Archive | Microsoft

Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley reports Patch Windows Now, Homeland Security Warns. “The Department of Homeland Security has spoken. Apply the patches in the MS06-040 security bulletin for Windows, which Microsoft released on August 8, the agency is warning users.”

I received the “Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for August, 2006” in my inbox this morning. You'll want to sign up on the Microsoft site if you don't get this email and have responsibility for supporting and protecting Windows machines. You can find the bulletin here.

Nearly all the 12 items were rated critical and resulted in “Remote Code Execution” – in other words, someone else taking over your machine. Every version of Windows – those still supported – Windows 2000 SP4 through Windows Server 2003 – are affected. Individual applications getting patched include all the Office products, VBA-enabled products, and nearly anything with HTML: Internet Explorer, HTML Help, Microsoft Management Console. Get patching!

MS06-040 – Vulnerability in Server Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (921883)

MS06-041 – Vulnerability in DNS Resolution Could Allow Remote Code Execution (920683)

MS06-042 – Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (918899)

MS06-043 – Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Could Allow Remote Code Execution (920214)

MS06-044 – Vulnerability in Microsoft Management Console Could Allow Remote Code Execution (917008)

MS06-046 – Vulnerability in HTML Help Could Allow Remote Code Execution (922616)

MS06-047 – Vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications Could Allow Remote Code Execution (921645)

MS06-048 – Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Could Allow Remote Code Execution (922968)

MS06-051 – Vulnerability in Windows Kernel Could Result in Remote Code Execution (917422)

MS06-045 – Vulnerability in Windows Explorer Could Allow Remote Code Execution (921398)

MS06-049 – Vulnerability in Windows Kernel Could Result in Elevation of Privilege (920958)

MS06-050 – Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows Hyperlink Object Library Could Allow Remote Code Execution (920670)

We're up to 51 patches on the 32nd week of the year. It's pretty apparent that whatever Trustworthy Computing brings us, it won't be a static thing.

Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley is reporting Windows Fixes to Dominate Patch Day Dozen. “Expect from Microsoft a dozen new security bulletins, with plenty of Windows patches [^] a number of which will be deemed “critical,” on August 8.”

Pencil in some time Tuesday or Wednesday for patching and rebooting.

Slashdot post PowerPoint ZeroDay Vulnerability Exploited. “whitehatlurker writes to mention a WashingtonPost.com article about another unpatched flaw with Microsoft Office. The bug, part of the PowerPoint software, has already been used in the wild, and may be connected to an industrial espionage case.”

1. Never EVER open an untrusted document, whether it is Word or PowerPoint or a PDF or a video.

2. There are no trusted documents.

What #2 means is that you should always confirm that, whenever a document arrives appearing to be from a friend or a co-worker, it really is from them. Most of the time, you've had a conversation in advance. Social engineering works by making you think that a document is part of a normal exchange. If Bob in accounting send a message with some non-descript “check this out” message and an attachment that appears to be a spreadsheet, it's worth taking a couple seconds to verify it's really from him. Malware steals other people's email addressbooks, so the mail could appear quite legitimate.