Security

Jesper Johansson, a former program manager for security policy at Microsoft and current MVP (Microsoft Most Valuable Professional), has reportedly published a tool designed to detect and fix PCs that may be susceptible to "endless reboots" if they ... are updated to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3). Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard (HP) have yet to issue a fix or a patch for the endless reboots that, as previously reported by our own Brandon Dimmel, primarily affects HP machines running Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processors. Johansson posted a link to the tool (a small, 16K Visual Basic Script file ... (view more)

Security researchers have reportedly developed a new type of malicious rootkit software capable of hiding itself in an obscure part of a computer's microprocessor, hidden from current antivirus products. Dubbed a System Management Mode (SMM) ... rootkit, the software runs in a protected part of a computer's memory that can be locked and rendered invisible to the operating system, but it can give attackers details of what's happening in a computer's memory. The SMM rootkit, built by Shawn Embleton and Sherri Sparks, operators of security company Clear Hat Consulting, comes with keylogging and ... (view more)

Yesterday, our own Bill Lindner reported on rumored difficulties with Microsoft's most recent update to its Windows XP operating system. According to reports, the most fiendish of these problems has affected AMD chipsets. What Bill Lindner reported ... yesterday was devastating enough. According to his article , updates through Windows XP Service Pack 3 barred users from reverting back to Internet Explorer 6 from Internet Explorer 7. That has annoyed many users already, especially businesses. Many are also reporting that those affected machines are predominantly Hewlett-Packard computers. (Source ... (view more)

Microsoft has reportedly warned that users updating to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) won't be able to downgrade from Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) to IE6 without uninstalling Windows XP SP3. A post on Microsoft's IE Blog warns "If you choose to ... install XP SP3, Internet Explorer 7 will remain on your system after the install is complete. Your preferences will be retained. However, you will no longer be able to uninstall IE7. If you go to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, the Remove option will be grayed out." The inability to downgrade to IE6 after installing Windows XP SP3 was by design, ... (view more)

Yahoo is to follow Google's leads in highlight potential security risks in sites which show up in its search results. There are several differences between the two systems. Google highlights the most serious cases -- sites which exploit flaws in ... browser software and automatically download viruses -- with a warning. In Yahoo's case, the sites will automatically be deleted from the list of results. Yahoo will also highlight pages which appear to include downloads which are likely to include viruses, spyware (programmes which collect information from a user's computer without their knowledge) ... (view more)

The latest major update for Windows XP was due for release this week, though a last-minute hitch appears to have caused some problems. XP Service Pack 3 was originally scheduled for download through Microsoft's update service on Tuesday. However, ... the firm temporarily halted the updates after finding compatibility problems with Microsoft Dynamics RMS. That's a software package that helps small and medium businesses manage their supply chains. Microsoft is now putting a filter on the download service to identify which computers are running the Dynamics software. They'll then re-release the ... (view more)

Police stations in Massachusetts have turned to modern technology to crack down on known stalkers. Those convicted as dangerous individuals are now being attached to satellite monitoring devices that electronically notify the authorities when a ... stalker is too close to their victim. The messages are sent automatically, meaning that the police could potentially stop an attack before the opportunity presents itself. (Source: topix.com ) For many people, it's their worst nightmare come to life: knowing the name, face (and sometimes) location of someone hoping to cause you physical harm. Realizing ... (view more)

Online payment processing giant PayPal has recently announced security measures that it will implement to protect customers from falling victim to phishing attacks. PayPal is particularly affected by these attacks, because the core of its business ... encompasses the transfer of funds, which presents a tempting target to criminals. Michael Barrett, PayPal's chief security officer, explained the company's plans to delegates meeting at the RSA security conference in San Francisco. (Source: zdnet.co.uk ) Barrett emphasized the need for cooperative action between individuals as well as companies ... (view more)

Microsoft released to manufacturers (RTM) the final code for Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3). The public version will be available for download from Microsoft on April 29, 2008. CNET reported that the upgrade will be effortless for most Windows XP ... users. Windows XP SP3 includes functionality previously released as updates. Other Windows XP SP3 updates relevant to home users include: Support for WPA2, the latest standards-based wireless security solution derived from the IEEE 802.11i standard. Improvements to black-hole router detection (detecting routers that are silently discarding packets ... (view more)

A program originally designed to block pirated videos on YouTube will now assist tracking child predators on the web. The technology, developed by Google, will help the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in reviewing 13 ... million images of abuse. (Source: reuters.com ) A key component of the new program has been described as "finger-printing technology". Google has been advocating the measure as a standard to combat web-based video piracy. "The program uses pattern recognition and will work even if the pattern has been modified," technology analyst Larry Magid told the ... (view more)