microsoft

Microsoft is today warning users of fake security alerts arriving via email. Microsoft is reminding users that it never sends out security alerts with attachments via email and that you should never open such an email if it arrives in your inbox. ... Microsoft Email Security Updates Are a Scam Cyber-criminals have been sending a so-called Microsoft updates that are actually viruses. This scam in particular takes advantage of Microsoft's well-established Patch Tuesday schedule for monthly email updates. Potential victims receive an email purporting to be from Microsoft's Director of Security ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed that a zero-day vulnerability exists in Windows XP, Vista, as well as Server 2003 and Server 2008. The bug, which first emerged in mid-December 2010, has evolved since the exploit was posted publicly. The bug was first ... discussed on December 15 at a security conference in South Korea. Since no one had yet exploited the vulnerability, there was not significant cause for concern. That's changed now that researcher Joshua Drake has released an exploit module via open-source penetration testing project, Metasploit. Exploit Opens Door to Total System Takeover Metasploit has ... (view more)

For the past few days, Microsoft's Windows Live support forums have been lit up by complaints of frustrated users who recently encountered emptied email inboxes, sent, and deleted folders upon accessing their Hotmail accounts. Microsoft on Sunday ... admitted many of its Hotmail accounts had been inexplicably wiped clean , and many experts speculated that the accounts were unlikely to be repair. Microsoft has since announced that the majority of email accounts have been restored to normal working order, but user complaints continue to be filed online forums. (Source: eweek.com ) Contacts Spammed ... (view more)

Users of Microsoft's Hotmail email service weren't welcomed by holiday greetings from their friends this past weekend. In fact, they didn't get any messages at all. Recent reports state that many users of the service found their entire email history ... deleted without warning. The deletions don't appear to be a few select cases. Instead, a significant number of Hotmail users complained of the issue on Microsoft's Windows Live support web forum. Those affected by the problem are reporting that their "Sent," "Deleted," and "Inbox" folders have been completely wiped out. Entire Hotmail Accounts ... (view more)

Microsoft has revealed that hackers have attempted to exploit a bug in Microsoft Word. The bug was fixed in a security update last month, but the company is also concerned that some users may not have installed the update. The bug involves the way ... MS Word handles rich text format (.RTF) files. This is a format used for text documents that have a very limited degree of formatting information compared to full-blown MS Word documents. The format is most commonly used as a way of moving documents from one word processor to another without altering the text's formatting. RTF Flaw Causes Memory ... (view more)

Update 2010/12/28: The Windows 7 Discount Link is further down the page in a box similar to this one. You may continue reading the article to find out more about this offer, or click here to access the Windows 7 discount though Amazon.com now . ... Non-USA users, please read this page . Microsoft's popular Windows 7 Family Pack deal finally appears to be nearing the end, approximately 1 month later than last year's offering. On the product's web site, Amazon.com a definitive message stating that "This product is available for a limited time and will be available to purchase until December 31, or ... (view more)

Yesterday we reported on a new critical flaw in Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) that allows hackers to circumvent the operating system and take control of MS Windows. In most instances, a Trojan is deployed on affected systems and spyware is ... installed. The flaw affects users of Windows XP through Windows 7. Microsoft recently acknowledged the vulnerability's existence, and has provided a limited workaround for the issue. Internet Explorer Flaw "Not Serious Enough" to Warrant Emergency Patch The Internet Explorer flaw was discovered earlier this month by a French security company ... (view more)

A new Internet Explorer (IE) security vulnerability has been found. The flaw, which is related to Internet Explorer's HTML engine, allows hackers to infiltrate systems running Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. The issue was first discovered early in ... December by French security company Vupen . The company says this flaw could be exploited with the processing of a CSS (or Cascading Style Sheets) file intended for use by web designers. Rigged Website Key to Attack Those running Internet Explorer could find themselves under attack if they're (knowingly or unknowingly) directed to a specially- ... (view more)

Microsoft has released its second edition of its popular security software package, Security Essentials. Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) 2.0 features a new scanning engine, integration with Windows Firewall, plus network traffic monitoring. ... Microsoft Security Essentials: Free, Decent Software The original MSE was released last year for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, as a successor to Microsoft's less-than-successful Live OneCare. Up that point most free antivirus programs had done little more than detect security threats before petitioning users for a costly upgrade in order to fix them ... (view more)

New figures suggest that sales of Windows Phone 7 handsets have effectively flat-lined at a statistically insignificant level. It's led one research firm to suggest Microsoft will have to find a completely different way to make money from the mobile ... market. There have been several indications that sales of handsets running the new system, launched in Europe in October and North America last month, have been disappointing. Statistics from the Windows Phone 7 launch include an estimate that just 40,000 people bought a Windows Phone 7 device on its launch day (the respective figure for iPhones ... (view more)