Eye on Microsoft: Security Issues So Far This Week
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2009-03-11 13:57:28 UTC
- Modified: 2009-03-11 13:57:28 UTC
JUST a quick bunch of links for the curious:
Eset false alarm puts system files on remand
Slovakian anti-virus firm Eset has confirmed that a misfiring virus definition update wrongly labelled Windows system files as infected with malware.
As a result of the dodgy definition key files were identified as a virus and shuffled off into quarantine. Eset said it spotted the problem within minutes and released a new update that was free of the glitch, along with advice on how to unbork affected systems.
[...]
On Monday March 9th 2009 at 5:52 CET, ESET released an update of our heuristics v.1091 together with standard virus definition update no. 3918. An error in the heuristics caused a malfunction in the Windows operating system by false identification of several system files including dllhost.exe, and msdtc.exe, which were catalogued as Win32/Kryptik.JX.
Microsoft Fixes Critical Windows Image Flaw
The flaw, MS09-006, involves the way the Windows kernel handles WMF and EMF (Windows Metafile and Enhanced Metafile) images. Simply viewing such an image on an unpatched PC would allow an attacker to execute any command, such as downloading and installing malware, and the risk is rated critical for Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista and Server 2008.
African executable raises Symantec hackles
TECH BLOGS AND FORUMS are ablaze with panic over an unidentified executable file which is being flagged by Norton's security software.
It's not known whether the file, which some have reported trying to phone home to Africa, is malicious in any way, but the folks at Symantec aren't helping matters by reportedly deleting any posts or queries relating to the problem on their own forums.
Panda: ID Theft Trojans Are on 1 in 100 PCs We Scan
Perhaps as many as ten million PCs are infected with sneaky programs designed to steal sensitive financial information, antivirus vendor Panda Security reports.
More to come later.
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Also this year:
- Microsoft's Blame-Shifting Strategy Precedes More Trouble
- Leave Microsoft Alone
- Never Blame Microsoft, Blame Users and Exploits
- Botnets and Bounties Versus Real Security
- Is Windows to Blame for Cracking of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)?
- Windows Problems Take Down Airplanes, JFK Airport, Houston Municipal Courts
- Turkey, France, United Stated Under Attack by Microsoft Windows Insecurities
- Microsoft Adopts Malware Techniques to Advance .NET
- Windows Botnets Go Out of Control, Obama Web Site Delivers Windows Malware
- One Windows Worm, One Week, and Possibly 250,000,000+ New Windows Zombies
- Death by Microsoft Windows
- UNIX/Linux Offer More Security Than Windows: Evidence
- US Army Becomes Zombies Army; London Hospitals Still Ill (Windows Viruses)
- Eye on Microsoft: Another Messy Week for Security
- Why Conficker is a Blessing to GNU/Linux
- New Casualties of Microsoft Windows?