Tag Archives | Microsoft

InfoWorld: Top News notes Microsoft offers preview of next Windows Server release. “(InfoWorld) – Microsoftæon Tuesday made available yet another in a seemingly endless stream of interim product updates with the release of Windows Server 2003 Release Candidate Zero (RC0).”

Love the snarky “seemingly endless” – how is it the press can complain when Microsoft ships something and complain when they don’t? Even worse, this isn’t really *shipping* anything – it’s just a beta.

It’s a beta of an “R2” product – Windows 2003 Server Release 2, apparently not deserving of it’s own year moniker (hey, how about Server 2005?) because Microsoft doesn’t want to take heat from the folks who don’t want to upgrade their servers every two years, but they still have features to ship, especially with Longwait, er, Vista Server, scheduled for 2007. Maybe.

R2? What’s the client going to be named? C3P0?

Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley notes “Virtual Server 2005 R2 Due By Year-End. Microsoft is now going to release Virtual Server 2005 R2 (the product formerly known as Virtual Server 2005 Service Pack 1) before the end of this year.”

Interesting that since Microsoft has gone to naming their software after calendar years (Windows 95, SQL Server 2005, etc.) that they can’t release a DotFive version. So what do they do? Anything they want, as the joke goes. Windows 98 had a “Second Edition,” Windows XP had a major makeover disguised as “Service Pack 2” and now we have the “R2” version of “Virtual Server 2005.” Next, I hear VB.NET will be renamed “Visual Basic 9.0” dropping the pejorative DotNet and implying that you must have missed versions 7 and 8 as they built upon the success of 6.0, their most successful product ever discontinued, with which this language shares very little in common. What’s in a name?

InfoWorld: Top News reports Experts see new variants of Windows 2000 worm.

(InfoWorld) – Security vendors have reported several new variants of the worm infecting PCs running Microsoft’s Windows 2000 operating system. Groups of virus writers are competing to cause the most damage, according to one security company, although the worm appears less severe than some first feared.

So far. Many media outlets are reporting they were hit. It’s hard to tell if we’re at the crest of the wave just yet. In the meantime, ensure all machines are patched, scan all foreign machines coming into your network (laptops, VPN, etc.) and shut down any unnecessary services that require these ports open.

Slashdot post: Exploits Circulating for Latest Windows Holes. 1sockchuck writes “Exploits are already circulating for at least two (and possibly four) of the Windows security holes addressed in Microsoft’s updates on Tuesday. Several working exploits have been released for a new vulnerability in Windows Plug and Play technology, which could be used to spread a worm targeting Windows 2000 machines, according to eEye security, which has released a free scanner to help network admins identify vulnerable computers.”

Keep patching! If you were quick on the draw initially, you might have run into trouble as some of the patch files were corrupted, but Microsoft fixed that problem.

Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley opines that Microsoft Needs to Come Clean About Vista. “Before Beta 1 went out, Microsoft officials would say little about the next Windows release. But now it’s time to talk turkey… What is Microsoft gaining from hiding the fact that some of the features originally slated for Vista and Longhorn Server have been pulled from the products?”

As I pointed out last week, it’s not a beta until it’s feature-complete. Microsoft is showing off a prototype, a demo. When they have the new UI in place, and lock down the features they plan to actually ship, then it is time for beta evaluation and testing. At this point, it’s just idle promises from a company that might ship something 16 months in the future…

Last night, Microsoft released its monthly batch of security patches. They include 3 Critical Updates, one Important and two Moderate Security Bulletins. They include:

CRITICAL

* MS05-038 – Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (896727) – Yet another security rollup for Internet Explorer, affecting Win2k and Up (and likely down)

* MS05-039 – Vulnerability in Plug and Play Could Allow Remote Code Execution and Elevation of Privilege (899588) – Puts a whole new meaning in “play,” doesn’t it?

* MS05-043 – Vulnerability in Print Spooler Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (896423) – Just when you thought it was safe to print…

IMPORTANT

* MS05-040 – Vulnerability in Telephony Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (893756)

MODERATE

* MS05-041 – Vulnerability in Remote Desktop Protocol Could Allow Denial of Service (899591)

* MS05-042 – Vulnerabilities in Kerberos Could Allow Denial of Service, Information Disclosure, and Spoofing (899587)

RE-RELEASES

Re-released this month, with updates for additionally affected platforms and updated patches are:

* MS05-023 – Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word May Lead to Remote Code Execution (890169) – noting that the Word 2003 Viewer is also in danger

* MS05-032 – Vulnerability in Microsoft Agent Could Allow Spoofing (890046) – Noting that there is a revised update available for x65-based systems.

So, the count is up to 43 Security Bulletins so far this year. It’s the 33rd week of 2005. Trustworthy Computing continues…

Get details on all the latest bulletins and tools from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security — and get patching!