Microsoft patch fails, security firm says

[Nottingham]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2088752

Microsoft patch fails, security firm says
Bloomberg Business News
Microsoft, whose software was hit by two major computer viruses last month, will have to re-issue a security fix the company provided in August for its Internet Explorer Web browser because it doesn't fix the flaw, a security-software maker said Monday.

The vulnerability, announced on Aug. 20, lets a hacker run programs on a user's computer. Even if customers apply the software update, a hacker can still exploit the flaw, said Marc Maiffret, co-founder of EEye Digital Security. Microsoft said in a statement that the company is investigating.

Internet Explorer has more than 95 percent of the market for software used to view Web pages. More than 1.4 million computers running Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft's Windows were infected by the Blaster computer worm last month, and the Sobig worm became the fastest-spreading e-mail virus by attacking Windows systems.

"Microsoft messed it up to say the least," Maiffret said. "The patch doesn't completely fix the problem, and it's very easy to exploit."

more...

Now we know why Asia is developing their own! :bounce:

[xJlM]

1. Once again

I'm so happy I run Linux. I can do anything I could do with Windoze, and I don't have to do any critical updates or any of that horseshit. Which is pointless anyway, if the update doesn't work.

[qb]

2. So how do I patch my patch?

[Nottingham]

3. PRAY!!

:bounce:

[joeybee12]

4. Can the Govt Sue Microsoft agina?

Oh, right, I forgot we don't have a democratically-elected administration.

Anyway, this is what you get when a company has a monopoly and only cares about the bottom line, and doesn't have to care about quality.

[Nottingham]

5. Joey that says it so well!

95% of the computers this is a Nightmare waiting to happen! :bounce:

[AndyTiedye]

12. Download Mozilla

>how do I patch my patch?

Download and install mozilla from www.mozilla.org (free, of course)
and discontinue use of Internet Explorer.

or

Download and install Linux from Slackware, Redhat, or whoever.
You will probably find that your machine runs much faster after this.

[Atlant]

13. Or go to your nearest Apple store and buy a Macintosh.

Or go to your nearest Apple store and buy a Macintosh.
Hardly any of the viruses, worms, and trojan horses
have ANY effect on Macintoshes.

Atlant

[Zech Marquis]

6. Messed up to say the least?

That's like saying the Eagles were a little bit overmatched last night, when they really got their asses kicked :hurts:

And Tom Ridge just inked M$ to provide their software for the DHS..oh yeah I really fee safe and secure now :eyes:

[joeybee12]

7. Go Tampa Bay!

I'm a Giants fan, so anytime the Eagles lose, I'm happy.

[Nottingham]

8. Everybody has gone to XP and its needs a BIG PATCH

"Microsoft had already found another difficulty with the software update a week after it was issued. The version for Windows XP causes errors for some customers, and Microsoft had already planned to revise the Windows XP patch, according to an updated security bulletin"

from the article :bounce:

[sendero]

14. the MS apologists....

.... should be here any minute :) I mentioned last week that my wife's organization was loathe to even install MS patches because they often break other stuff.

And the nutsacks who think "free market" means someone wins, becomes an entrenched monopoly and produces crap after crap - and that is all good.

Eventually, a computer used in a critical medical or military application running Windows will kill people. Then, the morons in the Justice Dept will do what should have been done 8 years ago, make the OS separate from eveything else, and treat is as a utility, which it effectively is.

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. Easy way to avoid this...

Don't use Internet Explorer. It sucks anyway. No integrated popup blocking, if you want to open another page you have to do it in a separate window rather than a tab within the main window, it's hideously bloated...use Mozilla or Opera instead. Much better, faster, can block popups, there's an add-in for Mozilla that blocks banner ads, and they're secure.

http://www.mozilla.org
http://www.opera.com

[Systematic Chaos]

10. I finally decided to give Mozilla a shot a week or so ago

and there's NO WAY I'll go back to Internet Exploiter as a browser. Now, I'm seriously thinking about installing Linux at some point in the future, but my only worry is that it won't be able to run the games I like to play....

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. Simple solution for that...

dual-boot Windows and Linux. Just keep Windows on a separate partition and use it strictly for gaming. Or you can run one of the Linux Windows emulators. (WINE, for instance).

Article on how to play Windows games on Linux w/WINE...http://www4.tomshardware.com/howto/20020531/

[havocmom]

16. Wanna use Mozilla but have a problem. Any techie help appriciated

I cannot get images to load on Mozilla and it gets pretty annoying as I live in a very remote area and do some shopping via the internet. We have a DSL conection and images load on IE but I cannot get them to work on Mozilla. Any help would be greatly appreciated. PM me if you wanna help this old luddite get out of IE morass!

Thanks,
Havocmom

[xJlM]

18. Go to Edit

Then preferences, privacy and security, and finally images. Under Image Acceptance Policy, activate Load All Images. This, of course can be regarded as a security issue, but since there's no ActiveX in Mozilla, it really doesn't matter. It's nice to view a page, though, without all the crappy banners that usually load.

[Voltaire99]

17. I second this--plus another option

I haven't used IE more than 5% of the time over the past two years. There are still some pesky web pages that require IE, but keeping it as a rare standby is all you need. Do your surfing with a good, secure browser instead.

While at Mozilla.org, be sure to try Firebird--it's the faster, scaled-down version. However be aware that it's in beta, so if you're doing any commerce online, go with Mozilla itself.

There's another option, too, which I can't recommend enough: buy an Apple. We have Apples and PCs here, and the tale of the tape is pretty easy to read: we spend 30 minutes a week diagnosing Windows problems, keeping up with the news on security problems, and downloading patches. That's three entire 8-hour days per year just coping with Microsoft problems.

Meanwhile, the Apples just run without complaint or worry, and even after two years there isn't ONE SINGLE VIRUS in existence for Apple OS X...

[Nottingham]

19. And Gore is working for Apple!

I wonder if he knew something before he started working there!
:bounce:

[sonias]

15. I vote mozilla too

Just say no to Microsoft IE and Outlook, use better products and you will suffer less stress. I use Eudora Pro for mail and Mozilla for browsing and am slowly easing myself to a Linux box. We've been held hostage by crappy Microsloth products for too long.

Sonia

[dbt]

20. Here's a kick just because

Bill Gates is Satan.

:evilgrin:
dbt