security

Microsoft has released security updates for 34 different problems, a monthly total that has only been matched once. Three sets of problems are ranked as critical, and several are so-called zero-day bugs. A zero-day bug is one in which the problem is ... not discovered by the software developer itself. This creates the risk that hackers will be able to get a head-start on finding a way to exploit the bug before the developer is able to produce a fix. The critical issues affect both Internet Explorer and Windows itself. Of the 10 security bulletins, these are the priority for installation and ... (view more)

A recent report says that Google, which is working hard to complete its upcoming Chrome operating system (OS), has started phasing out its own internal use of the Microsoft Windows. The report on Google's OS use emerged Tuesday when the Financial ... Times said search engine leader Google had decided to cut back its employment of Windows, citing for reasons of security concerns. (Source: computerworld.com ) Google Testing Chrome OS Internally It's likely the move to phase out Windows is primarily the result of Google's continuing work on its own operating system, Chrome OS. Google is currently " ... (view more)

New research suggests that a number of major corporations are unwilling to update their web browsers to Internet Explorer 8, instead deciding to continue the use of the ever-aging and ever-dangerous Internet Explorer 6 (IE6). The reason for the ... resistance is not a question of cost; rather, companies are willing to stick it out with IE6 not only because of compatibility reasons for use with their own internal applications -- but also because Internet Explorer 6 lacks social networking features. "Companies are happy to stay with Internet Explorer 6 because a lot of the social networking sites ... (view more)

A new security flaw in Microsoft's very popular Windows 7 operating system (OS) could open users up to a remote code execution and denial-of-service attack, Microsoft said in a security advisory on Tuesday evening. The vulnerability affects only ... 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. The flaw affects the Canonical Display Driver, or CDD.DLL, used in the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI) and DirectX drawing. The vulnerability is tied to the graphics system's desktop composition process. (Source: zdnet.com ) Microsoft: Remote Code Attack "Unlikely" Luckily, it ... (view more)

A group of security researchers say they've found a workaround for just about every antivirus product on the market today, effectively making Windows-based security programs totally useless. Security research site Matousec.com recently issued an ... advisory for a process that allows malware to evade security detection. Note that this doesn't just apply to Microsoft's free Security Essentials software or other freeware antivirus products, but also targets full software packages from industry leaders like Norton, BitDefender and McAfee. Matousec's Morphing Malware According to reports, Matousec. ... (view more)

Just five weeks after it was forced to release an emergency patch for a zero-day flaw in Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft may again have to consider yet another out-of-schedule fix for an unaddressed problem with its software. In the meantime, the ... upcoming May Patch Tuesday (due next week) addresses just two "critical" issues. Microsoft typically releases a batch of fixes for various software issues and security threats affecting its products on the second Tuesday of every month. In past months, the number of fixes offered have ranged from high to low: in March, the number of vulnerabilities ... (view more)

For most of us, opening a PDF (portable document file) means we're forced to use Adobe Reader, the most prominent application associated with viewing PDF files. Unfortunately, programs like Adobe Reader are often targeted by hackers, and one ... security expert believes Microsoft should offer an alternative for its users. According to Sean Sullivan, security advisor for Finland's antivirus firm F-Secure, Microsoft's competition has already beaten them to the idea. "Apple does this with its Preview [application], and Microsoft should, too," Sullivan said. (Source: computerworld.com ) Security ... (view more)

McAfee is facing a major backlash in sales this morning after a buggy security update left many customers' computers effectively unusable. Worst still, some analysts are predicting that an automated solution may not be possible. As we reported ... yesterday , the problem is the result of a recent McAfee antivirus update gone awry, which then caused the antivirus program to identify legitimate Windows files as being virus infected. The end result was that the legitimate Windows files were sent to a quarantine, resulting in thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of crashes PCs. The problem ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced that it will no longer provide support for the first retail version of Windows Vista, which was released to manufacturers (RTM). The move is intended to force early adopters of Windows Vista to upgrade their systems using at ... least Vista Service Pack 1 or 2. Microsoft made the announcement on Vista RTM Tuesday. According to a spokesperson for the Redmond-based firm, "Today, Windows Vista RTM has reached end of support... End of support means that customers can no longer receive support benefits from Microsoft and will need to upgrade to a supported service pack (Windows ... (view more)

This month's security updates from Microsoft will cover every currently supported edition of Windows. That means home users should check carefully if they don't have automatic updates switched on, while businesses will need to plan how they will ... apply the patches. As happens on the second Tuesday of every month, Microsoft will release its Patch Tuesday security fix for issues affecting the Windows operating system (OS). This month, though, there was an exception: an emergency patch released on March 30th for a serious security flaw in Internet Explorer versions 6 and 7. At the time, several ... (view more)