McAfee Update Breaks Hundreds Of Apps
Posted Monday, March 13, 9:54 PM GMT by ronin

McAfee Update Breaks Hundreds Of Apps

For over five hours Friday, McAfee's anti-virus software erroneously flagged hundreds of legitimate executables as a malicious virus, leading some customers to quarantine or delete the offending files and render applications such as Microsoft Excel inoperative.

By Gregg Keizer,
March 13, 2006
URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=181503325

For over five hours Friday, McAfee's anti-virus software erroneously flagged hundreds of legitimate executables as a malicious virus, leading some customers to quarantine or delete the offending files and render applications such as Microsoft Excel inoperative.

An error in McAfee's daily virus definition file (dubbed "DAT") identified the files as W95/CTX, a virus first discovered in 2004. All editions of McAfee's on-demand-scanning products, including both the enterprise and consumer versions of VirusScan, were affected.

Among the legitimate files painted as malware were Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet, Adobe's Flash, the Google Toolbar installer, several Adaptec drivers, and parts of Sun Microsystems' Java Runtime Environment. The list that McAfee posted of the affected files numbers more than 330, but even so, the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Center called it incomplete.

"It doesn't include any of the Oracle binaries that have been reported to be affected by some of our readers," one of the Storm Center's analysts wrote on the site Sunday.

Depending on how users had configured VirusScan, the harmless files were either quarantined to a special folder or deleted. In either case, applications were broken as files were moved or erased from hard drives.

The flawed DAT went out at 10:35 a.m. PST Friday, said Joe Telafici, director of operations at McAfee's AVERT Labs. "About two hours later, we started getting reports of large numbers of files identified as W95/CTX," he said.

McAfee pushed out a corrected DAT a couple hours after that, at 3:28 p.m. PST.

By then, however, it was too late for some McAfee users.

Customers flooded the company's message forums with questions and tales of broken applications. "I tried to open Excel, and it tries to install itself again, then fails," wrote a poster identified only as "Waterlily." "I need to use Excel, what should I do?"

"So what do you do if instead of quarantining those files, you deleted them?" asked "Bethany." "I bet I'm just screwed."

Quarantined files could be restored, said Telafici, once the corrected DAT was downloaded and installed, but deleted files were another matter. On its Web site, McAfee recommended going to a backup or using Windows XP's System Restore feature to roll back the machine to a point before the flawed DAT.

"We're still looking at what we can do for customers," said Telafici. He wouldn't quantify how many users might have deleted files, and only said that McAfee was working with "some."

However, McAfee has come up with tools to move quarantined files on enterprise machines back to their proper places. The tools have not been posted to its Web site, but will instead be provided to business users through offline support channels.

Such "false positives" are much more common in spam than in virus detection, but they occasionally happen, Telafici said.

"But I've never seen anything on this scale," he admitted.

"False positives are actually very common," added Richard Stiennon, chief research analyst at Michigan-based IT-Harvest. "They're particularly common for programs that aren't widely distributed, like some game."

Most of the time the mistaken identity occurs when a security researcher finds a malicious file and tags its filename as belonging to a virus or worm, but doesn't realize that the same filename has been used by a legitimate program.

This should have been caught by McAfee's quality control process, Stiennon said, noting that many of the files netted by VirusScan were commonly-known executables.

McAfee's Telafici acknowledged as much.

"This was a combination of unusual circumstances, Telafici said in explaining what happened. "There was one byte off in a signature, and there was a hole in our testing process."

Windows Vista Versions Unveiled
Posted Tuesday, February 28, 12:19 AM GMT by webmaster

Windows Vista Versions Unveiled

PC World

By Harry McCracken [mageditor@pcworld.com]
February 27, 2006

So the rumors are true: Microsoft is saying that it'll release six different versions of Windows Vista when the OS--due to show up late this year--arrives. (Actually, there will be twelve versions, since everything will be available in both 32- and 64-bit editions.)

The company will aim three versions of Windows at home users (all of the descriptions that follow are Microsoft's, not mine):

Windows Vista Home Basic: For consumers that want to simply use the PC to browse the Internet, correspond with friends and family over email or perform basic document creation and editing tasks, Windows Vista Home Basic will deliver a safer, more reliable and more productive computing environment.

Windows Vista Home Premium: Will help consumers utilize mobile or desktop PC functionality more effectively while enabling the enjoyment of new, exciting digital entertainment experiences - all with the benefit of added security and reliability. Windows Vista Home Premium includes everything in Windows Vista Home Basic, plus the Windows Vista Aero and Media Center and Tablet PC capabilities.

Windows Vista Ultimate: Windows Vista Ultimate is the edition of Windows Vista that has it all. It is the first operating system that brings together all of the consumer-oriented features available in Windows Vista Home Premium with all of the business-oriented features available in Windows Vista Business.

Two versions will cater to businesses:

Windows Vista Business: For small to medium size businesses, Windows Vista Business will help keep PCs running smoothly and securely so they are less reliant on dedicated IT support. For larger organizations, Windows Vista Business will provide dramatic new infrastructure improvements that will enable IT staff to spend less time focused on day to day maintenance of PCs and more time adding strategic value to the organization.

Windows Vista Enterprise: To better address the needs of large, global organizations and those with highly complex IT infrastructures, Windows Vista Enterprise is designed to significantly lower IT costs and risk. In addition to all of the features available in Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise is designed to provide higher levels of data protection using hardware-based encryption technology.

And one version will target particularly price-sensitive parts of the world:

Windows Vista Starter: Helps users in emerging technology countries be more successful by providing an affordable, easy to learn and use computing experience. It is compatible with latest applications and devices, and more reliable and secure because it is part of the Windows Vista family of products.

My initial thoughts:

Stay tuned for details. Microsoft's being pretty vague at this point about exactly what you will and won't get in each edition. And vital details like price (see below) and hardware requirements remain unknown. So any conclusions need to be vague, too.

It's interesting that Microsoft is releasing a new low-end version of Windows. Home Basic does, indeed, sound basic--it doesn't have the flashy "Aero" user interface that's a major Vista selling point. Seems like a good bet that Microsoft envisions the competition for Home Basic as being not other versions of Vista but XP. In other words, it might appeal to folks who wouldn't otherwise upgrade. Home Basic doesn't seem to support Vista's new integrated search. On one hand, that seems pretty lame--in 2006 and beyond, adequate search tools really ought to be a standard part of every operating system. (You could argue that less sophisticated computer users need search more than advanced types do.) But there are plenty of decent free search add-ons out there, such as the Google Desktop...so if you end up with Home Basic, you'll still be able to find your stuff.

Another question about Home Basic: Will this version show up on super-cheap PCs, and if so, is that because their hardware won't be up to the challenge of running Home Premium?

Media Center and Tablet PC are about to become features, not different operating systems. There won't be separate Windows versions for living-room and tablet use; Windows Vista Business will have the Tablet stuff built in, and Vista Home Premium and Ultimate will have both Tablet and Media Center. On the tablet side, this is not a very meaningful shift, since you'll still need a notebook with a digitizer. But it's significant that the Media Center stuff will be completely mainstream. (And not a huge leap from the current situation, since an awful lot of home computers come with Media Center these days, including ones not particularly targeted at the living room.)

By building Media Center into Home Premium, Microsoft may be, among other things, girding itself for a multimedia war with Apple--a Windows PC with Home Premium may be a more living-room friendly system out of the box than a similar Mac. (Although we don't know right now how living-room friendly Macs will be by the time Vista finally ships.)

Cost remains a question mark. Microsoft isn't saying what the price points for all these variants will be. If cost was no object, a serious PC user with a decent computer would presumably want the Ultimate edition, which apparently has all the features from all the other versions. But we don't know whether Ultimate will command only a slight premium over other versions or whether it'll be a big-ticket item.

Also unknown: Which versions will show up most often as the preinstalled OS on mainstream PCs. And whether manufacturers that offer custom configurations will bother to offer every possible variant of Windows on every machine they sell--or at least all three home-oriented versions on consumer systems, and both businessy variants on corporate PCs.

One other thought on pricing--notebook vendors have sometimes told me that one of the reasons that Tablet PCs haven't caught fire is because vendors have to pay a meaningful premium to Microsoft for Windows Tablet PC over other versions, thereby increasing the price of a Tablet. If manufacturers are tending to preinstall Windows Premium, Ultimate, or Business anyhow--all of which include the Tablet features--they may be more inclined to build Tablet PCs, and those systems may sell for a bit less than they do now. (Of course, the digitizing screen is still an extra cost that manufacturers will pass on to buyers)

PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER & YOURSELF
Posted Wednesday, December 29, 5:48 PM GMT by webmaster

Everybody keeps saying that you need to protect your computer from viruses. Worms & viruses are becoming increasingly sophisticated and dangerous. These scripts are now capable of infecting your computer without any action on your part - you no longer have to even do something as simple as open a foreign file as part of your daily routine. The SASSER worm proved just visiting an infected web site is enough - JUST VISITING A INFECTED WEB SITE!!

"30,000++ NEW ZOMBIE PCs Created DAILY...NewScientist.com news service states: "The rate at which personal computers are being hijacked by hackers rocketed in the first half of 2004, reveals a new report. An average of 30,000 computers per day were turned into enslaved “zombies”, compared with just 2000 per day in 2003...US computer security company Symantec...latest biannual report shows that recruitment of "zombie" machines peaked at 75,000 computers per day...In all, 4496 Windows computer viruses were released during this time - a fourfold increase on the same period the previous year."

ARE YOU PART OF THE PROBLEM???

"Home PCs are the top source for spam, not that their owners realize it, The Boston Globe reported...Eighty percent of spam messages "originate from home computers that have been secretly taken over by spammers, a new study found," the article said...It explained that "spammers have created 'worm' programs that can be sent over the Internet to infect unprotected computers, mainly home machines connected to broadband networks. The worms contain 'Trojan horse' software that can transform an infected computer into a spam relay. The machine will then pump out thousands of spam e-mails without the owner's knowledge or consent. Sending the spam through a relay computer makes it much harder to block the messages." 6/2004


If you don't have anti-virus software on your computer you need to get it NOW!

If you do have anti-virus software make sure you keep it current!

Links so you can do an online self-check of your own computer for virus infections are also available at the end of this news item.

If you don't have antivirus software you can get CHEAP BRAND NAME ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE AT THESE LINKS (If you don't meed a fancy box you can't beat these prices - if you need the box you need to go to a store so you can pay a whole lot more):

NOR TON ANTIVIRUS

NORTON DISCOUNT OUTLET

PANDA ANTIVIRUS(coming up fast on Norton)

McAFEE ANTIVIRUS

**************************************

Until Your Software Arrives -

FREE ONLINE SYSTEM CHECKS FOR VIRUSES ON YOUR COMPUTER:

NORTON 's Home System Checkup

PAND A Home System Checkup

McAFEE's Home System Checkup

TrendMicro's House Calls

ARE YOU PART OF THE PROBLEM???
Posted Wednesday, December 29, 5:48 PM GMT by webmaster

CHECK THIS OUT:

Home PCs are the top source for spam, not that their owners realize it, The Boston Globe reported.

Eighty percent of spam messages "originate from home computers that have been secretly taken over by spammers, a new study found," the article said.

It explained that "spammers have created 'worm' programs that can be sent over the Internet to infect unprotected computers, mainly home machines connected to broadband networks. The worms contain 'Trojan horse' software that can transform an infected computer into a spam relay. The machine will then pump out thousands of spam e-mails without the owner's knowledge or consent. Sending the spam through a relay computer makes it much harder to block the messages."

6/2004

Electronic Arts & Microsoft Join Gaming Forces
Posted Tuesday, May 11, 11:41 PM GMT by ronin

Microsoft and Electronic Arts agree to play

David Teather in New York
Wednesday May 12, 2004
The Guardian

Microsoft yesterday struck a deal with games maker Electronic Arts that could kickstart a growth in online gaming.
The agreement to put Electronic Arts games on to Xbox Live ends a long running feud between the two companies.

The games maker will release more than a dozen games, including sport-based titles such as the NFL, to the software firm.

Electronic Arts had refused to support the Xbox Live service since it was introduced in November 2002, citing concerns about the business model.

Microsoft charges users a subscription fee to access the online versions of its games. Sony's PlayStation remains the market leader in the games console market by a wide margin.

The company has shifted 70m units. Microsoft has sold about 13.7m Xbox consoles, behind Nintendo, which has delivered 14m of the GameCube.

Online gaming is growing rapidly in popularity and has led to the growth of internet cafes devoted to playing games such as Counter-Strike. There has also been a growth of semi-professional tournaments in countries such as the US, South Korea and Sweden.

According to Jupiter Research about 58m people play online games, with that number set to reach 113m by 2007.

Mircosoft chief Xbox officer Robbie Bach sealed the agreement by shaking hands with Electronic Arts president Don Mattrick in the presence of Muhammad Ali and St Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk.

FREE Security Guidance Kit CD From Microsoft
Posted Wednesday, March 24, 10:06 AM GMT by ronin

FREE Security Guidance Kit CD From Microsoft

Want even more freebies from Microsoft, ask the company for a free
Security Guidance Kit CD!!

(This is NOT the same CD as the free compilation of all security fixes.)

After evaluating the detailed guidance available on the Security Guidance Center, you can (if you choose) pre-order a free Microsoft Security Guidance Kit CD-ROM with tools, templates, roadmaps and how-to guides in addition to our prescriptive security guidance. The kit is designed to help you implement measures like automating security patch installation and blocking unsafe email attachments to help your organization stay protected.

It's available at:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/guidance/order/default.mspx