The Redmond company announced 3 security bulletins for the upcoming Patch Tuesday next week. These are meant to fix at least 4 security vulnerabilities. One flaw which affects Windows from XP to Windows 7 as well as Windows Server 2008 R2 is rated “critical” which means that attackers can smuggle in malware quite easily; a second bulletin deals with at least “important” vulnerabilities in the Windows operating systems. The third bulletin is about Microsoft Office – in Groove 2007 there is an “important” rated flaw to be fixed.
Users and Administrators should prepare to install those updates as soon as possible upon release next Tuesday.
[ComputerSecurityArticles]
Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microsoft. Show all posts
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Friday, 4 March 2011
Microsoft pushes anti-AutoRun update at XP, Vista users
Microsoft last week changed how it delivers an update that disables AutoRun, a Windows feature that big name worms, including Conficker and Stuxnet, have used to infect millions of PCs.
The company is now pushing the update to Windows XP and Vista users automatically.
When Microsoft first deployed the update Feb. 8, it said the patch would be offered as an optional download. To retrieve it, users had to manually checkmark the “KB971029″ update in the “Software, Optional” section of Windows Update in XP, or in Vista’s Windows Update panel under “Important.”
But last week Microsoft changed those rules and began feeding users the update through the Automatic Updates feature of Windows Update, which automatically downloads and installs hotfixes and other software upgrades. In Windows XP, for example, users now see the AutoRun fix under the “High-priority updates” label, and the patch is pre-checked so it downloads and installs without any user action.
The “High-priority updates” section of XP’s Windows Update is the same location where security-related patches appear.
Microsoft’s move to cripple AutoRun is a response to malware’s continued reliance on infection tactics that abuse AutoRun and AutoPlay, the technologies that automatically launch executable files on removable media, especially USB flash drives.
Both Conficker, a worm that spread widely in early 2009, and Stuxnet, the worm that analysts suspect was developed to sabotage Iran’s nuclear programs, used AutoRun and flash drives to infect Windows PCs.
Microsoft changed AutoRun’s behavior in Windows 7 to block automatic execution of files on a USB drive, and first backported the modifications to Windows XP and Vista in August 2009.
When the update is in place, flash drives inserted into a PC running XP or Vista no longer offer the option to run programs; the AutoRun extinction does not affect CDs or DVDs.
Microsoft confirmed the update reset, and said that it changed the delivery process to “minimize the user interaction required to install the updates on systems configured for automatic updating.” However, the company did not respond to questions about why it did not communicate the change to users as it had in early February when it said the patch was optional.
The unannounced automatic deployment of the AutoRun update may cause confusion if users expect files — in particular, setup executables that kick off software installation — to launch when they insert a flash drive in their Windows XP or Vista PCs.
Microsoft noted that the update breaks the functionality of some USB drives. “Users who install this update will no longer receive a setup message that prompts them to install programs that are delivered by USB flash drives. Users will have to manually install the software,” Microsoft warned in a security advisory.
To disable the update’s changes and revert to Windows XP’s and Vista’s earlier behavior, users can run the “Enable Autorun” tool found on Microsoft’s support site.
[ComputerWorld]
The company is now pushing the update to Windows XP and Vista users automatically.
When Microsoft first deployed the update Feb. 8, it said the patch would be offered as an optional download. To retrieve it, users had to manually checkmark the “KB971029″ update in the “Software, Optional” section of Windows Update in XP, or in Vista’s Windows Update panel under “Important.”
But last week Microsoft changed those rules and began feeding users the update through the Automatic Updates feature of Windows Update, which automatically downloads and installs hotfixes and other software upgrades. In Windows XP, for example, users now see the AutoRun fix under the “High-priority updates” label, and the patch is pre-checked so it downloads and installs without any user action.
The “High-priority updates” section of XP’s Windows Update is the same location where security-related patches appear.
Microsoft’s move to cripple AutoRun is a response to malware’s continued reliance on infection tactics that abuse AutoRun and AutoPlay, the technologies that automatically launch executable files on removable media, especially USB flash drives.
Both Conficker, a worm that spread widely in early 2009, and Stuxnet, the worm that analysts suspect was developed to sabotage Iran’s nuclear programs, used AutoRun and flash drives to infect Windows PCs.
Microsoft changed AutoRun’s behavior in Windows 7 to block automatic execution of files on a USB drive, and first backported the modifications to Windows XP and Vista in August 2009.
When the update is in place, flash drives inserted into a PC running XP or Vista no longer offer the option to run programs; the AutoRun extinction does not affect CDs or DVDs.
Microsoft confirmed the update reset, and said that it changed the delivery process to “minimize the user interaction required to install the updates on systems configured for automatic updating.” However, the company did not respond to questions about why it did not communicate the change to users as it had in early February when it said the patch was optional.
The unannounced automatic deployment of the AutoRun update may cause confusion if users expect files — in particular, setup executables that kick off software installation — to launch when they insert a flash drive in their Windows XP or Vista PCs.
Microsoft noted that the update breaks the functionality of some USB drives. “Users who install this update will no longer receive a setup message that prompts them to install programs that are delivered by USB flash drives. Users will have to manually install the software,” Microsoft warned in a security advisory.
To disable the update’s changes and revert to Windows XP’s and Vista’s earlier behavior, users can run the “Enable Autorun” tool found on Microsoft’s support site.
[ComputerWorld]
Friday, 25 February 2011
Flaw in Microsoft Malware Protection Engine puts users at risk
The latest update to the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine includes a patch for a vulnerability that could allow an elevation of privilege if the Engine performs a scan of the system after an attacker with valid logon credentials has created a specially crafted registry key.Granted, the vulnerability cannot be exploited by an anonymous user, so the likelihood of it being exploited in the wild has been and is rather slim.
Unfortunately, the Engine is an integral part of various anti-malware products made by Microsoft - including its Security Essentials solution and its Malicious Software Removal Tool - so a speedy update of the malware definitions for the affected products is advised, since the update for the Engine is bundled up with them.
"Administrators of enterprise installations should follow their established internal processes to ensure that the definition and engine updates are approved in their update management software, and that clients consume the updates accordingly," warns Microsoft. According to the advisory, server side anti-malware products are not affected by the flaw.
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