of version 2.8.3, and it also contains the fix for the serious under delivery problem for contract campaigns. Both of these fixes were contributed by independent consultant and developer Matteo Beccati.

Reviews to follow

Since the downloadable version of OpenX Ad Server v2.8.4 is not yet available, I haven’t been able to test drive it yet. I do have the OpenX Community Hosted account, and I can see the new features for working with OpenX Market in there.

I’m planning on writing some follow up blog posts as soon as possible, for instances about the new upgrade procedure (which is said to have a mandatory registration step), the new OpenX Market features and other noteworthy issues.

Your feedback, please!

What would you like to know about this new release? What should I be researching and writing about? Drop a comment below or contact me with your views!

You can submit my OpenX support request form if you’d like to discuss working with me on your OpenX project.

Filed Under: News, OpenX Community Hosted Tagged With: , ,