Security

Just when it seemed like those behind the Storm Worm were about to make a big profit off its ability to soak up personal details, a University of California researcher is reporting the virus' imminent demise. According to Brandon Enright, network ... security analyst at the U of C's San Diego campus, the Storm Worm has actually been shrinking in size and impact since sometime during this past summer. He says that despite the immense publicity surrounding the virus, it may soon cease to present a legitimate threat to computer and Internet users. Enright made the surprising argument at the Toorcon ... (view more)

With Halloween fast approaching, there will no doubt be plenty of scary little things wandering around the streets in coming weeks. However, for a significant number of web users the scares have been going on for some time, and may not stop by ... November 1st. The "Storm Worm" has been having a thundersome impact on the web for some time now. It made its infamous debut by sucking in National Football League fans unwise enough to click on an email promising "free online game trackers" for pool or other purposes. The advertisement led directly to a website that appeared legitimate, but instead ... (view more)

Since the introduction of Windows Vista, a lot of the emphasis has been on Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) and little has has been mentioned regarding Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Windows XP. It was originally assumed that Windows XP SP3 would simply ... be a rolled up collection of bug fixes and patches but there reportedly seems to be more to it than that. Recently, Microsoft released a beta of Windows XP SP3 to a select group of testers reportedly labeled as build 3205, weighing in at 334.92 MBs. Originally reported by NeoSmart , XP SP3 contains 1,073 hotfixes and patches released since XP SP2 ... (view more)

Concerned about gaping holes in Microsoft Word, Outlook Express, or Internet Explorer? With a handful of updates recently made available, users of these programs can rest a bit easier. Microsoft has now made available six security updates for its ... products, filling holes in the above programs plus Kodak Image Viewer (which ships with Windows). The update itself fixes a total of nine bugs in MS software, four of which have been deemed critical. (Source: informationweek.com ) Perhaps the most frightening of the bugs is the one staring down college students as they ready for fall essays and exams ... (view more)

Microsoft is reportedly telling home consumers waiting for Windows Vista service pack 1 (SP1) not to bother. Pete McKiernan, a senior product manager for Windows told CNET News that Windows Vista SP1 will include all the patches that were already ... released for Vista in one package, but little else for home users. Windows Vista SP1 won't include any new features considered must haves. Most of the enhancements to SP1 are for the enterprise customers, and consequently, the "wow" still won't start now. McKiernan pointed out two features included with the 'upgrade.' One is an improvement to the ... (view more)

A stealth update deviously deployed in July and August by Microsoft without user permission has broken Windows Update, preventing updates from being installed after a "repair" of Windows XP is performed. The problem was first reported by Scott Dunn ... from Windows Secrets , then confirmed by ZDNet . Originally thought to be harmless, the recent download of new support files, known as version 7.0.600.381 for Windows Update, prevents Windows XP users who perform repair installations from a genuine XP CD-ROM (not an OEM restore CD), from installing at least 80 updates and patches from Microsoft. ... (view more)

Those still loyal to America Online are aware that the service has had a topsy-turvy history. The once dominant dial-up choice of Americans has struggled as of late with vulnerabilities to its Instant Messenger application, holes that security ... experts have collectively referred to as a "major vulnerability". Last Wednesday, analysts at Core Security Technologies revealed that a bug could unleash a series of attacks on an AOL Instant Messenger user, with the most serious side effect being a remote hijack by a hacker. If said hacker were to worm his or her way into the system, Core Security ... (view more)

Well, it probably shouldn't be any surprise. Given the long-reported threats associated with MySpace, it comes as no shock that investigators are now looking into the exploitation of Facebook by predators. News of the growing problem comes from the ... New York Attorney General's office, which recently used agents posing as underage users to test how treacherous the social-networking waters really are. According to the investigators, these fake teens or tweens were repeatedly solicited by adult Facebook users looking to obtain explicit images and videos of younger fans of the site. Most ... (view more)

A recent decision by the EU damned Microsoft's antitrust business practice of bundling Windows Media Player (WMP) with its operating systems. You might be ready to scream "damn!" or any other curse word if you're one of the unlucky victims of a ... recent vulnerability in WMP. According to one British security research company, hackers can exploit Internet Explorer, even if it isn't the default web browser, by acting upon a gaping hole in Media Player. (Source: channelinsider.com ) Penetration tester Petko Petkov, who recently showed how vulnerable Apple's QuickTime can be, has now said that ... (view more)

If you have signed into your Windows Live or MSN Messenger services lately, you may have had to upgrade. Microsoft is forcing its users to switch to the newest versions of its instant messaging programs due to a security threat with these systems. ... Although this upgrade will take place on a voluntary basis, those who do not modify their Windows Live or MSN Messenger services will not be able to sign in until they accept the new versions. The services affected by the security vulnerability include versions 6.2, 7.0, and 7.5 of MSN Messenger, and version 8.0 of Windows Live Messenger. When the ... (view more)