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Microsoft pushes out Windows patch ahead of time
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+pushes+out+Windows+patch+ahead+of+time/2100-1002_3-6020070.html?tag=nefd.top ^

Posted on 01/05/2006 12:45:10 PM PST by Gomez

update Microsoft plans to release a fix for a serious security vulnerability in Windows on Thursday, several days before the patch's scheduled delivery.

The company is breaking with its monthly patch cycle because it completed testing of the security update earlier than it anticipated, it said in a note on its Web site. "In addition, Microsoft is releasing the update early in response to strong customer sentiment that the release should be made available as soon as possible," the company said.
The security update, originally scheduled for Tuesday, fixes a vulnerability in the way Windows renders Windows Meta File images. The bug was discovered last week and is increasingly being used in what Microsoft calls "malicious and criminal attacks on computer users."

(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: lowqualitycrap; microsoft; windows; wmf
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To: Bush2000
And, as we all know, HAL was defective...

HAL wasn't really defective, he just got bad input. But you can make the argument that he should have been more robust so that conflicting inputs didn't cause unknown errors.

141 posted on 01/06/2006 9:33:18 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: goldstategop
You can run Yellow Dog Linux on a Mac. But why would you?

Because Yellow Dog is faster on the same hardware for some server applications.

142 posted on 01/06/2006 9:46:07 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: George Smiley
And I sincerely hope you ran the latest versions of Spybod S&D, Spyware Blaster and Ad-Aware SE.

Well, I've never used them, never needed to. It doesn't take a whole raft of "scareware" crap to keep your computer clean. Really.

The key for me has always been:

Purchase one good commercial antivirus tool and keep it updated automatically. I use Trend's PC-Cillan, but there's a few good ones out there.

Keep all your software up-to-date. I think it's foolish to think computers should be static and never need updates, in a world where new stuff is available every day.

Browse smart, and stop downloading every free doodad, gadget and shareware you find. Install freeware with ~extreme~ caution.

If you're still worried about it, install MS Antispyware... but after a year of operation with it on my machine, it's never found one bit of spyware or adware.

I suspect, but can't prove, that the free scareware products are a self-fulfilling prophecy. That, and they routinely flag items such as cookies and call them a threat to make you think they're doing something.

143 posted on 01/06/2006 9:47:36 AM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: Paul C. Jesup
What is the speed/processing frame rate per second (fps) at what kbps at what resolution with was video and audio codec when you are encoding/compressing videos on a Mac Computer?

Check out here. The latest PowerMac is faster on everything but games (games don't do SMP well).

Those tests don't count Core Video. If you've ever used one of those $1,000 real-time video editor cards to speed things up, imagine getting that with the GeForce or ATI card you bought with your system.

The Mac also has as a core part of the OS something called Core Audio. This gives extremely low latency even when multiple applications are using the audio system at the same time.

Of course, the speed of everything but Core Video assumes you have applications that can use all four processors. As usual, it's horses for courses.

144 posted on 01/06/2006 10:09:22 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: RadioAstronomer
The Cell looks promising for a multi-processor supercomputer. :-)

Are you aware of any work going on with Operating systems for the Cell?

145 posted on 01/06/2006 11:07:01 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (History is soon Forgotten,)
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To: HairOfTheDog
The key for me has always been:

Purchase one good commercial antivirus tool and keep it updated automatically. I use Trend's PC-Cillan, but there's a few good ones out there.

Do you play golf with only one club or garden with only a hand trowel? They're different tools that are designed to do completely different things.

Since all three of the products I mentioned are free for personal use, there's no incentive for them to hit you with false positives in order to induce you to pay a fee.

You don't say anything about a software firewall product.

And if you believe your ISP when they tell you that the hardware firewall in your DSL portal is sufficient, well, you shouldn't because it's not.

146 posted on 01/06/2006 11:08:48 AM PST by George Smiley (This tagline deliberately targeted journalists.)
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To: RadioAstronomer

HERETIC.


147 posted on 01/06/2006 11:10:41 AM PST by js1138 (Great is the power of steady misrepresentation.)
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To: antiRepublicrat
The Mac also has as a core part of the OS something called Core Audio. This gives extremely low latency even when multiple applications are using the audio system at the same time.

That's one of those selling points that sounds really good to amateurs, but realistically speaking, anyone who needs low-latency audio should know that sub-2ms audio latency is readily achievable on Windows with ASIO drivers. Not that the Mac isn't a fine mixing platform, but audio latency isn't really a big part of why it's good.

148 posted on 01/06/2006 11:35:56 AM PST by Senator Bedfellow
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To: RadioAstronomer
We are the Mac Borg.

You will be assimilated.

Unless you don't want to be.

149 posted on 01/06/2006 12:28:34 PM PST by Hoplite
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To: cva66snipe
Anybody in here over the age of 45 remember when there wasn't a calculator?

Yep. If I ever see a slide rule in a thrift store, I'm gonna buy it and freak out my children.

Anybody remember tube radio's?

Yep.

Rotary phones and long distance was operator assist?

Yep again. Guess the senile dementia hasn't kicked in yet.

Microsoft has taken a Lions share of the risk and done the research that most of us enjoy today.

Bull. They started by spending $50,000 to buy their first OS, and many of what you consider to be Microsoft-native products were purchased from other companies or else the companies were purchased. Word used to be Ami Pro, for example. Their disk compression was outright stolen from somebody, I forget what the company name was- and they got a bunch of money from Microsoft when all the lawsuits were concluded.

I can think of only 1 product Microsoft should have pulled and that was Windows M.E. I've ran XP for about 3 years now. No crashes, Maybe 1 freeze up. No reformats. Only twice have I even used point restore.

XP *is* better than the previous products, I'll grant you that.

I'm not a techie but I have computers laying around with 95, 98/SE, ME, and XP. Anyone who can't see the difference and improvement in them is blind.

See previous comment.

All the persons I know who have XP have very few problems with it in general.

Compared to what? What's the average uptime?

In short for most persons unless you do a lot of graphics designs etc a MAC is not needed. Yes I even used MS WEB-TV at one point. Use it for a few nights and even 98/SE will be a welcomed site.

I used an acoustic coupler that hooked up to a [rotary] phone handset and to the {black and white] television.

Ditto on the welcome sight comment.

I'm not against another company giving MS a run for their money but look at the technology miracle we are using and here we are griping because of a few bugs?

Few bugs?

There are mathematical methods for estimating the frequency of bugs. This webpage discusses them in a not-too-technical manner, and comes up with an estimate of 2.5 million bugs in Windows 95.

No one can build an unexploitable computer or design such an operating system.

One of my favorite computer quotes is from security guru Winn Schwartau, who famously quipped that 'Anybody who claims that their computer system is bulletproof is either a liar or stupid'.

However, it is possible to write code that is virtually free of bugs [see article about the Lockheed Martin team that writes the code that runs the space shuttle], and there are some operating systems such as HP's OpenVMS, for example that are more secure because of the structure of their memory modeling and the enforcement of strict coding practices from Day 1. (There's a hobbyist program (FREE)if you are interested in websurfing without having to worry about viruses). Over 350,000 licenses served according to this site. Not 350,000 systems, because you get licenses for all of the layered products in the developer's program when you get licensed up. Apache webserver and HP Secure Web Browser which is a VMS port of Mozilla.

Just for fun, a group of VMS guys took a system to DEFCON, the annual hackers' convention in Las Vegas a few years back. The judges declared VMS to be "cool and unhackable".

One of the problems with Windows appears to be bad C coding practices that permit buffer overflow exploits in oodles of places.

If someone wants in it bad enough they will find a way. With increasing popularity Linux and other systems will also begin to see hackers looking for weakness in their systems.

Microsoft apologium which completely ignores the undeniable fact that some operating systems are, by nature, more vulnerable than others.

But virus writers look to infect as many as possible which is the main reason Microsoft is hit the most often.

Of course, Willie Sutton *did* say that he robbed banks because that's where the money was.

With any thing you can make the more gadgets you add to it the more problems can happen. I don't use even a third of what XP can do program wise. But I wouldn't have to sit for hours on end learning coding either. If any other system looks better for your needs go for it. But in reality MS in itself is not bad for all it offers.

Everybody's driving around Yugos with a Mercedes hood ornament stuck on the bonnet and a set of those rims that keep spinning at red lights and Microsoft's marketing has them snowed into thinking that they're all driving luxury cars.

In a just universe, there will surely be eternal punishment waiting for the people who got people used to the idea that it's normal for computers to freeze or crash on a regular basis. One of the VMS clusters that's participating in the Uptimes Project just passed the 10 year mark. That's right- 10 years. Here's a breakdown by OS.

Rant mode off, have a nice day.

150 posted on 01/06/2006 1:27:47 PM PST by George Smiley (This tagline deliberately targeted journalists.)
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To: Turbopilot
Upon rereading, it looks like only 2000, 2003, and XP are vulnerable to the flaw, which makes more sense. Of course. it's never good if malicious code can be executed on your machine.

I believe what you're reading means that MS isn't going to issue a fix for the earlier OS versions, as they're no longer supported.

Go to SANS.org and look at what they have to say, (scroll down a bit and you'll see where they talk about what versions of Windows are affected) or the CERT advisory on the vulnerability.

But it looks like for this specific flaw to be exploited, you have to go to a web page or open an email or document containing a .WMF picture that's been edited maliciously. So so users were always safe from this one as long as they followed the standard rule never to open an email or document from someone you don't know or that you can't identify, and avoid websites such as my old favorite, www.pr0n-n-w4r3z.ru. Opening something containing malicious code can screw up any machine.

Hate to disagree with you, but Google Desktop search can also trigger the exploit when it indexes a file containing exploit code.

151 posted on 01/06/2006 1:42:49 PM PST by George Smiley (This tagline deliberately targeted journalists.)
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To: LasVegasMac
Where do I find Unix?

The traditional answer is, "Guarding the harem. Where else?"

152 posted on 01/06/2006 1:48:01 PM PST by George Smiley (This tagline deliberately targeted journalists.)
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To: Turbopilot

Instructions at isc.sans.org.


153 posted on 01/06/2006 1:49:19 PM PST by George Smiley (This tagline deliberately targeted journalists.)
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To: antiRepublicrat
HAL wasn't really defective, he just got bad input.

By that logic, a buffer overflow created by malicious input isn't a defect.
154 posted on 01/06/2006 1:50:57 PM PST by Bush2000 (Linux -- You Get What You Pay For ... (tm)
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To: Doohickey

No, but SANS tested and reverse-engineered it and *they* vouched for it.


155 posted on 01/06/2006 1:56:14 PM PST by George Smiley (This tagline deliberately targeted journalists.)
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To: Gomez

Last night I had an unexpected automatic reboot and I got a message that said Windows had updated my computer and rebooted it.

Does anyone know anything about this?


156 posted on 01/06/2006 1:56:33 PM PST by Inyokern
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To: zeugma
Do you alwo have a hardware firewall? Software firewalls can be great, but for intrusion prevention, a hardware firewall is hard to beat.

Just to clarify, does a standard D-Link router qualify as a hardware firewall?

157 posted on 01/06/2006 2:01:01 PM PST by Inyokern
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To: Inyokern

Go to Control Panel/Add-Remove Software.

You can check to see if the one ending in 919 is there;
also there might still be a vulnerability test at the Russian's page: hexblog.com


158 posted on 01/06/2006 2:02:54 PM PST by George Smiley (This tagline deliberately targeted journalists.)
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To: George Smiley
Compared to what? What's the average uptime?

I'm on dial up due to location. But in general the computer is turned on when I wake up and hibernated when I go to sleep. One every 3-4 days I do re-boot it just in case. Many companies bought up other companies. Ever hear of Western Electric, Bell Labs, AT&T :>} Look at an old phone even an older touch tone. If it has Western Electric stamped on it I bet it still works. Western Electric/ AT&T and not what we knew as Ma Bell {the actual Bell Company was the brains behind the modern phone system. Ma Bell as in Southwest Bell etc simply maintained what W.E. installed. So what happened to Western Electric when Bell was broken up? Ah but that is another story :>} Hint. You'll find their parts in computers :>}

Granted phone service is cheaper after Bell was broken up but I'll tell you this much about it. A fall is fixing to come in the wired communications system much like the Cali power grid problems. Ma Bell is not upgrading her cable systems and is scarcely maintaining them these days. Ma Bell and Microsoft if you read their histories have much in common even from their origins. You see Alex Bell's invention was stolen from him :>}

159 posted on 01/06/2006 2:06:19 PM PST by cva66snipe
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To: Bush2000
By that logic, a buffer overflow created by malicious input isn't a defect.

Okay, maybe the joke was a little too subtle. It was for those who like to say Windows isn't defective.

160 posted on 01/06/2006 2:12:55 PM PST by antiRepublicrat
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