Security

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)

We've noted in the past how easy Windows Vista makes it to track your computing habits and all the information it maintains. Joe Wilcox from Microsoft Watch has a disturbing article that shows how dangerous the Windows Vista registry can be. After ... searching his Windows Vista registry he found some disturbing personal information such as his name, address and phone number, online account user names, software registration codes and some information that identified some of his online accounts. Needless to say, coming across that information didn't give him a warm and fuzzy feeling. This time, ... (view more)

In what's being described as the first case of its kind, a Seattle man has reportedly been arrested on 4 counts for using peer-to-peer (P2P) software to steal digital data and commit identity theft, alleging that he victimized at least 83 people. ... Gregory Thomas Kopiloff used Limewire, Soulseek and other P2P software to rummage other people's computers for financial, medical and tax information, which he would use to open credit cards and for online shopping sprees. He bought more than $73,000 worth of merchandise online, then turned around and resold them at steep discounts. "If you are ... (view more)

Love to talk? Many of us do. It's one reason Skype has becomes such a popular "telephony" service, although both Skype Ltd. and its customers are pulling out hairs this morning over news that a nasty worm is inching its way through the instant ... messenger service. Skype, which is a Voice over Internet Protocol, or VOIP service, has seen its fair share of threats. In April we reported on a similar issue, whereby a text link led to a JPEG file that in turn presented an executable link. Clicking that meant spyware-central, and a whole lot of headaches for a service developed by former ... (view more)

Although it is the most widely-used, free web-based content encyclopaedia in the world, many online surfers are not inclined to believe everything they read on Wikipedia. In fact, most college and university professors will not allow their students ... to cite the database as a reputable source when producing research assignments. The unreliable reputation that has been linked to Wikipedia for quite some time is due to the fact that almost anyone can edit the entries that appear on the site, with little or no tools implemented to detect fraudulence. That's all about to change! Luca de Alfaro, a ... (view more)