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WinXP Security Flaw

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the can-root-my-dad's-new-laptop dept.

Many readers have submitted word of the newest security hole in Windows XP. joshjs, for instance, writes: "Don't know if this is common knowledge at this point or not, but apparently some security researchers discovered that Windows XP's universal plug and play features contain a huge security flaw: 'A Microsoft official acknowledged that the risk to consumers was unprecedented because the glitches allow hackers to seize control of all Windows XP operating system software without requiring a computer user to do anything except connect to the Internet. ... Microsoft made available on its Web site a free fix for both home and professional editions of Windows XP and forcefully urged consumers to install it immediately.' Read more at the Washington Post's story." No OS is perfectly secure, but I bet a lot of new XP owners won't be too happy about this. Update: 12/20 20:05 GMT by T : fcrick submits a link to the same AP story at Wired, and several readers have pointed out that a patch is available. Update: 12/20 21:31 GMT by T : And as banuaba writes: "This hole also affects versions of 98 with XP File sharing installed and all versions of ME."

7 of 628 comments (clear)

  1. how long .... by jeffy124 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    ... until we face Code Red XP?

    --
    The One Rule Of Chess You'll Ever Need: Don't play someone who carries a kit in their bookbag.
  2. Microsoft Passport vs. Liberty Alliance... by cybrpnk · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Also a major threat in XP is it's centralization of everybody's ID data via the obligatory Microsoft Passport, as detailed in this morning's USA TODAY...

  3. OT: beaten to the punch! by notsoanonymouscoward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Its amazing when something like the drudgereport beats /. to the punch on a story like this one.

    --
    I ate my sig.
  4. Doncha just love... by bigbootedbear · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    ... an operating system that won't let its user do what they want, but let's hackers have free will?

    growling,
    bear

  5. Re:About your sig by HCase · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Where was the mention of Christ? Perhaps you may be reading a bit more into this than was being said. Perhaps you need to look at your own judgemental tendencies a bit?

  6. Re:Bug counter on the web by scott1853 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    MS hides them pretty well. I'm still waiting for them to patch Solitaire for W2K. If you simulataneously click both mouse buttons at the same time on a card, several times really fast, it'll crash.

    Also, in IE6.0, if you right-click, choose Print, right-click again before the Print dialog appears, IE get's stuck with the print dialog and the popup in a modal state, and can't figure out which one should have control.

  7. Link to exploits or details please by Ryu2 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Security through obscurity is no security at all...

    --
    There's 10 types of people in this world, those who understand binary and those who don't.