Graham Cluley
Graham Cluley
Graham Cluleyis a British security blogger and the author of grahamcluley.com; a daily blog on the latest computer security news, opinion, and advice...
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Every month Microsoft releases security patches for its software - and it's often a race against time for companies to roll these patches out across their business before a hacker takes advantage of the vulnerability. A security hole which allows hackers with malicious intentions to run code on Windows or Apple Mac computers is very serious, and all affected users should ensure they have defended their systems.
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It has obviously taken longer for Microsoft to release a patch for the WMF flaw on the Vista platform than current versions of Windows, but that's because Vista isn't yet released and it was a higher priority to protect the shipping versions of Windows.
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I am also curious to see whether Microsoft will release its own anti-virus software with the service pack.
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It will be interesting to see if they decide to break the cycle and release a patch earlier in response to the increasing number of exploits of this problem.
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The Mytob worms have made a significant impact on the virus outbreak charts this year, so anything which may prevent future variants from being developed and released must be welcomed.
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If you were planning a romantic date with someone from your IT department on Tuesday night, think again. Companies have been hanging on, waiting for the official fix from Microsoft for this serious security problem. Businesses will be eager to roll out these security patches as soon as possible to ensure their networks are properly defended. Any vulnerable computer user should update their systems at the earliest opportunity following the release of the patches on Tuesday.
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What the chart reveals is that spammers and virus writers can exploit unprotected computers anywhere in the world to send out their unwanted messages.
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These emails do not really come from Amazon, and clicking on the attached file will install a malicious Trojan horse on your computer. Once it has slipped under your radar, this Trojan is capable of downloading further malicious code from the internet, giving hackers access to your PC. A real message from Amazon would never contain an attached executable file, and people should always think carefully before running unsolicited code on their computer.
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ISPs have gotten better at blocking spam, they've gotten together to form anti-spam associations and task forces, and they've done a better job of educating their users about spam,
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It wouldn't surprise me if this didn't get the interest of the hacker community.
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The worry is that the problems with the patch may have prevented it from being successfully rolled out onto some vulnerable computers.
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Criminals are becoming increasingly canny at finding ways of exploiting vulnerable users and pilfering funds. Some employees are practically handing their private information over on a plate.
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And Windows XP SP2 is having an effect, what with its primitive firewall and its status center that tells users if their anti-virus signatures are out of date.
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Email scammers are attempting to fleece the innocent out of money, and it is the naive who are most at risk of ending up penniless. This scam contains spelling mistakes and typos, but even if the scammer had done a better job at presenting himself professionally people need to learn that there is no such thing as a free lunch. If an unsolicited email makes extravagant promises then computer users should be extremely wary.