Bonum Certa Men Certa

Windows Users Left Vulnerable Over Christmas, as Usual

Boycott Novell on hand



Summary: Users of IIS on Windows Server are served another blow while they are on vacation; other minor news from the past week

JUST ABOUT every year -- including the previous one -- Microsoft clients are left to be worried about their computers. Statistics suggest that roughly one in two Windows PCs is a zombie PC.



This Christmas is no exception, but the main victim appears to be users of Windows Server with IIS. Microsoft already neglects Windows Server when it comes to security [1, 2, 3] and now comes this (reported on Christmas Day):

"Microsoft IIS vuln leaves users open to remote attack



A researcher has identified a vulnerability in the most recent version of Microsoft's Internet Information Services that allows attackers to execute malicious code on machines running the popular webserver.

The bug stems from the way IIS parses file names with colons or semicolons in them, according to researcher Soroush Dalili. Many web applications are configured to reject uploads that contain executable files, such as active server pages, which often carry the extension ".asp." By appending ";.jpg" or other benign file extensions to a malicious file, attackers can bypass such filters and potentially trick a server into running the malware.


How predictable. This begs for an explanation: why did the US government choose a Microsoft veteran to head security for example?

Howard Schmidt is still being analysed and Bruce Schneier writes:

I head this rumor two days ago, and The New York Times is reporting today.

Reporters are calling me for reactions and opinions, but I just don't know. Schmidt is good, but I don't know if anyone can do well in a job with lots of responsibility but no actual authority. But maybe Obama will imbue the position with authority -- I don't know.


Speaking of this additional Microsoft influence in the United States, Amico has just hired a Microsoft veteran.

Amico Engages Former Intel and Microsoft Software Developer for North American Expansion



[...]

Mr. Glass has over 20 years of experience in software development and has previously provided services for top companies such as British Telecom, Intel, Cisco Systems, Barclays and Microsoft.


Microsoft employees write buggy code. To give an example from several days ago, watch what Xbox is up to:

Microsoft Accidentally Charges $800 for Arcade Game



[...]

In all seriousness, this is certainly just an error on Microsoft's part - someone meant to type in "800 MS Points" (or $10) and ended up pricing the game at 80 times that.


It could be a human error at the input level, but still...

Looking at something a little different now, Motley Fool, a Microsoft fan site for the most part, is worried about the continued decline of Internet Explorer, which represented a form of Microsoft grip on the Web.

StatCounter, an analytics firm, says that Firefox's share of the browser market now stands at 32.06%, up almost seven percentage points from last November. Internet Explorer's share fell more than 12 percentage points over the same period.

[...]

Microsoft investors have reason to worry. This is a war, and it's being fought in the browser. The most functional environment for cloud computing will win this conflict. Going by the trend in the numbers, users increasingly believe that's Firefox.


More information in:



According to some of the latest figures, Microsoft loses share in both Web browsers and Web servers. Security problems are among the catalysts spurring this trend.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Saudi Arabia and Its Footprint in X/Twitter
a massive proportion of pro-ISIS accounts in Twitter were operated from Saudi Arabia or by Saudi Arabians
Imposters Inheriting Institutions
Dealing with the "imposter syndrome"
 
Mono as a Double-Purpose Trojan Horse Inside Wine
And now they can oust founders and top contributor with a CoC
This is How Bad Things Have Become at Microsoft
We're seeing nearly 80 reports in English about those layoffs
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, September 12, 2024
IRC logs for Thursday, September 12, 2024
Links 13/09/2024: Recorded Future Bought by MasterCard, Bits of Freedom Turns 25
Links for the day
Gemini Links 13/09/2024: Towards Aristocratic Personal Computing, Technology and Privac
Links for the day
Once Again, Mass Layoffs at Microsoft (Just Like Every Month This Year)
Reporting and articles trickling in (in recent hours)
Rumour: Layoffs in IBM Consulting Today
IBM has had many layoffs lately
Microsoft Has Infiltrated the OSI and Its Moles (Whom It Pays to Speak 'for' OSI) Control the Narrative
This is utterly grotesque
Links 12/09/2024: Apple Owes a Lot of Money, Repressions and Censorship of Activists Noted
Links for the day
Anniversaries Coming Up
Probably the funnest year of our lives, and definitely the most productive
In Europe, Vista 11 Grew Only 3% (Relative to Other Windows Versions) This Year
That's a huge problem for Microsoft
Google's YouTube Censorship Has Gotten a Lot Worse and Anti-scientific (for Commercial Reasons)
By today's standards, YouTube is not something RMS can (or would) use
Google Appears to Have Broken Every Single Instance of Invidious. It's a Wake-up Call, Please Stop Uploading Videos to YouTube.
Including videos of Free software events
[Meme] Video Uploads Improved
The tools are all in our self-hosted Git repository and the licence is, as usual, AGPLv3
Apple Event as Fine Example of the "IT" Circus
It's not clear if the enemy of Free software is a company like Apple is simply public ignorance that Apple keeps fostering
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
IRC logs for Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Gemini Links 12/09/2024: Clean Island and VCFMW19
Links for the day
Links 11/09/2024: EPO Patents Tossed Out by Courts, Software Patent Reveals Ford "Tech That Listens to Driver Conversations to Serve Ads"
Links for the day
More "Linux" SEO SPAM, Wrapped Up as Clown Computing, Composed by a "Bullshit Generator" (LLM)
linuxsecurity.com at it again this week
"Linux" and Linux.com Diploma Mill
The front page of Linux.com right now is the usual nonsense
[Meme] The Ponzi Scheme That Eats Rivals (by Paying Them to Stop Competing)
Why compete when you can bribe and defang antitrust authorities?
In 2006 We Had a Novell Problem and Now We Have Several Novells
Microsoft thorns inside the community
Richard M. Stallman (RMS) Debunks Misconceptions About What Free Software Means and Explains How It Works
Free software means people (including users and developers) exercise control over the program, not the programmers
Links 11/09/2024: ROOPHLOCH Report, Small Web Experiences, and Cohost Effectively Dead
Links for the day
Links 11/09/2024: Russia Enters Latvia With Drone, Truth Social Stock Crashes
Links for the day
Certificate Authority Let's Encrypt Has Fallen From 12% in Geminispace to Just 1.2% in Two Years (Capsules Usually Self-Sign Their Certificates)
Don't ask the imposters about security
The "IT Industry" is Full of Imposters (It's a Growing Crisis)
They often manage the companies
Richard Stallman Explains Stochastic Parrots (LLMs)
From his latest talk
The Toys of Today's Kids and Coordination Woes, Not to Mention a Lack of Social Skills
Too much time indoors, too much screen time
Dispelling the Notion That Microsoft is Political Left
Microsoft not only got bailed out (several times) by Donald Trump but also approached him to take over TikTok without paying for it
Linus Torvalds, the Son of a Politician, Tries to Stay Out of Politics (or Political Topics)
"I'm just a geek" has its limits in practice
Richard Stallman Still Deals With Politics
Stallman's gonna Stallman
GAFAM Not Invincible
The US has an election very soon and Microsoft is already bribing candidates for deregulation and favours, based on press reports
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, September 10, 2024
IRC logs for Tuesday, September 10, 2024
The Greatest Show on Earth (Buzzwords Circus)
What next? Being denied medical service because you don't have a Facebook account?
Gemini Links 11/09/2024: Happiness, Improvised Nebuliser, and olden Age of Palm OS
Links for the day