Free Republic

i had problems with win 7, so i copied my files off, and did a reinstall of win 7. i'm using 64 bit. now picassa will not download my cell phone photos, and ie will not allow me to upload my pc photos as an attachment. a balloon appeared offering to download active x, but failed. thanks, ken

Hackers are actively exploiting a zero-day hole in RealNetworks’ RealPlayer media player, a software program installed on tens of millions of Windows computers worldwide. RealPlayer zero-day flaw under attack The in-the-wild attacks, which began late last night (October 18), targets a previously unknown and unpatched ActiveX vulnerability in the way RealPlayer interacts with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. The flaw is causing drive-by malware downloads when an IE user simply browsers to a maliciously rigged Web page, according to an alert issued by anti-virus vendor Symantec. The issue affects an ActiveX object installed by RealPlayer, accessible over the web using Internet...

Is it just me, or has something changes with the Free Republic site that is using ActiveX scripting? Starting today, I get asked "Do you want to allow software such as ActiveX and plugins to run?" on every stinkin' FR page. (I have my security set this way.) These are usually associated with ActiveX controls in banner ads, but why on every FR page? This has never occured to me on FR before today. Thanks, Yo

Vulnerable 3rd-party component used by more than two-dozen vendors. A vulnerability within a software component used in more than 70 products could allow for an attacker to remotely run malware on a targeted system. The vulnerability lies in NCTAudioFile2.dll, an ActiveX component used by Internet Explorer. An attacker could use a specially crafted web page to exploit the vulnerability and take control of a system, warned Danish security firm Secunia. The component is made by Online Media Technologies Ltd., a UK-based firm that produces .net and ActiveX components for developers. The company said its clients include AT&T, Dell, and Intel....

Security analysts are warning computer users about a new and potentially destructive Internet worm that can obliterate important documents. The worm, called Kama Sutra, is making the rounds now, but is scheduled to execute its first massive attack on February 3. Detected last week, the malicious worm targets computers running Windows and spreads primarily by copying itself to shared network locations and then sending itself to e-mail addresses found on afflicted computers. With subject lines that read "the best videoclip ever," "give me a kiss," and "school girl fantasies gone bad," the worm entices computer users to open the attached...

Single line of JavaScript allows systems to simply ignore authentication check Hackers have found a way to circumvent a check in Windows that aimed to prevent users of pirated copies from accessing software updates. By pasting a special JavaScript command in the address bar of the browser, users can disable the Windows Genuine Advantage 1.0 check that Microsoft took live last week. The Microsoft technology uses an ActiveX tool to force the user to go through an authentication check before he is allowed to access certain download sections on the Microsoft.com website. The JavaScript command simply instructs the computer to...

Get ready to register with Microsoft if you want to update your Windows operating system. In a shift toward greater monitoring of personal computer systems and potentially less copying of software, Microsoft will require users to let the company place a software "key" on their systems if they want the free, regular system updates it provides. Privacy advocates are concerned, but Microsoft said the system is anonymous and won't be used for anything other than verifying the operating systems' authenticity. Called "Windows Genuine Advantage," the system is designed to limit the spread of copied software, a widespread practice that has...

Ryan Naraine - eWEEK The Microsoft security train made its scheduled monthly stop on Tuesday, dropping off eight updates to cover 18 vulnerabilities in a range of widely deployed products. Five of the eight advisories are rated "critical" and Redmond officials are urging customers to apply at least three immediately as high-priority updates. The top three include fixes for high-risk flaws in Microsoft Corp.'s implementation of the TCP/IP stack; a cumulative patch for the Internet Explorer browser; and a patch for a remote code-execution hole in the enterprise-focused Microsoft Exchange Server.

Phishers are taking advantage of Microsoft’s new software anti-piracy initiative by launching a wave of phishing e-mails in an attempt to get credit card numbers from Microsoft customers. The rogue e-mails also allow phishers to install spyware and adware on users’ machines. Last month Microsoft said it would not allow users in some countries install software updates online unless they could prove that their Microsoft software was legitimate. Security company Websense said it has received several reports of two new versions of spoofed e-mails that are being used to install spyware/adware onto end-user's machines and steal credit card details. The...

Antivirus specialist GeCad Net is warning that it has found a problem with Microsoft's most recent software patch for Windows. The Bucharest, Romania-based security service provider said that a critical patch issued by Microsoft in its MS05-001 bulletin earlier this month fails to resolve all of the security issues surrounding the HTML Help ActiveX control in Windows. Microsoft distributed the fix, along with additional security updates, to address the threat of attackers placing and executing malicious programs such as spyware on affected computers. GeCad, which sold its antivirus software business to Microsoft in 2003, said that the patch has not...

(COMPUTERWORLD) - There has been a lot of buzz in the past few months over the arrival of Firefox, the open-source browser published by The Mozilla Foundation, and how Microsoft's Internet Explorer is starting to lose some of its share of the browser market to this new competitor. Out of the ashes of Netscape, Mozilla has built a solid browser that supports features such as tabbed views, Google for native searches and direct support for RSS feeds. But business users need to think twice about making the switch from Internet Explorer, since Firefox lacks the ability to run Microsoft ActiveX...

Disable Internet Explorer Active X support, turn off the "drag-and-drop" or "copy-and-paste files" option across a domain, or switch to another Web browser unless you want to face a Hack attack on your PC, warns the security firm Secunia. They have discovered three very critical flaws in the IE and have issued security notice on its website. The company has rated the flaw as of a very high risk nature and has said that this is their last warning for people to secure their data. “The flaw affects IE 6, and can enable hackers to run pornographic dialers to be...

Microsoft Corp. released a free software update yesterday to close vulnerabilities that left users of its Internet Explorer browser open to attacks by hackers. The security breach, discovered last week, made it possible for users of Microsoft's ubiquitous Web browser to have their passwords and private account information stolen when they logged on to banking sites.