I'll drink to that...
Posted on 09/14/2004 7:38:39 PM PDT by IncPen
A security flaw in the way many Microsoft applications process JPEG images could allow an attacker to gain control over a computer running the software, Microsoft warned this week.
Any program that processes JPEG images could be vulnerable, Microsoft says in Security Bulletin MS04-028. To take advantage of the flaw, an attacker would have to persuade a user to open a specially crafted image file. The image could be hosted on a Web site, included in an e-mail or Office document, or hosted on a local network, Microsoft says.
A wide range of Microsoft software, including various versions of its Windows and Office products, is vulnerable. Additionally, applications created with Microsoft's Visual Studio developer tool or the .Net Framework and third-party applications that distribute their own copy of the vulnerable JPEG parsing engine may also be vulnerable, Microsoft says.
Software updates to correct the flaw in its products are available from Microsoft. The software maker also offers a tool to scan a PC for certain installed products that are known to contain the vulnerable JPEG image processing engine.
Ratings System
Microsoft rates the flaw "important" for many of its products, but "critical" for Outlook versions 2002 and 2003, Internet Explorer 6 with Service Pack 1, Windows XP and Windows XP with Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2003, and the .Net Framework 1.0 with Service Pack 2 and .Net Framework 1.1, according to the Security Bulletin.
In Microsoft's rating system for security issues, vulnerabilities that could allow a malicious Internet worm to spread without any action required on the part of the user are rated critical. Issues that will not lead to the spread of a worm without any action taken by the user, but could still expose user data or threaten system resources, are rated important.
The JPEG flaw was reported privately to Microsoft and it was not disclosed prior to the release of the warning and patches, the software maker says. There have been no reports of the issue being exploited, Microsoft says.
In addition to the JPEG issue, Microsoft this week, as part of its monthly security patch release cycle warned of a flaw in the WordPerfect 5.x Converter that it supplies as part of Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003, and recent editions of its Works Suite.
The WordPerfect converter flaw, which Microsoft rates "important," could allow an attacker to gain full control over a victim's PC, Microsoft says. A software patch is available for the vulnerable products to fix the problem.
An old but related article... Bill Gates Says Users to Blame for Security Problems
I'll drink to that...
So you'll know what your day will be like tomorrow...
... ping ...
Uh Oh! Ping!
Gore looks really smashed in that picture. Look at those beady eyes.
This story is about as valid as the CBS guard memo!
Thanks, checking now to download.
Now I've heard everything.
Ping
It would be nice if more entertainment software (OK, games) were available for the Mac. There was plenty ten years ago, but the Mac game market is a shadow of its former self. That's a pity, because I like my computer to be able to play as well as work. Heck, my home box is primarily used for entertainment. Games & Freeping.
The usual response to my lament is "So get an XBox! Or a PS2!"
I would, but consoles seem to be dedicated mostly to first person shooters and platform run & jump games. Not my style. I like strategy (Europa Universalis II, Victoria, War in the Pacific) and realistic flight sims (MS FS2004, IL2 Forgotten Battles, Rowan's Battle of Britain, Jane's F/A-18, and the upcoming Wings over Vietnam and the IL2 sequel Pacific Fighters.) None run on the Mac.
Oh, sure, there are Windows emulators I could use. Some of the older strategy games I play (Bombing the Reich) might even run fast enough to be playable. Use an emulator for a frame rate intensive flight sim? No way. It might run, but it would be a pretty (and slow) screen shot generator.
If the Mac ever becomes a serious contender to replace my Windows PC as a gaming rig I'll consider one in a heartbeat. Until then it's like buying a beautiful high definition plasma TV only to find that all I can watch is Nova, Garrison Keillor, and the local community access channel. Sure, there are some good nuggets of entertainment there, but I want it all.
Darn striking resemblance to Kirstie Alley
Yea, the Mac games I play are like Railroad Tycoon 3. There really aren't that many compared to the PC but the best PC games generally make it to the Mac. I have a PC which I have just blanked and turned into a Gentoo Linux server which I used to play games on when it had Windows XP. I have an Xbox now and play Madden 2005.
The market is probably too small for a developer to take the gamble. Even in the PC world flight simmers have become a small niche. The ROI for a Mac sim probably doesn't look very attractive.
The games that do get ported to the Mac look & run great. Maybe one of these days someone will take a wild risk, code up an OSX native flight sim, sock away a tidy profit from sim-hungry Mac folks, and start the ball rolling. It would sure be nice.
Thanks!
Fortunately, not all of us have to be Micro$erfs...
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